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Spring/Summer
2026
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to "Fall/Winter" 2025-2026 |
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Saturday, April 25, 2026:
Today was the day my bike club, Umpqua Velo Club had
organized a bike ride for Earth Day. We were to meet at
Ford's Pond in Sutherlin. I had hoped to go but Dave has
been with me less than 48 hours and I had no place to
put him except the trailer. I haven't trained him to be
alone in the trailer so I just couldn't ride. I did,
however, drive Dave and myself to Ford's Pond to meet
the club, introduce Dave and take Dave for a walk at the
pond. It would be his second long walk of the day. After
our pond walk, I drove Dave to Tractor Supply where I
can use their dog was station for $10, they supply the
shampoo. Dave did NOT want into the tub so I'll bet this
was his first bath. We were both successful and both
wet. After the bath I picked up a vegetable burrito at
my favorite taco truck. Their vegetable burrito is by
far better than any in Tucson. Click both photos for
another view. Here is a short
drone video of the Umpqua Velo Club today. You
will see me and Dave in the first few seconds of the
video. |
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Friday: April 24, 2026:
The morning was cold and foggy which kept me in a
sweatshirt all day. I took Dave for a long walk on the
park trail. It is something Dave likes to do. During our
walk I took some photos of the wildflowers happening on
the trail. Click both photos to see them. Once we were
back from our trail walk, I brushed Dave for the first
time. He enjoyed the brushing and looked much better
after the brushing. He also chose to stay close to me
after the brushing. Dave did not eat breakfast nor did
he eat dinner last night. I called my contact at Saving
Grace to get some canned dog food thinking mixing with
the kibble would get him to eat. I was right. Here is a
photo of the bag the
shelter set out for Dave. |
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Thursday, April 23, 2026:
Abby and Gwen are in Tucson while I'm in Oregon. I
thought I would foster a dog from our local shelter.
Saving Grace is a no-kill shelter in nearby Roseburg. I
was hoping to get a 12 year old Labrador but that dog
was given to another foster. This is Dave, he is a Husky
mix. Right now we have been together for six hours. He
has not been like the videos I've watched where shelter
dogs get so excited they are leaving the shelter. I've
been invisible to him unless I have a treat in my hand.
He and I went on a long walk and we were both
tired when we returned. We saw deer, rabbits and turkeys
on our walk. Dave does not bark. He walked next to me
the whole walk, no pulling. He has some skin problems so
I was able to give him his evening medication but he has
not eaten dinner. When a person fosters a dog, the
shelter is still responsible. The shelter supplied food,
medication in this case, a leash, bedding and a crate.
The advantage for Dave is not being in the noisy shelter
(lots of barking dogs) and small space. The
advantage for the shelter, they now have a space for
another dog. Click the right photo for another view. |
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Sunday, April 19, 2026:
This was a long driving day from Reno to Sutherlin,
Oregon. I began with a strong tail wind so I got better
than usual gas mileage. When I got into Oregon the wind
had mostly disappeared. Northern California has a couple
of impressive mountains. On the left is Mount Lassen. On
the right is Mount Shasta. I arrived in Sutherlin
after 6 pm so enough time to level and connect water and
power. I'll take care of everything else tomorrow. |
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Saturday, April 18, 2026:
This was a short driving day from Hawthorne to Reno,
Nevada. I have parked in front of Ben's house for
a rest. Ben always has a collection of bicycle tires he
has no intention of using. They are perfect for my bikes
so I benefit from Ben's discards. There is a storm
arriving on Monday so I will complete my journey to
Oregon tomorrow. |
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Friday, April 17, 2026: This was a
tough driving day due to the strong winds and having to climb to
7000 feet at Tonopah, Nevada. Glen had recommended Spicer Ranch
for the night but they were having a private function and turned
me away. I drove on past Tonopah to Hawthorne, Nevada. I parked
at the Elks club where they offered free electric hookups. The
bridge in the left photo is for wildlife. Click all three
photos for more views. |
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Thursady: April 16,
2026: This was a travel day from Tucson to
Kingman, Arizona. I had an early doctor appointment but
was able to leave right after. I ended up with a tail
wind until I reached Interstate 40 when it was an awful
side wind. It was enough to stop the semi-trucks but I
made it 20 miles to Kingman. I've parked in the
Elks Lodge RV parking area with several others. Some
sort of function is happening, I'd guess the
installation of officers, because the parking lot is
full. I will get an early morning start hoping to
beat or benefit from any wind as I travel north. |
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Saturday, April 11, 2026:
During our trip to Cottonwood, we took a drive over the
Mingus Mountains to the historic town of Prescott
(pronounced Pres-cut). We walked the city and found a
nice location for lunch at the Palace on the historic
city square. This historic part of Prescott is fun
to explore. The square is surrounded by fine art and
locale craft stores. This wasn't our first time to walk
Prescott but it was our first time to drive over 89A,
the Mingus Mountain road to get here. It was very
scenic. Click both photos for another view. |
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Tuesday - Friday, April 7-10, 2026:
We took some time off from Tucson to stay a few nights in the
Dead Horse Ranch State Park in Cottonwood, Arizona. Cottonwood
is only a few miles from Clarkdale where the Verde Canyon
Railroad Depot is located. We rode the train with our friend
Glen and his friends, Johnnie and Suzie. This is a very popular
38 mile train ride (4 hours), through some of the most scenic
geography in Arizona. Much of the time you are within an arms
length of the red rock walls. Click these photos for more views.
Here is a video of our train ride.
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Sunday, April 5,
2026: The "Summer Buddies" invited everyone in
the park to an Easter meal in the clubhouse.
Gwen helped by making deviled eggs for our table
of 13 guests. Gwen knew all 13 at our table. I
knew only one of the guests. That's because Gwen
volunteers every Tuesday to be the monitor in
the craft room so she meets lots of people and
other administrators. None of my riding buddies
were at our table. Click both photos for more
views. |
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