Izzy & Emma Go Camping
Here in Oregon, we like to camp. The biggest reason for this is the vast amount of outdoor beauty available to us in this state. You can camp at the coast, in the woods, on the high desert, or in the mountains. We have lakes, rivers and streams, miles of ancient lava flows, magical sea-side mountains said to still contain never-found treasure, and wildlife that ranges from the tiny chipmunk to the bear to the impressive Elk.
Last week we decided to venture out to the Willamette National Forest. I don’t care where in the world you live, this is a place worth visiting! We recently bought a new tent-camper and wanted to try it out. This is the kind of camper that is solid on the bottom half and a tent pops up on top of it. Our camper has two double beds and a twin bed, so we had to choose a couple of our dogs to go along, both to take up some space and keep us warm in the chilly evening mountain air.
We decided to take Izzy and Emma. If you remember, Izzy is a GSD/Chow/Lab mix who is nine months old and weighs about 75 lbs. Emma is anyone’s guess, probably Pit, probably Lab and probably more, weighing in at 65 lbs and seven months old. Both dogs make great body pillows when the air gets nippy.
These girls started riding in vehicles at a very young age. It has been my rule that dogs in the car do not get to sit in the front seat and people do not have lengthy conversations with dogs while in the car. Believe me; it’s not any easier for me to follow this rule than it is for my husband! I’m not saying we’re rude to them, but any dog that attempts to come up front is gently returned to the back seat. The only words said to the dogs are, “That’s a good dog,” when they are indeed being good.
Because of this (or just natural inclination), both girls curled up in the back seat of our Toyota Tacoma and didn’t make a peep during the three and a half hour trip.
We still had some concerns, however. Mainly, we weren’t sure how these freewheeling farm girls were going to react to being tethered to the camp site for two days, surrounded by strangers in movable houses or how they would sleep out in the woods. We had taken them out to our own camper a few times while it was parked in our driveway in preparation for this trip, so at least we knew they were comfortable being in it.
My husband had purchased two, 30 foot cables with hooks on each end. Once we arrived at our campsite and got set up, we tethered the girls to the bumper of the camper. We were a bit apprehensive about them getting tangled up in everything, spending the entire two days unraveling them and having them knock down the awning that covered our sitting area. However, none of this was a problem. Both dogs learned very quickly to go back the way they came if they were stuck at the end of their tether. I was amazed! My smart girls were untangling themselves!
You might be wondering why we had them tethered. Well, first off, it’s the law. Dogs are supposed to be leashed, tethered or otherwise contained in our state campgrounds. Not everyone follows these rules, and I have to say I find that upsetting. I realize that a lot of people adore the idea of having their dog off-leash. However, there is a BIG difference between off-leash and under control, and simply off-leash.
Besides that, Emma is quite the butterfly aficionado, and this particular area is swarming with butterflies. When Emma hones in on one, it is like the rest of the world disappears. I could clearly see her diving happily off a cliff in pursuit of a Monarch!
We didn't have to deal with strangers for very long, thanks to the habit that outdoorsy types have of getting to know their temporary neighbors. Luckily, very few were put off by the girls occasional "spookiness" (barking a bit, being shy about meeting a stranger). By the second day, people were walking by and waving, saying, "Good morning, girls!" to our wiggly butt canine campers. Most people were far more interested in our dogs than the usual questions about where we're from and how long we'd be staying.
We were also surrounded by a group conducting a family reunion complete with bicycles, boats and plenty of kids. This was a great opportunity for our girls to see, hear and meet lots of different people!
As for our concerns about the girls being able to sleep with the outdoor noises and other campers and in strange surroundings, no problem! I don’t know if it was the mountain air, the swim in the lake, or the hike up and around Koosah Falls, but both girls snored their way through the night, surely dreaming of those ever elusive chipmunks and darting, dangling butterflies.
I’ve included some pictures of Izzy and Emma enjoying the great outdoors.
