Dog in the Desert, Part 3...

Hey, what's up, dogs?  I'm back with more about my Arizona/California trip.  After leaving Williams, AZ, we stopped briefly at the Hoover Dam, which is located on the mighty Colorado River at the border between Nevada and Arizona.  

Here I am.  Wow...this is a really high wall.  Don't drop me, please!

So my human and I already knew that this massive construction project took THOUSANDS of people.  But apparently there was at least one four-footed, furry friend involved, as well.  

This dog used to follow the workers onto the construction site...probably because they had a tendency to "overfeed" him.  (I've put quotes around the word because in my opinion, there's no such thing as overfeeding.  But anyway...)

To keep the dog from developing a weight problem, the humans coordinated to pack him ONE lunch, which he carried to the site every day in his own lunch bag.  

Many workers lost their lives here, and unfortunately, their canine companion did too.  The survivors buried their four-footed friend here.  (Sniff, sniff.)

Our next stop, somewhat appropriately, is...er...Death Valley, California.  

(Pssst...I know we've talked about this already, but...are you sure about this?  It's not called "Death Valley" for nothing, you know!

...Sigh.  My human seems determined to do this.  Sometimes I don't understand human behavior.  But the views are surprisingly great...)

Below is a picture of Badwater Basin.  There's a tiny pool of water here (not pictured) which gave the area its name.  Apparently, one early traveler tried to get his horse to drink from the pool, but the horse refused because the water was too salty.  Hence, Badwater Basin.  

That horse had better sense than his human.  I guess that's what they call "horse sense," eh?...

This area is known for its salt flats.  The formations on the ground are made from crystallized salt left over after water evaporates in the intense desert heat.  

Below is another landmark in the Valley.  The area below is called the Devil's Golf Course.  I can certainly see why!

If you played golf on this course, you'd always be in the rough!  Or...in the RUFF.  Heh heh.  See what I did there?...

Okay!  We've driven through Death Valley and lived to tell about it.  Piece of cake.  Where to next?...

Dog in the Desert, Part 2...

Hey, what's up, dogs?  Last time I posted, I was telling you about my trip to Arizona.  

If you've been following my pal Ajdin's blog, you might have seen that he took a very similar trip.  In fact, we bumped into each other at the Grand Canyon.  Small world, isn't it?...

Here we are at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.  It's grand, all right!  I can't help wondering what the first explorers of this area must have thought when they found this landscape.  

After spending several hours here, we headed for Williams, AZ.  This involved driving on the famous Route 66.  Ever heard the song that goes, "Get your kicks on Route 66"?  Yup, that's the one.

It's impossible to forget where you are in this town, because road signs abound....

There were a lot of cute stores and souvenir shops in town.  One of the stores was selling dog-themed stuff.  The proprietor of this store told us that she routinely fosters 6 or 7 rescue dogs AT A TIME, and a portion of her shop's proceeds goes to the local dog shelters.  Now that's a cause I can get behind!

Another store...

Unfortunately they didn't have my name.  Bummer.

...Hey, look at this sign:

Wow.  Er....That's a really strong declaration of love.  I'm not sure whether I'll ever be ready to make that kind of statement!

Later that evening, we stopped at this place to pick up dinner.  It's called The Little Chicken Spot.  Everything they serve contains--you guessed it--chicken.  Something tells me Little Fox would have enjoyed it.

In keeping with the nostalgic feel of this town, there were a bunch of classic cars parked along the main street.  

Look at this one--I think it's a Ford Fairlane.  I love this color; it really sets off my fur!  Take a picture for me, will you?

Nice.  Okay, take one more, just in case the first one was blurry.

--Wait, what?  Hey!  I've been photobombed by a bear!  Ajdin, we've got to stop meeting like this.  People will start to talk...  

Hope you enjoyed Part 2 of Dog in the Desert.  Onward to our next destination...

Mail call!...and Part I of Dog in the Desert

 Hey, what's up, dogs?  Got some mail from Sandy earlier this month!  

Hmm...that second card looks kinda familiar...it looks like one of the Easter cards I made back in 2020, during the Great Quarantine!  Nice blast from the past, Sandy!

Now, shortly after I got this mail, my human told me to pack for our first major trip since the pandemic began.  That meant a drive to the airport, and a ride through the x-ray machine (I haven't had to do that for a while!).  And a few hours later, we touched down in....

...Arizona.  Wow, it's dry here.  Gotta drink more water.  Fortunately, it's not as hot here as it is in midsummer.  

One of our first stops was Jerome, which used to be a  mining town in Arizona.  You can still see the equipment that's been left behind.  

A gold mine?  I'm there!

Minecart ride, anybody?...

The mineshaft below is called the Audrey Shaft, and is over 1900 feet deep.  According to the sign, that's taller than both the Empire State Building and the Eiffel Tower.  Whew!  Whatever you do, don't look down...

My human's feet.  Watch that first step....it's a doozy.

When the sun started to go down, we headed for our hotel in Sedona, Arizona.  I was ready for a long refreshing drink of water, a steak dinner, and a good night's sleep--  

Huh?  What's this?

Oh.  Er...hmmmm.  (Pssst....You sneaked me up in your backpack, right?  Do you think they saw me?  ...No?  Ok.  I won't tell if you don't.)

Anyway...I'm off to get that steak dinner and get rested up for tomorrow.  More to come soon....see you later!