Archive for February, 2010

Dogs Rock!

Saturday, February 27th, 2010

Bodie and McKinley

So our 7 yr old pup Bodie, had her second knee surgery yesterday. Her left knee was repaired 2 yrs ago, completely torn cruciate ligament and torn meniscus. This time the cruciate in her right knee was completely torn but meniscus fine. The next couple months will see us (her and I) working on rehab much like any of us would come back from a knee injury/repair. Granted I’ve somehow managed to avoid knee surgery all these years (knock on wood) but I’ve spent enough time recovering from knee injuries that I’m familiar with what needs to happen to get Bodie back to 100%.

Interestingly, the physical therapy sheet handed out by the surgeon is underwhelming. The slightly pessimistic handout claims that dogs never really get better than about 80-90% of where they used to be. That many have a permanent limp, soreness after exercise, etc. I was surprised to read this and happy that Bodie seemingly defied the odds after the first surgery with a total return to normal (at least as far we could tell.) Within 3+ months, she was back to “normal” in terms of activity, although, admittedly I still cringe when she gets hyper and I see her spinning in circles to play.

I nearly shed a tear last night at the sight of McKinley crawling onto the same dog bed with Bodie (although she almost sat on the recovering knee!), the concern of last night was replaced however with a battle for food today…dogs will be dogs.

So it’s been barely 24hrs since the second surgery and Bodie is already walking with some weight on the knee repaired yesterday…I’m astounded. I’m struck by the resilence of animals…especially dogs. Although she occasionally lets out a whimper (which I can promptly address with some pain meds), she paws at me, reaches for a toy and wags her tail…

If only we could all be so brave, so tough, so cool…dogs rock!

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Spring Fever

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

I know…it’s only February.

Officially spring doesn’t start until March 21st…even then winter can linger…and will this year according to Phil (the Groundhog/meterologist). But my spring starts with daylight savings time. It’s light out until about 6pm right now…in just 2 weeks and change, it’ll be light until 7! Now my definition of “light” probably varies from most…I think of “light” as “is-there-enough-light-to-find-my-way-back-to-the-car-from-the-trail?”

There is probably some complicated scientific or psychological, behavior vs. environment type explanation for my need of daylight…being a CA native doesn’t help since most of the year you can engage in most outdoor activities within a couple hours drive. I’ve lived in Seattle and in Montana…which by virtue of being further North had less daylight in the winter and more in the summer. That’s was pretty cool…in the summer. I don’t mind the cold, rain, snow, etc. as long as there is daylight. Winter would be awesome if it was light until 8pm! I digress…

Soon charging the bike lights for a ride won’t be necessary…and I can’t wait.

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The desert…a whole different kind of fun

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

So over the long weekend, Tom and I were anxious to get the RV out to explore new territory on our motos. Between some warranty repairs and winter weather, we hadn’t had a chance to really get out for a weekend in a while. So we packed up the motos, gear, food and dogs and headed south…to Ridgecrest. Our original plans to head to Death Valley changed at the last minute due to an unusual rain storm that saw all of the backcountry roads in Death Valley closed due to flooding/mud/washouts. A quick internet search and we found an alternative relatively the same driving time, with more freedom to explore and no ridiculous rules about dogs. Friday night saw us arrive after dark to an area where all camping is dispersed, meaning no formal campgrounds. We could see collections of lights where people were camped but weren’t sure how to get to those spots. We eventually settled in after a short drive down a hardpack, pot-holed road (the kind Tom swore we wouldn’t drive in the RV)…it wasn’t bad just an adventure after dark.

After sleeping in despite the sounds of motors starting and generators running to take the chill off the morning, we slowly got ready to head out and explore our home for the weekend, the Spangler Hills OHV area. We had camped in an area called Searles Station, for the railroad switching station nearby. This OHV area was a new concept to us as it is an “open area,” meaning you can literally ride wherever you want, whether a trail exists or not, and it’s 57000 acres provide some much room that despite a holiday weekend crowd and an event, we rarely came upon another rider except near camp. The terrain is quite different than the area around Bishop, very little rock and the desert plant life a little taller and more sparse. I’ve always loved the desert…whether because I’m a CA native or because my parents often took us camping in the desert growing up, there is a totally different kind of beauty and ruggedness in the desert. Now the hardcore environmentalists would faint if they spent much time around an OHV park/camp such as this. It’s loud, got dusty as the weekend wore on and certainly not the activity everyone likes. That being said, places like this need to exist…if they don’t people will ride where they aren’t supposed to. There are many families out, not only enjoying motorized toys but parents again passing down how different and fun the desert can be.

The riding itself took a little getting used to but once we did, it was amazing. Tom and I have always figured a preference for riding in dirt and trees more typical of where we live. Tighter singletracks trails where visibility may just be a few feet ahead as you curve through forests and tree canopy. The desert varies from hardpack with some rocks to thick, sandy washes (not my favorite) but the wide openness of it all it what sets the riding apart. You can see for miles, literally. The sand, when mixed with a little gravel or water is a blast for riding and provides a totally different feel than the tacky dirt of north. You’re typically riding alot faster in the desert as the terrain lends itself to more wide open speeds. That being said, you have to be more alert for the feature of the desert…washes. More than once over the weekend, we were hauling along at decent speeds only to come upon a small, deep wash with little time to figure out how to navigate it…

We had a blast and can’t wait to go back again in the coming weeks…

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The Ultimate Road Trip Set-Up

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

For long before Tom and I met, our individual preferred methods of exploring and taking trips was the road trip. I have travelled internationally and there is something to be said for taking in the cultural differences abroad vs. slogging around the US and Canada. The fact of the matter is that there are historic and natural treasures outside the US which make this country look like the infant country it is (in industrialized terms…but that is another topic).

Since Tom and I met, we’ve doubled in people, he gained two dogs, and the amount of gear…well, it’s ridiculous to quantify. We started out with trips in our respective Toyota trucks but clearly that was not enough room for two pack rats like us. We then bought a small utility trailer…after all, I now had a dirtbike to join his. That last for about a year before we decide for more size/comfort for our extended road trips. What followed was the purchase of a double-cab Ford F-250 and pop-up cabover camper. We could now travel with a trailer (motos) or without (bike racks for the mtn bikes) and sleep comfortably in any weather conditions. We were living the high life with a heater, kitchen and pop-up shower/toiler combo.

Life was good…and then we got tired of not being able to use the kitchen table…it was chronically converted into another bed area for the dogs. They are too big to lay on the floor and we’d have no way to manuever around. We also had no room for gear…every time we wanted to stop and quickly crash overnight somewhere on the road, a production followed to pop-up the camper, move all the gear to the front of the truck, etc.

Last year we decided to do our part to support the economy and traded our camper for an upgrade…a slightly ridiculous upgrade given our age and activities we like to participate in. We bought an RV. There, I’ve said it. Yes, we do had visions of elderly folks zipping around in golf carts or worse, the movie RV and families like the Gornekes. But this was something we spent months researching…what was the right configuration for us given all the toys to bring along and the two mutts? We ultimately decided on the Damon Outlaw…now this isn’t one of those crazy, over-the-top RVs the Nascar folks are hauling around in, this fit our budget and best of all, it has a garage! 8 x 10ft of rubber-coated goodness to roll dirty bikes and motos into. On board fuel station, rear flood lights, etc. and plenty of room for cleaning products…those of you that know Tom, know that things can’t be dirty for long.

The only thing missing (if you can believe it) is a transport vehicle. This thing is 37′ long…once it’s parked somewhere, you don’t want to have to move it too much. We’d been trying to sell the Ford for sometime and finally added a trade option. We figured maybe we could trade for something like a Jeep Wrangler that could be towed behind. Then we park the big rolling turd, throw the bikes on the Jeep or the dogs in and we’re off to the trailhead somewhere. Last week, the planets aligned and we were able to trade the Ford for a Jeep Wrangler that is newer, with less miles. After we get the towing mechanisms in place, we’re in business…never in our craziest imagination did we think we’d be set up like this (or want to be.) Moab in April…here we come…

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