Encephalitis! Lexie The Wonder Dog

From Bigfork Motorcoach Resort in Bigfork, Montana, Bella Terra Motorcoach Resort of Gulf Shores and points between. 

Our girl, Lexie

This is a hard to write post. I started it in August 2016... finished it in May 2017. It's long too.

As far back as March 2016, we anxiously searched to find out what was wrong with Lexie. It began when she lost enthusiasm over the raw carrot treats she gets when I make dinner salads. That evening she seemed unable to maneuver going up or down her foam rubber steps to the sofa seat. We sought veterinary services but no abnormalities could be identified from xrays or ultrasound. Her blood work showed elevated Gobulin which indicated there was some inflammation and it was determined she had an infection and was started on Clavamox. With an abnormally hard abdomen, a sign of a pain, she was also treated with prednisone and a low dose of tramadol with a suspicion that the pain was in her back. Within 24 hours, she responded to the therapies and life returned to normal. (Details of this are covered in a post dated March 24, 2016.)

Less than a month later though, Lexie's pain returned while we were in Camp Verde, Arizona. Rushing her to nearby Montezuma Vet Clinic, Dr. Jennifer Boyd prescribed more tramadol and gabapentin to reduce her pain. A longer prednisone treatment was prescribed following blood tests and another ultrasound. Discussions of her painful history, her age and a common malady of her breed, Inter vertebral Disk Disease (IVDD) was suspected but couldn't be diagnosed with certainty. I researched IVDD, spoke with friends who had experience with pets suffering from it and felt certain it was Lexie's problem. I administered prednisone like clockwork so she could rest and recover.

Crate rest

The fourteen day steroid treatment was extended (with guidance from the vet in Camp Verde) long after we left the area. Lexie's painful symptoms reappeared within 48 hours anytime we stopped the steroid. Strict crate rest was started mid May (as instructed by the Camp Verde vet) while we were in Park City, Utah. Alternating day steroid treatments, along with rest, continued until the first week of June when we reached our summer destination at Bigfork, Montana.

Our comfortable site at Big Fork Village Resort and RV Park

Eager to get a clearer diagnosis of Lexie's condition along with alternative treatments (in which I placed my hope now) I found a veterinarian who performed acupuncture at Calm Animal Care in Kila, Montana, 30 miles or so from our campground.

Calm Animal Care practices in the little brown building on the left.  Just look at this lovely rural setting and Ponderosa pines.
Owner of this Kila, Montana practice is Barbara Calm. Really, that's her name.

Early the first day at Bigfork, I called for an appointment at with Barbara Calm, DVM at Calm Animal Clinic. She is a well respected animal acupuncturist but she was out of the office for ten days. Unstable on her feet and moaning in pain, I asked if someone else could see Lexie. We went in immediately and saw Meg Gordon, DVM. That examination resulted in the removal of all steroids for 72 hours, then the introduction of Novox (an NSAID) in its place along with the tramadol, gabapentin and continued crate rest. A definite diagnosis still eluded us though.

The most humiliating part of the exam. Pop assists. "Mom, put that camera away!" 

We followed Dr. Gordon's instruction to the letter, but three days later, as Lexie's moans grew louder and her rear end grew less stable, we returned to the clinic for yet another examination. This time with Karen Hartle, DVM who called for another full compliment of blood work, xrays, urinalysis and ultrasound -- and the addition of a possible hernia and kidney stone diagnosis possibly exacerbated by luxating patella. Still the IVDD, suspected some 90 days earlier, couldn't be absolutely diagnosed upon close examination of the xrays. I scoured each picture alongside the doctor. In the end, Dr. Hartle referred Lexie to Washington State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Pullman, Washington -- some 300 miles, 6 hours away. Crate rest continued.

The second visit to Calm Animal Clinic.  Waiting for test results. 

Ozzie and I sit for a picture with Dr. Angela Nguyen,
She is an instructor, WSU Vet School ER and ICU Critical Care Vet. 
She also is our WSU Vet School champion.

So on Monday, June 15th, three months after Lexie's first painful symptoms, Wayne and I packed a bag, loaded our entourage into the truck and headed to Pullman, Washington. Dr. Angela Nguyen in ER., ICU and Critical Care services listened intently as we described what we observed in Lexie.   Dr. Nguyen proceeded to give Lexie another complete workup.

We took a room at the local Holiday Inn for two nights while WSU's Internal medicine, orthopaedic, radiology, rehabilitative services and theriogenology teams performed exhaustive exams of Lexie. In the end, their findings were "urinary tract infection," some "possible mild muscle atrophy" and "decreased resistance to hip extension and bilateral Grade 1 luxating patellas." Lexie was given an acupuncture treatment. No test, except MRI, were spared to pinpoint Lexie's pain. We talked about having the MRI, but decided against it given Lexie's condition and age. Everyone hoped we were onto something now.

Jessica Bunch is a Certified Canine Rehab Therapist and DVM

Mushtaq Memon, BVSc, Ph.D., Theriogentologist at WSU shares some humor with Wayne.
Wayne needed some humor by this time. 

While at WSU, Lexie received one acupuncture treatment and laser therapy with recommendations to continue these sessions with Barbara Calm, DVM in Kila and to begin administering Chinese herbs. We returned to Bigfork with new bottles of omeprezol, tramadol, gabapentin, clavamox and a new NSAID, Metacam, making a demanding "every 8 hour" regime for Wayne and me.  It wasn't easy administering all the meds... empty stomach, with food, every 8 hours and so forth. It was a challenge... and I hadn't even looked into the Chinese herb therapy yet.

Ozzie always waits with us.
Here, we're joined by Janne Lyngby, DVM, MS Small Animal Internal Medicine Resident who is charged with Lexie's case. 

On the fifth day after discharge from WSU, Lexie returned to Calm Animal Clinic, for her first acupuncture treatment from Barbara Calm who called us in 45 minutes late with an announcement that she is chronically late to appointments and is a musician. She attributed her tardiness to being such an optimist. Funny thing, I'm an optimist and I'm always on time. Dr. Calm followed the first statement by saying she was running late for a music appointment. I suggested we reschedule as Lexie's condition is the most important going in our life at this time. Dr. Calm realized our serious concern and insisted that we would not be shortchanged on acupuncture treatment visits. We visited briefly to review Lexie's history to this point in time and then Dr. Calm performed her first acupuncture treatment. She reduced Lexie's Metacam dosage by 2/3 and told me to start her on "Harominize the Qi" a Chinese dietary supplement. The acupuncture seemed to help.

Crate rest continued... now into seven weeks.

Lexie's walk was almost normal for the first few days after but 6 nights later I was awakened by the sound of panting and moaning. She was pacing all over the bed, walking across me -- something she never does, and had begun trying to bring her rear foot up to scratch her upper body every few minutes. Additionally she had begun gnawing at her groin / mammary area.

Julia, our 4th year student gives Lexie's
initial exam. 

Next morning, a consult call to Calm Clinic in Kila let to a second visit to the teaching hospital at WSU in Pullman. Lexie had a 10 a.m. appointment the next morning in the neurology department. As is customary at a University teaching hospital, we were again assigned a 4th year vet student. Julia examined Lexie and reviewed the history, comparing it to the file she had from our first visit. We shared details of Lexie's new symptoms and were in great hopes we would find answers.

Tom Jukier, WSU Neruologist
 Diagnosis: food allergy
Wrong. 

Upon examination by WSU Vet School resident neurologist Tom Jukier, Lexie was returned to our care with his surprise diagnosis of food allergies and luxating patellas. I gasped when I heard it but we listened intently to his explanation and felt our concerns were falling on deaf ears. Perhaps they all thought we were just crazy hypochondriac dog owners. We accepted the diagnosis, bought a few cans of Hills Science Diet Z/D special food allergy food and said we would discontinue all of the medications we had been giving Lexie, per the instruction. That was June 24th -- well into the third month since Lexie first showed signs of pain.  We drove the 300 miles back to Bigfork wondering if we might have been wrong.... could this "food allergy" diagnosis be right? Wayne was beyond skeptical.


Lexie ate only the Hills Science Diet Z/D food for the next few weeks but she ate it with her usual gusto. We ordered a case of the canned bland food and we both watched to see possible changes in Lexie -- good or bad. During this time, I made notes on the margin of my calendar noting that Lexie had begun walking sideways and was terribly unstable. She stopped drinking water and began to urinate and occasionally defecate in the floor. She fell of the sofa when left unattended and seemed to wander aimlessly on the floor, carrying her head low. She no longer barked. We waited and watched, unsure what to do.The only time we saw any trace of the "Old Lexie" was when she became excited at mealtime.

Then, on on the morning of Thursday, July 7th, everything changed when Lexie froze in place with one paw extended upward, while out for a short walk.  We jumped into the truck immediately and headed to Dr. Calm's clinic in Kila. By now, these three doctors had become our strongest advocates, though I felt sure they thought we were crazy.  As Wayne raced along the country roads, Lexie had clusters of seizures, one after another. Her eyes were glazed and her little body was stiff during the seizures. As they subsided, her breathing was rapid and she panted wildly. When the seizures finally subsided, her body was lifeless except for her heavy breathing.

Dr. Calm began an iv and did blood work within minutes of our arrival. She and her staff were bewildered and told us so. We recapped the two visits to WSU. Dr. Calm suggested the seizures might never recur and could have been triggered by almost anything. She explained the difference between petitmal and grandmal seizures and she gave us her best theory as to what was happening. We discussed, in amazement, the most recent food allergy diagnosis from the second trip to WSU. We all watched and waited for another seizure but no more occurred. Wayne, Ozzie, Lexie and I stayed all day in Dr. Calm's office but nothing else happened so we went home armed with three syringes and a tiny bottle of anti-seizure medication that I was to administer if Lexie went into seizures that lasted more than three minutes. There were no more seizures all that day and we almost breathed a sign of relief hoping it was a one-time event.

An afternoon in Dr. Calm's private office. 

But that was too good to be true. That evening Lexie's seizures began again. One just before bedtime and four or five in rapid succession during the night. None lasted the full three minutes so the anti-seizure shots were not administered.  The next morning, I called Dr. Calm. I was in tears. We had to give WSU another chance. There was nowhere else to turn and we were losing Lexie. Dr. Calm agreed. Next I called Sally Anderson, in the Neurology Department at Washington State University to tell her we were on our way. Sally made sure Lexie would be seen.

The video below is Lexie in a full blown seizure. Be Warned. It is hard to watch and lasts 4+ minutes.

I pre-loaded the three syringes with the anti-seizure medication and we began our third 300 mile trip to Pullman, Washington from Bigfork, Montana.  The ride was brutal. I kept a constant eye to the back floorboard of the truck where Lexie and Ozzie were riding. By now, we knew the route so well. The first 1/3 of the trip through Montana along the rivers edge to St. Regis, Montana where the journey's second third began along Interstate 90 west to Coeur de Alene where we encountered the hardest part of the trip along the mostly 2-lane road south to Pullman, Washington.  To our dismay, Lexie did not have a single seizure during the trip and we reached WSU mid-afternoon of Friday, July 8th.

The Emergency Room physician, Angela Nguyen, whom we had met in our first visit, looked at Lexie immediately and could hardly believe she was looking at the same little girl she'd seen less than a month earlier. Another thorough examination began and we all agreed on an MRI for Lexie at the earliest opportunity. Lexie was started on Levitracetam (Keppra) an anti-seizure medication at 8 hour intervals and the MRI was scheduled for Monday morning. I hoped an MRI would be done immediately, but the doctors assured us Lexie's condition was stable and she was no real urgent danger.They explained that fresh minds and hands and a full staff on Monday would be to our advantage. Lexie was returned to us for the weekend with the understanding that we could return to the hospital ER at any hour if she went into seizures. We checked into a hotel and settled in for the nerve wracking weekend. Lexie would sleep in her stroller on my side of the bed, in case of seizure.

The video below was taken in the hotel room on Friday night after we left WSU. Note how Lexie's rear end lack of control. She still is loving that food though.

Sure enough at 11:30 we were awakened by the horrible screams of Lexie in the stroller.  I frantically administered the anti-seizure shot as Wayne held our exhausted little girl. I called WSU and we rushed her back to the waiting medical team. The tech on duty assured me Lexie was okay though she sure seemed near death as I handed her near lifeless body over. In a few minutes a very tired Dr. Angela Nguyen emerged to let us know that Lexie was okay. She reviewed a few details of having Lexie admitted through ER for observation for the rest of the weekend. Wayne, Ozzie and I returned to see her Saturday and Sunday and each time she looked worse, weighed less and had less control of her rear legs. We all were suffering. Sunday was the worst day. We held her little limp body, tried to let her walk and attempted taking her for a ride in the stroller. This was almost more than we could handle.

Pop with Lexie and Ozzie sit on the porch at WSU Vet School.
Her foot isn't bloody. It's a red bandage holding the IV in her leg.

Unable to control her back legs, we tried to assist with a walking sling

The good news is that she never lost her appetite. She can't stand but she can eat. 

Sasha Dixon, DVM
WSU Neruology

Finally Monday morning, July 11th arrived. The MRI was scheduled for 10 o'clock. Dr. Angela Nguyen (who we really liked by now) called to let us know that Lexie was fine and the MRI was on schedule. Lexie did have a seizure a few hours earlier but it was controlled quickly. We held our breath and tried to busy ourselves riding around town, stopping in at one of the department stores and eating late breakfast. By 10:45, the Neurologist, Dr. Sasha Dixon called with the encephalitis diagnosis. A spinal tap had been done. The evidence was clear and undeniable. We were thrilled that it was not a brain tumor.  The neurologist invited us to view the images and the white area of Lexie's brain was clearly visible. Now what?


My joy turned immediately to devastation as the neurologist explained that encephalitis dogs lived, on average, two years, after diagnosis.  She saw my horror I know and I think she regretted her bluntness. I concluded that the average two years could be expanded when coupled with our love, attention to medication detail and sheer determination.

The travel route -- Bigfork to Kila and to Washington State University in Pullman, Washington

Two days later, Lexie left WSU in Pullman for the last time with a half dozen prescriptions. All four legs had been shaved and showed signs of having the iv tubes inserted. A small area at the base of her skull, her tummy and a 4" square swath on her back (near her tail) were shaved too. But she was beautiful. She weighed just over 6 pounds, a loss of more than 2 pounds. Negative fungal,  bacterial and insect born test results allowed us to drop two or three prescriptions soon after but a hefty regime of meds for inflammation, pain and seizures will stay with us forever it seems.

Unable to stand easily without assistance, Lexie is clearly happy to be with Ozzie.
Fourth year vet student Serena Swan, explains the meds and gives us a happy sendoff soon after this picture was taken. 

An exhausted Lexie begins her journey to recovery with a mostly shaved body
 but I think she felt good the day this picture was taken. We were leaving Pullman for the final time.

A "onesie" will protect the pink skin on her back from getting burned by the sun.
I cut a whole in the seat for her tail. 

Lexie's recovery was quick, beautiful and without incident. She regained the pounds she lost and never missed a beat on her short walks. So much prednisone caused her hair to thin but she recovered.

We stayed in frequent touch with the folks at Calm Animal Clinic as they would monitor Lexie's progress and communicate with the Dr. Dixon at WSU for the next 60 days or so.  Finally on August 24th, we returned to Calm Animal Clinic for a final exam, including blood work, to be sure Lexie was well enough for our journey south where Auburn's Vet School would take over her care.

Dr. Barbara Calm holding Lexie while Wayne holds Ozzie. 

It was a long and frightening journey for us but in the end, Lexie and Ozzie both managed to lose their fear of the veterinarian office. This post, begun long ago, is finally finished this last day of May 2017.  Lexie is well and happy. Ozzie too. Wayne and me too.

Of particular peculiarity...  I've read that encephalitis is common in Maltese yet none of the dozen or so veterinarians, including two neurologists, mentioned it's possibility. Fascinating and bewildering.

Sleepy Pop and Happy Lexie -- two months after the diagnosis! 

Five Years And Counting

Spring Lake RV Resort, Crossville, Tennessee

July 4, 2015 marked the end of our fifth year as nomads, living the life we love traveling all over America and Canada in our motorhome.

We celebrated as we always do, quietly, soothing Ozzie through the Independence Day fireworks. Lexie isn't bothered by fireworks, thank goodness.

This fifth year took us from Crescent City, California north into Oregon and then into the far northwest reaches of Bellingham and Mount Vernon, in Washington State before making an emergency eight day marathon drive through Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama when my brother's congestive heart failure worsened.

We stayed a total of nine weeks in New Market, Alabama in August, September and October to be near my brother's home. Later we'd visit Tennessee, Birmingham and Gulf Shores, Alabama, Panama City, Reddick and Fort Pierce, Florida before making our way across the peninsula to our winter destination at Seminole Campground in North Fort Myers.

Distance in motorhome miles for the fifth year total just 6,340 as a result of our lengthy stays in Alabama, North Fort Myers and Crossville, Tennessee. Total motorhome mileage as full-timers reached 47,691 on this date.

Of course the most impactful event of this year was the deterioration of Macky's health and his death in April. We lost friends this year too, several of Wayne's childhood and high school chums and most recently, our friend Rick, who died unexpectedly.

Our own health remains good but Wayne's doctor did start him on a low dose of cholesterol lowering medication. He and I suffered through a terrible flu / cold too that took a really long time to go away.

Our dogs, Lexie and Ozzie began the fifth year with a daily (or almost daily) routine of tooth brushing after their serious dental issues discovered by their vet in Crescent City last summer. Additionally, Lexie had to have surgery for a cancerous mammary gland. Happily, her prognosis is "cautiously optimistic"...

We made many new friends this year too and are planning a winter, spring and summer excursion to the southwest and then Alaska for next year.  Golf has become our past-time and contributed to our decision to buy a new Ford F-150 Lariat to haul all the stuff we are accumulating.

Our Ford Edge on the far left.
Wayne and me with sales rep, Derek.
The new truck will be called "Larry" -- 

Florida became our state of domicile this year when Obamacare caused a loophole in South Dakota's special accommodation for full-time RVers that resulted in my health insurance company leaving the state.

A final development that quickly fizzled was our idea that we might want a house. It started with a thought that we might like to buy a piece of property on a Tennessee lake where we could spend a few spring and fall months. The idea morphed into a thought of building a house.  Thank goodness we came to our senses.

An so today we begin work on Year 6....

The Unplanned Return Home

I am at least full three months behind in posting.  There's good reason for it though -- my brother's critical illness. A great effort is underway to catch up... a little bit at a time, beginning with this first installment.

Our awning repair in Mount Vernon, Washington was completed on Wednesday, August 13. The very next afternoon I received word that my brother was hospitalized, seriously ill with a poor prognosis. With the awning repair out of the way, there was nothing to keep us in the Pacific northwest, so we arose on Friday morning, August 15 (my brother's birthday), requested a medical emergency refund of our final three paid days at the campground, pulled up stakes and began the 2,600 mile trip southeast to North Alabama.

The route we selected was fairly direct but diverted us a bit from previous trips, taking us through places we vowed we'd return to visit.  There was simply no way we'd stop or waste precious time. Spectacular scenery was passed up as we inched our way across the country. At the end of the first day we had not even gotten out of Washington state. Traffic in the Seattle area had been horrendously slow. We spent the first night at a Walmart parking lot in Spokane.

The second night was also spent at Walmart. This one in Butte, Montana. The third night we stopped at Indian Campground in Buffalo, Wyoming, allowing us to relax in a long shower, eat a proper dinner, do a sink full of dishes and wash a load or two of clothes. So far, the trip was pleasant and uneventful.

One of the many pretty sights along our trip was Chimney Rock in southeast Nebraska. It was late in the day when we approached it and I managed to capture one of only about three pictures of the entire trip. I knew I would later regret not taking more photos, but my heart simply wasn't into sightseeing or even the travel. I only thought of my brother.

Being great fans of the movie "Lonesome Dove", Wayne did want to be sure we went through Ogallala, Nebraska (mentioned frequently in the movie). There was nothing in Ogallala but now we can say we've been there. I took no pictures of it.

The fourth night was spent in another Walmart parking lot. This one is North Platte, Nebraska. It was about here I realized we were traveling eastward along the "westward trails" commonly referred to as the California, Oregon, Morman and Bozeman Trails. They followed the North Platte River. More splendid scenery.  No pictures of any of that either.

The fifth morning, leaving North Platte, Wayne became uneasy about the wear of the coach's front tires. These are the Goodyear tires that came new on Endie (2011). There's less than 20,000 miles on them but they've begun to "cup" even though Wayne takes care to watch them, rotate and have the front end aligned as needed. In Lincoln, Nebraska on the fifth day, new Michelin tires were mounted late in the day. We stayed in an overpriced campground in Lincoln. Early next morning, the new tires were balanced, the front end aligned and we were back on the road before noon.  Later Wayne was unable to locate his best reading glasses. He left them on the counter of the tire store. One of the tire salesmen mailed them to us at my brother's house.  .

Daytime temperatures were in the 90's by this time and that makes it too hot to stay overnight without all night air conditioning.  At Higginsville, Missouri, we stayed at the Great Escape RV Park.

The route we'd chosen would take us through St. Louis, which ordinarily wouldn't mean much, but in early August, the shooting death of  a teenager in Ferguson, Missouri resulted in violence in and around that area.  I checked the map to see if we could route away from the city's center and avoid the affected area. This part of the trip was the on the seventh day.  Seeing the news helicopters on the outskirts of the city reminded us of the nearby unrest.

The GPS route took us along the southern perimeter of St. Louis where we avoided the area of Ferguson and got a good view of the St. Louis Arch and Busch Stadium.

Downtown Saint Louis, the Arch and Busch Stadium where the Cardinals play baseball.

Calvert City, Kentucky hosted us at the end of our seventh travel day. The marathon is beginning to take it's toll and we both were glad to know we'd reach our destination the next day.

By early afternoon on the eighth day, we arrived in New Market, Alabama. The County Park Campground doesn't accept credit card reservations so I sent a special request to my very good high school friend asking if she'd be willing to make a quick dash over to reserve a spot for us at Sharon Johnston Park Campground. Thanks to Marilyn, we had a site reserved for the upcoming weekend.

The route with overnight stops marked.

By the time we reached our destination, my brother had been discharged from the hospital and was home. We found him sitting outside, thin and frail, but cheerfully waiting for us to arrive.  I was so happy.  

I didn't know what was next though. 

Bellingham and Mount Baker, Washington

During our 17 days in Bellingham, we made a day trip to the snow covered volcano of Mount Baker. At 10,781 feet, Mt Baker is perpetually covered in snow and ice. It is second most active volcano in the North Cascade Mountain Range. Only Mount St. Helens is more active.

A view of the "less snow" side. 

As the crow flies, Mount Baker is just 30 miles east of Bellingham, but the drive to Artist Point, the most easily accessible observation point to the mountain, requires over 60 miles of driving.  We stopped for information and lunch at the National Forest public service center at Glacier, Washington. It is is less than halfway from Bellingham to Artist Point at Mount Baker.

It was a beautiful weather day -- mid 70s. Warm in sunshine, cool in the shade. 

Our view for lunch in the parking lot.
Cross section of a 780 year old Douglas Fir.

Following our stop at the visitors center, we continued, yet unable to see Mount Baker. It's funny we saw the gargantuan white peak from many miles away traveling into the area, but can't get a glimpse this morning traveling toward it through the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.  Reminds me of the saying, "Can't see the forest for the trees".

The road before us -- Highway 542 into the Cascades

Spectacular views of the Cascade Range as we begin to ascend. 

The Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in Washington State extends more than 140 miles along the western slopes of the Cascade Mountains from the Canadian border to the northern boundary of Mt. Rainier National Park. Deep green, brilliant blue, bright white and varying soft gray colors make a beautiful scene.

The narrow road below is where we've just traveled.
Here, we've just finished one of the several "hairpin" switchbacks. 

Mount Baker was named for Lt. Joseph Baker, a young officer in Captain George Vancouver's exploration group in 1792.  Baker spotted the white peak from the ship as it sailed near Dungeness Bay.

Artist Point is the very end of Highway 542.  Here there's a small parking area and a point where ordinarily one would find a fabulous view of Mt Baker and Mt Shuksan. But dark clouds rolled in today and both peaks are almost completely out of sight. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the scenery among the clouds.

Lexie doesn't care for standing on the snow.
I think Ozzie liked it as he ran a little on his leash, a bit like he does on the beach. 

After spending a few minutes exploring in the snow, we started back down the mountain. We stopped at Heather Meadows, a scenic valley between Mt. Shuksan and Mt. Baker. Heather Meadows is a very nice tourist stop in itself with beautiful glistening lakes, mountain views and many walking/hiking trails.

The snow in the center of this photo will soon give way to summer flowers. 

The crest of Mount Shuksan to the left of the tall tree.
Shuksan is 9, 131 feet

This is a great walking area for people and dogs. 

The Mount Baker ski area was closed of course, but we couldn't resist a photo-opp at this "Experts Only" ski lift (below).  The old ski lodge was part of the set location in filming of "Call Of The Wild" in 1934. The movie starred Clark Gable, Loretta Young and Reginald Owen and it launched the popularity of the ski resort. The original lodge burned long ago. 

I'm holding Lexie in my right arm, Ozzie on my left side.

Mount Baker (background) supports 20 miles of active glaciers.
The public can join an expedition of the glaciers May through October.
We are not interested in taking such an expedition. 

Next stop going back along the same route, we pulled onto a side road to Nooksack Falls. Highway 542 follows the Nooksack River for miles and we've seen some pretty rough water along the way. The half-mile ride to the falls along the narrow gravel road ended at a tiny parking area in the shade of the tall Redwood trees. We left Lexie and Ozzie in the car and began exploring the area around the 100 foot falls.

Nooksack River upstream from the falls. 

A pretty confusing message here.
To the trail or not to trespass?  Humm..

A pretty clear message -- this place is dangerous. 

Notice one of the victims was pregnant.
Her unborn child is listed as another fatality. 

And so we did not venture down the trail to see Nooksack Falls as we certainly didn't want to add our names to this list.  Instead, we'll enjoy the photo as suggested on the poster.

Biding Our Time in Bellingham, Washington

After getting our broken awning stowed and secured with duck tape, we left Castle Rock, Washington and drove north to Mount Vernon for repair. After a false start at the local Camping World, techs at Poulsbo RV in Mount Vernon  removed the awning apparatus and the insurance claim was begun.

Unfortunately, our Mount Vernon campground was fully booked and we had to leave after just two nights. Knowing the insurance claim and new awning order would take weeks, we decided to continue north to the Bellingham area where we hope to have more pleasant temperatures than the high 80s we had since we were in Eugene, Oregon.

The first few days in Bellingham were filled with angst over the repair schedule and we argued about how to handle the whole situation. I suppose we were feeling the pressure of having been forced to leave the area without a clear understanding about how the schedule will work out. Repairs while traveling can be a nightmare.

But Bellingham turned out to be a good base of operation for awhile. Early on, we had two days of mist and rain but they were followed by many days of sunshine and mild summer temperatures. With lots of our favorite retailers nearby, we took advantage of some summer sales. We do, after all, wear the same seasonal clothes year 'round.

Just 30 miles from the US/Canadian border, we've come to look upon Bellingham as a "little Canadian metropolis" as shopping is plentiful here and there are as many British Columbia license plates as Washington state ones.  We've seen dozens of Canadian license plated cars  filled to the brim with goods on their way back across the border.  I read a that prices in Bellingham are higher than the national average for that reason but I  never noticed anything being overpriced. One store clerk said 75% of the area sales are to international buyers.  Someone else said the Bellingham airport served more international than domestic flights. As we shopped, I heard as many foreign languages as English.

As it turns out, the insurance company requires an adjusters evaluation on both the broken awning and the coach so days turn into weeks before the replacement parts can even be ordered.  At this writing, we're into our second full week in Bellingham. 

When The Awning Collapses...

Some folks we know, Ray and Cindy, Jim and Diane, were camped at Castle Rock, Washington this week. We diverted our own travel to join them at Toutle River RV Resort for a couple of days. Ray and Cindy sold their home last week and are going to give the full-time RV life a whirl. It was nice to visit with them and to extend our best wishes on their new lifestyle. Hope they enjoy it.

We stayed a total of three nights at Toutle River RVR and planned to pull out Tuesday morning.  Wayne busied himself doing outside chores while I showered.  As I emerged from the shower, I heard a loud bang and wondered what happened. I called out but Wayne did not answer.  Anytime that happens, I fear he might be injured and unable to respond. 

But Wayne didn't hear me. He was still outside, standing with our neighbor, Gene, talking and gazing at our coach's collapsed patio awning.  As he attempted to retract it, the roller arm gave out, breaking a metal piece off the roller cuff and subsequently, allowing the entire 16 foot awning to fall lifelessly onto the curbside slide.

The broken awning

We weren't sure whether to try to remove the entire awning apparatus, hardware and all, or try to roll it back onto the limp, broken metal roller bar.  I was sure we'd have to take it all apart and wouldn't have given any chance to getting that flap of canvas to wind onto that bar.

Ladder extended and put into place for a major operation.
The ladder did manage to cut his finger, causing lots and lots of blood....

Wayne disagreed with me and felt certain we were better off to try to wind the canvas, then strap it down with Duck Tape.  The new Little Giant ladder was pulled out and we began a sort of strange dance with the awning.  Fortunately, the campground was sparsely filled and so we had plenty of space to begin our "trial and error" routine.

Successful completion of rewinding the canvas onto the broken arm.

After just a couple of tries we got the awning rolled back onto the arm. Wayne stood on the ladder and assisted the electrical retract motor that I operated from the entry.  I could hardly believe it was rolling but it did -- and it stayed up.  Now what to do about that hydraulic arm -- outstretched and unwilling to cooperate.  After a few unsuccessful attempts, I pull downward on the apparatus, using the awning wand, while Wayne pushed it back toward the coach. 

Securing everything with Duck Tape. Lots of Duck Tape.

The final touch of at least a half roll of Duck Tape secured the broken awning to the coach. We were about 150 miles north of Coburg / Junction City; too far to turn back.

The finished project.  The touch of blue Duck Tape is my contribution.

It took, in total, about two hours to wrap up the collapsed awning, apply all our duck tape and finish preparing the coach for travel.  We pulled away sometime after 11 a.m. heading north on Interstate 5.

More on the repair developments will be posted as they occur.