Travels with Bogie #BTC4A

Last weekend, we celebrated Bogie’s Fourth Birthday with his first road trip.

Bogie ready to ride
Bogie ready to ride

 

Actually, we don’t know for sure that this was Bogie’s first road trip–just his first extended road trip with US. Let me introduce Bogie, named for another star who had big brown eyes who attracted the dames.  Bogie is a Yorkshire Terrier-Poodle mix who we found at the Humane Society of Southern Arizona last July.  His prior owners had taken good care of him because he is very healthy.  He is people friendly and well behaved.

Although he gets very excited about jumping into his car seat (elevated for a window view) and going for a ride, and very suspicious when we drag out suitcases and pack ice chests, we didn’t know how he would react to a six or seven hour drive and staying overnight away from home. Heaven knows what he thought when he saw us fold up his quilt and put his stuffed leopard into a bag with his treats and a portable water dish! But in the motel, he snuggled right up and took a snooze in the corner on his quilt.

Bogie and his stuffed leopard
Bogie and his stuffed leopard

Along the road we explored a couple of city parks in Mammoth and a beautiful city park in Globe, Arizona next to Indian Ruins, Besh Ba Gawah. The real exploration took place at our first overnight stop–Pinetop, Arizona in the White Mountains.  There we strolled around Woodland Lake, and Bogie had SO many fellow walkers to kiss along the way, and new plants to sniff, not to mention a large body of water beside the path. (Coming from the desert, that must have been a bit of a surprise!

Woodland Park Lake
Woodland Park Lake, Pinetop, AZ
Bogie checking out new flora at Woodland Park, Pinetop
Bogie checking out new flora at Woodland Park, Pinetop

 

What is that stuff? Grass? Huh?
What is that stuff? Grass? Huh?

These forays into the weeds led to long sessions of picking stickers out of his beard and off his legs.  Poor weeds. Thought they were doing their propagating thing, and instead wound up in the wastebasket!

At our next destination, Greer, Arizona, Bogie got a little history lesson with a vehicle that was NOT a car!

What is that thing? Greer, AZ
What is that thing? Greer, AZ

And then some strange creatures appeared to be walking around on a body of water in the Meadow of Greer Lodge.

Who are they?
Who are they?

When we left Greer and drove south from Eager on Rte. 261, Bogie had gotten the hang of sight seeing.We stopped at a viewpoint/rest stop with a view of forest fire damage from the past, and a vista of the Little Colorado valley. At first he was more worried about whether I was going to join him.

 

Bogie at a viewpoint above Little Colorado River
Bogie at a viewpoint above Little Colorado River

But then he got into the sightseeing mode, peering out at the view like any other tourist.

Bogie and Ken sighseeing
Bogie and Ken sighseeing

 

Conclusion: Bogie loves exploring new territory–a born traveler. Just one more of the wonderful signs that he was the perfect pet for us, and how lucky we were that a local animal shelter matched up the two of us. The other signs? When he first arrived at our house, he snuggled into our Ohio State pillow, winning the hearts of these two Buckeye fanatics. Second, it wasn’t just Bogie’s birthday last Wednesday. It was Ken’s as well.

I have a not-so-secret-agenda with my Travel Thursday Photos today. (Go to Budget Traveler’s Sandbox to see what photos other travelers have to share.) Edie Jarolim passed this information on to me about the chance to raise $5000 for animal rescue organizations by tweeting and blogging. And you don’t have to contribute a cent. PETCO is giving the money. Times awastin’. Here’s the scoop:

See This One Wild Life for details. The short story, from that blog: Blog about what rescue means to you, now through Saturday, October 27th at 11 AM (EST). Add #BTC4A to your post title. Add your post link (not just your domain) to the blog hop list. Bonus: Each time your post is tweeted, you’ll earn more money for rescue pets!

So, readers of A Traveler’s Library,  YOUR job, now is to to tweet this blog title. That’s it! Easy! Bogie will give you a virtual kiss–he has plenty.

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About Vera Marie Badertscher

A freelance writer who loves to travel. When she is not traveling she is reading about travel. When she is not reading or traveling, she is sharing with the readers of A Traveler's Library, or recreating her family's past at Ancestors In Aprons . She has written for Reel Life With Jane, Life is a Trip and other websites. Also co-author of a biography, Quincy Tahoma, The Life and Legacy of a Navajo Artist. Contact Vera Marie by e-mail.

13 thoughts on “Travels with Bogie #BTC4A

  1. Well done. On behalf of Bogie who seemed to be at my side in most of the pictures. Let’s do it again. Somewhere–anywhere.

    The fact is that Bogie much prefers your company and is the best thing we have had in our house for a long time.

  2. What a nice story about your dog. I find that leaving ours behind is the worst part of traveling. Our dog – also a rescue – from the island of St. Maartens loves to travel but hates the heat.

  3. So glad to hear that Bogie enjoys traveling as much as you do. Talk about a match that was meant to be.Thanks for helping to raise money for homeless pets. I\’m off to tweet your post right now!

  4. What a nice surprise to see you taking part in the #BTC4A promotion — though not a surprise to find, in one of your always beautifully written and illustrated posts, that Bogie was a great traveler. Having met the lad, it was clear that he was an adventurous spirit! I’m so glad you found each other.

    Happy birthday Bogie — and Ken.

    1. Thanks so much, Edie. He enjoyed the trip, and tried to apppear blase by sleeping in his car seat a lot. (No, he is NOT spoiled having a car seat–he NEEDED it!) But the jury is still out on how much WE like traveling with a pup. Despite the added fun of seeing his reaction to things, it is limiting to be traveling with a pup. Places we can’t go and things we can’t do.

  5. good for you for particpating in the rescue event, Vera, and what a nice story you chose to tell. great photos, too. that one of the wagon really says something about the west– and about Bogie’s curiosity and spirit.

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