ONE NIGHT STAND

Another long driving day. We passed many large farms and ranches along Interstate 15 on our way to Spanish Forks, Utah. The drive was very pleasant except for a little rain along the way.  Nothing like the storm we had last night, lightning, thunder and pea sized hail bouncing down on us. Then, when that was over, there were fire works for the opening ceremonies of a girls soccer tournament just down the road.  What a night!

We are camped tonight in a county park in Spanish Forks, but no one is very happy about it except me. There are lots of beautiful oak trees and grass, but the sites are not level and we only have 30 amp power and water without sewer.

As I said, us doggies are happy, but the humans not so much!  Luckily, the temperature is cooling down, so the power shouldn't be an issue tonight.  We are only here one night and it's my guess we'll be pulling out early tomorrow.

SNOWBALLS IN JUNE

With the time change, we all slept in this morning, even me.  When we finally went outside, we found a post office next to our campsite with a big, beautiful green lawn. I left a special delivery this morning before Kathe saw the sign that read, No dog walking in this area!  Oh well, sorry, I can't read.  Guess we will be walking somewhere else from now on.

After breakfast, they all drove off leaving us four-legged types at home.  Cedar Breaks National Monument is about 22 miles from the town of Cedar City, an uphill climb over 10,000 feet above sea level. It's an unbelievable drive up to the Visitors Center.  There are aspens, junipers and some weather beaten bristlecone pines all the way up the mountain.  The temperature dropped below fifty degrees. Soon, they started seeing snow on the side of the road. Then it was everywhere. They had to stop and take pictures and throw a few snowballs.

Tonight my friend Warren is cooking a tri-tip on the grill, hope we can have a taste before the rain starts.  I can hear the thunder and lightning already.
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A LONG DRIVING DAY

I was alone last night while all the humans went to the Vegas Strip for dinner and gambling. They must have had a great dinner because there were no leftovers for me. Kathy and Warren are teaching my humans how to play poker and they didn't get home until it was way past my bedtime. I fixed them though, I woke them up at 3 AM to take me out, and again at 5AM for my breakfast! Then everyone had to be up by 7:30 to get an early start for the drive to Cedar City.


It was a long drive, made longer by 18 miles road of road construction in the Virgin River Gorge. Add to that an hour time change and we finally arrived here at 3PM.  This is a picture of the Taylors driving in front of us through the Gorge.  Despite the traffic it was a beautiful drive. We're staying tonight in a tiny RV Park in back of a motel in Cedar City, Utah. Only 10 sites.  Very quiet and private.  They serve free barbecue every night with s'mores for dessert and a full breakfast every morning.  Not that any of these guys would ever get up early enough to enjoy it.

Here's a picture of the wedge salad my pal Warren made for dinner tonight.  A piece of bacon even kind of fell off his plate for me.

RED ROCKS IN LAS VEGAS

Who new! There's a spectacular sandstone canyon right here in Las Vegas. The humans drove a few miles out of town to the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area today.  It was a 13 mile, one way drive in the Mohave Desert that rises up to an elevation of 4771 feet and overlooks some really beautiful scenery.

Although it was really hot today, they were able to hike a short trail and find some pictographs on the red rocks at the end of the trail.  The Joshua trees were blooming all over the desert and the yellow flowers were prolific due to the heavy rains this winter. They even found a shady spot near a stream for a picnic.  Doggies might have been allowed on this trip, but 4 humans and 3 doggies in a hot car didn't sound like fun to any of us.


Kathe took me for several great walks around the Resort.  It's really a beautiful place, very exclusive and there are many large lots that have outdoor kitchens, firepits and lush landscaping.  The dog parks are pretty fantastic as well, lush green lawns and no fences.  You can run around and jump in the grass to your hearts content.  I especially like my walks at nighttime when it's cool and quiet. I'll rate this place 4 paws up!

IN TO THE WILD

We are arrived here in Wild, Wild Las Vegas a little bit after noon. We have a great site at the Las Vegas Motor Coach Resort. As soon as we were set up Kathy and Warren returned from a trip to the casino to make us lunch.  It was great to see them again, but really great to see Bella and Gianni my pals from last summer.  All of us doggies went for a short walk, trying to find a cool grassy spot was a little hard.  It's 107 here and the pavement is blazing hot.

After lunch and after a little catching up with our friends, we doggies opted for a snooze in the air conditioned coaches while the humans went to Cabellas/Silverton for some shopping and casino action. Kathe took some pictures of the wildlife in the store so that I would feel like they were really outdoors! Hopefully we won't run into any real live critters like this.

We might be in big trouble though, Kathe and Jim have learned how to play poker and spent the rest of the night at the casino.  So much for the penny slot machines!

BOO!

I've been looking for ghosts here in Calico, but I think they all melted before we got here.  It's 107 outside and I'm sure that any self respecting ghost has found a nice cool place in one of the abandoned silver mines to rest and wait till the temperature drops before they go a haunting.

This area was one of the largest silver mining camps in California during the late 1800's.  Now the ghost town has become a State Park and a tourist attraction. We drove all through the State Park campground and it was truly a ghost town, with only one RV parked for the night.

We're at the KOA just down the road from the State Park, with full hook-ups and 50 Amp power.  I do love my air conditioning.  It's so nice to come in after a walk on the hot sand and chill out on the cold tile floor.

Only here for one night before heading tomorrow for Vegas where it's just as hot as it is here, what a way to start the vaca!

COUNTDOWN TO 2019

It looks like we're getting ready for another Adventure!  I'm packing for a 2 month trip to Utah, Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho. 15 cans of dog food, check, 4 bags of treats, check, shampoo and conditioner, check, vitamins, medications, and a nice clean pad for my crate, check. All systems go on my end, but you should see the pile of junk Jim is packing in our car!

We leave tomorrow and will spend one night in Calico Ghost Town before we head to Vegas to meet Gianni and Bella and their humans. I haven't seen my friends since last summer and I'm eally looking forward to a good bark fest when I get there.

This will be the ninth year of "Adventures" for me. That's me with a little bit of gray hair, but I'm still hanging in there and ready for another long trip.