Climbing Mountains by Paws and Wheels

 We went for a hike one day on the many trails on the Silly Mountains.

Yes, that is the name of these big hills. It was a good work-out climbing to the top, and I didn't feel "silly" being on my leash. I was told that there were animals here that we all should be afraid of stepping on---like tarantulas, scorpions, and many different kinds of rattlesnakes. I'm glad all we saw were lizards!

 We kept climbing...

Superstition Mountains in the background are "real" mountains. I was glad we weren't climbing them. Little did I know what would come tomorrow....

Here I am on the way down staying away from that cactus!

The next day we climbed the Superstition Mountains in our truck, following a beautiful scenic road called the Apache Trail. It was started in 1905 following many separate trails used by the Apache Indians. Hundreds of Apaches also helped build the road through the mountains so equipment could reach the construction site of the Roosevelt Dam, which would regulate the Salt River and open up the southwest to development. The dam was finished in 1911. We drove from east to west, starting out on a 4 lane highway.

We entered the Tonto National Forest, parked the truck, and climbed way up a high hill to see this pre-historic dwelling. We could see Roosevelt Lake, the reservoir behind the dam, from there.

 We drove by the Roosevelt Dam and kept heading west.

This is the down-river side.

 The scenery was so beautiful as we followed the twisting, narrow road.

 We knew the road would be unpaved for 22 miles, but it was like a wash-board...the whole truck, including us, were shaking most of the time!

 I got so excited when we were close to the river. I just wanted to go for a swim!!!

 Good-bye river. Soon we started climbing the mountain.

 The canyon views were spectacular. But dad couldn't take his eyes off the road....

 There were so many blind curves where we had no idea if we would meet another car. The speed limit was 15 mph and sometimes 10. We were all a bit nervous. The road is about one and a half lanes wide, with occasional pull-offs where you could pass an on-coming car.

 There were many switchbacks. At Fish Creek the road just hangs from the side of the sheer mountain wall. We were on the outside....This section has a thin metal guardrail that you can see at the bottom of the picture. 

 Between this cliff and our truck was a huge drop down to Fish Creek.

This is one frame from the video that momma took showing the bouncing of the truck...the sheer drop-offs...and the blind curves. It took us almost an hour and a half to travel the 22 miles. What an adventure we had!

After about another 22 miles of paved road, we were welcomed home!

Home...Home on a Ranch...

After two weeks, it was time to leave Ocean Beach in San Diego. I had the BEST time there...it is such a dog-friendly city, and they really seem to like black labs like me.

This painting on a surf shop was just a few blocks from where we stayed. How did they know that I am not afraid of waves?

I love this poster that we saw at Old Town. All three dogs are rescue dogs....One of them looks just like me!!! Except her collar is green...

 We drove back to Arizona, over the mountains that are full of boulders.

 I slept most of the way in the back seat.

 But I woke up to see all the crops being watered in the Imperial Valley of California....

and again to see acres and acres of solar panels in the desert.

Soon we were in Apache Junction!!! This is what we see from  one side of our one-bedroom house. It sure doesn't look like Ocean Beach! The Goldfield Mts. are to our north.

 This is the view outside our front door. We are on an acre of land that we share with other animals.

I met my first horse! It took me a while to get this close...and I was ready to jump backwards in case he tried to bite me...but he is a very friendly horse. I, on the other hand, am not a friendly dog because he scares me.

There are two desert tortoises on the ranch. This is the male, and he kept following momma around. It was hard to take a picture because he kept coming right up to her. I prefer to stay away from his mouth also.

Our living room is decorated with a bridle and a saddle. Carleigh's mountain lion is in the stirrup. He's up there so I won't think he is one of my stuffed animals and start nibbling on him.

This is the view to the east of our house. The Superstition Mountains are in the background. Momma just loves giant saguaro cactus. She told me that they don't start growing arms until they are around 70 years old!!! This one is way older than dad! 

There used to be lots of chickens here, but the day before we came they were killed by coyotes who dug under their fence. I haven't seen any coyotes, but three dogs live on the property, in the main house. We run and play, and I'm not afraid of them! Even though I'm not on the beach, I still love to catch my frisbee as long as I stay away from all the different cacti. The other morning I chased a rabbit and came back with lots of spines stuck in me.  I haven't done that again! I never thought that I should be more afraid of the plants than of the animals. I have a lot to learn!

Fun Day at San Diego Zoo

Fun day at the zoo---well, it was fun for everyone else, but I had to stay home in my crate. But I like the pictures that momma took and all the smells they brought home with them. The camels had the yuckiest smells... 

Even Carleigh's mountain lion, Diego, got to go to the zoo!!!

Diego is so tiny next to a woolly mammoth!

 Over 1 million bones have been taken from the La Brea tar pits. Scientists have been able to figure out what animals  lived in this area a long time ago.

 A dromedary camel

 A bactrian camel

This macaw was outside the theatre where people saw parts of the movie "Rio", in 4D---with water spraying on them, the seats shaking, smells filling the air...Momma said it was so much fun!

 This polar bear was eating carrots.

 His zoo keeper put cinnamon on his straw, and he enjoyed rolling on it. It is like cat-nip for polar bears.

 People can ride on double decker tour buses to get familiar with the lay-out of the zoo. They cover about 75% of the area. The gondola Skyfari ride was also fun.

 The zoo like everything else in this area is hilly.  

 The koalas were all sleeping. Can you spot this one?

Sooky is the same age as Carleigh...just one month older.

 To go from a higher level to a lower one you could go down lots of stairs or go through several aviaries that were built on the slope. They even have a moving sidewalk in a very steep area. This colourful bird is a Peruvian cock-in-the-rock. 

This lion-tailed monkey looks like he just combed his hair!

 The red panda, distantly related to the giant panda, spends most of its life in trees. The name panda comes from the Nepali word "ponya", which means bamboo or plant-eating animal. 

This zoo is famous for their giant pandas and their successful breeding program. Unlike the koalas, this young one was awake and eating. This baby is the sixth cub to be born at the zoo! Most of the cubs have returned to China to be part of their breeding program.

These pandas are white...but the one eating in the last picture shows how they look most of the time...unless they have a bath.