Day 61 – Wednesday, June 29

This morning Mom told me that we are going to Craters of the Moon National Monument.  I thought that we’d get to be an Astronauts and go into outer space.  I found out that the craters are from Lava flows and they aren’t on the Moon.  They are in Idaho.  I didn’t get to be an astronaut.

It’s OK though.  It was still a cool place.  Mom and Dad took a hike up a cinder cone and also hiked out and walked through a lava tube.  I got to see lots of neat things from the car, because the lava was all over the place.

Tonight we are in Caldwell, Idaho.  We have a pretty campsite with shade trees, grass, and a nice view of a lake.  There are a few mosquitoes, but not many.

Day 60 – Tuesday, June 28

This morning, we went back to Cody so that Mom could return the car.  Then we drove back through the park to West Yellowstone.  Tonight we are at a National Forest Service Campground in Idaho, about 25 miles south of West Yellowstone, Montana.  We discovered after we parked that this must have been the place where the idea came from for the original Deep Woods Off Commercials.  Mom opened the window and, almost immediately, there were 25 mosquitoes on the screen.  Needless to say, we stayed inside this evening. 

Day 54 - 59 – June 22 – 27

I was right about Internet access in Yellowstone.  Almost none in the park and nothing near us.  In fact, Mom and Dad didn’t even have cell phone service, except for a couple of places they were out sight-seeing.

Since we they were totally “out of touch”, they got to spend all their time sight-seeing.  Mom rented a car in Cody, Wyoming and drove behind Dad and me into Yellowstone.  Once the motor home was in the campground, we didn’t move it, until we left.  When we went out, we just took the car.  That made it easier to park at the places we went to see. 

The first day, Mom and Dad went to see Old Faithful and several other geysers.  I had to stay in the motor home where there was air conditioning, because it was too hot for me to wait in the car with my fur coat.  Of course, since Yellowstone is a National Park, I couldn’t actually get out of the car to go see anything.

The second day, we woke up and it looked like it was going to rain.  In fact, it did sprinkle a little when Mom and Dad were loading the car.  They decided that instead of going hiking, like they originally planned, they drove to Grand Teton National Park for the day.  It was cooler, so I got to go, too.  We had a nice drive and stopped at several viewpoints.  We went into Jackson, Wyoming and Mom and Dad looked around at the shops and galleries.  I took a nap in the car.  Then, Mom and Dad came back and got me and we went to the town square.  They have arches that are made of Elk Antlers.  It was amazing to see them all stacked there and nobody was chewing on them.  Mom and Dad went out for dinner at a restaurant in Jackson called the Blue Lion and I waited for them in the car.  The Blue Lion has been a local favorite for 30 years and Mom and Dad highly recommend it for anyone going to Jackson Hole.  After dinner, we drove back to the campground in Yellowstone.

The third day, Mom and Dad decided to go see The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.  I was tired, so decided to stay behind and sleep.  They said that it was a great day.  They went to several view points and saw the Upper and Lower Falls from various vantage points.  At one, they had to go down about 350 stairs and then back up them.  At another, they had to go down a bunch of steep switchbacks and back up.  Boy, I’m glad that I didn’t have to do all that.

The fourth day, we all went to Mammoth Hot Springs.  Mom and Dad saw lots of hot springs and geyser basins.  I got to see some of them from the car.

The fifth day, we went to see more geysers and hot springs.  They are so pretty with all their colors.  Dad took lots of pictures, so you can see, too.

We had lots of fun at Yellowstone.  We saw a Bear, several Elk, and lots and lots of Bison.  I growled at one of the Bison.  Then he looked into the car window at me and I decided that I should be quiet.  We also saw lots of snow.  We even had a big pile by in the camp ground by the motor home.  It melted some during the day because it was in the 60’s or 70’s.  At night it got down in the 30’s so didn’t melt very much then.

Hot Spring at Yellowstone

Hot Spring at Yellowstone

Mom and Me just inside the Northwest Entrance to Yellowstone

Upper Terrace at Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone

Mammoth Hot Springs at Yellowstone

Elk we saw at Yellowstone

Hot Spring at Yellowstone

Hot Spring at Yellowstone

Hot Spring at Yellowstone

Hot Spring at Yellowstone

Day 53 – Tuesday, June 21

Today we left Colorado and drove into Wyoming.  It’s been a long three days and we’ve traveled nearly 1200 miles.  It’s been very windy and we’ve had to drive into a head wind most of the way.

Tonight we are in Thermopolis, Wyoming.  This town has the largest hot spring in the world.  The campground has their own hot spring and Mom and Dad went to soak, twice.  I don’t like baths, so I stayed in the motor home.

Mom and Dad don’t usually tell me where we are going next, so I just tell you where we’ve been.  However, they say that next we are going to Cody, Wyoming and we are going to rent a car.  Mom’s going to drive it and follow Dad.  Next we are going to Yellowstone National Park.  We will be there tomorrow night and stay for six nights.  While we are at Yellowstone, we will drive around in the car.  Mom and Dad think it will be easier to park and it will get better gas mileage than the motor home.

While we are at Yellowstone, we won’t have an Internet connection, so I probably won’t be able to post my blog for another week.  Talk to you next week.

Day 52 – Monday, June 20

This morning Mom and Dad went to The Big Texan for breakfast.  Even though I was RIGHT THERE, I still had to eat kibble.  I didn’t get a steak.  I didn’t even get eggs.  I did get to look at a big steer, but that was it. 

Other than that, we just drove and drove today.  We drove through an incredible dust storm this morning.  We’ve been to Mojave.  We’ve been to the Badlands.  All that, and the worst places we have been are in Texas.  I’m sure glad that Dad survived growing up there. 

Tonight we are near Loveland, CO.  It’s wonderful here!  It’s about 65 degrees.  I’m so glad that it is finally cooler.

Days 45 - 51, June 13 - 19

Day 45 – Monday, June 13 – Today Mom and Dad got up and made some phone calls and then decided to drive back to Rapid City.  Some of you may know that Mom and Dad have been thinking about buying a different motor home.  We looked at a few before we left on this trip and Mom and Dad think they know what they want, but they weren’t sure about buying something and immediately taking it out for an eight week trip.  They decided to wait until we get home to look any more.  Last week, Dad got a call from a motor home salesman that he’d talked to before.  The next day, Mom and Dad looked at a bunch of pictures on the Internet.  This new motor home had everything they wanted and more.  Also, they thought it was a very good price.  They told me that they called the salesman back this morning to try to work out a deal.  We spent most of the day in Rapid City while Mom and Dad talked to the salesman on the phone and via email.  They finally agreed on details and we are on our way to get our new motor home.

I guess that I should tell you that our new motor home is near Ft Worth, TX.  Mom says that the dealership is very close to Grandpa and Grandpa Stanford’s house and that I’ll get to meet them, along with my Aunts, Uncles, and several cousins.  It may seem odd to drive all the way to Texas to buy a motor home, but Mom and Dad know two couples who have bought motor homes from this same dealer and been very happy, the price on this motor home is good, and we will be able to see all our family.  Tonight we drove until almost dark and are staying at a truck stop about 20 miles south of Antelope, SD.

Day 46 – Tuesday, June 14 – This morning we left the tuck stop about 7am and in ¼ mile, we were in Nebraska.  We drove and drove through Nebraska and then we were in Kansas.  We drove and drove in Kansas and then we were in Oklahoma.  I’m glad Mom read the signs to me, because it all looked pretty much the same to me.  Well, Oklahoma was a little different.  That’s where it started to rain – REALLY, REALLY hard.  Then the rain turned to hail the size of Great Dane chunk kibble mixed with hail the size of little chunk kibble like mine.  Also, the wind really started to blow.  I got pretty scared when we passed the semi that was blown over on the freeway.  I think it was the downed power lines that scared Mom and Dad. The poles were just snapped in two, about four feet off the ground.

When we got to an exit, we pulled off and stopped for a little while.  Dad turned on the weather radio and Mom got out the map.  She said that there were storms moving toward every little town around us.  Mom said something about hoping this wasn’t an omen.  We all decided that we should keep driving to get out of Oklahoma before the storms got worse where we were.

We kept driving and then we were in Texas.  We decided to keep driving and got to Grandma and Grandpa Stanford’s house about 11:30 pm.  It was a very long day.

Day 47 – Wednesday, June 15 – This afternoon we went to the motor home dealer to see our new motor home.  Mom and Dad called them ahead of time to let them know we were coming.  When we got there, everything was turned off.  We passed a sign on the way here today that said it was 103 degrees.  The thermometer inside our new motor home said it was 99.  However, the thermometer only had a two digit display, so wouldn’t show anything over 100 degrees.  It sure did feel hotter.

Mom and Dad turned on the air conditioning.  The new motor home has two air conditioners and one didn't work at all.  The other didn't blow very cool air.  We were at the dealer for over two hours.  It got a little cooler inside, but not much.  Mom and Dad couldn’t get the refrigerator to work, either.  They are pretty upset, but the people at the dealership say that they will fix things and Mom and Dad should come back tomorrow.

We went back to Grandma and Grandpa’s house.  I stayed in our old motor home where the air conditioning works.  Mom and Dad went out to dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and then went to visit my Aunt Susan, Dad’s sister.

Day 48 – Thursday, June 16 – We went back to the motor home dealer.  I didn’t understand everything that went on.  The air conditioning was better, but there were more problems.  The people said that it will be better tomorrow and we should come back.  Mom and Dad are unhappy, because they thought that we were getting the new motor home today.

We went back to Grandma and Grandpa’s house and Mom and Dad went out to Dinner with Grandma, Grandpa, and Uncle Tommy.  Uncle Tommy is Dad’s brother.  I waited in our old motor home.  When Uncle Tommy went home, Mom and Dad and I went to Aunt Susan’s house.  I’ve never met my Aunt Susan before.  She has five children – cousin Matt, who I met in Colorado a couple of weeks ago, cousin Chris who lives in Ft Worth with his wife Amanda, and cousins Kane, Gus, and Sebastian who are Aunt Susan’s fur kids.  Cousin Chris and his wife Amanda came to visit Aunt Susan tonight, too.  They have three fur kids, Max, Oliver, and Piper.  We all had fun together.  I like my Aunt Susan, cousins Chris and Amanda, and all seven of my fur cousins.

Day 49 – Friday, June 17 – Finally, all the problems have been worked out!  Mom and Dad signed a bunch of papers and the new motor home is ours.  We drove the old one and parked it next to the new one and Mom and Dad started moving all of our stuff from one to the other.  I found this very confusing.  I just kept following them and they were getting upset with me for being in the way. 

Finally, when all our stuff was moved and put way in the new motor home, Dad got in the driver’s seat, Mom in the passenger’s seat, and I took a place on the floor.  I’m not sure yet where my seat is.  Dad turned the key and nothing happened.  He turned it again and still nothing.  Dad looked at Mom and Mom looked at him.  Dad said a bad word and Mom said one, too.  We went back into the office and the dealer sent out a technician to jump start us.

The technician was very nice and seemed knowledgeable, but he couldn’t get the new motor home to start.  He said he was pretty sure it wasn’t the battery.  He went back and got some more tools and someone to help him.  They started testing things and figured out that the starter wasn’t working.  The dealer didn’t have a new starter and won’t be able to get one before Monday, since it’s now 5:15 pm on Friday. 

With all the other problems, Mom and Dad were beginning to think that this just wasn’t meant to be.  They asked for their money back and the dealer agreed.  It is 105 degrees today.  Mom and Dad are hot, exhausted from moving our stuff, and very sad.

We drove our old, empty motor home to Aunt Susan’s and had dinner with her, Grandma, Grandpa, Chris, Amanda, and Aunt Mary Alice (Dad’s sister) and Uncle Don (Aunt Mary Alice’s husband).  They all helped cook dinner and it was very nice to have family around.

Day 50 – Saturday, June 18 – We drove back to the dealership again today.  Mom and Dad spent most of the morning moving all our stuff out of the new motor home and back into our old one.  It’s 105 again today and they are even more hot, tired, and sad.

Tonight we went to Aunt Mary Alice and Uncle Don’s lake house for dinner with Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt Susan.  I got to meet Aunt Mary Alice’s kids Dakota and Izzy.  Dakota and Izzy are fur kids, too.  In fact, Dakota and Izzy are almost exactly like me.  They are Standard Poodles, but they are blondes.  I told a blonde poodle joke and they chased me.  It was fun.  I like them.  Dad went floating on the lake with Aunt Susan and Aunt Mary Alice and I went back in the house with Mom.  It was a good ending to an otherwise miserable day.

Day 51 – Sunday, June 19 – We wished Grandpa a Happy Father’s Day and left Fort Worth about noon.  Tonight we are in Amarillo.  I’ve been dreaming about the 72 oz steak at The Big Texan Steak Ranch all day.  We drove through a bunch of smoke between Bowie and Henrietta where there was a large grass fire burning about a mile from the road.  We also passed several other places where there had been small grass fires.  The fire truck was leaving one as we came by.  We learned that 100% of Texas counties are currently in drought.  We also passed a thermometer along the road that said it was 115 degrees.  I put my nose up next to the window and it felt like Mom’s coffee cup when the coffee is fresh and hot.  It’s 10:30 pm now and our thermometer says it is still 91 degrees outside.  I’m glad our air conditioning still works good.  Mom and Dad are still a little sad that we don’t have a new motor home, but I like this one.  It’s my home and it is just right.  The only bad part is that we didn’t go to The Big Texan and I had to eat kibble for dinner.

Day 44 – Sunday, June 12

Today we went to see a Minuteman missile silo and to the South Dakota Air and Space Museum near Rapid City.  From there we went to Mount Rushmore.  I got to see Mount Rushmore, but only because it is big and I could see it from the parking lot.

Mom and Dad said that there were a lot of displays and things that they were able to look at.  When they were done, we went a little way down the road and got a nice camp site at a National Forest Service Campground on a small lake.

We walked around the lake and made dinner.  Then, we drove back to Mount Rushmore and Mom and Dad went to the evening program and lighting ceremony.

Day 43 – Saturday, June 11

Today we drove to the Badlands.  First, we stopped at the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site.  Mom and Dad learned that there were 150 Minuteman missiles around South Dakota during the cold war.  They toured a launch facility, including the underground command center.  They said that it was very interesting to see. 

After the tour, we went to Badlands National Park.  I’m not sure why they call them the Badlands.  It didn’t look very bad to me.  There was lots of pretty green grass and cool rock formations.  At the hottest, it was only about 70 degrees today.  Part of the day, Mom wore a jacket.  I found out that this time of year is usually in the mid-80’s and that in summer it gets even hotter.  Sometimes more than 110 degrees.  Now that IS BAD, particularly, if you always wear a black fur coat.  Also, they tell me that rainfall is pretty rare, usually only about 15 inches per year.  Yeah, right!  When Mom and Dad went into the Visitor Center to watch the film, it POURED down on me in the motor home.  Even got some hail!  Yikes!

When it stopped raining, we took the drive through the park and stopped at several of the view points.  The rocks are really pretty.  At the last view point, Mom and Dad got to see about 25 Big Horn Sheep.  They were Mamas and babies, so their horns were kind of small, but they thought that it was really neat to see.

When we left Badlands, we went to Wall Drug.  I only got to see the outside stuff, but it is a fun place.  Tonight we are at a campground in Wall, South Dakota.  We have a light show here.  There isn’t any music, just some booming in the distance.  Mom says the booming is called thunder.  She says that she heard that there is something called a tornado warning for tonight.

Big Horn Sheep
Badlands National Park, South Dakota

Big Horn Sheep
Badlands National Park, South Dakota

Badlands National Park, South Dakota

Mom and Me at Wall Drug
Wall, South Dakota

Dad and Me riding a Broncin' Buck
Wall Drug
Wall,South Dakota

Mom riding a Jackelope with Me beside her
Wall Drug
Wall,South Dakota

Day 42 – Friday, June 10

We all had a pretty good night at the truck stop.  Some of our neighbors from last night are gone and there were new ones this morning, but that's OK.

By the middle of the morning, we got to a town called Hot Springs, SD.  Mom and Dad stopped at a place called Mammoth Site.  OF COURSE, I had to stay in the motor home while they went in.  When they told me about it, it sounded like a smorgasbord.  It’s a place that was a sink hole a long time ago – like hundreds of thousands of years.  A bunch of Mammoths (actually 59 have been found, so far) fell into the hole and died.  For some reason, their bones aged to perfection and now you can go look at them.  People continue to dig and find more bones.  I volunteered to help dig, but I was turned down.  They don’t even let anyone like me chew on the bones.  It sounds like a real waste to me.  I bet the bones taste wonderful.

When we left Hot Springs, we drove to the Crazy Horse Memorial.  This is a place where they are carving a statue of Crazy Horse into the side of the mountain, kind of like Mt. Rushmore.  After Mom and Dad looked around there, they got a camp site not very far away.  We could see Crazy Horse from our site.  Then, we went into Hill City and Mom and Dad looked around the shops and some art galleries.  They also had dinner.  I had to wait in the motor home and got kibble when we got back to the campground.

We sat around the campground for awhile.  Then, about 9:00, Mom and Dad wanted to go back to the Visitor Center by Crazy Horse.  I thought they were kind of crazy, but then realized they had a really good idea.  The people that run Crazy Horse played music and had a laser light show on the mountain.  I didn’t get to go in, but they played the music in the parking lot and I could watch, too.  I like this place!

Mammoth Site
Hot Springs, South Dakota

Mammoth Site
Hot Springs, South Dakota

Crazy Horse Memorial
Black Hills, South Dakota

Day 41 – Thursday, June 9

This morning I had to say goodbye to my new friends Blue and Moose.  We also had to say goodbye to Matt and Pam.  Today we are driving toward the Black Hills and Mount Rushmore.  Dad says that this is a mountain with four presidents carved in the side of it, but he’s never seen it.  I’m not sure why we are going there, but it is a long way from Moose and Blue, so we are spending the whole day riding in the motor home.  At least Mom and Dad are here with me.

Tonight, we got to Lusk, Wyoming and are spending the night at a truck stop.  We’ve heard that truck stops are often noisy places to camp, with trucks idling and coming, and going all night.  However, the truck stop in Lusk, Wyoming is pretty small and far from a freeway, so we hope that it won’t be too bad.  We decided to try it.  It seems better than the campground in the last town.  There, the mosquitoes were so thick that Mom wouldn’t get out of the motor home to get us a camp site. 

It rained really hard when we got here and the wind blew, but then it stopped, so we took a walk around town.  We were out for about ½ an hour and pretty much saw all of it.  At least we didn’t see any mosquitoes in Lusk.

View from our "camp site" at the Outpost Truck Stop in Lusk, WY

Day 40 – Wednesday, June 8

This morning Mom and Dad and Matt and Pam went out to breakfast.  I had to stay home and just eat kibble.  Well, I actually got some of Pam’s neighbor cat’s breakfast and part of Moose’s lunch.  I’m glad that Moose likes to share.  Then I played with Blue and Moose.

This afternoon, we ALL went on a hike.  It was a three mile hike and we went to a place called Panorama Point.  I smelled all kinds of good things and got to drink from the creek in the woods.  

When we got home from the hike, I was exhausted, but Mom and Dad and Matt and Pam went into busy mode.  They packed all kinds of stuff into the back of Pam’s SUV.  I found out that they were going to a concert at Red Rocks Ampitheatre and they were going to do something called “tailgate” before the concert.  I don’t know why they want to go drive close behind someone, (isn’t that what tailgating is?), but when they got to the concert, Dad set up his grill in the parking lot behind the SUV and grilled some jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped in bacon that Pam made.  Then he grilled sausages, salmon, and chicken that he’d made.  Pam also made a salad and sweet potato fritters.  Mom said that the people around them thought they had a pretty deluxe meal. 

After dinner, they went into the ampitheatre and saw a concert.  The opening act was Kansas and the main show was Jethro Tull.  Everyone seemed to enjoy the concert and talked a lot about it when they came back to me.  They said the music was great, the weather was perfect, and Mom and Dad really liked the venue.  The moon came out and they said that you could see a few stars, even with the bright lights.  They also liked that you could see all the lights of Denver behind the stage.

Kansas at Red Rocks
with Denver Skyline in the background

Jethro Tull at Red Rocks

Day 39 – Tuesday, June 7

Today Pam has a big test, so we are on our own.  Mom and Dad decided to go to the Denver Botanic Garden.  They say that it is too hot for me to go with them in the Jeep, so I’m hanging out in the Motor Home at Pam’s.  I have Air Conditioning in the Motor Home.

Matt came to Denver today, so we were able to hang out with him and Pam after Pam got home from school.  Matt built a fire and we sat next to that.  I fell asleep in Dad’s lap.

The Perennial Border at Denver Botanic Garden

Poppies at Denver Botanic Garden

Day 38 – Monday, June 6

This morning we hung out at Matt’s house.  Mom did a couple of loads of laundry and Dad helped Matt fix his truck.  This afternoon we left Matt’s house to drive into Denver.  We stopped at Vail and Mom and Dad toured the Betty Ford Alpine Garden.  Tonight we are at Pam’s house.  Pam is Matt’s girlfriend and she goes to school in Denver.

Betty Ford Alpine Garden at Vail

Pam has cool neighbors.  I’ve had fun with Blue and Moose.  Some people say that I have a funny name, but Blue and Moose have it worse than I do.  Blue is actually black like me.  Moose isn’t a Moose at all.  He’s a chocolate lab and he’s not even big like a Moose.  He’s smaller than me.  Oh, well.  It doesn’t matter what the humans call them, they are my new friends.  We all went swimming in the creek by Pam’s house.

Day 37 – Sunday, June 5

I woke up in the middle of the night and there were REAL BEARS in the trash can.  I was so envious.  They were getting all the good stuff.  I yelled at them from the window, but they just kept eating.  I thought I’d help clean it up the leftovers this morning, but then Mom yelled at ME.  That’s so unfair.

Today cousin Matt had the day off, so we went out together.  We drove to Aspen for lunch.  Well, Mom, Dad and Matt had lunch.  I sat in the car L  After lunch, we walked around at a small festival in Aspen.  I got to do that and got lots of pets.  That was nice.

Then, we drove over Independence Pass.  The pass is over 12,000 feet, so there is still quite a bit of snow up there.  The road only opened last week.  I got to run and play in the snow.  It was so cool. 

When we came down from Independence Pass, we were in Buena Vista, CO.  From there we drove up to Cottonwood Pass, which is also over 12,000 feet and we saw more snow.  There is a hot spring at the base of Cottonwood Pass.  We stopped there and Mom, Dad and Matt soaked at the hot spring.  They said that it was really nice and they seemed very relaxed when they came back.  After the soak at the hot spring, they went for Thai food.  I got kibble when we got home.

Mom, Matt and Me at Independence Pass

Matt, Dad and Me at Independence Pass

Me taking a break from playing at Independence Pass

Me and my new friend at Independence Pass

Me playing in the snow at Independence Pass

Dad and Me at Cottonwood Pass

Day 36 – Saturday, June 4

Matt has to work again today, so we are on our own.  We took the Jeep to the town of Estes Park.  Estes Park is on the edge of Rocky Mountain National Park and we drove into the park on Trail Ridge Road.  We drove to over 12,200 ft.  When we started, there were trees.  Then, the trees got really short and sort of blown over.  Then, there weren’t any more trees.  It was awesome.

There was LOTS of snow.  In fact, we had to turn back at the Alpine Visitor Center because the road was closed.  It was a really pretty drive.  We saw thousands of Elk.  Well at least it was a lot.  Mom said she counted 20 in one herd, 12 in another, 6 in another, and several places we saw one or two by themselves. 

Mom and Dad had dinner in Estes Park before we drove home.  I had to wait until we got back to Matt’s house and then all I had was kibble.

Elk at Rocky Mountain National Park

Two more Elk at Rocky Mountain National Park

Mom at Rocky Mountain National Park

Mom and Me at Rocky Mountain National Park

Dad, Mom and Me with all the snow at the Alpine Visitor Center
at Rocky Mountain National Park
That's actual snow fall, not a pile from the lot.

Snow next to and on the Alpine Visitor Center
at Rocky Mountain National Park

Me behind the wheel of our borrowed 4x4 Jeep

Day 35 – Friday, June 3

Matt had to work some today, so Mom, Dad and I went to Leadville in the Jeep.  Mom and Dad went to the National Mining Museum and I took a nap.  When we left Leadville, we went home a different way and stopped again in Vail.  They are hosting the Teva games, so there were lots of displays and events, in addition to the regular shops.

We had another fire in the fire pit tonight.

Day 34 – Thursday, June 2

This morning we packed up and left Moab.  Before we left, Dad made sausage and mushroom omelets with sweet potato hashbrowns.  Dad claims that he was just using up some of the food on hand.  All I got was kibble.

From Utah, we moved into Colorado.  We are going to see my cousin Matt.  Matt’s Mom is Dad’s sister.  Yeah, it’s confusing to me, too.  It was about 250 miles to Matt’s house, so we spent most of the day driving. 

Matt’s friend Chris loaned him a 4x4 Jeep for us to use while we are here.  Tonight Matt took Mom and Dad out in it.  They went on an old logging road through the woods.  Then, they went to Mango’s where Matt works and had dinner.  After dinner, they drove to Vail to look around some.  When they got back, they built a fire in the fire pit in Matt’s back yard and watched the stars.

Day 33 – Wednesday, June 1

It's hard to believe that it's June already and we have been on the road a full month.  

Mom and Dad got up at 6 am this morning.  I thought they were crazy.  I wasn’t ready to get up.  Finally, they waved my bowl in front of me and I got up.  After we all had breakfast, we went to Arches National Park.  I won’t get on my soap box, but I spent the whole LONG morning in the motor home.  Mom and Dad took a couple of hikes totaling about four miles.  They saw lots of different arches.  I could see some of them from the motor home.  The others I had to see from Dad’s pictures.  They decided that they were too tired to take another hike, but it was only 1:30. 

Broken Arch

Pine Tree Arch

Tunnel Arch

Landscape Arch - the longest arch at Arches

Double Golden Arch - my favorite!

Wild Flowers at Arches

Slot Canyon at Arches National Park

They decided to drive to a place called Dead Horse State Park.  I was looking forward to smelling the horses, but discovered that there weren’t any – dead or alive.  I liked this park though, because they let fur kids like me get out on the trails.  The park is on a Mesa.  We went to a place where you can look down 2000 feet to the Colorado River as it goes around a horse shoe bend.  It was really neat and I got to see it for myself.

View from Dead Horse Point at
Dead Horse State Park, Utah

After that, we came back to the campground and Mom and Dad took showers.  I’m glad about that, because they were pretty odiferous, even for my high stench tolerance.  We are enjoying the air conditioning.  Dad wants to go back to Arches to take some photos at sunset, so we will do that in a little while.

Balanced Rock

North Window and South Window

Turret Arch