I've Seen the World Through a Bus Windshield......

August 16, 2010 ~ Monday
11:26am ET ~ 82.9 degrees
Overcast & Humid
Milton, WV

………….but nothing compares”…...... Yes Mr. Chesney, we can fondly relate to those words. Got up today, did our morning rituals & savored that last cup of coffee while looking through the “picture window”; a massive, bug splattered, slightly cracked window full of memories. Took Nicky for his last pee-pee in the park & headed to the local Mac D’s for breakfast (groceries are slim to none). By the way, we had the kitchen cleaning party last night instead. So sorry you all missed it.

We are riding through WV which brings back many fond business memories for us. This was part of our equipment territory for many years while in the suntanning business. Had lots of wonderful customers here that lived in towns & on roads we'll never forget (Nitro, Hurricane, Big Ugly Road to name a few – I guess that’s better than No Name Creek, YT & 100 Mile, BC, etc – at least they have names here). Hey, just passed the WV Mountaineers football team practicing in their stadium in Charleston, WV; how exciting!! Yes, it’s that time of year again ~ FOOTBALL SEASON!! Go Panthers (we still love you guys – please call Phil Rivers, who by the way was scrimmaging against the ), go Wolfpack & go ASU Mountaineers (boy, in Missoula, MT they know you guys VERY well)!! Yes Brad & Mere, ya’ll have a cool ride to tailgate in now. Can we join you??

Ok; time to whine. One thing that comes to mind as I struggle to keep this *#&@! laptop on my lap are the *&#@% roads here in the states Seems the closer we have gotten to the east coast, the worse they have become (all big cities can be horrid). What last little bit of God given collagen I had left in my face is now gone. And if you see typo’s here, I hope you’re sympathetic. I have gripped (but only a little) about the roads in Canada & Alaska but some of them are actually BETTER than the one’s here in the lower 48!! We may have pavement here BUT our roads can still beat you to death. I gauge this philosophy on a scientific yet simple gadget, Bump-o-meter (he only cost $4.99 at PetsMart). He’s gone crazy in the last few states!! Another gauge is the pebbles of insulation that sometimes “sprinkle” from the visor over the windshield when you hit harsh bumps. At the end of the day, it can look like we had a blizzard on the dash. Folks, not once did that happen in CN & AK. It must be all George Bush’s fault, ey Mr. Obama? Anyway, back to reality & welcome home – you bet 'cha!!

Peeps, this is probably my last live travel blog (from this trip anyway). It’s strange yet exciting. Am I ready to come home; yes & no. I miss the kids, our friends, my little convertible & some other creature comforts BUT I love the spirit of adventure, not wearing make-up, wadding up my hair & being totally random, arguing with Chip & the GPS, etc!! Speaking for Chip & his upcoming expectations, ALL I’ve heard for the past few days are his repeated conversations with his buddies about getting up multiple bike rides over the next few months. That’s good; I’ll bet Nicky would love to go with him since they’ve become such good buds on this journey. Nicky has really become one of the guys & quite the traveler. He would look SO cool in a leather jacket, goggles & a bandana!! Me, I am ready to be “locally” grounded for a while, to reconnect, to regroup. Venus and Mars = )

You know, it’s been said that it takes about 2 weeks to adapt to change. Well, we have been gone for 3 months & we’ve adapted rather well. The change, once again, will be in coming home. I have found you CAN do without, less CAN be more, you CAN make a feast out of the simplest ingredients, you CAN wear the same jeans for days & NO ONE will know it, & to ALWAYS take that unplanned trail ride. But I guess the most heartwarming lesson is that the one common bond between all people is not the spoken word but a big, sincere smile with eye-to-eye contact. That breaks down ALL barriers. Humbleness & respect also go a long way. God has been good & I thank him for many miles of traveling mercies.

Signing off from the VA/WV line on I77S,

XOXOXO to you All,

Cathy & the Gang

P.S. Yes, it looks like Bubba, John, Billy Ray & Darrell ARE going fishing today along with a case of Pepsi & Diet Pepsi. Wonder if we can join along. Maybe Chip will FINALLY catch the "big one".

Party Tonight at the Bus ~ RSVP Please

August 14, 2010 ~ Saturday
12:37pm CT ~ 86.9 degrees
Davenport, IO

WHAT: Refrigerator & Pantry Cleaning Party
WHEN: 7:30pm ET Saturday 8/14/10
WHERE: Eastern Indiana off I-74 near the

IN/KY border
RSVP: At your earliest convenience (limited quantities so hurry)
ENTERTAINMENT: Whatever radio channel we can find & limited selection of very worn CD’s. If anyone has a guitar or iPod, please bring it

BEVERAGES
Limited Bar & 4 beers
Brita Filtered Water
Tea

APPETIZERS
Guacamole & Mission Chips
Cathy’s Special Salsa Mix & Mission Chips
Schneider’s Canadian Summer Sausage w/ Tilamook Sharp Cheddar Cheese on Toppers
Soy Peanut Butter & Concord Grape Jelly Fingerwiches

ENTREES
PC Gourmet Bologna on Assorted Breads (HD rolls, sesame buns or English Muffins)
Famous Dave’s Ribs & Texas Roadhouse Ribeye (creatively re-grilled secret sauce)
Canadian Maple Bacon & Over Easy Free Range Eggs (NC Style Grits or Potato Chunks)
Cheerio’s w/ Banana’s (ripened to perfection)

SIDES
Sauteed Veggies
Easy Mac & Cheese
Uncles Ben's Brown Rice
Potatoes (Steamed Red or Idaho Baked)

DESSERT
Smore’s Sans Chocolate
Teddy Grahams
Key Lime Bar
PC Crème Brule w/ Caramel topping
Snickers, Twix Bars or Mars Bars

If you cannot make it, please let us know ASAP so we can find a restaurant

Yes, we’re trekking it on home. Have been riding in the Midwest for a couple days now. We are being guided by the “magic box” (the GPS) & taking the most direct route home ~ reluctantly. Sadly we will miss Chicago (one of our all time fav cities) & more than likely Indianapolis as well b/c of timing (great downtown & some really special tanning friends there still). The land has been beautiful; vast, lush, golden, green, rolling, flat, etc. The farmland goes on forever!! Ya’ll, I don’t see how we can have any storages of grains, beef or dairy products. The farmhouses & barns are picturesque and there are tons of horses here, too. We even passed miles & miles of sunflower fields ~ talk about PRETTY!! (yes I got pix)

Spent the night in another great campground last night in Iowa City ~ the Colony Country Campground. Quickly set up camp, “fluffed” a little (it’s amazing what a brush will do) & went out for dinner. It was great; low key & casual plus we got to talk to people!! It’s fun to share life with the locals. Too funny, the manager somehow got “attached” to us, we listened to him for a while & allowed him to “vent” & ended up having a great business conversation. For some reason, I think the staff thought we were “secret shoppers” & they were at our beck & call. Then went home & got caught in a magnificent storm on the way; beautiful, vivid lightening with HUGE raindrops. I love storms (except tornadic ones).

Folks, this area has been drenched lately; major flooding in some areas of Iowa so everyone is a little sick of the storms. Again, as I have been saying throughout this trip, most areas we have visited have experienced “extreme” weather over the past 6 months (too wet, too dry, too cold, too hot, more snow, less snow). We’re all singing the same song. You know, I went to the potty while at the restaurant last night. Had to wait in line so instead of just staring at the walls, I started a weather conversation with another gal in line. Then when the other ladies came out of the stalls (they had been listening to the conversation) they immediately joined right in. And, as always, they picked up on my “accent” which prompted even more conversation (curiosity perhaps??). We were having a blast, finally said our well wishes & good bye’s & headed back to our respective tables. Chip was really curious why it took me so long (seems like he would figure those things out by now ~ ha, ha). And yes Sandy, I am TRYING really hard to use my best grammar & pronunciation without the help of an interpreter. It’s been difficult but I feel I’ve made tremendous progress on this somewhat international trip. Ey, you bet ‘cha!!

Well, take care everyone & try to stay cool. We tugged a little cool, dry Canadian air back with us but it was such a big load; seems to be taking a little longer to get to the east coast so please be patient.

XOXOX to you All,

Cathy & the Gang

SHOUT OUTS
Chase, remember to empty the toter & thanks for taking care of mountain things
Dave, I sent you the pix, check your email
Meredith, good luck with the Beamer & thanks for EVERYTHING
Wendell, thanks for making the flower beds pretty
Mark & Leslie, thanks for taking care of the house
Friends, thanks for being the best

Greetings from Sturgis, SD

August 12, 2010 ~ Thursday
4:42pm CT
103.1 degrees ~ Clear

These are 2 of the bartenders from the One Eyed Jack Saloon – they were a hoot. And yes, you guessed it, as adventure would have it I gave in to the Sturgis “excursion”. Initially, I was totally dreading it because of the heat, the crowds, the noise, the chaos, & the perception I personally had (based on previous tales & pix from the guys) but………………..we had a blast!! The event was a controlled chaos & the town truly had a method to their madness. If you can be impressed with an event like this, I guess I am saying “I was” (not saying that I like the primitive accommodations most of the bikers use but at least there are princess-like choices if planned properly in advance should I ever give in & go again). Haven’t I been saying on this trip to “expect the unexpected”? Guess I had to take a dose of my own medicine, ey?

While driving towards Sturgis yesterday, we were a little concerned with accommodations given the magnitude of this rally & the fact that it was their 70th anniversary. But, we got lucky & found a campground about 20 miles west of town in Spearfish. Because all the sites with full hookups were already taken, we had to stay in the “overflow” parking area which turned out to be a HUGE, level, freshly mowed field with a great view of farmland & mountains. We were ecstatic!! The alternative could have been a muddy lot behind Bubba’s Wrecker Barn or the Walmart parking lot. We had quite a few other neighbors around us & excitement was in the air. The field was actually a blessing as it absorbed most of the noise in the area (which Nicky loved because he gets so nervous around loud things).

We quickly set up camp, rustled up what little biker-looking threads we had, jumped into the Jeeper & went into town. Mind you, driving a Jeep in motorcycle territory was a tough pill for Chip to swallow but he remained a trooper. We had to park quite a ways from the festivities because we were driving a ”4-wheeler” which forced us to do more walking than planned (which I totally justified as our reason to drink a couple extra beers that night – yes, flush the body of toxins through exercise). Since this was my first time at the rally & we only had 1 short night to experience this annual mack daddy of all rallies, I wanted to savor the experience in one fell swoop (like any typical Leo blooded tourist with camera in tow). Checked out the vendors, did inspections of all the popular biker bars & walked almost every square inch of that tiny little town. We even ended up going to the Bret Michael’s concert (he was great) at the Full Throttle Saloon on the outskirts of town. Let me tell you, the parking experience for the concert was an event in itself; we’ll save that story for another time.

Left Sturgis this morning with every intention of “non-stop driving” but got down the highway & kept seeing continuous billboard advertisements for a place called Wall Drug Store in Wall, SD. After miles & miles & miles of these signs we became curious & decided to stop in & check it out. Wall is a quaint, small, western town that considers itself the gateway into the Badlands National Park area. It was packed with lots of other curiosity seekers such as ourselves (suckers). There was every type of person there imaginable; you name it. Because the town was biker friendly, there were a lot of rally riders there, too. And, as the unexpected would have it, we really enjoyed our stop at Wall Drug Store. It was a complex in itself & had essentially everything for a fun stop; café’s, kids play area, great western artwork, a variety of shops, saloon, chapel, etc. Had lunch, did some window shopping, then hit the road……….again.

Well, about to wrap up yet another travel day. We crossed into the CT zone earlier & are not far from Sioux Falls, SD. Getting ready to find a campground for the night where we’ll be grilling pork chops & having a huge salad; can’t wait!! Ya’ll, I think I remember “whining” about the cooler, wetter conditions we have experienced along the way. Well, I take back those complaints now because it’s REALLY hot here.

XOXOXOX to you All,

Cathy & the Gang

"Meet Me In Montana........

August 10, 2010 ~ Tuesday
Missoula, MT ~ 75o ~ Clear

………..I want to see the mountains in your eyes”. I have been singing that song in my head non-stop since arriving in Montana yesterday. This is only my 2nd time in the state and I am warmly reminded why I enjoyed it so much the first time; it’s just beautiful. Last night we stayed in a picturesque little campground (The Rivers Edge) along the Blackfoot River right outside of Missoula. It was nestled in a little valley between mountains, right off the interstate, complete with bar, restaurant, casino & inn – one-stop shopping!! Of all the campgrounds we’ve stayed in over the past couple of years, this one ranks near the top.

We were here 7 years ago; Chip, our son Chase, myself & Chip’s parents, Bob & Lynda. We were in this very motor home & pulling a trailer loaded with our motor cycles. We dropped the bus & trailer in Billings, then rode our bikes over 2000 miles touring Montana, Glacier National Park & Yellowstone. That was my first BIG solo bike ride; had an absolute blast!! Chase rode with Chip; Bob & Lynda doubled up as well. The scenery was (& still is) heavenly but for me the serenity of riding solo in such a big, wide open space was both empowering and therapeutic.

Hhhhuuuummm, why am I even thinking motorcycles? Seems we’ve been passed by a few hundred already over the past couple days. That would be because Sturgis is having its annual bike rally this week!! Now it seems we are gonna’ “swing through Sturgis” on the way home – how coincidental. While I love riding bikes, I am not a big rally fan (been there, done that SO many times). I go along for a couple reasons only; good entertainment (watching adults makes total fools of themselves & to see the latest fashions in the bike world). Duh - I should have known that’s why Chip so willingly volunteered to eat Italian for lunch yesterday in Coeur D’Alene!! Guess it only makes sense to do the local thing while “in the area”. Maybe we can “swing thru” the mall of America in Minneapolis on the way home. Hey, fair is fair.

Ya’ll the past week has been wonderful! In my humble opinion, we have possibly seen the most BEAUTIFUL land ever; the Canadian Rockies (Jasper Nat’l Park, Banff Nat’l Park, Lake Louise, Columbia Icefield’s & a couple other points of interest). What can I say – awesome, majestic, pristine, massive, diverse; again God worked overtime. The weather was all over the place which, I feel, further enhances the scenery & the adventure. Too coincidental, I had a birthday last week which I decided to turn into a week-long celebration (and why not!!). It started with a pedicure in Dawson Creek, BC, then 2 nights in a great hotel in Jasper, AB (had a killer shower with all kinds of Koehler body jet fixtures), dinner out 4 times (but who’s counting), lots of pictures, lots of sightseeing & lots of wildlife (quite a bit of which was in Wild Bill’s Saloon in Banff)!! What more could you ask for while living the trip of a lifetime during your birthday – pinch me!!

Anywho – we are back in the states now; back to reality as we trek it on home. One thing I found kind of funny was that when we crossed the border from Canada back into the US, the transition was so obvious (not sure if that’s a good thing or bad thing). Another thing I find peculiar on my journeys are the “panhandles” of certain states – why in the world did they go to the trouble of carving out a narrow little stretch of land sandwiched in between 2 other states or what have you, i.e. Florida, Oklahoma, Idaho. Regardless of our uniqueness, it feels real good to be “home” – one of the most magnificent, blessed & beautiful places on earth. Folks, we have it all right here and, after this trip, I feel we don’t quite appreciate “home” like we should; we all need to do our part & be active in whatever capacity (prayer, volunteering, voting, conserving, etc.). Never take this great land of ours for granted.

Stay tuned - I’ll keep you updated on the rest of the journey.

Xoxoxo to you all,

Cathy & the Gang

Shout Outs:
Happy Birthday Wednesday Randy
Happy Birthday Thursday Lynda
Army Graduation Congrat’s to Paxton
Army Graduation Congrat’s to Christian

August 3, 2010 ~ Tuesday
7:03am PT ~ 58.1o ~ Clear
Dawson Creek, BC ~ Alaska Highway

We arrived here last night; pretty town of around 11,000. FYI, this is the official beginning of the Alaska Highway constructed during WWII. The official end is in Delta Junction, AK about 1500 miles from here. In my opinion, this is one of the wonders of the world. We will stay here a couple days to sightsee & regroup.

We left Anchorage last Thursday morning & have traveled around 1500 miles ourselves – been some long, bumpy days. Our goal was to click off some miles on this particular leg of the journey. Some of this drive we did on the way in but most of it was new territory for us. The scenery has been wonderful, the towns/villages few & far between, and the roads………….. pretty bumpy (which is normal). The weather has been great; warmer & sunnier (which we really needed plus it enhances the scenery)!! We have been in the constant company of other RV’ers pretty much the entire time so we never feel “alone”. From this point on we will, for the most part, be in more populated areas; not as remote as the past several days.

Folks, there is this great book we have been “living by” called The Milepost; the bible of north country travel. It has been an amazing resource in finding & describing things. It essentially tells you mile-by-mile what to expect, i.e. watch out for Bison, campground ahead at MP 123, side road excursion 7.5 miles down the next gravel road, the history of bridge so & so, road improvements for the next 75 miles, etc. It’s especially helpful in the more remote areas because of the lack of signage & it certainly makes the time go by quicker. Sometimes I feel like a tour director; I’m reciting from the book as Chip is driving. Instead of wondering what’s on the other side of the mountain, now we know.

Good news!! Nicky has really come out of his shell on this trip. I think the visits from the kids did him a lot of good as well as all the socialization with other dogs. Reason I mention this is because he has discovered “my seat” (the co-pilot seat). Now, and much to my delight, instead of hiding behind the driver’s seat while in transit, he willingly sits with me!! Even if I have a book, map or a computer in my lap, he still wants in my seat. Folks, that’s tremendous progress for him.

Guess I better go; got lots to do & see. I simply cannot expand enough on how amazing this journey is. While the destination was great, truly the ultimate meaning is behind the day-to-day journey. It's expecting the unexpected & not being disappointed. It's planning one thing & doing the other. It's the interaction with locals, listening to total silence, being able to understand on a whole new level the who, what, when, where, how & why’s. Can’t wait to see what this week holds. And as expected, I'll take pix & I'll let you know about it.

Best to you all,

Cathy = )

Let Me Tell You About Jim..............

July 22, 2010 ~ Thursday

7:03pm ~ 71 degrees

Mile Post 88 ~ Parks Hwy

Aaaahhhh, a wonderful mix of sun, clouds & warmth. Nice change of pace from the beautiful (but cool & damp) coastal town of Seward. Yep, if you’re gonna’ be broke down, this is the type of weather & the place to do it in!! We were only about 20 miles from Talkeetna; our next destination for fishing & fun. Seems a power line had fallen across the highway about a mile ahead of us and traffic was stalled in both directions so we, like many others, were forced to make the best of the situation until the utility workers arrived. You see, this is the only road for most of us travelers to get us to our next stop; no side roads, no short cuts. One lady walking by said “it’ll be at least 3 hours till they fix thelines”. So, Chase & Dave took off up the road to see what going on. Chip, Nick & myself just hung out in the bus. Others were out & about as well. It really had become quite the social event & all kinds of speculation was going on as to when, where, how & why.

The boys came back a little later with their report; seems there is a really cool lodge close by that a lot of folks are heading to until things clear up. After about 1.5 hours of waiting for things to clear up, we decided to head there as well. So………Chip puts the bus in drive and…………..NOTHING!! We were dead in our tracks so to speak. Chip tried this & that, that & this but……..nothing, nadah, zippo. By this time, during the trial & error phase, utility trucks had gone by indicating some kind of potential progress. Shortly afterwards, the traffic started to move but………… we weren’t (talk about embarrassing). And talk about chaos; now WE were the hold up. And talk about nasty looks & comments; now we were the recipients. At one time I was on the phone with AAA, standing beside the Jeep in tow & not paying attention to the traffic behind me, when all of a sudden cars started going around us on the steep shoulder of the road - scared the crap out of me!!

Thankfully, by now, the State Troopers had diverted their attention from “the fallen power lines” to “the stalled RV blocking all traffic northbound”; we all soon became best friends. Chip & Chase were still mulling over owner’s manuals & trying every trouble-shooting effort there was, I was still on the cell with AAA (horrible reception, calls kept getting dropped, kept getting transferred to “someone” that works with Alaskan incidents), Nick was hiding behind the sofa and Dave was the ever patient liaison. By then, I decided to take matters into my own hands by finding a local repairman/tow (the AAA thing was frustrating). Then, in hero-like fashion, one of the State Troopers announces “I just called Jim at Milepost 91.5 to give you a tow. He’ll be here in about 10 minutes”. Victory, yippee, happy day!! Then, AAA calls me saying that “Jim is on the way”……..geeee’s. You know, we have had some very frustrating times with them in the past but, this time they came through (& in Alaska on top of that). Fortunately for us, we added on RV coverage right before the trip.

And as promised, Jim comes to the rescue in his big tow truck (it’s a little fancier than Bill’s at Dease Lake, BC I have to say). We were all so excited (at least I was). Jim quickly jumps into action, chats with Chip, then the battery box is pulled out…………again. Not to be critical but there is at least a foot of Yukon & Top of the World highway dirt & dust that is completely smothering the batteries. As you will recall, I did not particularly like the road conditions in that beautiful part of the world. Now, in my summation, all that horrid dust has come back to haunt us. Then Jim & Chip hook the jumper cables to the bus & voila – a positive connection!! We all jump for joy (at least I did). Chip paid up, I was getting ready to climb on board when Chip shouts “wait, tell him not to leave yet”…………the bus would still not go into gear. I caught Jim & the troopers before they pulled off into the sunset and they all quickly went into “Plan B”. They try the jumper cables again, the bus cranks, looks successful but.............. I announce “I will not get on the bus until it goes into gear & we are rolling”. Thankfully, my insistence pays off because it still would not go into gear SO the guys quickly jump into “Plan C”. By this time they had determined it was probably the alternator SO in order to get us “off the road & into safety” Jim kept the cables connected to the bus (like an umbilical cord) & we inched forward ½ mile down the road to the gorgeous Sheep Creek Lodge where we spent the night in one of the prettiest graveled parking lots I have ever seen. By now, it was around 10:30pm & the sun was setting. We all chuckled about everything, said our thank you’s & then parted ways. Kudo's to the Alaskan State Troopers & the fireman from Willow FD - they are total professionals with a wonderful sense of humor.

We have a generator on the RV so our home was still very much livable. We all had a good, strong cocktail (or 2) as I quickly whipped up a gourmet meal of Alaskan-size hot dogs. We joked about how the boys spent their summer vacation that day & that we were probably on the news that night in Anchorage & didn’t even know it. Everyone was in great spirits; just a little drained. At least, it was good weather & not raining, we were close to where we wanted to be & could carry on with our trip as planned, we were close to help when we needed it, God provided us with a gas stove & a simple meal, a generator, water, & a safe place to sleep. We laughed about the situation yet were grateful as well (I was especially grateful because I got to shampoo my hair & take a shower that morning). Yes, God is good & we are humbled; never take anything for granted. Around 12:15am, we finally crawled into bed. Jim was sending his friend Joe to work on the alternator at 8:00 Friday morning.

As promised, Joe arrived the next morning at 8:00. His summation was “it’s the alternator”. So, between Joe & Jim, they got us fixed up by around 3:00 that Friday. And what a gorgeous day to be broken down; we didn’t mind at all!! We all found things to fill our time while waiting on the new part; Chip cleaned the batteries & did other guy stuff, I took a long walk & made a flower arrangement from local wildflowers, Nicky basked in the sun because dogs didn’t belong inside on a day like that, the boys did typical 21 year old boy things – walk the river, walk the railroad track, collect some cool souvenir rocks, helped Chip out a little, then contributed to the local economy by supporting the pub at the Sheep Creek Lodge. Kudo's to Jim & Joe. They take their work seriously & were a joy to work with. Most others would say I'm not going to mess with an RV but these guys rock & they charged us very fairly!!

Around 3:30 Friday afternoon, we headed off to Talkeetna where we currently call Talkeetna Camper Park home. The guys have been stream fishing the past 2 days (in the rain for the most part). I stay “home” & do typical “the only girl on the trip” things. Life is good, God is great. We head back to Anchorage on Monday or Tuesday where the guys will enjoy the big city life before they leave. Nicky will sure miss them; they have been good medicine for him by listening to all his "girlfriend" issues.

July has been an awesome month with all the kids here……………….and, of course, I got pix of everything.

Thinking of you all,

Cathy & the Gang

What's a Dog to Do?

Sunday ~ July 18, 2010 ~ 9:38 PM AT
Anchorage, AK ~ 58.1 degrees ~ Raining


I’m SO confused!! It’s been a wild past 2 weeks. I just don’t know how to handle all these “feelings” I’m having inside. Never felt like this before; I’m all over the motor home. First there’s the Chena thing; we missed each other in Talkeetna last week because dad and Uncle Brad just had to go fishing in Willow Creek (they’re killing me). Then, to complicate things more, I met this new chick in Willow (I never knew I had choices!!). Her name’s Tilly & she’s HOT ~ ½ French Bull Dog & ½ Pug ~ way too sexy!! Nothing serious; we’re just “talking”.

Then, to make life ruffer, mom & dad sent me to doggie day care for a few days this week while they went to adult day care (or something like that, I think it was called the Hilton). Anyway, talk about the women there!! Ooohhh chiwawa ~ all over the board; big, gorgeous & confident to prissy little pure bred divas (way too complicated for me ~ they had special meds in their cubbies they took each day at lunch time). Now I’ve got little mutt syndrome ~ uuggghhh!! So, I talked to my teacher at day care & she suggested I go to the doggie shrink next door. Couldn’t figure how to work that one out; mom had her cell phone & they don’t let you out of the playground without your parents consent. I can’t wait till Chase & Dave get here Monday night so we can talk (dad just doesn’t seem to get it).

Then, when mom picked me up today, I smelled puppy on her ~ ggggrrrrr. Is she going to replace me?!?!?! I heard her talking to dad (they didn’t know I was listening) about going to a local Sled Dog Exhibition and Kennel yesterday. Anyway, there were 2 celebrity Iditarod sled dogs there and that’s where the pups were, too. Don’t they think I’m good enough to pull a winning sled this coming season?!?! Why would they get a “real sled dog”?!?!? Don’t they know I can do it?!??! I’ve got to prove it to them!!!

Thankfully, tomorrow night Chase & Dave get here for a week or so & I’m SO stoked!! Mom stresses when company’s coming (guess it’s a girl thing ~ but I love her for it). She gets in some kind of cleaning & laundry zone (Dad swears she marks his clothes with a “secret” mark to make sure he wears things at least 7 times before washing). Dad tries to avoid her on those days because he says “she gives him orders” (at least that’s what I heard him telling one of his buddies the other day on his cell phone). She says “they’re not orders, they’re requests & she shouldn’t have to ask, he should be able to read her mind”. Then he usually does something like fart or pee & leave the seat up, then she goes…………you know what I mean. I just go in my secret hiding place. Mom says I’m going to Petco for a bath tomorrow…..again….. because “the dirt is different up here plus I have to smell good for company”. Looks like this is a quickie wash & wear type visit; no pedicures or clippings this time (oh no, will there be more Alaskan cuties there??). And happy trails for all!! The parents are getting groceries tomorrow which means I will be getting the new amped up formula of Beneful (saw it on TV the other day ~ gotta get ready for the big pull).

Overall, it’s been a good week. Everyone got their wiggles out. Mom got “girl” restaurants, a spa visit, wore real clothes, watched real cable TV & shopped. Dad got “guy” restaurants, a spa visit, motor home & Jeep stuff done, too. It was a little sad though because Brad & Mere went home Monday night ~ we sure had a great time with them. This is a big town; lots of history & culture (so they say) but we’re all ready to move on with “the journey”. Besides, there’s this bad azz Malamute on steroids across from our site & this campground ain’t big enough for both of us. Tuesday morning, we’ll be heading out again; not sure where because dad’s still chasing fish & I’m still chasing my true love, Chena.

Wags & Licks to All,

Nicky & the Gang