Travel Journal – May 15, 2016
Our Camp at Tuttle Creek
My last full day here at Tuttle Creek has arrived. Not much going on this morning, other than a North wind that seems persistent over the last few weeks. At least it’s cooler. Most of today, other than going back down to Portagee Joe Campground for more water, will be quiet. I may pack up a few items getting ready for my move tomorrow.
Visitor in Town
This afternoon my friend and fellow work associate will be pulling his trailer into Lone Pine. Tom made plans to stay one night at Boulder Creek RV Park just a few miles away from our camp. It will be good to see him and meet his new puppy, Mattie. He is on his way north for a few days before returning to Southern California, where he lives.
Around 4:00 pm, I go into town to “The Grill”, a restaurant in Lone Pine that I haven’t tried out yet. There I order a couple of salads for Tom and I. He invited me over this evening to visit and I am bringing the eats.
When I arrive Tom is outside with Mattie enjoying the pleasant afternoon. Immediately I meet Mattie, such a cute lab full of energy and big brown eyes. I wish I could have brought Jagger, but I wasn’t ready for the struggle he would have with the introduction. Also I only have a few hours to visit with Tom, before I head back to camp. Tom will be leaving here in the morning to continue his trek North.
We soon enjoy a our meal together, and catch up on travels and news of our friends, several who are still working at The Orange County Register, that has just gone through another bankruptcy. The salads were very tasty, I’ll have to try another meal there tomorrow. After several hours of visiting I say my goodbyes and wish Tom and Mattie safe travels as they move further north to Lee Vining.
Ahrrr…I got so carried away visiting and didn’t get any pictures of Tom and Mattie, or his rig! Maybe next time 😦
Travel Journal – May 16, 2016
I arise this morning with one thing on my mind, moving day. I’ve decided to bypass my plans to move north of Bishop and go to Boulder Creek RV Park myself. It’s only a few miles away and I want to “plug in”. It’s been two weeks since I’ve had electricity and between Jaggers fur and the blowing dust at Tuttle Creek BLM, I just can’t stand the mess in the Coach anymore. Besides I really like the park after seeing it last night. It has all the comforts of home, including a laundromat. Yes it’s that time again.
Visit to the Dump
After packing up, I hitch the Coach and pull it down to the dumping station. There is a motorhome that has just hooked up and the owner walks over to the Workhorse. He seems like a very nice guy who introduces himself as Jim, then apologizes that it will take awhile. I’m in no hurry so we visit a few minutes when his travel companion exits the motorhome and comes over to join our conversation.
After only talking a few minutes she notices Jagger in the Workhorse. “Is that an Aussie in your truck”? I admit it is and he can be aggressive when someone approaches the Workhorse. She then suggests I let him out to run around. There’s no one around, she comments. So I did.
Tuttle Creek BLM – Lone Pine
This is uncomfortable for me, off leash and all and the wide open plains all around, but Jagger does fine staying really close. “Haven’t you ever heard of the ‘Velcro Dog’? That’s what they call Aussies, they don’t want to be too far away from you”, she says. It turns out she trained dogs most of her life. While talking, I went back to the Workhorse and opened my door to get my water, yep Jagger came running, he thought I was leaving him 😉 The nice lady then states the obvious that others before her have told me; “he does fine, it’s you!” I had to agree. I’m not sure how to get past this issue, since I’m a control freak. I’ve read books, watched videos and attended hours of classes with Jagger. She suggested a book, which I promptly bought on Amazon when I got to Boulder Creek. It turns out this lady, I think her name was Sheila, owned a pet store in Buena Park, back in the early 80’s. Probably one I took my kids to when they were little. Small world and a great trust experience for Jagger and I at the Tuttle Creek BLM dump.
After they left, I dumped the Coach, then Jagger and I pulled out, headed to Boulder Creek RV, just a ten minute drive away.
Until next time, Safe Travels…Gary
More Photos: Tuttle Creek BLM
Categories: California
Retired Vagabond 
Greetings Gary,
I’ve been following your blog for a while and can really relate to this one! We have two Aussies. They are miniatures but our tri is on the bigger end of the miniature scale and our blue merel would be considered about the right size. Both are boys. Maverick, the black tri, is a runner or at least he was when he was younger. Any open door or gate, a dropped leash, or basically any opportunity he thought he could go, he was gone. We became overly cautious and increasingly fearful as time passed. This seemed to spill over into our training and we too have been told it’s us. So, now we have to fix us. ? This is hard to do when you are
on the road and experiencing new places all the time. It’s down right nerve-racking!
While we are not full-timers, we do travel in our Motorhome. The boys have over 25,000 miles behind them and they will be 3 in Ausust. ?
I just wanted to say we feel your struggle, and hats of to you for taking a step in trusting Jagger.
Be and safe and trust your instincts.
Angela
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It’s good to hear I’m not alone in my struggles. Along with you I have met a few people along the road who give me encouragement. Especially those who have experienced the Aussie challenge. I wish there was an easy answer, but if there is, it’s hidden from me. So I struggle learning through experience. Jagger is oblivious to his issues. Barking or appearing aggressive to him is normal, ready to give pursuit and herd the latest target subject. So as much as I love having an Aussie friend, to some degree he isolates me from some neighbors. Someday he will mellow out (he is a little now) and accept the doggie friends we meet everyday. Someday I will learn to trust him more and not get uptight when the next subject comes into view. When we walk, I look like a CIA agent guarding a president, looking around on alert for the next suspicious target to appear to protect him from.
After two years I’m still learning to trust and relax. It’s me that’s the problem, not him 😦
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