Together Again!

My last blog post I spoke about Max and his buddy Maya and the things they added to our lives. They came to us as a bonded pair, Maya had only spent a few weeks of her life without Max in it. She washed his face every morning, and tomorrow morning she will be doing it at the Rainbow Bridge.

Every day, no matter where we were, she washed his face.

Maya was one of those dogs that was just sweet, kind and gentle. She didn't really have a mean bone in her body and was just happy to be loved on at all times. It is hard to tell stories about her without telling stories about them both, they were very rarely apart and if Max went with me on a picturing expedition or out to chase a storm Maya was not happy while he was gone.

She had suffered an episode last winter that we had thought was in the past, but it was probably some kind of stroke and it seemed that when Max was gone she just went downhill fast.

Just wanting to be with her people. "Outside is for dogs" she seemed to say

She would spend her every waking minute being with her people if she had her choice, and other than going along with Max on his coyote chasing expeditions as his security detail she was never far from Brenda.

She hated thunderstorms and was usually looking for cover, behind the chair, or in our walk-in closet, long before the first thunderhead showed up at Dogpound North. Entirely different than Max who would roar out to do battle with the storm. But she really liked just laying about wherever her people were, and in most cases in front of the refrigerator in the trailer or in the high traffic areas in the house.

Her favourite sleeping position

The last few weeks have been hard on everyone here, but especially so on Maya, she would wander aimlessly like she was looking for her buddy, and stare off into the distance like she heard someone calling, but didn't know how to get there. She was having more and more trouble getting up and we were having to lift her to her feet. Along with her own health issues which were not insignificant it just seemed she had lost the will to live without her friend.

There will be some high energy romps going on at the Rainbow Bridge tonight

Together Again

It will be a lonely place here at Dogpound North without these guys.

A Sad Day

It doesn't matter that you know this day is coming, it is still heart rendering when it does. Our old friend Max has crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

Max

Now every dog is special and I have had some great ones in my time on this rock. Max came to us late in life, we found him and his sister Maya at the rescue in Canmore, Alberta. We were actually sent there by an old blogging friend Sandra Merrikin who knew we were looking for a border collie type dog, we had recently lost our Meg, and had found one on the internet. We had just seen this meme on the internet and thought it was time.

Look close at the dog in this picture and Max, is that a coincidence or WHAT?

Getting them home is a story in itself. But although we figured he was a beagle/lab cross and we have had a few border collie's in our time, Max was the only dog I ever had that understood complete sentences. Some of those border collies had pretty big vocabularies but Max was the only dog I have had that you could actually converse with and get a response like he knew exactly what you said and why.

He had that ability right from the get go with us. When we went to the Rescue to look at a border collie type dog they had there, we were chatting with the manager of the place and asked her if that dog, Maya, got along with other dogs. She said she wasn't sure, but she did get along with Max. We asked "well who is Max?". She told us Maya and Max had been surrendered together and wondered if we wanted to meet Max. We said sure, well he came into the room, took a spin around it, and set himself down in front of me and proceeded to bark at me. His eyes, his body and especially his tail were giving me every indication that he was telling me some kind of story and I had better listen up. To this day I believe he was explaining that if we were thinking about adopting Maya we had better make room for him, because like it or not he was coming along. We got the message and although he had been spoken for by another family, the manager worked it out so this bonded pair could come home with us. Like all Brown family stories, that leads to another story, but one I have told before on this blog so just follow this link back to it.

Long story short, they both came home, eventually and the last seven years have added immeasurably to our lives. They travelled with us, going south to Arizona every year and camping around Alberta in the summer, while Max still made sure that the coyotes here at Dogpound North knew exactly where they were allowed and where they weren't.

He was a happy guy!

Maya and Max enjoying a summer day at Dogpound North

He loved going to walkabouts in the desert with me.

Yesterday visiting Cain and Camo, Matt's two Mastiffs

In Search of a Canine MASH Unit.

Maya has had an ear infection that Brenda has been treating for about 10 days. She develop a swelling in her ear that made us decide she needed to see a vet before Christmas. We started off looking around Quartzsite without much luck although the vet in Parker could see her after we got the appointment organised it turned out that vet was in Parker, Colorado, a long drive from Western Arizona. We tried Blythe but they couldn't do anything till mid next week, so we figured we needed to head for somewhere bigger. Yuma was our next choice of spots and they have 4 or 5 vets but as we got hooked up and heading down the road Brenda called them all and none of them had time yesterday to squeeze us in.

I guess through the miracle of social media Brenda got in touch with our own vet back home. Heather Van Esch from the Cremona Vet Clinic gave her some advice and a few tips on what to look for and some possible treatments.

Meanwhile I found a Truck/RV Wash in Ehrenberg, Arizona so we pulled in their before we crossed the border into California to wash some of the road grime off of our rig. It is a cash only outfit so I had enough to get them started then I ran over to the Flying J to raid a bank machine for the balance. It wasn't the greatest job, but they did get the big lumps off so it is better than it was. After that we headed through Blythe and then south towards the Dunes and Ogilby Road. We found a little spot just east of the road on Road 707 where we got ourselves set up. It was a little cloudy and cool yesterday, great day for traveling, but the sunset was pretty nice.

Dogpound Anywhere photobombing a great sunset.

Today we got up early and headed into Yuma to set up a blockade at the Ironwood Vet Clinic. They opened at 8:00 and Brenda was ready to knock the door down to get Maya looked at. We pulled into the parking lot about 7:00AM and one of the tech's was just getting out of her car. After hearing our sad story she took us in and we filled out all the paperwork and prepared to wait till they could squeeze us in. Fortunately an early morning surgery they had scheduled was late showing up so Maya was first up. Turns out Heather had nailed the diagnosis all the way from down the road from Dogpound and even the treatment, so we have some prednisone to deal with the hematoma in Maya's ear and the infection that was there last week is all cleared up so it is just a matter of time till all is right in her world again.

The vet visit out of the way we headed over to Walmart to re-stock our larder, we were running low on ice cream and that is critical component to our well being while we are down here. Picked up some other stuff and then headed back to rig.

It was a beautiful day today so we read a little, sunned a little, snoozed a little and then Max and I took a walk in the desert which brings us to now. No excitement planned over the next few days but who knows what tomorrow will bring.

Costco, etc

Sunrise this morning!

We are hanging out at our favourite mountain just chillaxing and letting the world pass by.

We ran Maya into the vet this morning as she has an ear infection so her and Brenda are going to be struggling to get her medication applied for the next week or so. She is a pretty meek soul so I am sure they will come to some kind of working arrangement pretty quickly.

While we were in town we made a run through Costco to replenish our water and meat supply. It might be a while till we encounter another Costco on our winter wanderings so we are stocked up for a while.

After we got back from our trip to the big city we had a bowl of Brenda's great meat ball soup for lunch and then Max and I decided we should go on a little walkabout through the hills behind our camp. Two old guys just ambled along up hill and dale enjoying the quiet of the desert and the scenery. Brenda always says and she is right that it feels like we are living in a painting here, the landscape is really surreal.

We did run into some other walkers on our journey, a few cows and this furry fellow just strolling down the trail.

Till next time we are just heading Down the Road from Dogpound.

Boondocking

We headed out of Dogpound South last Wednesday towards a spot over near the La Paz Valley. We have been there before but it was a long while back, in fact almost 6 years ago was the last time we left there. It was great to get back to that wonderful spot. It is quiet and off the beaten track and although the madness that is Quartzite in January is only an hour away it doesn't spill over towards our spot. Although this a great spot for chillin' and riding the Can-Am it would not be so good for the ponies as it is pretty rocky. I spent some time riding some old trails that I had walked extensively 6 years ago, but although Blue II can cover a lot more ground in a lot less time than Shank's Pony he is restricted to existing trails where on foot you can roam wherever your mind tends to lead.

Some of this weeks trails

My riding partners changed on an almost daily basis, sometimes Brenda came along, but when she opted to enjoy the peace and quiet in camp Max was more than willing to climb aboard and see the country.

Max along for the ride

 He is probably wondering where to get some of those Doggles that Emmi from Montana has for riding the desert.

Our low profile toy hauler

Camp along the wash

Great for an ATV but not so great for horses

A Panorama from atop TV Hill

 Long time readers will recall some shots from atop this hill taken back in January 2011. I am here to tell you it was a lot quicker and certainly easier on the lungs getting back up here on Blue II rather than Shank's Mare. If you click on this shot and enlarge it the red arrow is pointing at our site this year.

 This quartz outcrop is just poking out of the desert.

Just a shot of a small hill along the trail

Sunset with what I call TV Hill in the centre.

Blue II waiting patiently for Brenda and I to investigate a mine flooded with water. 

Doing our part to repatriate some Carbon back into the atmosphere

Max and Maya chillin' in camp.

An old Mine Site

A beautiful vista

An interesting piece of wood, looks like a leg roast

 I stumbled on these store fronts along the trail, I have no idea how or why they came to be there. Out back are pens that look like stabling but not much sign of critters being held there.

Star Struck

An interesting piece of wood that I found along the wash.

We thoroughly enjoy our stay in the desert, I think between Brenda and I, we consumed about 7 or 8 books and still saw a lot of country. Although we didn't see to many other folks out there it is obvious that we are pretty pokey when it comes to ATV'ing, we rather enjoy moseying along at 6 or 8 miles an hours snooping in every nook and cranny and watching for the things that those hurtling along at breakneck speeds might miss.

Everybody is going somewhere. Those are all trails in the sky

On a Roll

Well we are really on a roll this month, four blogs and the month is barely half over. Well I don't think it will continue as we have had a great first two weeks of the year, what with winding down from the kids visit at Christmas, then a trip up to North Ranch and visits from friends the last couple of days. Last week was taken up mostly with just hanging here at Dogpound South, although I did sneak off most days for a couple of hours to get a swim in at the brand new rec complex in Maricopa. It is a wonderful set-up with an eight lane lap pool that a lot of days has only a couple of diehard swimmers in it. Fine with me and keeping swimming allows me to keep doing the things I really like, eating Brenda's cooking and of course my ice cream therapy.

And on the day I didn't swim an old friend, Phil Staden, and his family came by, loaded up Wink and I and hauled us out to Picket Post for a ride around the mountain. Hard to believe but I didn't take a single picture along the way but it was just as beautiful, if not more so, than it is every time. Definitely one of my favourite all time rides. Just after we had our lunch and got going the skies opened up though and we had a through soaking. Water was running in the washes and some of that slick rock was SLICK. We all came through safely though, if a little wet.

Friday afternoon we were expecting company and before you knew it the Big Pink Motorhome and bright Yellow Jeep with Treasure State plates were pulling through the gates here at Dogpound South.

Mike and Janna and the Tin TeePee were coming to visit on their way back to North Ranch after visiting other friends in Tucson. We had a great visit and then headed into town to Plaza Bonita for a great Mexican dinner.

Mike, Janna, Emmi and Max in the background

Saturday we continued our visit and along about 11:30 Rene and Jeanette from RV Voyageur pulled in the gate on their Kawasaki motor cycle. They are camped over at Gold Canyon and we had enticed then over to Dogpound South for a visit. Although the two couples had never met they have been following each others blogs for a long time so like always, it was old home week and we solved most of the world's problems and ate a way to much of Brenda's good cooking.

Jeannette, Mike, Brenda, Rene, Janna and Emmi, Maya and Max thrown into the mix also.

Sadly the afternoon passed quickly and Rene and Jeanette had to hit the road home. We convinced Mike and Janna that they could stay another night with us though so we had a little more yakking and then finished off the day with another feed of Brenda's Carrot Cake topped with some good Blue Bell ice cream.

This morning the Clark's were off for North Ranch and I was off to Cowboy Church so we said our goodbyes and headed off down our own trails.

Room in the Bucket

Time is flying by here at Dogpound North. We have kept pretty busy, doing what I am not sure, but busy just the same. That might be a good reason to get my blog up to date and keep it that way. I would be able to go back and check just what it was I have been doing from time to time.

Of course July always starts with a bang around these parts. The first day of July the whole country gets put on hold so that they can celebrate Miss Ella's birthday. It is a national holiday and across the country there are parades and fireworks to mark the day.

Ella, her cousin, and Grandma's Ice Cream Sandwich Cake

Face Painting

Oh yah, and a little thing called Canada Day happens on that date also. As a nation we are 146 years old now. Just a little trivia, before that date 146 years ago Western Canada was in the hands of the Hudson's Bay Company and was bought for $10,000,000, not a bad deal I am thinking.

Once we got over celebrating Ella's day we were busy getting packed up to head out with our ponies. We had made plans to meet Ken and Verna Pohl out near the South Ram River along Hummingbird Creek. Ken and Verna were bringing along some friends of theirs Bev Schrader and Vic Lamond. We got setup in a pretty spot along the banks of Hummingbird Creek

The view from our campsite

There are a lot of trails in this part of the country and between the Pohl's and Vic we had pretty good guides for our first trip out here. Our first day we headed out along the South Ram River for a look see. Although the river had dropped down to more normal levels after last month's rain there was evidence that it had been up, in some places, 15 feet higher than normal. Must have been some heavy rains out there in the West Country.

The lower cascade of what I am calling Upper South Ram Falls

And here is a picture of Brenda and I at the Upper Cascade

 Long time readers may recall our visit to the Lower South Ram Falls a couple of years ago.

Here is a shot from a couple of years ago of the lower Ram Falls

Once we got the required photo's we headed up river to see the country. We crossed back and forth across the river multiple times to stay on the good trails.

An overlook high above the Ram looking to the West

Making our way upstream R to L; Ken, Verna, Brenda and Vic

For this ride we went out of camp on the South Ram trail and returned across country on the aptly named Muddy Trail. No photos of that as it was all in the trees and pretty wet and boggy.

Saturday we just did a short ride up Hummingbird Creek to a new Trappers cabin and back, Brenda sat that ride out to rest her knee so I ponied Wink along behind Blue, most of the time anyway.

Then Sunday we headed into the high country. Ken led us on a beautiful ride that just got better and better the higher it went. We were destined for a place called Monument or College Heights. The monument part I figured out as there were numerous monuments and even a couple of memorials to riders who have gone on ahead to scout the trails in the sky, but why it is also called College Heights escaped me. Maybe just because when you are up there you can see forever and it could be a place of "higher" learning. Sure was a great place to get the lay of the land from.

Here the group is taking a break as we broke out at treeline, typically ~6500 feet in Alberta.

From there we kept climbing through the alpine, enjoying ever expanding vista's as well as the wild flowers along the trail.

Shrubby cinquefoil, thanks Sandy

Wild Thyme

Forgetmenot

Once we got to the top we could see forever and certainly felt closer to heaven.

A Panorama from the top

Brenda and Verna at the top

Brenda on top of the world.

It was a great day to be up there, nice and warm, only a slight breeze and just some big puffy clouds floating by.

Bev and Vic at the top

Ken and Beauty along with Penny playing in the snow

Verna and Ben

Heading down the hill

Here we are crossing the Hummingbird coming back into camp. Our rigs are visible in the background.

Although generally we had good weather we did get a few opportunities to try out our slickers from time to time. In this country, unlike Arizona, you sure don't leave them in the trailer.

Getting the fire going with my F&BS

As well as being another place checked off our bucket list, hence the title of this entry, it was also our new pups first camping trip and they had a good time and didn't drive anybody to crazy.

Brenda and her "posse"

This week we are hanging around home while some of the renovations are going on, but we'll be back on the trails soon. Maybe another new place.

A Google map below for those who are really curious about where we have been riding, but keep it a secret we don't want the hills full of people.

Hummingbird Rides and some Points of interest.