3 Hounds On the Road

Day 5 – Yakima, WA

Hi everyone. This is Lililoo filling in for Bella who is off on a special assignment (catching squirrels in her sleep). I will be reporting on the incredible fun and excitement of traveling with mom and dad. Let me tell you; the view from the back of the car is not as great as one might think. In fact it is pretty cramped and the scenery moves by so fast that it is nothing more than a BLURR! And Mom and Dad wonder why we want OUT of the car every time they stop! Duh! We (the 3 Hounds) have not gotten car sick yet but if they keep us in here too long, we might just surprise them.

We started out with Dad taking us for an early morning stop at the big field by the airport for our morning business routine. Dad is so worried that “someone” is going to have an accident in the car. HA HA! (???) Isn’t that why they made windows? He surprised Mom by filling up the car and once again, there was a man who insisted on putting the gas in the car. And once again, we got TREATS! What a deal. Who cares about the price of gas when you get treats! He didn’t check the oil or air in the tires so Dad was not singing “You can trust your car to the man who wears the star…” Duh! It wasn’t even a Texaco station. I say you can ALWAYS trust a man who gives you a treat!

When we were leaving town, we saw the giant dog food factory. Eli said that is where the barge was going last night. For such an old guy, he is pretty smart!

The trip today from Astoria to Yakama took us along the Columbian River Gorge. Dad said it was very “scenic”. To us it was “blurry”. About an hour out of Astoria, we came to Hood River where we pulled into a Rest Stop to take a…”REST” (Bella told me that Mom says we cannot use any bad words) Duh! Like nobody knows what we do when we get out of the car after 2-3 hours. More water please!

The rest stop was fun. We were on long leashes and got to smell the flowers. It must be a popular stop for other “4-legged Kids” because we got to smell a whole lot more than flowers. After we were fully “Rested”, Mom and Dad put us back into the car so they could go have lunch. Can someone please explain why we get 2 meals a day and they get 3??? Is there anyone we can complain to? Can I write your Congressman or call the Better Business Bureau? News Flash: The Humane Society doesn’t give a…”Rest”. I think they support a conspiracy promoting 2 meals as “healthy” when all it really does is save Mom and Dad money. Maybe I can arrange an “Occupation” in protest. I Just don’t know what we’d “occupy” living in the back of theJjeep! Hey! It’s a Dog’s Life.

And would someone PLEASE tell Mom that is NOT FUNNY when she quietly sneaks up to the car and hits the “Unlock” button on the key! Yes, it does scare the “Rest” out of us!

What a scenery change. We went from lush green trees to dry, brown rocks. Whoa! “Is it going to be like this all day?”(that’s what Mom always says to Dad when he is trying to be funny…) Sometimes blurry is good.

After lunch, we stopped at the Maryhill Winery. (Don’t you think that they have enough wine already? Seriously!!!! It was a beautiful place. In addition to the winery, there was this big stage where they have concerts in the summer. I kept looking for the bands hoping that that “Three Dog Night” would show up. Dad looked into my eyes and said “Not Happening!” Like he knows! I don’t believe anybody who gets 3 meals a day.

When it was time to go, Dad said “…in the car!” (All I heard was “Blah Blah Blah!”). I am thinking “THREE DOG NIGHT! THREE DOG NIGHT! I’M NOT LEAVING!” This could be my big break! I could sing back up. Have you heard me howl? Sigh! Dad had to actually pick me up and put me in the Jeep kicking and…well that is all I did. Doesn’t he understand “NO!” (We’re supposed to know “NO!” ( or is it “No know”…?) I get so confused sometimes. I will say that Maryhill has the very best dog REST area so far. Check out the photo. Must be the fertilizer they use. ???

After the winery fiasco, Mom pointed the jeep towards Yakima. Yes, the trip was “blurry”, but we didn’t care because we were all napping, exhausted from all of the excitement! We all fell asleep except for Mom. I think she enjoyed driving with the peace and quiet. Imagine and extended period of time with Dad not seeing any “must have photo opportunities”. Of course, it’s kind of hard to see anything when your eyes are closed. Oh…and they thought Bloodhounds snore loud! Someone needs to tell Dad that, unless you are a hound dog, drooling is not attractive. Mom sure must love him!

Yakima has a great dog park. When we got there, there were no other dogs (not much of a party when you don’t have any new butts to sniff). We walked around the park and actually found a bridge to cross. Seriosly, A BRIDGE…with nothing underneath it. Why? It was like “a bridge to nowhere”. I thought they only did that in Alaska. Oh…I’m so S-I-L-L-Y!

Then, finally, a dog! Or was it a rabbit dressed up like a dog? We don’t know exactly what it was but it ran like a ricocheting bullet. It was about a foot high and 2 feet long and FAST…OMG! We wanted to play, but no! At least a sniff…but No! Bella and I chased and chased him. Eli just watched (I know he was laughing at us)! At first it was fun…then funny…then irritating…then infuriating…”OMG! That little “!@#&*” He wouldn’t stop. I WANTED TO EAT HIM!!! There must something about 3 meals a day must make you smart because Mom and Dad suddenly tackled me and said “PARTY OVER!” I was so mad that I was actually crying! While Dad held me, Mom grabbed Bella! We had to leave the park. They do say “it’s always funny until someone gets eaten!” I wasn’t going to actually eat him…just make sure he was neutered!

The night ended at the Super 8. 2 queen beds: Mom and Dad in one and Bella and me in the other. Eli…well he is a head case when he gets bottled up in the room too long. He thinks that girls have cooties so he chose the floor. Back to paper cups. Tomorrow’s another day.

Signed,

Lililoo

(edited by Dad)