Nose to the Road

GENTLEMEN START YOUR ENGINES!

2008-05-26T09:41:00.000-07:00

COCA COLA 600 - HERE WE COME!

GO MATT!

AT THE TRACK....YEAH MUD!

We’re off to the races, our first NASCAR experience and what a wild time it was. 43 loud cars whizzing around the track about 300 yards from our motorhome sure stressed me out. Quinn could have cared less, he was too busy mingling with the many dogs and barking up a storm. Then there was the popping of the firecrackers and the party hounds down the lane. This NASCAR crowd is a noisy bunch. Mom and Dad seemed to be having a good time with Dad’s long time friends. We heard our driver, Matt Kenseth didn’t win, but at least he didn’t wreck.
6

EXTREME MAKEOVER

2008-05-13T09:37:00.000-07:00

Wadda ya think? The new us. Only problem is we smell like stinky perfume for at least three days. A few rolls in the mud will cure that though.

HOME AT LAST!

2008-04-14T18:59:00.000-07:00

7,000 miles, 15 states (some twice), 24 campgrounds, 110 nights, 12 dog parks, 2 oceans, 5 Quinn escapes, hundreds of new dogs, cats, rabbits, squirrels and racoons. A picture is worth a 1000 words.

HEY COON DOG GET AWAY FROM MY TRAIL

2008-04-11T18:54:00.000-07:00

A fellow canine is real popular down here in Alabama. That’s the Coon Dog. They even have a special Coon Dog Cemetery where Mom’s and Dad’s bid farewell to their four legged friends in a big way.

HURRY UP AND WAIT

2008-04-10T18:49:00.000-07:00

BENTLEY LEADS SO WELL

BIRTHDAY ICE CREAM...YEAH!

Well, we made it to Alabama. Boy, who said waiting for service on the RV is fun….boooring! Quinn and I spent a lot of time waiting, and waiting and more waiting….in the lounge, in the car, in the motorhome. The only thing that made it interesting was that we were not alone. We met up with my old dance partner Bentley and there were lots of other dogs there so we made some new friends. Since Quinn and I celebrate our birthdays this month, Aunt Char gave us a birthday party….we had doggie ice cream….it was sooo good!

FOUR LEGGED IN MUSIC CITY

2008-04-07T18:21:00.000-07:00

HOLY OREO COW!

SCENE STEALER

We arrived in Nashville to a lot of entertainment, and I don’t mean just the Grand Ole Opry that Mom, Dad and Duff's folks went to. They have crazy four legged creatures here that hang out in and around Music City.

AT LAST MY TRUE LOVE HAS COME ALONG

2008-04-04T18:11:00.000-07:00

I wasn’t sure I would ever see him again…then there he was…my Duffy, looking so handsome. Our eyes met as soon as he bounded out of the motorhome. I couldn’t wait to give him a big kiss. Mom & Dad had to restrain me. Quinn thought he would try planting one on him too. We were so glad to be together again.

COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER

2008-04-02T09:02:00.001-07:00

FLOODING OF THE MISSISSIPPI

The mighty Mississippi looked pretty high when we passed Memphis. Lots of rain along the way. Guess where we stayed in an overnight stop in Tennessee….Miss Loretta Lynn’s Dude Ranch in Hurricane Hill. Yep…we got to see her ranch and campground and we had the whole place to ourselves. Seems the day before 1000 motorcycles had stayed there. Boy I would have loved to chase those wheels. We even got to see her motorhome. It was custom made because a lot of people had to travel in it at the same time.

HOT ON THE TRAIL

2008-03-29T18:08:00.000-07:00

TRACKING

A REALLY BIG DOG?

Our campground has a really neat trail. We race through it on the track of squirrels dragging Mom and Dad behind. Something smelled suspicious when Mom and Dad came back today. Not sure what it was, but I think it was something bigger than Quinn and me.

JESUS WEPT

2008-03-29T18:03:00.001-07:00

THE OKLAHOMA CITY NATIONAL MEMORIAL

JESUS WEPT STATUE

We arrived in Oklahoma City. Mom and Dad went out and came back very quiet and sad. They went to the Oklahoma City National Memorial of the 1995 bombing of the Federal Building. I heard her say it caused over 200 children to lose a parent and 30 to lose both. Quinn and I would be lost if we lost ours.

DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS

2008-03-25T17:51:00.000-07:00

TUMBLING TUMBLEWEED

A CROP OF CADILLACS

THE TEASER

We were back in Texas again, Yee Hah!...this time in Amarillo, home of the 72 oz. steak, yours "Free" if you can eat it in a hour…I think Quinn and I could handle that. Our trip through the desert plains from Albuquerque was short and windy and that kept the tumbleweed tumbling. Quinn thinks with so much sagebrush blowin’ around, the place should smell like turkey? Get it…sage, turkey…always the comedian. Anyway, we slept most of the way over but woke up in time to see 10 wildly painted Cadillacs, sticking up out of nowhere. I heard Mom say it was the Cadillac Ranch…a ranch that grows cars? Oh well, whatever. Our time at the campground was exciting to say the least. You can imagine the commotion when Quinn and I looked out the motorhome window….there he was, a big old cat of all things….in a cage no less, just sitting there taunting us for three whole days. Of course Quinn went crazy and barked up a storm until Dad finally had to pull down the shade. It made for a noisy stay.

ASTRO ANGEL

2008-03-24T16:58:00.000-07:00

We got word today that our cousin Astro has gone to heaven. He was a spunky Jack Russel Terrier that had a good life with a loving family. Despite being profoundly deaf he had is own way of communicating. We will miss him.

HERE COMES PETER COTTONTAIL...

2008-03-22T15:45:00.000-07:00

WE KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!

Pic by Gary M. Stolz

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN!

We left Williams early to beat the snow. It chased us all the way down the Interstate, but Dad managed to out run it. So, here we are in Albuquerque, NM our next stop on historic Rt. 66. This is the Hot Air Balloon Capital of the world. We are a little early for the October Balloon fest, but Mom and Dad got their fix flying in a gondola to the top of Sandia Peak…some 10,000 ft. up. Not me, I like to keep my feet planted on the ground. We will be here through Easter, so Quinn and I are concentrating on catchin’ us an Easter Bunny. There are a lot of them in this park hiding in the bushes and the daily chase makes our day.

THE WIND, THE HOLE & "COOKIE" BURNS

2008-03-18T19:52:00.001-07:00

We rocked our way to Williams, AZ with Dad fighting 56 mph winds most of the way. I was hoping Quinn wouldn’t get sick. Luckily he made it. During our stay, Mom and Dad took the train to visit some hole in the ground called the Grand Canyon and explore Old Rt. 66. Meanwhile, Quinn and I had to dry camp in the noisy kennel. Oh well, you have to be flexible on the road I guess, but we were glad to get home and be "Roughing it Smoothly" in our comfy RV seat. Oh, and who is “Cookie” Burns anyway?

WE'RE IN VEGAS BABY!

2008-03-12T18:51:00.000-07:00

Our travel across the Mojave Desert was interesting. Quinn was so excited when he saw the water, (see above) but it was only a mirage. The lights of the city are beautiful and so our the fountains. Our campground must be a place for high rollers because it’s quite posh. Not sure if Mom fits in that category given she lost here $3.00 worth of nickels in the slots.
Luckily I can’t report on any of our doggie shenanigans here because you know….What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!

HI FROM COUSIN BAILEY

2008-03-09T22:16:00.000-07:00

We received a message today from our cousin Bailey. She's a JackChow (go figure) and lives in Pennsylvania. Anyway, she has been recuperating from a fall that required her to have leg surgery. She says she's doing ok now, and as you can see getting TLC as well as a special place on the couch. We hope to see her when we get back home.

MOVE OVER STEVE MCQUEEN

2008-03-08T14:03:00.000-08:00

He must have stayed up all night bouncing that ball against the side of his crate, plotting the Great Escape. Quinn McQueen saw his opportunity with the new plaid collar; he just had to make sure the timing was right. That came with this morning’s walk, usually a short jaunt down to the grassy knoll outside the prison walls. With Quinn’s long hair, the warden had secured the new collar a little too loose. The female guard and I were having our own walk some distance away. The time was ripe. With a strong bolt and a calculated bend of the head, the plaid collar slipped off and the escape artist was on the run once again. I heard the warden yelling and spied the action. I tried a full body block as he rushed toward me, but he jumped over me like the motorcycle movie stunt and sped off through the campground. The chase through the park was on, with me dragging behind the frantic female guard. We were all running out of breath when finally, the warden and the guard thought they had him cornered, but Quinn knew all the moves, dodging and darting around the outside of a small camper. Just when it looked like he might make it to the perimeter, he fell into the trap of the barking dog inside and bolted through the door, held open by its helpful owner. Citizen’s arrest! Quinn McQueen was brought back by the warden and put into the hole to contemplate his next escape. I passed him his ball so he could think about it.

SALAD...DRESSING ON THE SIDE

2008-03-07T21:01:00.000-08:00

It was an Oasis in the middle of the desert. There it was, the Sands RV Resort, our next stop…..and it had GRASS, WONDERFUL GRASS! At last, we were going to get our first salads in weeks. The trip through the mountain pass from Newport Beach to Desert Hot Springs was a bit rough with Santa Ana winds whipping up to 40-50 MPH. The whole motorhome shook and we sat with Mom in her seat while Dad tried to hold onto the wheel. Our site looks out over the mountains and we can see Mt. San Jacinto where Mom and Dad took the cable car up 8400 feet to the snowy top. Not for us, we prefer keeping our nose on the ground, and frankly, I don’t like to get my feet wet.

We have been on our best behavior this week (at least while the parents are home) after the Newport Beach debacles (see below); as such we got new plaid collars that are really cool and Dad has worked up a scrumptious, frozen peanut butter treat bone that we get when we are really good, or they feel really guilty about leaving us; but, not to worry, we find some fun games to play while they are out.

Our favorite is the 13-yard dash. We see who can run the fastest from the front of the motorhome to the bedroom and back at least a dozen times. The best part is landing with all four paws on the throw rug and sliding, full body, 4 feet into the front console. Unfortunately, Mom closes the bedroom door anymore when they leave and most times Quinn doesn’t realize this until he bounces off of it like a furry bowling ball. Our next best game is Hide & Seek. As you can see by the picture above, Quinn is the comedian and likes to play the “hideee”, making me find him. We round out our time with Tug O’ War and Slap-Down Wrestling. We make sure everything is neated up though about 10 minutes before Mom and Dad get home so we don’t put our peanutty treats in jeopardy.

DOGGIN' IT WITH DIVAS

2008-03-07T20:57:00.001-08:00

While in Palm Springs who could pass up a visit to the Palm Springs Dog Park. Now, this is not your run of the mill pooch run. Forget chain link, “antiqued” wrought iron with domed double locked entrances is the standard here. The park is divided into Small Dogs and Large Dogs with a midway gate in case you can’t decide which you are.
Most canine visitors arrived prettily groomed and manicured, embellished with fancy collars. Well, having been on the road for two months we were worried about appearances, but Quinn’s rugged Russell Crowe handsomeness soon had the boys bonding and the divas swooning. As for me, I hung out with the Starlets trying to discover their beauty secrets. In this Dog Park, balls, a large drinking bowl and would you believe a doggie wading pool are provided, although Quinn seemed confused on which one to get into. Parents rest in comfort under a cabana in chairs and…please, there is no such thing as a poopie bag. Several “no bend at the waist” pooper scoopers are provided to do the job. Well, that’s what I call luxury! We had a good time overall and enjoyed the good life.

TIMEOUT IN NEWPORT BEACH

2008-03-03T16:45:00.000-08:00

When we were in Newport Beach we stayed at the Newport Dunes RV Resort. As you can see it was really nice and our motorhome was parked right on the water. You can see it in the righthand corner of the first picture. We took long walks around the inlet, chased birds, played with the other dogs in the dog run and Mom and Dad got to visit his son Scott; however Quinn and I were in "timeout" there a lot (second picture above), well mostly Quinn. It all started with an escape by Quinn the day we got there. I watched from the RV as Mom and Dad frantically chased him up and down the beach. I thought it was pretty hilarious, Mom yelling every command she could think of, to no avail and Dad making dives after Quinn on the beach. They didn't think it was too funny though....Quinn was sentenced to solitary in the pen. Next we both had a major timeout after roughhousing inside the RV and loosening the new carpet. Dad fixed it, but was not happy about it and we both were literally in the dog house. Then there was Mom's tumble while lifting Quinn from the pen. Legs and arms and Quinn went flying. Dad came to the rescue as Mom held tight to one of Quinn's legs. What a sight and Mom has a nice blackeye and scraped forehead to show for it. The final episode involved Mom losing her new glasses...the replacement for those Quinn ate at Christmas. They found them late at night in the dog run. Thank goodness no other dog got to them first. Well on to Desert Hot Springs, CA next and a new set of adventures.

MEETING THE FAMILY IN SAN DIEGO

2008-02-29T19:17:00.000-08:00

Hi: We just came from San Diego where we had a doggone good time! SD is a dog friendly town so we got to go to the Coronado Dog Beach where Quinn ran and ran in and out of the water. He swallowed a lot of salt water and so he barfed in the car....Dad was not happy. We also got to go to the dog park where we played alot with others, until one playmate ended with a bloody nose, more about that at a later time. We were at a nice campground although the Freeway was close by, but it didn't bother us. We got to visit with Tammy and Forrest and their two dogs Augie and Sasha. They were big, but we were able to romp around their yard and inside (Mom was nervous about this). We did get time to rest while Mom and Dad saw the sights like the USS Midway, The Wild Animal Park, The Del Coronado Hotel. Cousin Lauren also stopped by to visit. She sure is pretty and tall and will graduate from college in May.

CANINE FUN IN SAN DIEGO

2008-02-29T11:02:00.000-08:00

Heres a few pictures of our trip to San Diego. The first is at Coronado Dog Beach where Quinn became an Olympic Swimmer...who knew. I on the other hand, was on my best behaviour, and loved rolling in the sand and chasing a runner's shoes. The second is us at Tammy and Forrest's house with their two dogs Augie (he's the retreiver) and Sasha (she's a shepard mix).

CATCHING THE 3:10 TO YUMA

2008-02-16T18:20:00.000-08:00

No, we weren’t watching the movie, but we did land in Yuma for a stopover and had the oddest dog walk to date…a dry wash full of rocks. We were up early and on our way before we had a chance to meet any other dogs.

ROMEO AND JIMINY CRICKET

2008-02-15T18:31:00.000-08:00

MY ROMEO MCDUFF

STUD MUFFIN CRICKET

I might have ended up falling for a younger guy here in Tucson if I hadn’t gotten a letter from my true love McDuff. I first saw Mr. Cricket when we moved in. He was not more than 4 pound and much younger than me, but as Yorkies go, he was a stud. Everyday he would come over to visit with Quinn and me. He was cute, energetic and liked to bite my ear. It was all I could do not to flirt. Just when I thought things might get serious, I received a picture from McDuff telling me how much he missed me and I ended up sending him a special Valentine. Sorry Cricket I’m a one dog female. Besides you like to play rougher with Quinn.

UP, UP AND AWAY

2008-01-22T18:42:00.000-08:00

ROUGH LANDING

LAS CRUCES BALLOON FEST

We had a swell time at our stay in Las Cruces, New Mexico. We had a big dog run to play in, at least until the sewer pipe in the park broke. Phew! Did that stink and we had to stay clear of the peepoo. Dad and Mom had to think fast when our Jeep died. We ended up getting another temporary car while ours was being fixed. Dad sure did grumble, but they were able to continue on and visit the area. The real fun came when a giant stagecoach hot air balloon landed right by our motorhome. It was huge and noisy and scared the fur off of us at first. Quinn and I had never seen anything like that before. It was part of the local Balloon Fest that Mom and Dad went to that morning. And, after they go up, up up, they can come down, down, down anywhere.

WHERE DID ALL THE FLOWERS GO?

2008-01-18T18:53:00.000-08:00

Our next stop was in the middle of the plains at Ft. Stockton. It was a one night stay and we did get a chance to get a walk on the Six Shooter Trail with Dad and get to see our first tumbleweed.

A SIDE TRIP TO CORPUS CHRISTI

2008-01-17T18:58:00.000-08:00

U.S.S. LEXINGTON

We took a short trip down to Corpus Christi so Dad could visit Lex…a boat, I mean a ship. The weather during most of our visit was rainy and Dad wasn’t feeling good so we were content just to stay dry and warm inside.

DOGS, CATS, RACOONS...OH MY!

2008-01-12T19:05:00.000-08:00

DAVEY CROCKETT'S LAST STAND

FERAL FAT CAT

After our long days of driving, we finally arrived in San Antonio and our stay was to be eventful two weeks for Quinn and I. Mom and Dad did a lot of touristy things like visiting the Alamo and some guy named Davey and having friends over, but we had our own activities There were many dogs including two other Scotties, Lucy, who came to play with us and Angus who didn’t because he was still recovering from having all his teeth pulled…poor boy. And, cats were everywhere, but the real excitement came in the middle of the night when we smelled the raccoon that was nothing but trouble. It got into Lucy’s motorhome and built a nest. Boy did that cause a mess. He was finally caught so things got a little boring after that.

THE AFTER CHRISTMAS RUSH

2008-01-01T19:16:00.000-08:00

NEW HAIRCUTS FOR CHRISTMAS AT AUNT BETH'S

OUR HOME FOR THE NEXT 4 MONTHS

ONE OF OUR FAVORITE NAPS

We had a fun day at Aunt Beth’s for Christmas and seeing cousin Astro. The next morning we were on our way for our 16 week Cross Country trip, the maiden voyage of our new motorhome. We left for a quick trip south to beat the weather. Our motorhome was winterized so we had no running water until we reached a warmer termperature and Dad could defrost. Good news for Quinn and I, though because we got to drink bottled water…Um Um Good. We moved to a different campground each of the next four nights covering states from VA to TX so we spent a lot of time sleeping on the drive to pass the time. Quinn and I love to take our morning nap with Mom in the passenger seat. It’s a little crowded but comfy.