Rifle, Colorado: Our Adoption of Ozzie

We found both Lexie and Ozzie online at www.petfinder.com, a foundation that makes pictures and descriptions of adoptable animals available to those interested.  They represent over 300,000 pets and 13,000 agencies including rescue groups and animal shelters.  Lexie's adoption was through P.A.W.S. (Pineywoods Animal Welfare Society) in Beaumont, Texas.  Ozzie's agency was BRAS (Breeders Release Adoption Services) in Rifle.  Both babies had received excellent care in loving foster homes before we adopted them.

I found Ozzie several weeks ago and have been in communication with Robin, Ozzie's foster mom about adopting him.  Robin offered to bring Ozzie to us within a reasonable distance, but we've decided to go there for a few days' trial to see if he and Lexie get along.

Rifle is a quaint Colorado River town established in 1905. We camped in beautiful Rifle Falls State Park overlooking a serene blue reservoir.  Aside from a little rain we had nice, cool, sunny weather.

Our campsite overlooks the lake

Looking at the campground on the hillside from the other side of the lake.

This was a perfect setting for Lexie and Ozzie to get to know each other.  Robin brought him, along with two other rescue dogs, Mopsy and Fergie, out to visit the afternoon we arrived.  I loved all three of them but knew we could only manage one more for our total of two.

Ozzie (red halter) meets Lexie

Ozzie was reserved but showed confidence.  Through email exchanges, Robin told me that Ozzie came from an Amish puppymill in Missouri -- much the same background as Lexie had endured in Mississippi. Ozzie came to BRAS covered in matts that had to first be cut before he could be shaved.  Robin had fostered Ozzie for three months (since May) and had observed that he was playful with the other dogs but wasn't too rough. That was important to us as Lexie really doesn't seem to know how to play.

Ozzie when he was first rescued.
The matting near his bottom is not his tail. It's feces dried in his unkept hair.

Ozzie's picture as shown on www.petfinder.com
It was love at first sight.

Lexie (front) seems to be smiling.
Ozzie is looking around to see how he likes us.

Ozzie got comfortable pretty quickly.  Lexie followed him every step.
Because he's not completely housebroken, he sometimes has to wear a cumber bun (belly band).

Robin let Ozzie visit with us for the next three days to see if he and Lexie were compatible.  At first he was frightened and I could tell he was feeling a degree of separation anxiety. During Friday and Saturday, glimpses of his sweet, timid personality could be seen.  To our surprise, Lexie chased him around the coach, barking and trying to play.  He was completely uninterested in play but we didn't care, we had fallen in love with him and on Sunday we loaded our menagerie into the car and drove to Robin's house to finalize the adoption. 

Try as he may, Wayne is unable to get either Lexie or Ozzie to come when he calls.
This is a "first" as babies and dogs naturally love Wayne.  

Wayne decides he'll win them over with kibbles! 
He feeds them simultaneously... by hand. 
Lexie on the left, Ozzie on the right.
They eat this way every afternoon at 4 p.m.

The first of a zillion photos of the furkids.
Ozzie on the left, Lexie on the right.

This one is out of focus but easy to see what's important here...
Lexie in the top of the photo -- Ozzie at the bottom.

"Lexie... look at the camera. We're being photographed for a calendar, I think."

Robin's home is in a beautiful setting, high on a hill with a fabulous view.  She met us in the drive and we got to see Mopsy and Fergie again.  We also met Jackson and Piper, Robin's other two Malteses.  I begged Wayne to adopt Mopsy, a tiny little girl with lots of food allergies.  Then there was Fergie, who Robin referred to as the "lap magnet" -- a fun-filled Yorkie who was Wayne's favorite.  But Wayne said no, we couldn't take then all and Ozzie was a perfect fit for us. 

Ozzie's foster home. Life was pretty good out here in Colorado
We have a tough act to follow.

Okay, let's see if I can get this right....  Lexie in the lead, then Jackson. Fergie (the Yorkie) is next, followed by Ozzie and Piper. Mopsy was being held by yours truly.

Wayne playing ball with Piper.  She never gets tired.
Taken in Robin's kitchen (loves dogs, can't you tell).
Ozzie is relaxed on the shelf behind Wayne.

Lexie, Jackson and Ozzie romp around the patio at Robin's house.

Robin and me with Piper, Ozzie, Fergie, Mopsy (in blue) and Lexie

Mopsy, Piper, Fergie and Ozzie with Wayne and me.

After at least an hour of playing with all the rescue babies, we loaded up and headed back to the campground for our final night. We'll head east tomorrow morning.

Going back into the campground.

Ogden, Utah to Rifle, Colorado

Somewhere between Idaho Falls, Idaho and Ogden, Utah our parallel travel with Marcella, Landon and BJ ended.  We saw them last at a Flying J fuel stop where BJ had just caused Marcella grief by losing his cookies after gobbling his food during the lunch stopover.  We pulled in for fuel and Landon explained Flying J's loyalty discount card to Wayne.  We got ourselves one of those cards and we're Flying J loyalists as a result. $0.02 a gallon mounts up quickly when you by 100 gallons of diesel every few days.

Landon and Marcella drove on to the Provo area where they learned they could have their washing machine repaired.  We stopped at Sierra RV in Ogden to have the patio awning repaired.  When the awning work was complete, we stayed on for several days at nearby Willard Bay State Park along the northeastern part of the Great Salt Lake.  Our campsite was nice, notwithstanding the proximity of the interstate, whose noise soon became just a constant low background roar.  We really didn't take in much of the area sights -- instead, we just sat around the campground, watched some college football and played with Lexie. Wayne and I (me to a lesser degree) are getting football fever and contemplating a return to the southeast. We know we'll return to Utah to see more of it someday.  But as we leave here today, we're heading for Colorado.

Our final smoldering campfire at Willard Bay Campground. 

On Wednesday morning, September 14, we pulled out of our campsite headed for Rifle, Colorado where we were going to see male Maltese rescue I'd found on the Petfinder website.  I've been in communication with the dog's foster mom and from her description, Ozzie might be a good adoption for us.

While the new adoption is exciting to us, we learned that Marcella, Landon and BJ have excitement of their own. They've just traded their Jeep Liberty in on a new Rubicon. Being desert rats and off-road enthusiasts, they're all excited at their new wheels and sent pictures to us. Without their permission, I'm sharing one of their pictures here.

Marcella, BJ and Landon
(in order of importance)

The trip to Rifle, Colorado was originally planned over two days, arriving late Thursday evening, but the drive along I-70 through eastern Utah was so nice, we just kept going.  The scenery was simply beautiful.

Utah landscape

More Utah landscape
Gas equipment dot the land along I-70

Just before sunset and rain.

Leaving Grand Junction, Colorado next morning

Along the Colorado River somewhere between Grand Junction and Rifle, Colorado

Fruita, Colorado, just across the state line from Utah on I-70 seemed like a good place to stay over for the night. I had planned to ask Robin, the adoptive dog's foster mom, to bring him there for us to meet him. Then I thought we'd spend a few days exploring Canyonlands National Park, Moab and Arches National Park.  To my surprise, Wayne was eager to get to Rifle. Secretly, I know he's as excited as me to meet little Ozzie.   .... so we drove on in a light rain that became a pouring one as darkness fell.  By 7 p.m. we reached Grand Junction where we knew we'd find a Walmart near the interstate.  To our dismay, a Grand Junction city ordinance prohibited parking there.  The GPS located another Walmart and we drove there, where, not seeing any signs prohibiting overnighting, we found a spot, walked Lexie and then crashed into our bed to to sound of light rain.  The next morning, I as dismayed to find a sign right in front of the coach prohibiting overnight parking.  Oh well.

Leaving Yellowstone and Grand Teton

After ten days at Red Rock RV Park, I was ready to leave it behind -- along with leaving summer behind. Today is Labor Day and I'm not ashamed to say I really dread the long holiday weekends as we have so much competition for campground space.  Don't get me wrong... I really love children -- especially when they're in school. 

We got a good start with a beautiful clear morning. Landon and Marcella pulled away just ahead of us and we followed them back into Yellowstone National Park, taking the large southern loop again, passing by Old Faithful and heading down to Yellowstone Lake.

Yellowstone Lake

Everything was going smoothly until we missed a turn that Landon had intended to take. We drove on until we found a long pull-out.  We eagerly jumped out and took BJ and Lexie for a short walk down toward the lake... which is, incidentally, bubbling and steaming around the edges.  Most unnerving.

Something about a boiling lake bothers me. 

Just before the awning catastrophe. 
Marcella taking a picture of me taking a picture.

About this time Wayne noticed our curb side awning was not securely rolled into it's "travel" position.  Now this thing is not one of those good ole reliable mechanical awnings.  Oh no. This is an electric awning that extends and retracts with the flip of a switch. Tightening the awning didn't work so Wayne though it might be a good idea to extend it a bit and then try retracting it.  I heard a solid "thump" and looked to see the huge 10' x 25' awning fully extended into the trees along the roadside.  Wayne's face was colorless.

Awning deployment here is NOT a good thing.

Manually rolling the motorized awning required all four of us. Using a ladder, Wayne managed to roll the awning while Landon and Marcella held it into place. Then Wayne climbed onto the coach roof to secure it somehow. Meanwhile I was scouring the operators manual for any assistance it would provide -- a useless exercise.  In the end we used velcro straps and duct tape to hold the thing in place until we could get a repair. Mind you now... we're in Yellowstone National Park and there's not a really large city near here. 

Wayne on top. Landon holds the forward awning arm.
Marcella at the rear.   I'm taking pictures -- very important role.

Getting the velcro strap put in place.

Marcella can do this with one hand.

Finished!   Duct tape is a necessity in the tool box.

Once the awning was secured we still needed to turn around and take the turn we'd missed.  While our coach is long at 40', Marcella and Landon are 42' and we'll need 40 acres to turn these rigs around. We think we've found it at one point...

It was right about here Wayne said to Landon on the CB, "You've got it. Plenty of room."

But there wasn't plenty of room.  It's not easy to back a rig but Landon "got 'er done"!

We tied up traffic for a few short minutes.  Once we got all straightened out, we moved on to the next wide spot.

Once we got on the right road we continued the drive south, crossing the Continental Divide several times between Yellowstone and into Grand Teton National Park where we came upon a Elks Ranch Flat and a huge herd of bison.  We stopped for pictures, a short rest and a look-see at our awning tape job.

Photo taken through the glare of the windshield.
We got to almost 8,000 foot elevation and crossed the Continental Divide three times.

The Rockefeller Memorial Parkway goes through Grand Teton National Park.

Tetons

One of two buffalo herds.

Our rig with the Tetons in the background.

Marcella, Landon and BJ in the far right corner.
That's their rig -- Tetons in the background.

It was nice to see the Tetons from the opposite side of where we'd seen them yesterday.  I was glad we hadn't decided to stay in the Teton National Park, though, as a fabulous view of the mountain range was all I needed for my "Teton fix". 

We drove on into and through Jackson Hole, Wyoming and then back into Idaho, yet again to stay overnight at a campground at Swan Valley before going on into Idaho Falls to see about our awning repair.  Marcella and Landon make the ride with us as they want to see about getting service on their coach washing machine too.

The Antler Arches are in Jackson Hole.

The Snake River going back into Idaho from Wyoming.

Trout Dinner, Visits to Mesa Falls and Grand Teton

Ready to cook.

Trout Dinner

Our Red Rock RV Park neighbor, Chet and his wife, Chris, made a mistake when they bragged about the wonderful trout they were cooking on the grill last week.  I love good fish.


After a minimal amount of begging from me, Chet brought over a huge bag of frozen cutthroat and brook trout and shared his grilling recipe.  I thanked him profusely and offered to pay for the fish but he refused payment.  

We kept the fish frozen until Saturday when we'd have plenty of time to cook and enjoy eating them.

Chet describes his cooking technique to Wayne.

The trout was delicious but could have fed a small army. We are, after all, just four old folks.  Marcella, Landon, Wayne and me -- along with our mutts, BJ and Lexie.

Mesa Falls

Sunday, September 4 is our last full day in Island Park near Yellowstone.  In addition to the National Park, there are several local sites I'd like to see.  While my com padres (Marcella, Landon and Wayne) were not interested in seeing Quake Lake, they do want to see Mesa Falls, a cooperative effort of Idaho State Parks and Caribou Targhee National Forest. It's a recreation area that begins at Bear Gulch and follows the Mesa Falls Scenic Byway and includes the Upper and Lower Mesa Falls.  Those falls are our destination today.  Once again, we're in two cars and taking a picnic lunch which we enjoy so much.

We'll travel along the Mesa Falls Scenic Byway that begins in Ashton, Idaho and travels through some beautiful farmland.  This is the "world's largest seed potato producing area" -- who knew?

I liked this sign simply because there's a moose on it.
I'm still on the moose hunt.

The first stop on this day is the 114 foot Upper Falls. The Big Falls Inn, built between 1912 -1914 by Mesa Power Company (probably as an office building) is on the property just above the falls. A dam and power generation plan were planned back then but they were never built.  The area became a tourist attraction and the Inn became a stagecoach stop and hotel for travelers going to Yellowstone.  Later the Inn was used as a restaurant, then a dance hall and later, a scout camp. The US Forest Service acquired the property in 1986 and began restoration of the building in 1997. This is how it looks on our visit today. 

Big Falls Inn is listed on the Register of National Historic Places. circa 1916

Marcella, Landon and their protective dog, BJ.

Inside the Inn I found another moose.  No live ones yet.

Nice wooden walkways have been built around the falls area.  We strolled, took pictures and fielded questions about Lexie and BJ.  Everybody wants to "pet the puppy" it seems.  It's tough to tell the little kids that Lexie is too afraid to let them pet her.

Fear the beard -- the Wayner.

This area is part of Henry's Fork trout stream. Eating our trout dinner last night, I didn't know, but learned today that Cutthroat Trout are the only native trout in these Henry's Fork waters.  Brook and Rainbow trout were introduced in the 1880's.

Lexie absolutely hates waterfalls but I kept her calm with one arm around her all the time.
The north side of the falls (left side of the picture) has a climate all it's own with the constant spray from the waterfall.
There's a nice rainbow behind me too.

This picture was taken just after someone approached me asking to pet Lexie. 
Poor dear, I had to decline as my little furbaby is so afraid right now.

After touring the Upper Falls, Wayne and Lexie waited in the shady car while I explored the historical significance inside the Inn (that's where I found the stuffed moose, a bear, porcupine and numerous other wildlife remains).  We ate lunch at a picnic table in the shade and then moved on to the Lower Falls -- just a short one-mile drive down the Mesa Falls Scenic Byway.

The Lower Mesa Falls is 65' high. A rock walled overlook was build here by the CCC in  the 1930's.

At the Lower Falls, we were attacked by very persistent flies so our visit was short.  Hitting the road again, we continued the Mesa Falls Scenic Byway to an area where we had a good view of the Grand Teton Mountains. Early settlers called this mountain range "Pilot Peaks". French trappers referred to it as "Les Trois Teton" or "Three Breasts".

Looking across the Warm River to the Tetons.
The Tetons are from left to right: 
Mount Owen, 12,928' - Grand Teton 13,770 - Table Mountain 11,106 - Middle Mountain 12,804 - South Mountain 12,541

Driving down into the farmland. 
Tetons in the background

You be the judge... is this beautiful?