Tag Archives: camping with your dog

My New Chair

July 27, 2018 Odee 5 Comments

Woof, I have been busy since we have moved here to Eugene. We have been learning how to get around, finding doctors, and I have been learning how to go on walks in the city. Now I know I lived in a small town but it is different here and the streets are much busier so now we stop at every road intersection whether cars are coming or not. When we were in Norwood we would scan ahead to see if traffic was coming. Now with more people and traffic, and bicycles we stop every time. I like the places where the poles tell you to wait and then let you know when it is safe to cross, woof, sometimes people can be pretty smart inventing things.

I am happy to say I finally got my chair. Matt has been taking me to a store almost every week looking for one but we could not find a chair I liked that would fit in our new place. The people at the store are nice to me and give me treats sometimes. The place is called the ReStore where people send things to be reused instead of thrown away. We found the perfect chair this week. There were two low backed chairs with the new stuff and I tried one out and it fit me just right. Matt didn’t even try it out at the store and told me if I liked it that was good enough for him. The lady at the store watched us and said she just loved the fact I got to choose the chair. Matt told me it was a real bargain at only $10 and almost bought both but he said both would take up too much room and we had to share the one chair. Woof, I don’t know about sharing but he can use it when I am not.

I did enjoy going to the highland games last weekend. Matt had to explain why all these men including him wear skirts. I just didn’t but the “it’s not a skirt thing” at first until he showed me an old style kilt that was one long piece of wool. You had to fold all the pleats in it and lie down and wrap it around you. Now people wear the modern kilt that is easier to put on. The old kilt was multi-functional as you could sleep in it also. There were a lot of people throwing things, dancing, and playing weird instruments call bagpipes I almost started singing with them.

Matt, me, and our friends Ann & Paul Key.

Well it is hot here in Eugene and I am ready to go to the mountains and go camping. I know Matt has something in mind but we have had to make changes already due to wildfires so we have to watch the news and see. I have some photographs and videos I’ll be posting on social media soon.

Bye for now,

Jackson in the City

March 19, 2018 Odee 7 Comments

Woof, honk, honk, people rolling by on funny wheels and I am not talking about bicycles, I know what they are, and all kinds of weird noises. That’s what I think of places called cities. All that plus all of the strange smells are what I first experienced. Cars, trucks, and big things called a bus go up and down the roads and there are so many of them. What are they all doing? Most times we just drive through the cities without stopping. Sometimes we are on the big roads and there are a lot of cars and trucks and all you can see is road. Other times we drive through streets lined with buildings and I see people out walking.

The other day when we were on our walk in Oakland I started wondering where all these people were going and what were they doing. We spend a lot of the outdoors and I have only lived in small towns. I had no idea there were so many people. Especially all in one place like this, most of them seem to be in a big hurry so they must be important or have something important to do. I know when Matt has something important sometimes he gets in a hurry.

Crossing a busy street in Oakland. — What are all these buildings used for?

When we walk in the city it is different when we cross the road. Usually all we have to do is look both ways and wait until traffic is clear. In the city you have to push buttons and then the lights tell you to wait. Next it beeps until it is okay to cross. Plus there are signs that let you know when it is safe to cross too.

We did find a nice park next to a lake where we could get away from all of the hectic running around a little. I did see a lot of other dogs out with their people enjoying their day. On our way back we did stop in a couple of stores. One was sort of boring; all it had were clothes that had been worn by other people. Another store we went in smelled wonderful. I could smell it before we crossed the street and I was hoping we were going there. Matt said it was a bakery and he bought some stuff. He did let me have what he called donut holes. I thought he was crazy, they weren’t holes, they are balls and they taste good! People have such strange names for things though, woof!

Grant Lake sure is pretty but I don't think I want to swim in it! — Grant Lake sure is pretty but I don’t think I want to swim in it!

When we were walking back to where we were staying I saw a lot of children out with their parents so even more people were out walking. Matt told be the schools had let the children out for the day. I asked him what the children do at school and he said it was like when we train for my service work but a lot harder. Woof, I think I will just stay with service work!

Our campground at Pinnacles National Park.

While I do like the city because it is different I still prefer to be outdoors in the woods or wilderness. I’ll be writing from somewhere out there next.

Camping is Fun!

February 5, 2018 Odee 4 Comments

Woof, right now home has an entire different meaning. I guess home is our truck. Sometimes we stay in the same place sometimes we drive a longs was and then we are home. I had to get used to this different meaning of home a long time ago when we first started traveling. Sometime home is with a friend of ours or one of Matt’s relatives. I do like exploring new places and I love when Matt decides to stay longer than planned at one place. I have stayed in motels, campgrounds, and people’s houses since we left our regular home. Sometimes I miss my regular home and my friends there but I meet new and old friends along the way.

Matt always packs all my toys when we go camping.

We do a lot of camping in all kinds of weather. On rainy days we spend time in the camper on the back of the truck. I remember on our last trip we were in the back of the truck during wind storms, thunderstorms, and snow! When it gets cold I burrow under Matt’s warm sleeping bag and get right next to him to stay warm. Other nights it stays real warm. The weather has been changing from hot to cold quite often on this trip. Just when I am getting used to the temperature it changes. I am glad Matt got a sweater for me but if it stays cold I just might need another.

Woof, I like my sweater and I have my own down sleeping bag!

We usually walk around the campground and I see other dogs and people there. Sometimes we stop and Matt talks with the people and introduces me. I also get to talk with the friendly dogs but some are grumpy and not happy or friendly. I do not know why some dogs are that way; Matt tells me people can be the same. He says sometimes it is best to avoid people or dogs like that.

Sometimes I get to sleep in the puppy tent instead of the truck.

I like campgrounds where there are a lot of trails. We usually take long hikes and take pictures but the best part is just getting out and smelling and seeing nature. I smell so many new strange things, different animals and plants, Matt tells me we have to be careful because there are many things we are not used to that can hurt us. He told me we have to stay on guard because there are bigger and more aggressive wild animals were we go a lot. Back home I could run loose sometimes but when we are traveling we stay close together.

Well we are going to have a lot more camping adventures to go on this trip before we get to our new home in Oregon and I am excited about that. Right now we are in Austin visiting Matt’s cousins. Like coming here to Austin to see Matt’s cousins I love them all.

I am going to sign off for now; I will be writing again soon,

Where Are the Keys?

January 26, 2018 Odee 6 Comments

Woof, what a great time we had in the Keys. When Matt told me we were going to a place called the Florida Keys I was expecting to see a lot of keys all over the place. I did not see any when we got there and told him so, Matt laughed and told me I had been seeing them for quite some time. They were the islands we were on. I would bet you are wondering why we are in such a pretty place. Well when we were on our long trip last year when Oregon Matt decided to move us to Oregon near the city name after a man call Eugene. I had to sit at home a lot while he was working hard so we could move and of course things did not quite work out like he planned. We had to rush down to the Keys instead of taking our time like we usually do because Matt’s plans were delayed beyond his control.

Our Campsite Before Getting to the Keys.

I did not know we were going to meet someone famous and even better we stayed at his house. His name is Tie Dye Mickey and people call him this Hippie Paparazzi, I had to check with Matt on the spelling, he had to look it up, tee he. I like Mickey he is my newest bestest friend, woof! He too Matt on bicycle rides every morning, he even took me on a ride. While we were visiting I got to go to all kinds of places. We went to a pub that had no name, a place call KiKi’s, and another called Boondocks. We listened to good music and I even had something from the doggy menu from Boondocks. One day Mickey took Matt and me all over Key West we went into bars and restaurants and even saw a bunch of people and dogs even on a march. Did I mention how dog friendly the Keys are? I got to meet a lot of nice dogs at almost all of the places I went. Mickey told me almost everyone love dogs here and a lot of places will let all dogs in, not just service dogs. At Kiki’s dogs can play and run around, woof! I am not used to that.

Aunt Mar and me in the chair at Boondocks!

Woof, here I am rambling on about all the dogs I met. I almost forgot to mention my Auntie Mar came down to see us also, we had so much fun! All the people living here were friendly. Mickey’s friends were so nice; they made me feel so welcome. I almost asked Matt if we could move there instead of Oregon. He laughed and said it would be nice, but it gets too hot there in the summer for him and something about it would take more money to stay there. Why do people worry about money so much? I will never understand that.

Mickey giving me a ride in the Trykadelic Lollipop, woof!

Well we are about to get on the road again. We just spent three great days in Everglades. I still am not sure what an Everglade is but our next stop in at a place called Big Cypress Preserve. Can you eat Big Cypress Preserve, like on toast? I guess I will find out, woof and out for now!

Close Encounters of the Pony Kind

August 31, 2017 Odee 5 Comments

Woof, when I first started my blog I mentioned my buddy Maverick. He was part of our pack when I first chose Matt as my forever human. What happened to me reminded me of a story he told me before he went to a place called the Rainbow Bridge. First I will tell you my story and since Matt has photos of Maverick’s adventure I will tell that next.

We went camping last weekend at one of Matt’s favorite places we have come to this place often and hike the wide open spaces and forests too. Almost every time we come here we see a lot of the wild ponies that eat grass all the time. A long time ago, at least in dog years, Matt used to backpack all over and a lot of times it was in this area. Maverick went with him and carried his own food and bowls in his own back pack, but like I said I will tell his story later.

While we were on one of our hikes we stopped so Matt could take some photographs of the ponies. After taking a few photos a young pony got curious and decided to come over to us. Maverick had told me to stay away from the big ponies and not to walk behind them when he shared his story with me. As the young one, Matt said it was called a foal, started walking towards us I got nervous. All of a sudden Matt backed up and there I was alone with this big foal sniffing me, woof! I did not know what to do so I just sat as still as I could and tried to figure out what he was going to do next.

Right when it seemed like he might nibble my ear Matt came over and rescued me. That sure was a bit scary but I know Matt would not let anything bad happen. The foal went back to his mother and we went on our way. Now I know how Maverick felt when he had his close encounter. I will tell that story in the next blog.

Wrapping It Up (and more to come!)

August 17, 2017 Odee Leave a comment

Woof, I have been one busy dog! We have been back for a while, but I never did a wrap up of our trip. After we left St Paul we were super busy. We went to visit my friend Nate in a town with a funny name like Wetcorney or Corneywetter or something like that in Wisconsin. Our friends, Nate and his humans Bob ad Paulette used to live in North Carolina but moved to that Croneey place. We had a great time visiting with them.

Our next part of stop wasn’t really a stop, we met up with another of Matt’s friends and we drove and hiked all over this place called Up somewhere in Michigan the only problem I could not figure where up was! I got to see some new places though. I liked the Great Lakes, they are big as oceans, woof! The waves are a lot nicer there, not as scary as the big ones at the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. We went to waterfalls too there is a lot of water in Michigan (and mosquitoes too!).

This is me at Pichured Rocks rocking it in a boat, woof! — This is me at Pictured Rocks rocking it in a boat, woof!

I am swimming in a Great Lake and woof, was it great!

Next we went to Ohio to see my friend Lisa, I had not seen her for a long time and was sad to learn my friends Pugly and Lucky had gone over the Rainbow Bridge I miss them. I was so glad to see Lisa and meet her new furry owners. All of us had fun at her place.

Woof, Matt has so many cousins I cannot keep up with them all and I wonder how he does. When we left my friend Lisa’s house we visited another of Matt’s cousins in West Virginia. I saw some big birds when we were there, Matt said they were turkeys. I have never seen such large birds like that before. The next couple of days we did a lot of driving, Matt went to the place where he was born where he went to a bunch of places and took pictures.

I am glad we came back to Marlene’s place in Welcome Valley. It’s always nice there even though Hobo, her cat does not like me much. We stayed there for a week sleeping and resting and relaxing, woof it was nice not driving, well riding in the truck for a change. After Welcome Valley we left for the Smokey Mountains in the rain. I was looking for Smokey the Bear the two days we spent there but I did not see him

Our campsite at the Great Smoky Mountains.

Then we stopped at Matt’s friend in Asheville. I get to meet Ziva while we were there. She is the boss of Rodney and Valerie, her humans and Matt’s friends. After we left Ziva’s house we were back on the Blue Ridge Parkway and camped at a place called Crabtree Falls. I wanted to ask Matt why the trees are crabby but I was afraid he would laugh at me. We hiked down to the falls while we were there and enjoyed our last hike of our long trip.

Spending the night at my friend Lucy’s place where her human works at Betsey’s at Wilson Creek in Mortimer was next. We stayed for two lazy days so we would not be too tired by the time we got home.

After we got home I still needed to rest and Matt had to do a lot of catching up, after all we had been gone for five months. Now we are both editing our photographs and videos plus writing about our trip so expect to see more soon, woof!

We are off to Tennessee this weekend to see the eclipse (it’s my birthday present from Matt!)

Woof, woof,

Heading East

June 14, 2017 Odee Leave a comment

Woof, hello everyone we have been busy the last couple of weeks and what adventures we have had. We are now well east in Minnesota visiting friends in Saint Paul.

We headed east after we drove to the end of the US until we could not drive any further and then we walked until we could not walk any further. When we reached the very point of Cape Flattering, oops, I mean Flattery, I got so close to the edge it made Matt nervous. He said the cliffs there were undercut so you could fall from the edge breaking off. We were pretty high above the ocean. I stood there and thought about how far we have come. Living in the truck can be cold and cramped but it has been fun so far. We started driving east after our walk and have seen a lot more but it will still be a while before we get home.

This is Cape Flattery and as far as we could go west!

Before our walk out to the very edge of the US we were in a rainforest. It was a green, green forest. Green enough where I can see the difference. It was wet all over and mossy. It smelled wonderful. I liked when Matt drove up into the clouds and then up above them to see snow and tall mountains. On a hike by a big river we saw big deer. Matt said they were Elk and not really deer. One of them barked at us and Matt said we needed to leave right then. It was real loud, and I think they followed us a little way.

I also wanted to mention after walking to the edge of the continent we went back to my friend Sophie’s house. I got excited when I recognized the smell of her place until I remembered Matt said no one would be there. I really wanted to see Sophie again and also Liz and everyone else but Sophie is my special friend. We left the next day and Matt drove the truck onto a big boat called a ferry, I like riding on those. I have ridden on one before, but this one was bigger and I got to walk around on this one instead of staying in the truck.

So far on our trip east we have enjoyed visiting several parks. We have seen more tall mountains and snow. In North Cascades National Park where we spent two days hiking and enjoying the sights and smells. Glacier National Park was fun too. It was another park that was not all open. We camped on both sides but had a long drive to get from one side to the other. We really started going further each day after making quick stops by other places. One place was called Littlebighorn – woof! I just cannot figure out that name, next we saw Mount Rushmore that place had four big heads of men carved out of the tops of the mountains. Matt told me they were big in more than one way after I told him what I observed. Our next stop was called Badlands, I was wondering why they were called bad, did they do something wrong? I did not want to listen to a long explanation this time so I did not ask Matt about it, woof!

This is St Mary Lake in Glacier National Park I had to get a permit to hike in this park.

Well after St Paul we will be going to a state called Wiscoccon tomorrow and visit my good friend Nate and his humans and after that to a place called the Upper Peninsula.

Bye for now!

Oceans and Big Mountains

May 30, 2017 Odee 7 Comments

Woof, I was so glad we left Eugene. I know it was restful for Matt but it was a bit stressful for me. Where we slept was not as bad, but during the day Ginger the dog just would not leave me alone. Woof! I like attention and getting to know each other but this was way over the top! It did make me a bit happier our last day in Eugene Matt took me on an extra long walk and we played some Frisbee before we got on the road again. Then drove all the way to the ocean, I could tell we were getting close because I could smell it. Matt told me this one is call the Pacific, at first I thought he said Specific. He laughed a long time and corrected me but you should hear some of the mistake he makes. Even I know they are wrong, ruff! I laugh to myself when other humans correct him sometimes. When we got to the beach we were the only ones there so I ran and played on the dunes and I got swim in the ocean. We camped at different places as we traveled up the coastline and honestly I think it was prettier than Nova Scotia, I think I called that place New Scooty last year when I did not know better.

At Cape Outlook State Park we got to see this man building a sandcastle.

He let me ham it up in front of the finished sandcastle. He was a real nice man.

After the desert we sure have been around a lot of water. We went to a big tall waterfall, I can’t remember the name but I do remember it was in the Columbia River Gorge. I will have to ask Matt to name it on the photo when he uploads this blog. We rested some in our campsite at the river; Matt liked listening to the trains. He told me he was going to take me on a train trip sometime. I think that would be fun, woof, woof!

Trying to keep cool on a hot afternoon at Ainsworth State Park.

Photo Dog Jackson at Multnomah Falls, Columbia River Gorge. (Caption by Matt.)

Next we went to some tall mountains where the tops were all covered in snow. Matt said they were volcanoes and they could be very surprising things. Matt said the first one we visited he actually watched explode, well not in person, he saw it on TV. Another one was the tallest mountain and it was covered up by clouds when we first got there, but while we were on a hike it cleared off enough for us to see, and oh, all that snow, woof!

After seeing all these wonderful places we came to Port Townsend to visit and stay with some friends. I have even met one of them before a long time ago. The best part is I made a new best friend, Sophie, who plays with me all the time. I do not even mind when Matt leaves because I can play and not work. There is a big yard and it is pretty far from busy roads so I can run and roam and not worry about watching out for traffic. I really like Sophie and I think she likes me a lot. I think sometimes I wear her out throwing the ball so much but it is so much fun. The only bad thing is after Matt washed his truck he told me it was time for a bath. You know I do not mind water, I just do not like smelly baths, ruff!

We have just left for Olympic National Park; this will make number 23 for me. Matt has one more because he visited a small national park in Seattle. I do not mind because I got to play with Sophie. Of course we have visited more places than that. Those are just the national parks and monuments we have seen. More adventures, WOOF!

At the Canal Bridge before Port Townsend.

Yellow Stones and More Snow!

May 17, 2017 Odee 2 Comments

Woof, woof! We are resting in Eugene, Oregon right now and it is nice. It has been a little while since I have updated everyone. After my last blog posting a big storm with wind, rain, and snow made us go stay at a motel in a town called Grand Junction. We were camped close to Arches and Canyonlands parks and when we left it started getting windy, then cold and rainy. After that big storm passed we went to a place called Colorado National monument. We stayed there two nights waiting for it to get warmer because Matt said where we were going was up higher in the mountains and colder too. That was another big canyon called Black Canyon of the Gunnison. I liked it there, deer came right into our campsite and we hiked down into the canyon. It was windy and cold there like Matt said and it rained that night, when we woke up the next morning everything was frozen, woof! I stayed under the warm sleeping bag with Matt for a long time before we got up that morning. Matt waited until the sun had been up a while before we got out.

Just when I thought I had seen everything, then we see something else strange and new. We went on a long drive after the black canyon and went to a place with water shooting out of the ground. The whole place smelled funny. At first I thought my human was being impolite until he explained the stuff called sulfur which was in the air. We went to a place where the ground bubbles, shoots up water way in the sky and makes all kind of strange noises. Some places had steam all over the place and those strange smells. The place is called Yellowstone and some places do have yellow stones, and white, and red, and a whole lot of colors. We had to walk on boardwalks to stay safe. The water looks clear and fresh but Matt said some of it was very hot and some was dangerous because of stuff call acid and he explained what toxic meant. I really enjoyed watching the water spurt up way in the air. Some went all the time and some only now and then. We stayed at Yellowstone for three days.

After Yellowstone we went to another strange looking place, it was called Craters of the Moon, the name is longer than that, but that is all I can remember now. A lot of the land has no plants and it is very rocky. The strange thing is the rocks have holes in them and they are not as heavy as you would think. We went on several hikes there. That place was in a state called Idaho. Woof, talking about states I have been to four new ones for me. Oklahoma was my first new state a long while ago on the trip. Now I can add Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, and Oregon!

When we got to Oregon there was more rain and snow, we sure have seen a lot of that. The weather has been strange; when we first got in Oregon it was hot, 80 degrees, woof! Then the next day it was 50 and the next day is when it rained and snowed.

Well I have things almost completely updated in this report and I am holding up my paw in a promise to start my next blog tonight.

Two Months and Still Going

April 30, 2017 Odee 4 Comments

Woof, well really more than two months. I have been having a great time working as a service dog. We have been going on a lot of hikes everywhere we have been going. Sometimes it is hard to remember I am working so many people are kind and well meaning and they want to pet me. Sometimes Matt lets them if we are resting. This year has been more fun than last year. I hardly ever have to wait in the truck anymore. We were recently in Zion and Bryce national parks, at first I thought Matt said it was Rice Canyon. Can you imagine a canyon full of rice? Matt had a good laugh with that one.

We had a nice weekend not too long ago with Matt’s cousin and his family camping out. Woof, of course when are we not camping out right now? I spent the whole time off leash and not working, I got to roam and play all I wanted to until I just had to lie down to take a nap. We were not near a road and the best thing is there was a creek there, I got to play in it all I wanted and it was fun. I had kids to play with and they wore me out. We stayed there for two days and I got to eat real meat, Tim gave me so much and it was good, ruff! We spent almost the whole time in camp enjoying each other’s company. When we got ready to leave Theresa gave me a new toy and I love it.

After that we went back to the big lake called Powell and this time Matt let me go swimming. Then we went to see a big river called the Colorado. The river was big and the water was flowing too fast Matt said. The net place we went was Zion where we did a lot of hiking. Woof we have been to so many places it is hard to remember them all right now. Then we went to Bryce the rice canyon. I still like to think of it by that name.

We camped in Bryce Canyon park for several days. I think Matt was tired when we arrived. He just about pulled into the first place he saw. After trying to find camping places at pother crowded parks he said we were going to stay for a while to have fun plus get some rest. So far we have hiked down into Rice Canyon (woof, just making a funny) and then hiked at another canyon close by called Red Canyon. The next day we hiked at Kodak Park, at least I thought it was called that, Matt told me it really was Kodachrome Basin State Park.

It ws windy at Kodachrome park! — It was windy at Kodachrome park!.

The next places we went were Arches and Canyonlands parks then we went to Capitol Reef, I got excited because I thought we would see the ocean. Matt told me it was not that kind of reef. It was a beautiful place, we hiked on several trails and it even started snowing when we were on a trail so we had to go back to camp.

We are stayed more than one night in a motel in Grand Junction when the weather got bad, I learned about motels last year. There were a lot of dogs and humans there, woof and they are nice and warm. We are heading out this morning to start camping again and more adventures.

The Adventures of Odee & Matt