The Crones' Chronicle

Coffee, a good book, and lying in with the pups is how we start our day at the Rockin’ Lazy Journey.  Note: Foster pup, Cross/Kiha has acclimated well to WanderCrones household!  Perhaps…too well??

We’ve just returned from Monte Vista, Colorado, site of the Nicomodes Sheepdog Trial. Although Liddy and Linda weren’t on their game this past weekend, we all had a great time anyway! The sheep were tough and the field was deceptively tricky to even attempt to stay on-line. We got around the course each day…even made our sheds and one pen! But, no cigar. As they say, “that’s dog trialing!” Back to the drawing board and trying to chalk up our 10,000 hours of practice!
PS Lisbeth and I got in TWO rounds of golf in Monte Vista. Cute little 9 hole course with some very difficult greens. And,…inexpensive, too!
Thanks Dan and Tina for your hospitality! And, special thanks to Dan for letting me work sheep at his ranch! Time well spent!

Thursday, November 26, 2009- We arrived at Jennifer and Ron’s about 4:30 pm yesterday.  Was so good to see them; it had been a year.  Family had already begun to arrive.  Funny how before we bought our first RV, we did not know people who traveled and “camped” that way. Now most everyone we travel and hang out with has an RV!! What an assortment from small pop-ups to three axel fifth wheels to three slide-out motorhomes. Today we have seven RVs set-up here.

Last night Ron started the fire in the pit where the turkeys are cooking.  It has a steel plate on the bottom and top.  The turkeys are triple wrapped in foil after bring seasoned with salt, garlic salt, and pepper.  They were put-in at 1:00 am and will be taken out at 11:00 am. When we finished dinner last night with everyone, Cathy, Kenny, and Sue were making massive amounts of stuffing.

Ron retrieving turkey from the pit

When we set up yesterday we could not get the satellite internet dish to tune in.  We thought after the weekend we might have to move tne coach and find a clear spot to the southern sky.  This morning linda decided to try again.  Rather than staring at the modem waiting for the four blue lights to go on, she left to show Jennifer her Kindle.  J. wants to buy one for Ron for Christmas.  While she was gone, the dish tuned the satellite in and all the lights are blue.  Hurray!!

Wednesday, November 25,2009- We’ve been in Gila Bend, AZ for a few days. We came down from Ft. Collins. We connected with Judy and Ron Brundage. Ron installed our automatic satellite internet last November. We needed an adjustment done to the mount so it would track properly when we put it down. We have been really pleased with the system. Sure is nice not to have to climb up on the roof to aim the dish and pick up the satellite signal. We also have internet and email services on our iPhones. Would be less expensive if we could rely on them for internet, but we still spend a lot of our time in areas where the cell phone service is poor to nonexistent and in Mexico the internet dish is a must. We are hoping that since we have changed to ATT for our cell phone service, we will be able to use the iPhones in Mexico. Last winter we bought a Telnet cell phone in San Felipe with prepaid minutes . We were able to sign up for a service that made calls to the US/Canada very reasonable, one dollar US for 15 minutes. We shared the phone with friends. It takes 6 weeks to get the US/Canada calling program operational on the Mexico cell phone. We will be in Mexico the first part of January. We will buy a second phone ($50 US) and put 50 minutes ($30 US) and apply for the US calling package. By the time Sharron and Lynda arrive in late February, we will be able to give them a phone that has the US/Canada calling package. The Mexico cell phone really helps coordinating our “busy schedule” of events.
We are heading today for Campo, CA and our friends Jennifer and Ron’s place. We will share Thanksgiving with them and family. We have not been able to do this for the past few years, and have really missed it. Jennifer is cooking a turkey in the oven- ah, the smells. Ron is cooking two turkeys in the ground. We have not had turkey cooked that way, so will be a treat. They are both really good cooks!
We will stay at their place through Christmas and the “on the border snowbirds sheepdog trial “over New Year’s. Jennifer is a highly successful handler and trainer. She has been Linda’s coach for five years. Our dog Liddy is from her breeding. Linda will have the chance to work with her on finishing the training for Liddy to move to the open class, and Gabi to begin competing. Hopefully, Linda will also get to work with Tristan and get him ready to compete in the pronovice class. Finn and Fly have chosen retirement. I plan on spending my time golfing, reading, and cooking. I want to make and decorate Christmas cookies.

July 3, 2009 — Scio, Oregon

Hannah Bridge, Scio, Oregon

Since we arrived in this part of Oregon, we’ve seen a great deal of advertising of their covered bridges. We know about the covered bridges in the northeast, but had never heard anything about the bridges here.  Curious, we decided to hop in the car with all the pups, and take the scenic covered bridge route for the Scio, Oregon. It’s about a  46 mile loop.

We learned that wooden bridges were covered in order to keep the large truss timbers dry.  An uncovered bridge in this climate lasts approximately nine years.  Whereas, a covered one can last up to 80 years or more.  The first bridges in Oregon were built in the 1850′s.  Early covered bridge owners financed the construction of their bridges by charging tolls.  Reports indicate that it cost three cents a head for sheep, five cents for a horse and rider. In the early 20th century, the state of Oregon provided standard bridge designs to each county.  There was a shortage of steel in this area–especially during the world wars–but an abundance of Douglas Fir.  Consequently, construction of covered bridges continued well into the mid-1960s.  To learn more about covered bridges in Oregon, visit: http://www.covered-bridges.org, or, http://www.cbfestival.com.

Shimanek Bridge, Scio, Oregon

Our trip was particularly interesting because, in addition to taking us through six bridges, we also got to see some of the rural Oregon countryside. We passed through crops of mint, hazelnut, berries, apricots, apples, grass seed, and many different kinds of vegetables.  We say dairy and beef cattle, sheep, goats, llamas, alpacas, and horses.  There are also many, many tree farms in this area.  And, beautiful old handmade barns dating back to the 1850′s.

Countryside around Scio, Oregon

We fell in love with the little town of Scio and it’s surrounding area.  Scio is the tenth oldest town in Oregon, incorporated in 1866.  The area boasts strong Czech and Mennonite pioneer roots.

Larwood Wayside Park is next to the Larwood Bridge where the Roaring River flows into Crabtree Creek.  The park offers picnicing and swimming. It was such a hot day that we thought it would be good to stop and give everyone a break.  We found a spot away from the other visitors and let our dogs off leash for a bit of swim.  Although all our dogs are used to water–Finn is the most courageous of our swimmers–they had no prior experience with rivers and current.  They were a tad apprehensive at first.  But, soon got used to it.  Finn and Gabi were, perhaps, the most at ease with retrieving sticks.  Liddy and Tristan helped with retrievals from the shallow end.  And, Fly focused on keeping everyone in line.  We had five very wet, but happy pups when we were done!

June 28-July 6, 2009 — Albany, Oregon

Entrance to the Blue Ox RV Park

We probably could have stayed at the trial grounds in Scio, Oregon for the Sheep Thrilz Sheepdog Trial, but, we took one look at the week’s weather forecast, and, one look at the field, and decided an RV park with 50 amps for air conditioning might be the better part of valor.  Slim pickings for RV Parks in Trailer Life Directory and in the Last Exit Authority.  Blue Ox RV Park is located right next door to Timber Linn Park, a large country park.  We guessed that even if we couldn’t walk the dogs in the RV park, there would be a good chance we’d find good places to walk them in the park.  Our guess was a good one.

The management at the RV park were totally okay with the five dogs.  As always, they were mostly concerned with keeping them quiet, keeping them on leash, not staking them outside of the rig, and cleaning up after them.  We were a short walk to Timber Linn Park and a huge area to exercise the the kids.  It was perfect.

The park itself is very clean and roomy.  The outer perimeter is composed of more longer term RVers.  The inner spaces are more transient folks.  Sites are roomy and great for big rigs.  Mostly 30 amp.  But, quite a few 50 amp spots, as well.  Clean laundry areas (2).  There’s an indoor small pool and a hot tub.  No amenities for children, consequently saw few children in the park.

Huge park to walk dogs

Timber Linn park has soccer fields, a folf course, baseball fields, walking path, and a pond with lots of ducks.  It’s a rural setting, even though it’s very close to Interstate 5.  Noise is not that bad, considering.

Albany has lots of eateries.  Mostly traditional American fair and chains. However,  AmorePizza is a great pizza place.  And, Elmer’s family restaurant makes a good breakfast.  We noticed a sushi restaurant, but, didn’t try it. By far the best spot for lunch or dinner is Novak’s Hungarian Restaurant.  We had a great cabbage roll and chicken paprika there.  The deserts a fabulous.

This turned out to be a nice spot to just chill and get oriented to the middle western Oregon area.  We also got a chance to visit Scio, Oregon’s covered bridges (refer to following article).  The dog’s really loved their routine which included LOTS of our time walking and playing in the park.

June 27, 2009

Spencer Lake RV Park off of Pickering Road outside of Shelton, Washington was the closest big rig park we could find to the trial grounds.  Even so, it’s still 35 VERY windy miles away.  Nevertheless, it proved to be a gem of a find.

Spencer Lake RV Park

Roomy sites in a nice wide open area.  Across the street is Spencer Lake and the Spencer Lake Bar and Grill where you can get a good breakfast, lunch, or dinner and have a drink overlooking the lake as well.  We spent far too much money on betting with pull-tabs. Next door to the park is a small neighborhood grocery store, and next to it is the world’s most outlandish and outrageous antique and womens apparel store either of us has ever seen.  We spent hours rummaging through the gorgeous and crazy clothes and nick-knacks. The owner was having a 30% off sale, and we came away with a couple of great bargains.  Down the street about 200 yards is a surprisingly wonderful bakery/deli/coffee shop, the Olympic Bakery and Deli…with wood saw sculptures on the side.  It’s hard to find an RV park with so many charming (and, good) shops in close proximity.  We felt like we’d hit the jackpot. Oh, and as for dogs….the very nice manager, Charles, thought they were very well behaved and wonderful.  He showed us how to access a little-traveled road just outside of the park where we could walk the dogs.  And, we found a spot where they could even run off-leash.  Perfect.

Walking area at Spencer Lake RV Park

Getting to the trial grounds was a  different matter.  We are totally unaccustomed to driving in thickly forested areas where you can’t see around the next bend, much less whether there are any houses on either side of the road.  We are also not used to narrow, windy, up and down roads.  So, finding Sue and George MacDonald’s place for the first time was a bit tricky.  Nevertheless, we did managed it.  Unfortunately, our prairie-loving dogs were not so lucky.   They turned quite green around the gills on  all of the twisty, curvy roads.  Poor Fly lost her breakfast, and, thereafter, could only be consoled by riding on Lisbeth’s lap.  We had been assured that we would be able to park at the trial grounds. Don and Jeanie–knowing our rig size–had suggested we look the entrance over before actually moving in. So, we took their advice and drove over in the truck first.  Most people, unless they’ve seen our rig, don’t understand just how big we really are.  And, even though a livestock semi-trailer truck might make it down this particular road, it wasn’t clear whether we would make it or not.  For one thing, we don’t bend in half.  For another, we have venting units, a TV satellite dome, and, a two-way satellite system on top of a thirteen foot high rubber roof.  In addition, the sides of the rig are constructed out of less-than-durable plywood and fiberglass; we are heavy; and, our road clearance isn’t the greatest.  We took one look at the entrance into the trial field and said, “Nope, this isn’t going to work.”  Which was fine since we’d already settled into the RV park anyway. Good call, Don and Jeanie.  Glad we listened.

June 25  , 2009–Washington

About three miles down the road from the RV Park is the bridge to Harstine Island.  The loop road around the island is 9 miles long.  The northern tip of the Island is a very lovely state park called Jerrelld Cove.  The park has about 25 sites. Predominantly tenting sites,  we did, however,  find about four sites that might fit our rig.  Getting out of the park might be problematic, depending on the site a person might get. Reservations were required.  We spent a delightful couple of hours in the park exploring the marina and the trails down to the water.  We were there at low tide, so there were lots of new and fascinating smells for the dogs to explore.

Low tide at the marina on Harstine Island

There are several dock areas set up for boaters to tie up overnight. We were distressed to see signs warning against eating the oysters, clams, and mussels from the area.  Such a pity.  Especially since we are such fans of oysters on the half shell.  Guess we should consider ourselves fortunate to have had this eating experience in our lifetime.  Future generations probably won’t know what we’re talking about.

So much for raw oysters

While on the island, we noticed that there was lots of property for sale.  The Island is heavily developed,  mostly residential and some farms.  We assumed property prices would be astronomical.  When we picked up a flyer off of one of the  “For Sale By Owner” waterfront properties,  we were surprised to find that prices weren’t out of line.  Then, we realized that unless you worked in the immediate area, or, were retired, getting anywhere from the Island would be very time consuming.  We saw similar levels of development on our way to the  sheep dog trial grounds.  We were so struck by how hidden all the homes are from the roadside.  We’ve spent so much of our adult lives on the plains or in the desert, that this environment seems very foreign, indeed.  Neither of us can fathom living submerged in a forest.  Too claustrophobic for our tastes.  And, even though the notion of having waterfront property was tempting, we couldn’t figure out where a person would be able to get out and walk. We came to grips with the fact that although we both love water, we don’t have to live on it to be happy.  Being able to see it will just have to do.

Linda and the pups

Lisbeth, Tristan, Gabi, and Liddy exploring the Island

Long, tiring  drive today. Made harder because we had to leave Don and Jeanie’s place and their wonderful hospitality.   But, being able to witness the fascinating geological changes that occur between Idaho and the coast of Oregon made the day not as tough as we thought it would be.  The Columbia River is an awesome river, producing ten times the volume of  water of the Colorado, and, ranking second in volume only to the Mississippi in the lower 48 states.  But, it’s a far cry from what it must have been before we started restricting its flow with dams from one end to the other.  Completed in 1938, the Bonneville Dam was the first of the multipurpose water projects on the Columbia.  It was built to provide a safe channel for ships to reach inland ports, to control flooding, and to generate hydroelectric power.  Since then, dozens of dams have plugged its normal flow in order to provide inexpensive electricity to homes and to the huge aluminum industry that exists in this basin.  Perhaps one of the biggest losses to the River was when the Army Corps of Engineers decided to build the Dalles Dam.  Apparently, hundreds of centuries of cultural, historical, and geological history were wiped out when seventy-five feet of water drowned  the Celilo Falls in 1956 when the gates of that dam closed.

It was late in the afternoon, just before reaching the Bonneville Dam when we decided to call it a day and check into an RV park.  We settled on Cascade Locks KOA in Cascade Locks, Oregon just off the 84 at exit 47.  Tucked in the middle of a forest along the Columbia, this KOA was also amenable to taking dogs. However, the “dog walk” area consisted on a 12 x 12 foot chain link area  that was pretty gloomy looking.  After scouting the area, we did manage to find some bicycle paths into the forest that provided a place to walk the dogs–on leash, of course.  It was better than nothing and certainly better than the chain link fenced area.

Propane and a dump station are available at this campground.  As well as the usual KOA amenities of a food bar, small convenience store, novelty items, cable TV, and free WIFI.  Be prepared to take advantage of their cable TV and WIFI as the forest is much too thick for any kind of reception from your coach system. There are tons of turista activities in the area.  Everything from a tour of  the Pendleton Woolen Mills and the Bonneville Dam to  golf, paddleboat tours, and scenic railroad trips can be arranged.  We found the camp to be adequate for an overnight stay with the five dogs.  But, it was very crowded–particularly with children.  We were not happy with the pull-out pattern.  We are always very careful when we enter and exit parks.  But, even with all of our extra precautions, we still managed to scrape our front fender on an unexpected rock placed just inside a blind spot for the driver.  Very annoying.  And, ultimately another expense to get it fixed.

June 21, 2009–Idaho

Don and Jeanie Helsley were kind enough to invite us to stop over and visit them at their ranch in Caldwell, Idaho on our way out to Washington. What began as just a couple of days for working dogs, turned into a week of visiting, training, and just plain having fun. Last fall and winter we had some problems with our electrical system on the rig. We thought we’d seen the end of our problems when Don P. of DM Mobile RV Repair in Loveland, Colorado took care of us this past spring. Indeed, Don P. had taken care of the problem on the rig.  But, what we didn’t know was that in order to run 30 or 50 amp shore power, we have to have a double pole connection.  The Helsley’s offered us the RV site on their property which included water, sewer, and  30 amp electrical hookups.  We were thrilled.  But, when we went to plug in to the power, we tripped the breaker.  At first we wondered if the problem was still in the coach.  But, we trust Don P. to take care of us, and quickly dismissed that possibility. Then, we thought perhaps we needed a new 50 to 30 amp adapter cord.  We drove all the way into Camping World in Boise to get a new one.  But, that wasn’t the problem.  Later that day, Don came over and took a look at the situation. After a few minutes of thinking and examining things, Don, a former electrical engineer, concluded that the box on his pole was single pole and we needed double pole.  He drove  all the way into town, got the parts to create what we needed, and put it all together just so we could have power during our stay.  What a sweetheart! Thanks, Don!

Sunset over the Helsley's place

The Helsley’s have a terrific training set up that consists of a nice big round pen; a medium sized paddock area with nooks and crannies perfect for creating some interesting puzzles for intermediate dogs to solve; and, acres and acres of lush, green rolling hay fields for outruns and driving practice.  Don and Jeanie train primarily with Dorper sheep. They have three very nice kennel areas for all of their dogs.

Our days here have been spent waking to cool temperatures and the smell of coffee brewing.  We’ve had nothing but perfect conditions for working dogs. Don starts most days taking his dogs for a run on the ATV, while Jeanie walks the puppies and I  walk my dogs.  This would be followed by several hours morning and night, training dogs.  It’s always a privilege and a pleasure to watch someone who knows what they are doing, train a dog for sheep.  I learned tons just watching him, Jeanie, and, Jeanie’s son, Corbitt work with their dogs.  Don and Jeanie are well aware that I struggle trying to train my dogs for Open, while also trying to train myself to become a better Open handler.  Sensing some of my frustration, Don was gracious enough to take me under his wing and work with me, Liddy, Tristan, and Gabi on  fundamentals.  His ability to sense what is  happening with my dogs, and convey that information to me in a way that I can understand , is uncanny. And, I soon found myself seeing and reacting to things appropriately instead of ten seconds too late.  Don  spent a great deal of time emphasizing the importance of being fair when correcting a dog.  He drilled me over and over on the importance of voice tone and picking commands and corrections that are comfortable for the handler and that made sense to the handler.  When I would get frustrated with myself, as I often do, he would remind me of the old adage, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”  “If you can feel the moment where the dog starts to put a foot wrong,” he would say to me, “you’ll be  just that much better at telling him he knows better and should put it right.”  I felt as if I was being given permission to operate from my gut and not my head.  Such a simple concept.  And, yet it’s not something I do easily.   He helped me re-visit flanks and pacing, reminding me once again, “if you can’t get it right at this distance (in the round pen), you sure as heck aren’t going to get it right out in the field.”  We trailered out several times to different big fields and worked on outruns with the younger dogs.  I learned about body placement in order to teach Tristan to pay attention to where I am and how to lift off of other people and their dogs.   In short, it was a very rewarding week.  At the end of the week, I was struck once more, as I always am when I have visited and worked with  Jennifer Clark-Ewers in California, of how important it is to have an experienced  handler and trainer watching and working with me and my dogs.

The trip to the Boise area wouldn’t have been complete if Lisbeth hadn’t had a chance to check out the local golf courses.  About five miles down the road from Don and Jeanie’s place is a very nice 18-hole course.  Unfortunately, there were lots of tournaments going on in town and everything was pretty crowded.  So, we didn’t get a chance to play a round.  However, Lisbeth did take off one day and worked on her swing at the driving range.  That made her very happy.

Buffalo riding at Rodeo in Nyssa, Oregon near Caldwell, Idaho

Over the weekend, we stopped over at Patrick Shannahan’s to wish him a happy BIG 5-0 birthday. Ruben threw him a wonderful party.  Later that night, we went to a rodeo with Don and Jeanie to watch Corbitt compete in the saddle bronc riding competition.  Corbitt almost made it to the buzzer. His horse took an unexpected turn at the fence and he landed just as the buzzer went off.  That was disappointing, nevertheless, a good time was had by all.

Many thanks to the Helsley’s for a terrific week.  You have a gorgeous place and we sure did appreciate being invited to share it with you!  We are sorry we have to leave.