On the Road Again...
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