On the Road Again...
Tuesday - 22 March 2005 - Umatilla Indian Reservation,
Pendleton, Oregon: First of all, exciting news from my nephew, Taylor.
His dog (known as Ella to some and Godiva to others) gave birth today. Actually,
she is giving birth as I type this and the count at this time is 5 and she is
still going. Ella is a beautiful black lab and was bred with another beautiful
yellow lab from England. They are very excited. I will report the final count
when it is available.
We planned to leave at noon, and were actually out the driveway by 1 pm. Again,
our wonderful housesitter, Karri, will be taking care of our house and Snickers
in our absence.
Our first stop when we head east of Portland is always
Multnomah Falls. It is a quick stop, about one hour from home. The drive
into, and out of, Portland can be quite stressful, so it is good to stop,
stretch your legs and refill your coffee cup at the beautiful falls. We have had
so little rain, the water wasn't really falling very much. Even when not very
full, Multnomah Falls is still gorgeous.
Multnomah Falls
DT only stopped one other time until we arrived to the
Wildhorse Resort and Casino, just east of Pendleton. Frequent readers will
recall we often stop here. The Wildhorse RV park isn't bad, but there is a nice
golf course at the Wildhorse Resort. (The campground is behind a huge casino -
imagine that, a casino on an Indian Reservation? - but we don't go in there
because it is so smoky.) The weather is again terrible. Temperatures in the high
30's, dark and rainy.
We set up camp and put the satellite up for the first time since January 4th. We
had to phone Direct TV to have them bump our receiver and it took me a few
moments to recall which buttons I have to push to get my internet up and
running, but after a few moments we were connected to the planet; the radiant
tile floor heating was warming us and a cork came out of a bottle of wine. Not
like camping when we were kids, eh?
DT and I are expecting a fun-and-sun-filled trip, lots of adventures with
friends and family! Check back often to see where the wind blows us... and
tonight that is a serious possibility. With the weather and the snow on the pass
east of us, we are even unsure if we will be able to leave tomorrow! Bummer too,
because it is too cold and wet to golf!
Added later: I spoke with Taylor (our eldest nephew) at 8:30p
pacific. The count is now seven puppies - 5 female, 2 male - and the system
seems to be still in operation. Taylor said Ella started labor at 4 pm and had
four puppies right away. The four puppies started nursing and one hour later
Ella/Godiva delivered another puppy and she has delivered a puppy-per-hour
since. I will report more as details become available.
Added much later - Final puppy is count is TEN. Five female,
five male, no runt, all healthy and Ella is a good mother.
RV Park:
Wildhorse Resort RV Park
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