Saturday 09/25/10 Sequoia NP to Lone Pine CA hostel

Out of Tulare early to drive to Sequoia NP. A chance to see the BIG trees. Oh boy. Well, we missed the planned turnoff but drove to Sequoia via the backroads in Tulare and wow what an agricultural center. Mile after mile of vineyards, orange groves, lemon groves, pomegranate groves in addition to the not so exotic apples and peaches and cherries. It was amazing to see the scale of irrigation required for such big commercial farms. No wonder they are alway fighting with LA for water rights.

Arrived in Sequoia and took photos of what else but big trees. Photos to follow here once I'm home.

Drove from Sequoia to Lone Pine CA hostel (the Mt. Whitney portal hostel I think is its full name) through Bakersfield CA , about a 3.5 hour drive on the interstate.
I have to put in a plug for the interagency visitor center in Lone Pine. We thought we might be too late to get our permit for the climb and called them and they have a night box they agreed to put it in if we were not there before 6 PM.
Hostel is clean and very convenient on main street in Lone Pine and you can see Mt. Whitney from the balcony. Only got about 4 hours of sleep after going out to eat in a very quaint Western themed cafe , ate light had 5 chicken wings, Archie had salad and Guiness.
One really cool thing about the hostel is that you can see Mt. Whitney from the balcony of the hotel. Very cool. Another very cool thing is that their coffee is good enough for me to drink black which is a rarity indeed.
Only a few hours before we must be up and head for the trailhead.

Sept 24 2010-Beatty NV to Tulare CA via Death Valley NP

got out of Beatty pretty early Friday morning and first checked out Rhyolite ghost town 4 miles West of Beatty and on the way to our ultimate destination of Death Valley . Photos will follow once I am home will add them here. We both love ghost towns and old cemeteries so we have photos of both.

Then on to Death Valley. WOW beautiful drive. We drove out to Badwater Basin the lowest point in North America and the second lowest in the world ( only the Dead Sea is lower). Parked and walked out into it . We also checked out the Devil's Golf Course (more photos) and saw the neatest thing there like a spring coming up through the ground which is covered in salt of all kinds. Did the scenic Artist Drive through a canyon then drove on through into California on way to Tulare. Death Valley was incredibly miserably hot in the bottom of that valley, eyow doen't matter its a dry heat 110 is hot anywhere. Note to self my GOD gas is high in CA and it is SUPER HIGH in this national park over $4.30 a gallon thank God we didn't need to buy any for the Jeep Compass Archie has rented for this trip.

We drove across the Southern part of the Sierra Nevadas on way to Tulare. Talk about a spectacular drive. Lots of switchbacks though, high altitude driving but roads are all clear.

Today miracle of miracles the hotel reservation worked out , tomorrow we will drive over to Sequoia take a few photos then head to Lone Pine.

The Road to Mt. Whitney, Nashville to Vegas

First of all Happy Birthday to my son Mike! He is the big three OH today! Mommy loves you. I can tell you I feel much perkier today than I did 30 years ago today. He was 9 pounds 4 oz eeeyow!

Yesterday I was trying to get ready to get on a plane in Nashville at 6:30 PM to fly to Sin City on our way to Whitney. Everything conspired to slow me down. Then Archie who was going to work until 11 worked until after noon THEN went to his house had a Rx filled etc etc. I did manage to drop my house dog off at a friends and my house keys at the sitter. We did manage to get on the plane although in his hurry to get through he had left one of his knives ( a Swiss Army knife) in his carry on so were were stopped in the Nashville airport, briefly detained like the middle aged terrorists that we are and he had to surrender the knife as he did not wish to check that carry on.
Then after getting to Vegas and driving up to Beatty the hotel I had reservations at I couldn't get anyone to come to the door so at 1 am I am hotel shopping. Believe it or not the Motel 6 there which is the only major chain WAS SOLD OUT so we ended up at the Stagecoarch Hotel and Casino ( I refuse to let this steal my happy.)
I am out of the shower and shortly we will be on our way through Death valley NP. Photos probably after I get back as I don't know how to send then via cell phone and I don't have a universal reader on my laptop.

My Fall Schedule

Starred dates are tentative right now dependent on weather or other things. While there is usually someone ( my house and dog sitter ) at my home number when I'm not available it isn't someone who could answer any questions ( like dog questions) and chances are they won't answer the phone either since they have their own cell phone, so better off to call my cell or email me or text me. If you're a friend you have my email and can easily get my cell number by emailing me. Thought in light of all the sad stuff lately I'd post a happy photo of BIF FC Avalon Dark Voyager of Ryhka LCM from the year he was #1 ASFA. He does love his plastic. Now if only I can finish packing and cleaning house, taking off trash and getting the computer clean that I am donating to my church.

Sept 23-Oct 3 Vacation and Peak Bagging-Whitney,Boundary and Humphrey God willing


Flying to Las Vegas on Sept 23rd.


Return Oct 3rd and back to work on the 4th. I hope to figure out how to upload some photos while I'm gone as we are going to see Death Valley, Sequioa, Mt. Whitney, Mt. Boundary, Caliente NV, Zion NP, Monument Valley, South rim of the GC, Painted Desert, Humphrey Peak, Lake Mead and the dam and the Vegas strip. Sounds like one of those canned vacations but it should be great.


Oct 9-10 had thought about NW Arkansas shows but we have out of town family coming in on Saturday and it would be pretty rude not to be here when they got here! so I will be around the house on 9th , and after church on 10th


Oct 15-16-17 Toastmasters District convention, an excuse to get really dressed up !


Oct 23 and 24 dog shows in Atlanta


Oct 30 and 31 dog shows in Marietta


Nov6-7 through 14th in Wyoming ** weather permitting might be able to do some transport for folks


Thanksgiving weekend -Archie has a place booked in Myrtle Beach SC, wahoo, I've not been there


Dec 2 and 3 (region 7 regional in Brooksville Florida)


Dec 9 and 10 ASFA trial Calhoun GA Borzoi club of Greater Atlanta


Christmas at home then off to New Mexico for New Years Day events

End of the Summer blues

Things can always be worse I know but this week I had major "suckage" early on. 6 weeks ago one of my 10 week old puppies broke a tibia. The vet put a cast/sling on it prognosis looked good. We changed the sling 3x over a period of 6 weeks and it came off last Friday (10th). Sat and Sun she was easing weight onto it, confined of course for the next few weeks to a small area for a few more weeks. On Monday she rebroke it just standing on it, her pressure sores from the last cast were just about dried up, I could not put her through this again and I said goodbye to her at my vet's office. So I spent all week pretty depressed about things, feeling like giving up ( being a middle aged female probably contributes to the tendency to feel this way anyway) and not doing things that needed doing as one does when you're down. At any rate I know I am not the only person who lost a Borzoi recently that really hurts over this but I needed to say goodbye Bailey, Godspeed little cheerful puppy. We miss your waggy tail and happy outlook. Being a dog owner and occasional breeder is really a downer sometimes.

Things that make you go hmmm? or WTF?

Someone I was talking with mentioned some other person who had gotten "their dogs" from puppy mills. I had to bite my tongue not to point out that they had also recently gotten a dog from one of the people the other person had. My mama used to say if you can't say something nice be quiet, at least people will think you are nicer. "nuff" said.