rolling power outages

we are green. ok, we're not. but we want to be green. i even got a green stripe for my first tatoo (against my peeps' wishes). we have solar panels. we recycle. we're trying to follow Trav's lead and leave a carbon wheelprint smaller than our bus, but our batteries still aren't talking to our panels, and boon docking at Walmart State Park has run us dry. so today we've said uncle and pulled into a campsite in Wall, South Dakota. it has a dog yard!  a fenced play pen for me and all my friends.  i want to stay here forever.

they roar and paw the dust and seem really, really mad

our rolling power outages keep me from telling the complete stories, but fast forward: bulls in Ellensburg. this is what the professional rodeo bulls do in their spare time. they squabble.  i'm just glad they didn't notice me staring from the other side of the fence.

ok, it looks like we're falling off...

that must be the Big Rock Candy Mountain

she's right. these roads are a bit steep...

another ascent

i'm a good traveler, if i do say so myself. with a name like Road
RunnerDog, i have a reputation to live up to. sorry i ended that with a preposition. if i say i have a reputation up to which i must live, i'll lose my followers. we've crossed Lookout Pass, Fourth of July Pass, and Stakeout Pass, and they were back to the roller coacher syndrome that makes 'leeeen have autoTourettes and yelp out accidental words and sounds. i just take it in stride. Rahhhn had to drive the 7% downgrade at 25mph.

wonder if there's a dog in that car...

so about the puppies i won't be having...no one told me my party was over.  Buddy and i had a plan for a large family.  yes, he's fixed, so he'd have to have a reversal, but we were game. but no. my peeps put an end to my dreams.  i've been depressed (a little) and brought my baby skunk dog (named flower of course). we whiled away the miles thinking of what might have been.

oh well...

i would have been a good mother...

                             

but ok. i got over it. this is my new pal, Hooligan. he's a professional show dog, except something about his feet pointing out keeps him from winning. go figger! his peep said i'd win a mutt contest because my prance is the best you've ever seen.

Hooligan is a beauty. He's a professional Dog.

back to walmart tomorrow with no power, and so many stories untold.

thanks to you, Buddy, Bear, Payton, Gita, Zeke, Nigel, Nikki, Olivia, Patchy, Pariah, Tucker, and my other peep friends. your support gets me through the challenge of leading my people all over this continent. dragging them across America is a full time job.

power to my people

we're plugged in at the quiet Yakima River Campground in Ellensburg. why do i care, you say?  well, we're back to the heat, the mosquitoes as big as my ear, and my peeps will soon have phones that work, obviously they already have an awesome computer that works, and the fridge can again keep my food fresh.  most of all, i can retro blog about the off gridding we've just completed.  we have been Woofing, which is up my alley, but i think it really means "working on organic farms for experience."   or maybe i invented that.  maybe it means "woof woof." or maybe "working on others' farms for experience.."

off to the chicken house. i have to walk on my back legs to be nearly as tall as Nigel and Nikki. but we're woofing.

Nigel and Nikki and I woofed a lot, and my peeps gave it a try. Rahhn overdid it and got to spend two days curled up with me on the couch.  it was great.

the view of Stargazers from our front door

the daily grind...my kind of job.

a little work...

a long day, major accomplishment

cool cruisin'

a little fun...

i've heard dogs don't like tomatoes.  but dudes, they are awesome.  they have the texture of old meat, and they're the color of raw meat, and if you let yourself go there, they taste like steak. trust me.  so this greenhouse full of tomatoes was up my alley.  

weeding in the greenhouse

tomatoes bigger than my head.  heck, bigger than my peeps' heads!

'leeen was a happy camper

the mountain in the east.  Mt. Baker, the beautiful...

the farm has Mt. Baker, a distant postcard of a scene, and goats, cows, chickens, coyotes at night (they invited me to run with them but i think i'll stay in this coach a while longer) and there's a trail in the woods that can't be beat.  we picked blackberries (yes i eat those too. so does Nigel).  there are plenty of slugs to turn over and eat, and lots of dried moles to savor.

when he says "jump" Nikki turns on her back and jumps!

these alternative farmers, off the grid people, who will save the earth, don't eat much meat.  there is a definite lack of flesh and bone. good thing i like tomatoes. in this quiet place, i could run free (Travis Milan taught me to make the decision to walk behind my people and stay close), Nigel and Nikki were always available for a good romp and trample, and i could chase grasshoppers and crickets all day every day.

my peep, her peep (the dog whisperer), and me.  shhh.

oh. the other downside was that the humane society tricked me into having a hysterectomy.  ouch. everything has a bright side (i've heard) so guess what.  they gave me a tatoo beside the slice, and even though it's a simple green stripe, i'm excited because my peeps aren't fond of tatoos and had already said i couldn't have one.  ha ha. i win.

take time to smell the roses (Trav's garden)

ok.  i'm ready for the big road east

off the grid

ok, Nige, where are those chickens?

my new friends (or are they family?)  Nigel and Nikki live on a farm in northwest washington where they watch the sun rise over Mt. Baker every morning.  they actually watch the chickens more than the sun, but they're both to the east of the house...     

can anyone guess what this is?                                          the winner gets a dog treat.

we apparently are trying to live like this experienced group of alternative farmers, and we've gone solar, but our solar isn't communicating perfectly with our batteries, so the tv, computer, phone chargers, and the coffee pot are all scarce.  my peeps won't let me blog. 

i'm building a fire

we'll be on the road soon (if Rahhn feels good enough) and they said i can start blogging again then.  there's so much i want to describe--these slugs are Huge and very tasty!  i have had a hysterectomy!   i got my first tatoo!   i have a chip!    but it will all have to wait until we get back to civilization. 

one housemate, Dana, cool guy

this place is beautiful, full of flowers and bees, bonfires, trails through the old woods, goats, chickens, tomatoes you won't believe, and lots of great people. they're all dog lovers, and they tell me how great i am.  i believe them...