The Hounds Go On A Road Trip

I knew on Wednesday night what I planned on doing today. I just didn't know if the hounds were going with me or not. I am sure they enjoy being around me and probably like smelling all the new scents with the windows partially down ... but long narrow gravel mountain roads sometimes isn't the best thing for them. Add on 20+ miles of narrow asphalt road that is hilly and curvy and it makes you stop and think if this was the best trip for them.

We were back to the normal routine though of two months ago with the hounds fed first, I get a cup of coffee and even in 52° weather Stella and I headed out for her daily morning walk a little before 7:00am. We had missed both school buses by then and traffic wasn't bad yet. We have to cross one street to get to the main part of our walk.

Once we cross the street at the end of our block we can see the sunrise and have a paved alley to walk in. We will circle Stella's vet at the halfway point of this section but not the total walk.

If I didn't know better I think she enjoys this walk more than the field back in 'the tropics'. She has enough things to sniff and identify, a paved surface that she likes to trot on and 25' of freedom taking her walk in town.

As we got closer to the turn up ahead she started to realize where she was. She had walked this same area directly behind that building before her surgery August 25th.

Yes Stella that is the same parking lot that you have walked three different times before entering the vet office. You never had to pee.

When we walked earlier in the summer she would have the whole street to walk in but at that time we were walking an hour or more earlier than now. I needed to make sure I could keep her out of the way of the two cars that passed us.

For a longer walk we have taken that dirt path to the right but with my new hip getting in shape and only her second day of walking we took our normal way and curved to the left on the paved surface. The walk totals about .67 of a mile.

When we returned Heidi acted as if she had missed out and was looking to walk. Under my current condition I want to walk just one hound at a time, so I grabbed Heidi's leash left Stella in the house and took off. We cut Heidi's walk short through the parking lot before getting to the vet's building. By the time she gets back home she has had enough and is dragging those last few steps.

Yes, I've been there before but at the time I didn't have the time to take the photos I wanted to at the top of the pass. I had to leave earlier than planned that day. I also didn't get a photo of the Visitors Center or the sign at the entry of the Coronado National Forest.

The plan was to go to the top, get my photos and then come back down the same way. That is the more exciting way with narrow gravel switchbacks. Plus it would be the shortest way back home.

While I was out preparing the back and passenger seat for the hounds to occupy, Stella evidently thought she wasn't going and would be staying in the backyard while I was gone. She is smart enough to lay in the shade at least.

Little did she know that I had placed a tarp over the back seats that was folded down, then a thick layer of multiple Mexican blankets. All Heidi needed was her Mexican blanket on the passenger seat to ride.

She was also preparing for me to leave by myself. She had already found her morning sleeping spot in the computer room and was a little disturbed that I woke her up to let her know she was going with me.

Of course Stella is always ready to go for a ride. She is hopping up and down at the sight of her 6' red leash. She seemed pretty happy with the backseat and the windows rolled down enough to let her move her head but not open wide enough for her to jump or fall out.

Heidi will ride okay but I cannot really say she enjoys these mini road trips.

It is rare, very rare to have someone around to take a photo with me in it. I was shocked how fat I look after I downloaded the photo. This morning the scales showed I had gained only 1 pound since I wrecked my bicycle, at 187 pounds. I am wanting to get around 170 pounds and with another surgery in the future I might just reach that goal without working out. I'd rather workout though.

When I pulled in to take a photo of the sign a Forest Ranger was parked there. He asked if wanted him to take a photo with me in it. We had a nice talk about the area, very informative.

You can barely see what looks like a train track running horizontal across the middle of the photo but that is actually the border wall between the USA and Mexico. The ranger did tell me that I can hike the train tracks that parallel the San Pedro River so I might have to put that on my list of hikes to do when my hip is a little older than 46 days.

Stella was positive there was food inside that visitor center just for her and was a little disappointed she had to stay in the truck while I took a couple of photos that I didn't take last June.

Coronado NF Visitor Center.

There are some very narrow parts of this road and that is why I don't have any photos of them to post. It was unsafe to stop the car just to take photos from the drivers seat. I did meet a couple of large trucks coming down the pass and one truck was taking up most the road as to Forest NP employees were doing some road work.

Some of the switchbacks were just as bad as Carr Canyon Rd but not as high. I guess it wouldn't make much difference if you fell 500' or a 1000' if you drove over the side of the road.

I made it to the top and unlike last time I had the place to myself and I could spend all the time I wanted taking photos. There was a car with New Mexico plates but most likely they were hiking the trail, where there was a "no dogs" sign at the start of the trail.
 

It is beautiful up here, quiet, clean air and not a sound anywhere.

This is the road we drove to get to the top.

I'll come back sometime without the hounds but at this time I don't think climbing a lot of steps is a good thing for my healing hip.

Going down the 'backside' or west side of the pass, there are not only a lot of pullouts to take photos or turn around but there are a zillion dirt roads turning off on each side of the road. Again, without the hounds there are a lot more roads to explore.

It wasn't that deep and it had not rained in a while so I decided to pass the sign behind me that warned me not to enter this area in flooding conditions.

Around 22 miles straight of gravel dirt road, with a lot of rutty, rocky bouncing with 15 mph speed limits. I met my second border patrol up ahead and we both drove this road 10-15mph due to the surface.

Yes a familiar sign for those that read about this trip in June.

Parker Canyon Lake ... I swear the sign said 1/2 mile to the left when we are at the T for Hwy 83. It seemed like we drove forever to get to it.

With the hounds in the truck I moved down the sidewalk to get a better look at the lake but when I saw this many stairs I wasn't sure I'd make it back up ... funny, the doctor told me I could do all normal stuff and walk a lot if I was not swinging my bad leg out to the right a million times per day. But a little voice inside my head told me that it wasn't time to attempt that many steps. I turned and headed to the truck.

There are those words, truck, car, FJ, Mini ... what can I say. I like cars and trucks. I have had a ton of them since 2000 or the past 20 years. Always before I had no more than two and most of the time only one. So for those readers that pay real good attention to what I say and what is in my photos will realize we are driving a truck today .. a Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro .. and no, it's not new ... I wouldn't spend that much for a pickup truck.

You would not have read about it on the blog back in May but on the 4Runner Forum and the Tacoma Forum you would have seen I was trying hard in May before my move to AZ, deciding between the two. Both were TRD Off-Road models. I'll not go into the reasons why I chose the 4Runner over the Tacoma in May nor why I bought this a few days ago at the local Toyota dealership. Yes ... I still have the white FJ, I am never getting rid of that nor am I getting rid of the Mini Cooper either.

Before you think that is too many cars just remember how many friends do you know that have a car, a truck, an RV or a couple of ATVs and the trailers or toyhaulers to carry them. Or if they only have a couple of nice cars but travel throughout Europe or the USA ... we all like our own toys. Personally I like having different vehicles to choose from.

There are days I want to take it slow so the FJ it is or even this Tacoma. There will be as in the past, days I need a truck to haul landscaping stuff, stone, mulch, or dirt .. the Tacoma is good for that. There are days I want to take chances and drive fast as hell willing to accept and pay for a speeding ticket if caught ... different vehicles for different moods.  Ha Ha

I'm tried today ... baseball is on in an hour ... I need food, I've done all the walking I need to do today and I am thinking of taking a "day off" tomorrow and give my hip a rest day.

A GREAT day in the Wild West.

Both Hounds Get Their Walk Yesterday

For the first time in a couple of months, due to Stella's surgery and mine ... both Heidi and Stella got their walk in yesterday. Each hound was taken separately at different times of the day. Since it had been a couple of months since their last one, they both were asleep early and soundly ... they never woke up to beg for my food during the baseball game nor when I headed to bed. Photos below.

I followed the great news my doctor gave me on Tuesday and had my biggest day of activity. With my Apple watch recording every move and then synchronizing with the Activity app that comes with every iPhone ... I recorded 11,369 steps, a total of 4.6 miles with 3 different "workouts" where I click the green walking icon for a walk outside. 2 of those were the hound walks. Heidi got in .42 of a mile and Stella's normal path we always take was .69 of a mile.

At no time did I feel sore or tired ... I felt stronger than ever.

The one big thing I noticed after the doctor appointment on Tuesday where I was given the okay to bend more than 90°, knowing that stiffness and soreness I would feel in my hip when bending that far was a normal "get in shape" pain and not "you've damaged your new hip pain." With that I was able to sit in a chair and bend over far enough to put on my sock on the right food plus tie that shoe as tight as my left shoe. You don't realize how nice that was to do. I also sat both food dishes on the floor for the hounds without using "the grabber' but used the wall with one hand to balance myself.

Stella must have sensed I was feeling pretty good, it was soon after the temps crawled above 50° that she gave me that look to go walking. Yet I had a long list of errands to run around town. When you cannot drive and are getting things delivered by Amazon Prime and dog food by Chewy, you collect a lot of corrugated cardboard. That is the only kind of cardboard that is now recycled locally. It was good to see the city's set up for recycling drop off since they changed from curbside pickup in June. After seeing their set up I'll start recycling glass and #1&2 plastic again.

With the perfect weather, not getting really hot until mid to late afternoon, Heidi has never been more active. She patrols that stone yard like she did with the green grass in "the tropics", lays and sleeps in the sun on the patio and does laps around the edge of the fence with her nose to the ground. I was planning to give her a walk when I got back from errands but I was going to take her by herself.

I stopped by a locksmith, then the bike shop to pick up the bicycle they had been storing since my wreck. I had dropped it off the day before my wreck for them to change out a long stem for a shorter handlebar stem. They loaded the bike for me. After that it was a trip to the Animal Shelter ... dangerous for me. I wasn't going their to look or get a new dog but to drop off a brand new bag of Diamond Natural for Large Breeds. It didn't take more than 100# of food to see the hounds lose their shinny coats, started shedding and both were licking their paws.

I changed to that brand when I found out that Chewy did not sell Fromm dog food and I had to have my dog food delivered when I couldn't drive or lift heavy weight. Feeding  them a 33# bag of Fromm had them looking the best they had looked in a long time, no shedding and no licking their paws.

They were happy with the donation at the animal shelter. I had to take a look, see what kind of dogs they had. I stepped outside in a large area that was immaculate with the row kennels on each side. I didn't count how many there were but every kennel was filled and as soon as I was outside 99% of the dogs were barking at me. I walked by each kennel looking at each dog. All kinds of different mixed breeds and pure breds. Each had a card telling me who they were and how they arrived at the shelter. A few were the type that you wanted to rescue but I remembered what my friend told me a few years ago ... "Steve you cannot rescue every hound that needs rescued" ... so I continued my walk around the edge of the LARGE area and made it home "dog free."

I decided I'd try a test when I left. I let Heidi stay outside with Stella but I took my phone with me this time so there was no video recorded. I would be able to tell what Stella did by the time I returned a little over two hours later. It was in the low 70s mid-morning so they would be okay. A full water bowl was left but this time in the shade on the stone next to the fence instead of the patio. You wonder why??  :)

I expected the worse ... either a tunnel dug under the concrete blocks blocking the bottom of the gate, or my steel screen door tore into or bent, or my kitchen window that sits low having it's screen tore out. All repairable stuff if destroyed and if it happened it would not surprise me.

I had good news when I got home.

Normal night time position for Stella while I watch ballgames. That walk she had earlier put her in a deep sleep where she didn't move for the rest of the night that I was up.

I didn't see them standing at the gate when I pulled in. They were when I left. I glance in the living room window that lets me see the patio door from there. Neither hound was standing at the patio door. THAT was also a good sign. I quietly entered the house and walked to the back ... Heidi was asleep in the shade on the patio and Stella had cleared out all the stone for a cooler dirt floor to sleep on in the shade in the corner of the yard.

No scratches on the steel door nor any signs of that taking place on the patio floor. I even saw evidence Stella had slept out by back fence when there was shade, once again a spot where stone had been cleared to the dirt floor for cooler temps. I returned home a little after 11am with the temps already up to 77°. The gallon water bowl was completely empty but it was not tipped over this time.

Heidi normally wanders at night between her bed and the living room before we call it a day but last night she never came back to the living room once she head toward her bedroom. That walk was good for her. She didn't walk fast yesterday but her tail was up and wagging as we cruised down the sidewalk.

I almost forgot one of the fun things I did yesterday before coming home in the morning. I did my own grocery shopping instead of having them delivered. I didn't buy much and the heaviest bag was just two 1/2 gallons of Almond Milk. I did not go through self-checkout. I had no problem navigating the store without being ran into by someone's cart ... yes it has happened before.

Also after some lunch I put the hounds in the dark cool bedroom and took off downtown to the only place that sells Fromm Gold for Large Breeds dog food. I use to have to drive 50 miles round trip for this food, not anymore. Less than 2 miles each way. Furbabies Pet Bakery is only open noon-5pm but they have all the top brand names plus they have home made dog treats.

Right after I took this photo I asked Heidi if she wanted to go outside ... it's the nightly question I ask and she will trot to the patio door for her last pee of the day then go back to sleep.

But not last night ... she didn't even look at me. She just changed her sleeping position and went back to sleep. It wasn't until 2am when she woke me up to go outside.

Someone asked me the other day how I was able to feed the hounds without breaking the 90° bending rule. Before I let my dog sitter go, I had her move that case you see things sitting on from the garage to here. Just that added height put the food container high enough that I could get to the food out without bending over much. The bag was high enough for me to reach without bending over.

Once the bag was lighter I could pour it into the food storage container, all without bending over and breaking the 90° rule they gave me. I'll keep this setup a while longer until I can bend over without bracing myself with my opposite hand.

Yes, those stains you see on the trash can, and the case are nothing more than bloodhound drool and nose smudges from Stella smelling kibble and wanting kibble between meals. Since I am now allowed to bend over, today will be "clean up Stella's dried drool" from one end of the house to another. Luckily only a damp microfiber rag is needed to get that job finished.

 

While waiting to talk to Mike at M&M Cycling, to get my bike, I noticed a display of Hammer Nutrition. Most of the product was for bicyclists that race and for recovery after their training or racing but one product caught my eye. "Joint Health Support." I had nothing to lose and when I saw the words  "go to work immediately" I bought a bottle. I took their max dosage recommended yesterday twice and I have not taken it yet today ... I had ZERO soreness this morning after my biggest day of activity since my surgery. That's all I'll say about it. Pretty amazing.

While taking photos of Stella last night I focused in on a Menu I have sitting on the shelf under my small and soon to be replaced coffee table. It was a place I visited while on deployment in 1994. Great food, strong beer and owned by Australians. Mad Dogs in Kowloon Hong Kong. I have no idea if it is still there.

With me able to walk Stella again I am trying to remember if we walked before or after her breakfast. It was just after sunrise but now sunrise is a couple of hours later than before. Plus it's about 20° cooler now. If I wait until after 7am, we don't have our empty streets where she can trot on and explore at her leisure ... all within the 25ft retractable leash So we are kinda between a rock and a hard place to decide when to go. I do know for sure that our walk in the late afternoon when it was cooler with the wind but not the temp, was the wrong time to walk ... to many cars and noise.

Heidi's walk will be late morning like before.

The doctor told me that I would start experiencing more improvement than I had so far and based on all the activity I did yesterday and how I feel this morning, I'd have to agree. I've never felt better nor moved better and it's only 6:11am as I type that. I have some things to do at home today as far as cleaning the house but I hope to take a short trip for some hiking with my camera this afternoon.

I'll post today's photos later tonight. One thing about the new iPhone camera ... I love the photo quality. This morning I discovered the possible reason why they are so clear and sharp. The photos downloaded into my computer with .HEIC instead of .Jpg or .Jpeg. This explains it the best ... smaller file with better quality than a .jpg file .... yet when I moved them from my computer to the blog the transfer program turned them back into .jpg files so you should have no problem opening them.

It's going to be a good day in the Wild West today ... I feel a short roadtrip today with camera(s) in hand.

The Surgeon Is Happy I'm Happy

Stella and I started our day a little before 5:30am. Heidi is slowly moving into her winter mode and sleeping later each day. She may have been back on her dog bed sawing logs as they say, but Stella was wide awake and was demanding breakfast kibble. It didn't matter that it was before sunrise and it didn't matter that Heidi wasn't standing beside her ... she wanted food and she wanted it now.

I followed the daily procedure though and she didn't eat until Heidi finally walked into the kitchen a little after 7:00am. I never get tired of seeing the sun rise over the Mule Mountains and gradually move west to where the horizon that borders my fence lights up. It is a great way to start the day.

It was going to be a big day today, an important day ... I had my 6 week appointment with my surgeon and a new updated set of x-rays. For once I had some things to do in the morning that could get me through to 1:00 pm. To say the least, I was a little anxious to talk to him and see what my next plan would be.

I spent my first hour at Best Buy as they tried to move my account to a new iPhone ... the iPhone 11 Pro Max. The only thing different in this transaction it was just THREE days ago I was doing the same process to get the iPhone 11 Pro ... too small. It bothered me. It was (point) .3" larger than my big 8+ but it felt small. Old eyes need bigger screens, if you know what I mean. Little did I know that a few friends scattered around the old USA was going through the same decision process on whether to go back to big or move to small or stay with what they had in their iPhone.

While Stella was left in her crate I left the patio door open so Heidi could enjoy the outside. When I walked in a few hours later, it would have been a great photo. She was sound to sleep on the patio laying in the sun just like any basset hound would. About the time I got the camera in position, she heard me and woke up, walking inside. A missed opportunity.

This is their normal post-breakfast position ... fat and happy in the computer room.


I walked into the lobby of the doctors office 20 minutes before my appointment. It took 25 minutes to finally get checked in because in the era of computers, data entry and all that other crap ... like "attention to detail" ... they had no record of my appointment. They did when I reached into my wallet and handed her the card that she filled out one month ago. "Look familiar?"

About 30 minutes after that I was called for some fresh new x-rays. I wish I could stand next to the doctor and look at them at the same time he does. I'd just be happy to see them sometime, day or night. I went back outside in the lobby to wait another 29 minutes before my name was called to see the doctor. Nurse first, doctor second ... throw another 10 minutes of waiting before he walked in.

I admit that I followed the suggestion of a friend and blog reader ... take my cane with me to show them I was following the rules. With my sick sense of humor I walked off the elevator into the crowded waiting room with the cane on my shoulder with a walk of a fully rehabbed patient. Yes, being a jerk at times is part of my DNA.

The report was short and sweet until I asked him if he minded if I ask some questions ... located in the "Notes" program on my phone.

1. How many pounds can I left if I am not having to squat ... such as a 40 lb bag of dog food.
          - "you can lift as much as you want as long as your feet and knee is pointing straight"

2. Can I start riding my bicycle indoors on a trainer?
         - "yes, you can ride your bike. Listen to your body"
         - "with your riding experience you will know what you can and cannot do."

3. Can I use resistance bands to start upper body exercises?
         - " you can do all the exercises you want for upper body strength, including weights"

He told me that I no longer have any restrictions. I can do everything I normally do. "Your x-rays look great and your hip looks great" BUT there are two things you cannot do ... "twisting of any kind and be sure to watch your knee or leg, that you are not twisting it or turning it in."

I mentioned to him some of the issues I had in the past, how I felt on the good days and how I was trying to walk for longer distances. He was all for that. He told me he wanted me to keep walking a lot and there were a couple of exercises he wanted me to do.

1.  Standing, balance yourself with your hand on a wall or counter, stand up straight and swing your straight leg out to the side .. "do a million of those per day and when you reach a million do a million more" ... I got the message.

2.  I waited for the 2nd one ... he said two of them .... there was nothing else except to walk as much as possible ... "ride your bike as much as you want".

I can do all normal activity from now on. Yes, there will be some soreness and like he said for the next 6 months I will see rapid improvement but there will still be bad days. It should be an interesting trip with notes like that.

"You don't need to use your cane anymore."

That was good to hear, I was tired of faking it.

So I can see that hiking some of these trails in the area are on top of the list. The hikes may not last long but at least I'll be out in the country with the phone camera in hand and not on neighborhood sidewalks or doing laps around the backyard. Although ... I like walking laps for 10 minutes or so.

I was happy with the news. I was happy to hear the hip looked good on the x-rays. It was Day 44 today and got a clean bill of health I guess. Now it's time to get those muscles back in shape slowly but surely. I was happy I can lift the 40 lb bag of dog food, that I can now bend over to pet Heidi, clean dog ears and eventually cut hound toe nails.

Ironically today was the first day I was able to put on my right sock and tie my right shoe without some pain in the hip. Since I can now bend over past 90° I can do some exercises to make that move much easier and the soreness will eventually go away.

It was a great day in the Wild West today.

A Busy Monday

This is their pose asking me to serve them breakfast. Today turned out to be a really busy day. I got a couple of walks in, and have my 6 week followup appointment tomorrow. I am anxious to hear what he tells me. I am at a loss for words tonight, running late and in the middle of cooking dinner. So with that I am just going to leave you with a few photos.

The blanket was flat when we turned out the lights on Sunday night.  :)

Another good day in the Wild West.