Monday, August 5, 2024

Travels with Dusty and Sandy

This will be an abbreviated version of High Fiber. We're on the road with no internet, and I'm having to use my phone's personal hotspot, but I wanted to share some of our adventures as we go along. We couldn't find one of the seat belts for the dogs, so I used a similar-sized carabiner hook and and the belt that came with my treat pouch to make a new one. (I put the treat pouch on the belt that attaches to the double leash.) The one I made is attached to Dusty's seat-belt harness. Our vet in Utah told us it was important to keep the dogs fastened in, especially on long trips.

Our first stop was in Winnemucca. If you've been reading my blog posts for long, you will remember that we were stuck there in March 2023 because our pickup truck broke down. The people who run the Silver State RV Park were very nice and accommodating. We were happy to stay there again. Dusty remembered where the dog runs were from our time there. Sandy didn't get to go to the dog runs when we stopped there on our way back from picking him up in Pahrump. He hadn't had all his Parvo shots yet, so we couldn't put him down where other dogs had been. He got acquainted with them this time. The RV Park was much warmer than it was last time!



The next day we drove to Great Salt Lake State Park in Tooele, Utah, just west of Salt Lake City. There was access to the lake. The pups showed no interest in going into the water. I guess it smelled funny to them. The air quality was pretty bad, so we were glad we had power and could use our AC.



From there, it was a fairly short drive up into the Uinta mountains East of Salt Lake City. We were hoping to get a campsite big enough for Peter and Alexa and their kids, who would join us for tent camping, and our older granddaughter, Alex and her boyfriend. We didn't have a reservation at Cobblerest, our favorite campground in that area, but we were hoping that by arriving on Wednesday, we would be lucky. We were. We had our pick of most of the campsites and picked one right next to the creek. We had fun putting up our visor for the first time. It was a challenge, but it will be easier next time.



We had no hookups, so the oven didn't work, and we had to be careful about using water, not so much because we didn't have water, but because we only had so much storage in our greywater (sink waste) and blackwater (toilet flushes) tanks. It's good practice. If you want to camp in remote areas, you need to be able to manage these problems. Our solar provides enough power for lights, water pump and charging devices. (Yay, solar!) We can't run the AC or the oven without shore power.


While we were there, we found two R·Pod trailers in the same campground. We had a nice chat with the owners of both of them.


Alexa and the boys arrived that afternoon and set up the tent. Peter was flying in the next day from a conference in Denver, and Alexa would pick him up while we entertained the boys. The stream was a source of amusement for everyone.



Alex and Jeremy arrived on Friday and set up their tent, borrowed from a friend. We were all very relaxed, in spite of being a trailer and two tents.



On Saturday we said goodbye to Alex and Jeremy. We got a rather late start. Alex's car wouldn't start. Dead battery. We gave her a jump, which got them home safely. Peter and Alexa were able to drive faster than we could pulling the trailer, but when we had cell coverage again, Alexa sent back messages as to traffic problems ahead, which was helpful. We arrived at Tie City Campground close to Laramie, Wyoming, late in the day. Backing into the campsite was a real challenge because of the one-way narrow road and uneven terrain. We had a number of false starts, but finally got the pod into the site on a patch of slightly sloped ground, a problem we solved with a board under one wheel on a bump in the ground. Peter, the boys and I put up the awning early the next morning.


There are some nice hiking trails taking off from the campground. We got in about three miles during our one full day at Tie City.



The pups got some off-leash time, which enabled them to run back and forth along the trail. They were mostly good about staying with the group. We had to scold Dusty once and put him back on the leash for getting too far away from us. After ten minutes, we let him off, and he stayed with the group after that. Sandy never got too far from us.



We're on the road again today. I took one of the dolls to use in an upcoming story, which will involved camping. While traveling, we're listening to Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir on Audible. I discovered I could hear the narration OK in the truck using the iPad. I guess the speakers are better than the phone. It's my second time to listen to it. Charlie's really enjoying it. I'm getting some knitting done, because I'm not the driver. I've done several inches more on the first sleeve. I had to think back three rounds, though, because I got involved in the story and forgot to change a color. Back on track now.


On my phone, I still have On Call by Anthony Fauci. I listened to it during my lie down each day when I can take the time to do it.


This week's story is a re-edited rerun: Looking After Pets. It was a springboard for the poem "Caring for Pets," which appeared in Our Favorite Verses: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, but it's not a poem.





I scheduled rerun stories to go through the month of August. If I finish the new one in time, I'll put it in the next time slot and reschedule the others.

I have a lot of difficulty responding to comments to my blog posts because of technical issues beyond my control (my lack of understanding of how things work). Message me on Facebook, Ravelry or Spoutible if you need information.


If you have a few minutes and are willing, please go to Amazon and B&N and search for "Our Favorite Verses: Poems from The Doll's Storybook by Peggy Stuart". Every click on the page for the book makes it more likely they will keep a good supply in their warehouse and stores. If you are outside the US, you may have a separate website for these retailers. If you have a copy of any of our books, including Emil, Mariah or Classic Tales Retold, please leave an honest review on the websites, especially if you bought from them.



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