Excuses Excuses

A cat got my tongue, a dog ate my key board, I got hit really hard in the head by a tennis ball and had to relearn how to type, I was chasing cats when a tripped over an open lap top leaving me with two broken toes and a fear of computers that it has taken many hours of therapy to fix... These are all very legitimate and possibly true reasons as to why I have not been updating this blog. I'm pretty sure the real reason is that I have just not had anything painfully exciting to blog about. We have certainly been having a great time, life is fantastic and everyone is so happy that we have to do face yoga to keep our smile muscles from cramping, it's just that our last few months of work have not been the usual bouncing from place to place adventure. Instead of moving every 4 days we've been in town for 3 weeks at a time and in all honesty, it's a bit monotonous after living the life of a nomad. It's amazing how much adjustment we need in order to deal with one area for a long period of time. One might think it's probably nice to relax, which is true. But you know that feeling you get when you run as fast as you can on one of those moving walk ways in the airport and then hit the floor that isn't moving (my people sneak me into airports all the time just so we can do that)? That's sort of how it feels to switch from constantly moving to plopping down in a strange place for 3 weeks.

So, that said, we're excited to finish our last few months as the Trail Care Crew in true TCC style with lots of visits to lots of different places mostly in the North West. We're also excited to have been able to enjoy the last few weeks at home with friends, friend's people, and our families. It's been awesome being home, we'll take 3 weeks here anytime! My people seem to be morphing into a strange new domesticated way of living with hopes of buying a house in Hood River this fall so that we have a place in the beginning December when we get off the road. They have spent a lot of time looking at houses, scrunching up their faces in funny ways and talking on the phone about numbers way bigger than my dog brain can comprehend (it only goes to 11).

If you'd like to see some great photos from our vacation adventures check out the IMBA blog at: www.onthetrail.imbatools.com
And I'll do my best to keep you updated on the coming months of Wiggly Black Dog action.

Happy Fall!

The small Basque one gave Jason a helmet camera for his birthday which he got all sorts of semi exciting video with in Winter Park CO. Here is a video recorded by Jason and edited by Anna. It's their first try at this so it's not too fancy and the trail's not too exciting but there's a little spice in the middle to keep you entertained. My apology in advance for any cringes this may cause the parents.

TORNADO!!!

Ok, there's really no need to panic. That's just what our life on the road has felt like for the past month! It's been a tornado full of bikes, dirt, kayaking, friends, work, AWESOME rides, delicious rawhide and great places. Unfortunatley it has been lacking a little in the internet access as I do my best blogging around 1am after my people have gone to bed and I can have some peace yet our recent accommodations have not offered such hi-tech services.


So, way back in the beginning of July we were in McCall ID for a few weeks while my people were working with the Forest Service on a few trail projects, helping out with a big bike race, swimming in a big lake, and riding their bikes on big mountains. It was awesome.


One of my favorite things in McCall was this squirrel named Yogi Flash. He lived in the back yard of our cabin in his own little cabin and spent hours every morning doing squirrel yoga on this beam. We had a special way of communicating. I would chew on my squeeky toy and he would squeek back at me. I hope he didn't think I was chewing on one of his buddies!


Another highlight was the access we had to this specially designed dog diving board. With it's added length I was able to gain a lot of speed in order to launch myself off the end so that I could plane into the water without getting my hair wet. Someone was really thinking when they made this!


I also helped build this trail by running up and down it to compact the soil. My people designed and helped build this for the Forest Service. They taught a Trail Building School just like they do every week and had a bunch of volunteers come out and help them dig. It was a good time and now McCall has a nice beginner friendly trail for people to learn on! I heard my grandogma was getting a bike in a couple weeks so maybe she'll go ride it with me?


YAY! We b-lined it for Boulder after working in Idaho so we could spend some much needed time with our friends from the IMBA office. We stayed with my best friends Zoe the cat and Beaudrou the dog. Their people Kristin and Ryan are pretty rad too and my peeps were really stoked to hang out with them. Ryan is also an excellent griller, check out that spread!


Now we're in Winter Park CO enjoying some awesome lightening storms. My peeps have lots of projects that they are working on here so we're running around a lot but we've gotten out on some great rides and I get to swim a lot and eat treats so I'm psyched. This picture was up on Doe Creek trail. Anna took me on a ride up there but a thunderstorm rolled in while we were up on the ridge and I had a pretty hard time keeping up on they way down. She was in a pretty big hurry!


This is at Sol Vista Bike Park which you may have read about in Decline. It's a pretty sweet place with a really cool pump track at the base lodge so we've been making it our regular after work stop for a quick work out. I'm pretty sure everyone should have one of these in their back yard because it seems to make my peeps very happy and it's fun to chase them on it.

So, that's a brief update but the best news I've got is that we're coming home in a week and we can't wait to see you all! We're really missing you guys and we're psyched to get to spend a whole five weeks in Hood River! See you soon!

The Stache Off

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Originally uploaded by sixvlt.

My people work with some pretty strange but fantastic folks (they fit right in). They decided that just before they all got together for a week of conferencing that they would have a Stache off. All the guys grew as much facial hair as possible and then mowed it into very odd shapes in order to compete in said stache off. These were some of the winning folacular works of art.

We're in Durango Colorado kickin it with some cow boys eatin beans by the campfire and riding horses... ok, that's all a big lie except for the Durango part. I really dig this town as it is quite dog friendly and has a large river flowing through the middle. Not only is the town dog friendly but the B&B we're staying in has this HUGE fluffy dog bed with fresh sheets and delicious home made peanut butter dog treats. It's about time the hospitality industry starts catering to those of us who really matter!

Enough about me. I figured that I should fill you in on some of the work my peeps have been doing since we're always telling you stories about our days off. The best part is that the days on are a little more exhausting but just as exciting! Last year when we were in Durango we spent a lot of time trudging through dense brush laying out trails in the Durango Mountain Park. It was hard work and we weren't sure if the trails would be approved but this year we found out that they were approved and we got to build them! After teaching a class on trail building (I can take no credit for that) we headed out to the project that we had flagged with 25 trail enthusiasts. Here are a few photos of what we do every Saturday afternoon!


Cutting a trail through shale can be pretty hard work but it pays off.


This was the only patch of dirt we found all day amongst the shale. It was so soft and fluffy and diggable...



Here's our group of participants from the Durango trail advocacy club "Trails 2000". They are an awesome crew and we are once again blown away by the great personalities we've met here and the incredible hospitality of our host Mary.


Mary and I were working really hard on this section. I'm super helpful with the trail work supervision and finding of soft, cool, freshly dug patches of trail. I also really enjoy pulling all the sticks off the trail and eating them since my people don't really feed me.

BOWOWOWOWWOOOOO BARK

That's how I sound when my people are doing this...


I don't know what it is but I just freak out and sound as though I am being attacked by a swarm of killer bees.


And then once in a while I get loose and try to chase down whoever is in the water which usually ends badly.


This was on Brush Creek just outside of Kernville, CA.


Not so bad eh?

Sorry, I've Broken!

I know, it's been a while since I've updated you but I hurt my toe which has made it difficult to type. I would have Anna transcribe for me but she's a horrible speller so I fired her and just took a vacation. I'm feeling better now, my toe is still attached and I am almost cleared to run on the trail again. Since I was unable to get into any mischief in the woods I decided to become a threat to national security. The Department of Homeland Security was after me for a bit so I needed to stay off the blog and out of the public eye but now that I'm back at being a trail dog, the good news is:


So I am no longer having to lay low. I'll get you updated on all the other exciting stuff later.