After stopping by Wal-Mart to get him a new belt and me a tablecloth, we hit the road, picking up two of his dogs along the way. Some of you might remember he gave me two Sh'Tzu puppies when I began RVing last January--Sue and Charlie. It was difficult to give them up, but I decided this little place was just too small for growing puppies that needed so much attention. It turned out to be an excellent decision because of all my workamping hours in Kanab. He gave Sue to a friend and kept Charlie as well as another female puppy from the same litter. They've grown a lot and I love to see them.
Here's Pennie:
And Charlie, or "Chunky Charlie" as Lou calls him because he's very solid - the most laid-back dog I've ever seen. While Pennie immediately climbs into Lou's lap when he drives (just like her father), Charlie usually heads to the back of the vehicle and goes to sleep. However, when I pull him up to the front seat, he goes to sleep on my lap. Pennie wanders around.
Here's Charlie:
The car decided the desert would be best, so after stopping in Jacumba to get Subway sandwiches, lots of water and Frappacinos, and taking the pups for a short relieve-yourselves walk, we were off. I know Lou just planned on going out to Anza Borrego somewhere, but when we stopped for gas near Ocotillo and saw how much it cost there, the car decided to head on into El Centro instead. Found a much better price there and hit the road again.
On our way back from Tucson earlier, we'd driven down Ogilby Road, by the dunes, and explored some of the rocky backroads around the American Girl Mine. We hadn't stayed very long then, so that's where we finally ended up yesterday afternoon, about 10 miles or so from Yuma, AZ. We explored some more, especially the large water place in the middle of the desert, in the middle of mine tailings, far, far down with no way to get there but hike over lots of rocks.
Lou decided he just had to get down there to see what it was like. I chickened out and stayed at the top, so he took the dogs. Gave me his car keys just in case he broke his leg or something. Thanks, Lou. I needed that bit of reassurance.
Well, they finally made it--I didn't see them at all but heard a yell from down by the water. There they were, all the way down there. He said it was really muddy with lots of deer tracks. This is the closest I could get with the zoom on my camera, but it gives an idea of just how far down they went.
The pups made it down just fine, but their short little legs got tired and they needed water. He said the water there was very clear but if it isn't in a bowl, they won't drink it. So, he ended up carrying them both back up--remember I said Charlie was a chunk?
You can barely make out the pups, one under each arm.
They were pretty tired when they got back up, so everyone guzzled water and rested in the shade for a while. After all were rested, the car drove us to an old mine shaft in the side of a mountain. Had to explore that as well. It went in quite a ways.
I took this picture from inside looking out - love the way the sides of the cave frame the outside view.
We figured this old metal sign probably once read, "Keep Out" or something.
By this time, it was almost sunset and time to find a shady spot to eat and do whatever else we like to do in a nice remote spot in the middle of nowhere after the sun goes down and the stars begin popping out. The sandwiches tasted great--the dogs loved them too. And the whatever else wasn't disappointing, either.
Long drive back, but the day was absolutely spectacular. I love his company and the pups made it just that much more special. One of the best things? I didn't have to drive at all.
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