I stood on a corner in Winslow, AZ!

 After being on the road for 6.5 weeks, it was time to begin the long trip home.  Mom said there was a corner in Winslow, AZ that she wanted to stand on.  I didn't really understand until she sang me the song.  I have to admit, it was fun to stand on that corner.

Hey, mister, I like your song.

Our plan was to stay in the visitor center's parking lot, but the folks didn't know how safe it would be and high winds were predicted for the night.  We decided to drive on and stay in a campground, but it was not easy to find a vacancy.  We ended up staying in a place called OK Campground and that about describes it.  I hated it because the dog park was gravel.  Mom and I walked and walked until I finally found a spot to do my poo.  There were big burrs we found while walking so that was not good.   Mom refused to take a shower there because the shower house was old and dirty.  It was a safe place to stay and we were parked between two big RVs and we didn't feel the wind that got up to 50 mph.

This was the all gravel dog park.  I refused to walk in it.

We explored a little bit of Route 66.  Mom wants to do the whole thing but count me out until Arizona gets rid of their gravel.

Wigwam Resort in Holbrook, AZ

Our trip home continues in the next post.

Jaxson,

The Greyhound Who Hates Gravel

Sighthound Shivoo 2021

 We came to Kanab, UT for the greyhound gathering which is called the Sighthound Shivoo because it is not just for greyhounds anymore. There were other sighthounds there.

The event began on a Friday night.  The first event was a talent show.  I did not participate, but I definitely could have because I know how to sit, stay, lay down.  Those were the basic things that the dogs did.  I also am an excellent package carrier.  Mom decided that I probably didn't want to get on stage and she was correct.  I did learn how to bark at the event.  Most of the greyhounds did a roo which is basically a howl.  I just barked and at the end I did a roo.  I tried to get the rooing going again but no one listened to me.

Me watching the show.

The second day of the event, we were supposed to go on a hike.  It was canceled due to rain. It rained all day.  The event was supposed to be held outside, but it had to be moved inside.  I don't really like to be stuck inside with other hounds because I don't like hounds sneaking up on me and sniffing me while I am relaxing, so I stayed in the van.  The folks went to the event in the afternoon to listen to a few speakers and to shop. There was all you can eat pizza from Pizza Hut for dinner.  An auction was held and grab bags were given out.  

Saturday was our parade.  I dressed in my Mardi Gras outfit.  There was supposed to be music, but there was a problem with it, so it didn't start working until we were done.  I won a collar for my costume.  Mom was happy about that.  The afternoon was another day of auctions and grab bags.  I won a coat and a purple leash that goes well with my Mardi Gras outfit.  Lunch was chicken pitas but it wasn't really chicken. We spent the evening at Best Friends which is an animal sanctuary.  We took a driving tour of Best Friends earlier in the week.  It was a chilly night at Best Friends.  It was held at Angels Landing.  There was a happy hour with wine, beer, nuts and dog treats.  There were also auctions and grab bags.

Angels Landing- My Dad is in the red coat on the left side and I am there wearing my new coat.  Mom is getting treats at the front.

We don't know this gal.  Mom just thought she was cute.

This guy was a real character.  He had Mom laughing all weekend

This is a cookie with the the logo of the event.

Another cookie.

The last day of the event was on a Sunday.  I participated in the Blur of Fur.  This is where the hounds show off their running skills.  The folks didn't think I would run because I don't like to run.  I rarely run when given the chance.  I found the event very exciting.  I loved watching the other dogs take their turn to run.  Each dog runs by themselves with their Mom or Dad calling them.  I was more than ready when it was my turn, however, just as I was ready to show my stuff, they stopped the action.  The dog before me didn't want to stop running and they couldn't catch him.  I had to wait.  I lost a little bit of my excitement but I was still clocked at 15 mph by the radar gun.  Mom said I would have been faster if they hadn't made me wait.   The folks were really impressed with me.  There is a video but Mom can't make it work here. 

After the Blur of Fur, I decided I was done with the event and went to the van and watched TV. The folks had lunch which was an Indian Taco. There was another auction and the last of the grab bags were handed out.  That was the end of the event. 

We enjoyed the event.  The people were nice and it was well organized.  We were given nice program booklets that told us where everything was and it included maps. The event included three meals and there was more than enough food.  That has not been the case at the other event we have attended.

We enjoyed our time in Kanab, but with the event over it was time to hit the road and held home.  

Jaxson,

The Greyhound Who Can Run When He Wants

Little Hollywood Museum and Pipe Spring National Monument

 We did a little sightseeing around Kanab yesterday.  Kanab has been the shooting location of over 100 movies and TV shows and it has the nickname of Little Hollywood. In the 50's and 60's, many westerns were shot here.  We visited a museum called Little Hollywood Museum.  It is free museum.  They have several of the buildings from old movies set up outside.  Dad is a big Clint Eastwood fan and there were two buildings from his movie Outlaw Josey Wales.

We then drove to Pipe Spring Naional Monument. Pipe Spring National Monument is rich with American Indian, early explorer and Mormon pioneer history.  The folks spent a very short time here because I couldn't go on the hike with them. They were not able to tour the building because of Covid.

Mom said she has been having dreams about canyons and red dirt.  She said she needs a change of scenery.

Jaxson,

The Greyhound Who Wonders When He Is Going To See His Beach Again

We Finally Made It To Kanab And A Day At The North Rim Of The Grand Canyon

 We finally made it to Kanab, UT.  This is where the greyhound event is being held this weekend. There are signs all over town promoting it.

Kanab is a nice town.  There are two grocery stores and several restaurants. The grocery stores are still pricey, but not as bad as other places we have been on this trip. There is not a Walmart or a Target. We haven't seen a Walmart since we left Colorado.  Mom has been frustrated with the high prices.  Oh and don't get us started on the cost of gas on this trip.  Our budget was blown halfway through the trip and we still have to drive home. 

We arrived here on a Saturday.  The campground has a dog park that I love.  I am not thrilled with the gravel that I have to walk on to get to it but our site is about as close as it can be to it, so I am happy.  There are several dogs here.  Another greyhound arrived yesterday. I know that there will be a few more as the week goes on.

An action shot.  Yes, I am flying with my toy.

On Sunday, we drove to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  The folks said it is totally different from the South Rim.  When you drive to the North Rim, you go through quite a bit of woodsy area. The trees are beautiful right now.  The pictures of the trees were taken inside the van and the windshield was dirty as you can see from the photos. Only 10% of the Grand Canyon visitors come to the North Rim. We had a 25 minute wait to get into the park because there was only one employee taking the payment.  It is crazy that we had to wait that long.

There are two trails that dogs are allowed on but we didn't go on any of those.  I was fine with that.

There is really a lot to do and see in and around the Kanab area.  We have a busy week planned.

Jaxson,

The Greyhound Who Loves A Good Dog Park

Zion National Park

 We arrived at Zion Canyon Campground on a Tuesday.  We drove through a good part of Zion on our way to the campground.  There is a tunnel that you must drive through and if you are too big you must pay a fee and then they shutdown the two way traffic so that the oversized vehicles can fit through.   We closed in our rearview mirrors to make us smaller but it wasn't necessary because there was a bigger vehicle in front of us.  He had to pay the $15 permit fee and we and many others after him were able to travel through for free.  We lucked out.  We left on a Saturday and we again lucked out because the park was so crowded that they just took turns letting groups of cars go though the tunnel for free.

The campground was better than Mom and I expected.  It had a paved road and the sites were a red sand.  There were a few places with grass.  

Our campsite.

The Virgin River that runs behind the campground.

We have seen a lot of tents on top of trucks but never on top of a camper.

The first night we were there, we decided to walk into town for an ice cream.  We were actually in town, but the ice cream place we wanted to go to was about a 1/2 mile away. It was a really fun walk.  

The second day, the folks decided to just stay home with me because there was a threat of rain.  I am not scared of rain, but the campground had two flash floods this year and Mom didn't want to leave me alone.  The first flash flood was on July 2nd and it destroyed the hotel and office.  Our site was just down from the office, so it was a little scary to think we could have been there.  It ended up not raining after all. We did take a very long hike on a trail that dogs are allowed on.  The folks thought it was 3.5 miles roundtrip, but now we think it was seven miles roundtrip.  We turned around at about mile three, we think. We may have walked six miles.  We don't know for sure. We were definitely tired.

I'm tired!

I ended up getting pretty sick the second night. I had the Big D and I was sick all night long.  I had it the day before we arrived at Zion, but it was not that bad.  This time no one got any sleep. Mom was preparing to take me to the vet when I finally calmed down and went to sleep.  The folks stayed home with me all day again.  

Finally, on the third day, the folks were able to go into Zion again.  Mom had not been excited about Zion because you have to take a shuttle.  She doesn't like to be on someone else's schedule and with Covid, she really didn't want to be on a shuttle bus with people.  Masks are required at the national parks and also on the shuttles, so she felt a little better.  The folks planned on taking the town shuttle into Zion and then taking the Zion shuttle.  The town shuttle which had a pick up right outside our park was packed, so they ended up walking almost the entire way into Zion which really wasn't that far.  However, the shuttle stopped at the last stop before the park and picked them up.  They then got on the Zion shuttle.  The folks ended up taking a two mile hike.  They took the trail that leads to The Narrows.  The Narrows is a hike that you do through the water.  They only did the hike to the water.  

People preparing to hike The Narrows.

We really don't know why people love Zion such much and why it is so popular.  I guess it is because of the hikes such as The Narrows and Angels Landing but if you are not into hiking, then to us, it wasn't that great.   Have you heard of Angeles Landing?  If not, check it out on YouTube.  It is a really scary hike where you use chains to climb up the mountain.  There is no way my Mom would ever do it. She has found that she really does not like hiking that much especially where she can fall off a mountain or a cliff.  She gets really scared.

I am feeling much better.

$13.99 for a 12 pack of Pepsi near Zion.  Mom said NO!

We left on a Saturday and made our way to Kanab, UT where the big greyhound event is happening and grocery prices are better.

Jaxson,

The Greyhound Who Is Feeling Much Better