The Trip

Well, since we had cellular reception at only a few campgrounds here comes one BIG blog. Trust me, it’s been a real treat to have been deaf to national and world affairs. Jennifer seems less distracted, more present and has more time to play with me when she’s unplugged. Aside from the bouncy, noisy drives in The Beast this trip has exceeded my expectations. Both fellow canines and humans alike have been exceptionally likable.

Beginning with night one, Saturday, July 16th, at Pinnacle State Park the park ranger let me go inside the store so Jennifer could register us and when we left the park the next morning a nice elderly gentleman instructed Jennifer on the process of sanitary dumping: “You might want to put on your rubber gloves. I’m not saying you’re going to make a mistake but, just in case.”

Our second night on the road was Sunday family night at Jennifer’s brothers’ place which meant my 3-legged cousin Tres the pit-bull was there.

My buddy Tres is particularly patient. He can sit in one place in the yard for hours on end waiting for a stupid squirrel to show up on the fence and then… ATTACK. Since I don’t want to catch that scary thing to begin with I will never find the patience to wait for such an ugly critter. Rather I displayed my extraordinary patience in the gazebo waiting for a noodle to drop at my humans’ feet. And for a perfect end to the evening we all went on a “W-A-L-K” (like I can’t spell!) to get some make-your-own yogurt. Non-fat unflavored Greek yogurt is my favorite!

The next morning we continued north to Napa.

Monday evening a young Canadian woman in the campsite next to ours at Bothe-Napa Valley kept calling me Agnes. This is what Jennifer’s Dad would call me and I really didn’t mind then and don’t mind now, even though Jennifer would correct her Dad with, “He really doesn’t like it when you call him Agnes.” I noticed that Jennifer didn’t correct the young woman on the pronunciation of my name. Probably because it reminded her of her Dad. This young couple and 2 kids from Surre, B.C. were missing their dog so much I got to fill in which was okay by me. I think the B.C. family tent camping and traveling in their van gave Jennifer flashbacks of van life with her Dad and siblings. Bittersweet, for sure. Oh! And living among the redwoods I discovered that redwood is particularly yummy to chew on – spongy and salty. Nothing like it!

We left Bothe-Napa Valley campsite directly to an RV sanitary dump station where Jennifer responded to the park manager’s question about campsites with, “I just need to dump.” She sounded just like an RV pro! I was so proud of her! And speaking of pride, Jennifer’s been doing her happy dance every evening after backing into each campsite on the first try! But, shhhhhh… We’re not going to talk about the bridge guardrail she clipped destroying the RV canopy. There goes her deposit. But I digress…

On this road trip, we have found ourselves in a routine of sorts which most of the time is great. But every night without fail Jennifer throws my outdoor bed on the campsite and I lay myself down in a comfortable bed of leaves or the nice soft dirt. To make her feel good I sprawled out on that bed once but that was it, I don’t know why she continues to take it out of the RV. But I’ve really gotten into the groove with our other routines. For example, every morning after Jennifer has had breakfast, cleaned the RV, and lastly folded my bed I automatically jump into the passenger seat ready to be belted in. I know this move indicates we’re headed to the next campsite. Then in the evening after she’s done washing the dishes and sets her chamomile tea and journal on the table I know this is the only time I get to sit on the comfy bench seat next to my human. I love this routine!

But there’s one practice of ours that doesn’t seem to be working for one of us and I can’t figure out why. At home I follow Jennifer  everywhere around the house and she doesn’t seem to mind but when I follow her around in circles in the RV kitchen galley, we don’t jig and jive so well. Maybe it’s just me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Friday after staying at Bullards Beach, Oregon, we picked up Jennifer’s oldest brother, Jeff at North Bend Airport. Now talk about a cool brother, Jeff let me remain in the navigator seat and he set up camp on the RV dining table in the back. Then we went Elk viewing! Uncles are so cool! And thank goodness for me and my barking I kept the Elk away from us and my humans protected.

After driving about 250 miles from the coast we finally arrived in Bend, Oregon where Jennifer would spend a couple of days hanging with cousins and celebrating Jim’s (her Dad’s BFF/cousin) Celebration of Life. The celebration for Jim, with 80+ attendees, was a day that was designed by Jim and exactly what he wanted. The tranquil garden setting at Jim and Sylvia’s home was perfect and it was filled with numerous touching moments of heartfelt conversations with cousins and heart-breaking/warm moments like when when all the guests joined in for ‘Will the Circle Be Unbroken.’ Jennifer immediately looked at her Cousin Annie recalling when the same song was sung in a garden setting in Malibu for Jim’s Mother, Grace. Indeed, the circle remains stronger than ever. And to hear his grandchildren speak about their grandpa, Jim would have been so touched.

 

Now the best part ever! While Jennifer was having her much needed cousin-time, I was hanging with Sylvia’s good friends, Giorgio and Hope, their granddaughter Sophia, and pup Eddie on their 7.5 acres surrounded by the Little Deschutes River. Talk about “off leash!” I was living the dream and mostly got over my fear of water thanks to little Sophia who played fetch with me and Eddie all day long. Then, the icing on the cake… I got to spend the night! All night. Until Jennifer came back to get me the next day. Best. Time. Ever. Coolest family! Hope we come back someday. Thank you, Giorgio and Hope – most gracious hosts!

 

 

 

 

On Sunday after breakfast at a sidewalk cafe for dogs in Bend with Jennifer and her Malibu cousin Judi, we picked up brother Jeff and headed back 250 miles to North Bend where Jeff would spend the night until his morning flight home and Jennifer and I continued south to Coos Bay.

Monday morning was a huge milestone for both of us. For the first time ever she let me OFF LEASH at the beach! I’ve been having dreams about this day every night since. The feeling of total freedom and trust was incredible and that day on the beach I met another lab-mix: Sade… It just doesn’t get any better than that day!

On Monday evening when we arrived at Harris Beach State Park in Oregon we again played on the beach sans leash and the following morning Jennifer woke up and without doing her usual morning routine we went directly down to the same beach. When she skips her morning shower and tea to take me to the beach I know she loves me. Oh and, by the way, I like Oregon campgrounds way more than California campgrounds. In California dogs must remain leashed on paved roads only. In Oregon we are loved so much more where dogs are allowed to go pretty much everywhere.

Jennifer wrote in her journal that her “…Dad wanted to do more solo trips like this and he did do a few, but more often than not he made a lifetime of memories for others on all the family VW van road trips, yet I’m making memories for no one.” But she’s wrong! She’s making great memories for this dog that will last my lifetime.

 

Patrick’s Point was our destination on Tuesday, a campground that Jennifer’s Dad took the family to on several occasions in the 70’s in the VW van. She thought it was significant that we were in the site number same as her birth year. I don’t know, I simply saw it as a coincidence, nothing more. She felt comfort like she had arrived back home. I didn’t like the place much since dogs were not allowed on the beach or trails. But she was happy journal writing so I got to sit up on the bench next to her. And hey, I’ve learned never to get too comfortable to your situation, good or bad, because it’s guaranteed to change.

On Wednesday we drove the harrowing drive down Highway 1 to Russian Gulch State Park. Now, in a Beamer, Jennifer says this is a great ride, but in The Beast, not so much. Oh, I should mention that I didn’t get car sick once on this trip. Come to think of it, whenever Jennifer gets a rental they’re automatic transmission too and I’ve never gotten sick in them either. Hmmmm… guess I’m allergic to manual transmission cars since I puke in her 6-speed BMW every time without fail. Not gonna say anything about the smoothness of her shifting. Not a bark from me boy! Nope, I’m no fool, I know where my dog treats come from.

 

After stopping in Santa Rosa on Thursday to visit Jennifer’s aunt Jude, we drove to our final campsite in Big Basin Redwoods and the drive there was the most unnerving drive yet. Not only did we continue on Highway 1 leaving Mendicino but the highway into Big Basin was a single winding road and in an RV this made Highway 1 feel like a cake walk. Once we arrived, however, we felt it was one of the most serene campsites on the entire trip. Possibly even worth that crazy drive.

For a memory jogger and because humans can be oh so boring, we’ve been rating the various campgrounds on this road trip:

Angus’ Top Ten Favorite Things On This Road Trip

10. Sniffing out each new camp site.

9. Sitting with Jennifer on the bench seats while she wrote.

8. Whenever Jennifer shut down the RV.

7. Playing with the Canadian kids at Bothe-Napa Valley.

6. Any morning that Jennifer skipped her morning routine for a hike.

5. Elk viewing with Uncle Jeff.

4. Going off-leash at Harris Beach.

3. Playing with Tres on the Shaver Cupertino Estate.

2. Stick Fetching with Sophia and Eddie in the Little Deschutes River.

1. Going off-leash in Coos Bay.

Jennifer’s Top 10 Learnings That Happened On This Road Trip :

10. That Oregon drivers are much more calm and patient than us Californians.

9. That, as experienced in my Camino travels, there are an awful lot of pretty awesome people on this planet… Angels even.

8. That no cellular reception can be a good thing.

7. How to drive an RV. Slow.

6. How to manage all the RV hookups, levels, etc…

5. RV speak, like  “dry camping” and “site dump” vs. “dump station” and rvdump.com

4. That youngsters can be pretty deep thinkers and more eloquent speakers than us adults and that cousins should get together more often.

3. That Angus is a pretty great pup! (I actually already knew this.)

2. That living in nature is good for the soul.

1. That I hope Pops knew what a gift he gave his kids through camping and van life.