Outdoor Adventure »Stories & anecdotes
DAY 4 OF MAX’S FIRST AND HOPEFULLY LAST ROAD TRIP!
max 8 months ago | 1 response    

Our next destination was to back track to Virginia City. Oh, how I ignored them all the way there!

What? Since I had been in a snit, ever since last night in Reno, you guys are going to leave me in kennel while we are in Virginia City!? No, no please, I’m A-OK now! No, really!
Whew! That was a close one! I’m not missing one coconut Telegraph opportunity on this trip!

Nice, nice, old wooden sidewalks to walk on, feels real good underneath these old paws. Window shopping is way cool, my people won’t go inside because that would mean being tied up to the Ol hitching post outside; now don’t that just tell you how special I am!

Any-way’s, we come upon this here tractor rig, and it has some kind of shuttle, people moving, what-cha-ma-call-it; Thingy behind it. No way am I getting on that!
My people are talking to the owners of this thing; He tells them that as soon as he gets enough tourists to get on this thing, he will honk his horn so we can run back to get our tour of the town.
Well Luck was on my side! We plum missed the horn blowing, from that Thing, and we would have to just miss out! We had to get on the road again, ya know!
Not so fast there, my four legged friend!! The owner says that in 15 min. he will have enough people to do another tour! Oh hell no, I won’t go!
But what is this? The owner likes Golden’s? Oh, he has one himself. This could turn out OK! He begins to pet me, and then, as if the God’s themselves had come down, He gives me a COOKIE!
This making friend’s thing, wherever I GO, is just way too COOL! Sweet!

Excuse me! What, it’s time to get on? Uh, I think I’ll just mosey over here to this really nice shady patch and wait for you guys to get back! Not gona happen is it? Dang!
Well I’m not going to be real cooperative about getting on this Thing!
All-right, all-right! The owner just happens to have some steps for people, yep even me, to get on board this thing safely.
Hey! Look at me I’m in the front row! Wow! Golden’s are special!
I lay down at the feet of my people and for 20 min. or so we got to see and hear about this town’s history.
Old buildings, a really COOL, old Church, picturesque scenery; (were did I get that there fancy word from!)
Any-who, when we got back to the little station, from wince we started, I was so HAPPY about my tour, I did’t want to get off; I was kind of thinking about becoming the official greeter here! People would Just Love me and pet me, give me cookies, oh what a beautiful time it would be!
Max, let’s go! Max! Huh? OK, can’t a dog have some Dreams too!

Well, we all had parched whistles, so we stopped at a watering hole, with this beautiful open covered porch; it had this remarkable vista of the high Desert. I reckon a 100 mile view! (I told ya we can’t judge long distances to good.) The best part was I got to go with them and sit with them on the porch! Be still my Heart!
Actually, this was a special place for yours truly; new friend’s, a unique little authentic Ol western mining town. Yep! It was a good place visit; but that official greeter gig was still playing in my brain! Just let me tell you right here and right now; if I had stayed here; the best part of this whole trip, for me, would have been missed!
I didn’t know where Lake Tahoe was; but my BIG adventure was just beginning!

Now this here, is the picture I want you to see; we are climbing out of the Reno basin; heading into the high Sierras. Cooler and cooler it becomes, GREAT! Then the snow starts showing up in patches on the side of the road. Then more patches of snow, till finally snow cover every where!

Let me out to play, please, oh please, oh please! What do I hear from the front “we will stop further up the road it’s getting late, and we need to book a room in South Lake Tahoe.”
Dag nab it! Foiled again! Past Mt. Rose ski area, past the North Shore area of Lake Tahoe; oh, oh, this is good, my people have phone service again.

Yea! We got a room! COOL! LET’S HAVE SOME FUN!

As we cruse by Emerald bay view point, it’s like when, people, when do we stop!
Oh! You had this planned all along, right? Who cares, we all hear rushing water. We pull into a small campground, still closed for the season; parking lot is open , and there is,snow; on the ground!
LET’S GO, LET’S GO! “OK” I hear; as my leash is put on, by my really cute lady person. Let’s take the wooden walking path, and see what there is to see! The water; we found the water! We can’t get down there though! This is a good idea; let’s get us to the other side of the road!

NOW THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT! A pure snow melt stream splashing and flowing, and small pools abounding! PAY DIRT, BABY!

All-right so my, male ball and chain person, didn’t like his arm being pulled out of its socket; but hay there ain’t no way you are stopping this Golden from getting in to that water!
In I go; YES, OH YES, OH YES!

I drink that ICE COLD WATER as if I have never had water before in my life! I lie down in the stream look back at my people and give them my Na na, You can not do this look, aren’t I the coolest Dog ever! Well wettest! Whatever, I am king of the world!
Time to head back to the car, oops, maybe I shouldn’t have drank all that cold water so fast. I don’t feel too good. That’s OK, no problem we are still in the woods.

That’s better now let’s find some more fun stuff to do!

Back to the car I get toweled down, and paw’s cleaned, fun stuff, GRR.

Now I want you guys to know, I have some of the bests people working for me, ever! They feed me ( I’m talking some pretty GOOD eats too), play with me, take me to the vet’s when needed, talk to me, console me, give me Frosty paw’s ( hay! I haven’t got any this trip! What a rip off!) When I’m good, or it’s hot. Yep, even take me out for a car ride once in awhile. They don’t like to leave me in the car much, like when it is just too hot, but when they have to, they all-ways find shade to park in (or move on) for me and leave me lot’s of, cool clear water. Yep, a pretty lucky guy I am.

Now where was I, oh, yea? When my lady owner was on the phone with the motel hostess, she was kind enough to tell us to stop at a place called Tyler Creek. It was just outside South Lake Tahoe. She said “Max will Love it.” Well that is where we are headed now.

It did not take to long at all. WOOF, WOOF and a heck of a lot more WOOFS! What a spot! Tyler Creek is one of the many estuaries (again, where did I get that word?) that feed the lake.
The state of Calf; has put in a series of concrete and wooden platform walk ways, slightly elevated, so we could walk out and enjoy a living and breathing ecosystem that helps the Lake thrive.(Now you know for sure I am a really smart Golden)
Let me continue. As we make our way down the path what do I see? DUCKS! DUCKS ON THE WATER! ( Um, my apologies to Deep Purple) I’m going in, I’m GOING IN! “Not so fast my duck loving friend.” I hear. I flat forgot I was on a leash, and short one at that.
So much for that idea, but I did plead my case with pathetic whines and yelps. No dice!

We continued,ever so boringly, to a final view area. There you could see in all of its natural beauty, the end of the estuary, fanning out in a wide shallow bay that ended at the Lake. Even this Golden stood there and some how knew that this is the way our creator knew it had to be done; a natural, never ending cycle that creates habitat, not only for the creatures of the land, but the Lake, its life blood.
Sadly it was time to go, the angle of the sun telling us to move on to tonight’s rest stop.

When we pulled into our motel for that night; we were a little startled to find no one there. Ah! What’s this envelope taped to the office door with my peoples name on it? The Hostess had to leave to take care of some business; she left us the keys to our room and the note said we would do the check-in later; SCORE!
We got all settled in and the inn hostess was back. Let’s all go say howdy and get checked in. The inn hostess was sooooo nice; first she gave my people a bag with doggie treats and a way to cool new play toy, all for me, little Ol me? SCOOOOORE! Then she told us that there was a private beach were my people could enjoy a bottle of Champagne, and best of all, I could go and enjoy the Lake to! Did I mention it was within walking distance, I just did.

Nice little walk to. Passed some really spiffy fire hydrants, freshly painted; oh the thrill of it all! (All you dogs reading this know what I’m talking about!)

We got to the beach, and lo and behold, we were the only ones on the beach! I guess the stiff cool breeze kind of held the crowds down a bit. My people enjoyed there beverage and I lay calmly near by waiting my turn for fun. Finally they were done and now it was my turn, my turn had come at last. They took off my leash and off I went for a romp in Lake Tahoe! Oh, baby! The world is my oyster; and yes you, my blue lady are my destiny! It was Love, Love at first splash! I swam, I ran, my people played chase with me! Alas, I grew tired of my new found Love, as I retreated back to the room where the warmth of a BATH! BATH! WHAT DO YOU MEAN, A BATH! Oh the cruelty of it all! I was allowed to frolic and be free; yet life can be so cruel! OK, so it’s a little over the top! But I sure have fun!!!

My people felt like staying in the room tonight to eat, ALL-RIGHT! They ordered a pizza, YUM-O! While waiting for the pizza to arrive my people went to the Jacuzzi, they said they needed to unwind, RIGHT! Well, I suppose it is OK by me.
I’ll just chill here, by my Ol lonesome self. (ain’t I good at the guilt trip thing?)

Before I knew it, my people were back, and the Pizza was delivered, almost simultaneously. (Good, ain’t I?) The delivery person was really nice! He pets me and called me one heck of GOOD LOOKING GOLDEN! Ah! The life of a Star!
Star? My people think I’m self-centered and spoiled rotten!
I say, would not, the spoiled rotten thing, be your fault! EXCUSE ME!
Well now I didn’t want to be petty and start a ruckus. I mean we had more serious things to consider; like the PIZZA, DAH!

So, they sit there, stuffing there pie holes, while I sit and stare (I got the stare, baby) at them in a vain attempt to get some of there mouthwatering, smells, oh so good, PIZZA!
All I hear is, “not to GOOD for YOU to HAVE too much PIZZA.”
Ah, at last a morsel, a crumb of crust, gee thanks. All this hard work, staring at you guys and this is all I get!
That’s better a little larger piece, SWEET!

This is part 4 of MAX the Golden Retriever’s First and Hopefully Last, Road Trip. Max is the fun loving companion to Stacy and Buddy, proud members of the CoTradeCo family.

Read more of MAX’s adventures:

• Day 1 of Max’s First and Hopefully Last Road Trip
• Day 2 of Max’s First and Hopefully Last Road Trip
• Day 3 of Max’s First and Hopefully Last Road Trip
• Day 4 of Max’s First and Hopefully Last Road Trip
• Day 5 of Max’s First and Hopefully Last Road Trip
• Day 6 of Max’s First and Hopefully Last Road Trip
• Day 7 of Max’s First and Hopefully Last Road Trip
• Day 8 of Max’s First and Hopefully Last Road Trip
• Postscript of Max’s First and Hopefully Last Road Trip

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