So this is what the dog house feels like....

Oh my, oh my, am I ever in trouble.  Dad is M>A>D at me!!  And the day had started out so grand.....

Dad had called me 'stinky' (this was the day before the grand beginning day) and Momma agreed, so she grabbed her computer and did a web search for dog self wash.  It was an unsuccessful search for this area.  But she did find a PetSmart with good reviews so they hopped in the truck and left 'stinky' me in my crate at home.  Now tell me, how am I supposed to get sweet smelling and gain a shiny coat when they leave without me?

Did I mention that I have nervous parents?  I mean, they are so careful with what I do, where I go, which rooms I am allowed in, and what I eat.  Well, add to the list, who gets to bathe me.  They went to check out the grooming facilities to make sure I would have a 'positive' experience.  Momma said they even stopped a customer and asked for a review report.  Well, I guess the groomers passed the test.  Dad and Momma came home with an appointment for me for the next morning.  

So now we are back to the day that began so grandly.  I was loaded up in the truck and off we went.  I was so excited that I could hardly walk as my butt was wiggling so hard.  Momma said we were a bit early so we wandered the store.  My what fantastic smells👃.  And then we got to the dog toy aisle.  I fell in love with this marvelous guy. He has a grand, low grunting squeaker and he just felt marvelous in my mouth.  Just look at him.  He almost tickles my mouth.

 Please, please can I take him home with me?  And then I got that standard response...maybe, if you're good.  

Hey, I'm ALWAYS good...at least in my eyes.  

Well, the gals in the grooming room greeted me with open arms and lots of strokes and I danced into the back room for my spa treatment.  'Go a head guys,  I'll have one of the gals call you when I'm finished with my transformation from stinky to sweet, gorgeous and silky soft.'

Well, I must have been a REAL good girl because there it was, waiting for me when I got back into the truck.  My newest favorite toy.  I was in LOVE.  I loved that thing from one end of the house to the other,  I massaged its back, its belly and then.....ooops....somehow the back leg just sort of came off in my mouth. 

Hey,  what's this stuff inside here?  I can almost see the squeaker that makes that grand, grunting sound that I have been entertaining my parents with ever since we got into the truck and I first wrapped my mouth around his fat body.  And then.....Dad saw what had happened.....and he was M>A>D.  He kept saying stuff like, 'What did you do?  You just got that!  You haven't even had it 24 hours!'  And then he took away my newest, bestest toy.  And that's when my grand day did a 180.  

I was feeling so good with my shiny, clean coat and my brand new toy and suddenly, all I was left with was my shiny, clean coat and a frowning, gruff speaking Dad.  Hey, I think it must have had a defect or something.  

I mean, here we are in Elkhart, Indiana staying in a marvelous rental house....a whole house with comfy furniture, washer, dryer, wi-fi, TV

and lush green grass for me to romp in

while our rig is in the service center for repairs.  Maybe, they sell defective items here.  After all, our home on wheels was defective and needs fixing.  

You really can't think I would do something like damage it on purpose.  Who me??  Would I do something like that??

I miss my toy......

I'm Chloe

Did you say closed?

June 20- 21, 2018
Pleasant Creek CG
Oglesby, Illinois

I thought Dad was going to bring me a new playmate. 

But all I got to see was a picture.  The entrance to the campground is this long road that leads back into the hollow along the creek that has been rising steadily over the last 5 days of rain.  Seventeen inches of rain according to the campground manager.  Our first site was a bed of crushed stone so thick that we sunk into it up to the hubs before even getting close to the utility post.  That was when the manager checked around and found another site for us that was without standing water in it and kept us on a limerock bed.  The site right next to us was a pool of water.  

Now I'm not sure if it is the rain or the possibility that the corn got planted early, but the Illinois fields are producing hearty stalks that are a good 5 plus feet tall

unlike the fields in Wisconsin and Indiana displaying ankle high plants.  Maybe Illinois farmers have greener thumbs?

    
Our campground is just outside of Utica, Illinois and Starved Rock State Park...but with the rain, the state park wasn't a good option.  Momma and Dad decided to visit the Westclok Museum in neighboring Peru, Ill....but that didn't happen....the museum was closed.  So they decided to visit the Heritage Museum in Utica...but that didn't happen.....the museum was closed.

  I guess Thursday is not museum day.  They had even checked into the I & M Canal Boat tour....a replica boat pulled by mules....but there was a hole....not in the boat...but in the canal.  So they were closed.  Go figure!!

So when all else fails, you fall back on Dad's favorite thing to do....have a cup of coffee ....at a Bakery Cafe.  Guess what! 

The bakery was open, serving coffee and delicious cinnamon bread pudding coffee cake.  Success at last!!  The cafe also offered lunch items.  Have you ever heard of these?

Momma said if we had stayed in the area longer, she would consider giving them a try another day.










I was beginning to think the highlight of the day would be watching the neighboring campers getting pulled out of their muddy site so they could head home to Michigan.  At least they didn't have to call a tow truck.  The campground workers had just the thing to pull him out of the mud.  

Momma had found an article on line that had been published in the Chicago Tribune recommending a couple of 'do not miss' eateries in the area.  They hit the first one the day we arrived and when they

appeared at the camper door with their take out boxes with half of their delicious Reuben sandwiches from Duffy's, an old Irish establishment/tavern that is a landmark in Utica, I just knew I was going to enjoy a snack.  After all, I'm getting older and more grown up every day. Surely I should be ready for the contents of a doggy bag....right?.....WRONG.  Not only am I not allowed people food, those left over Reubens were going to be a delicious meal another day.   They were definitely of  'do not miss' quality, thick and piled high.

The other eatery was  Ron's Cajun Connection in LaSalle.  It seems the owner was raised in Louisiana and he brought his Cajun gumbo, boudin, jambalaya recipes with him and convinced his Illinois friends to give it a try.  It was a great success and he has been serving up delicious meals with his wife, Amy.  Dad said his meal was as good as the meals he enjoys when they visit Louisiana.  
 Maybe some day I'll get to visit Louisiana!!??

I'm Chloe

I don't think I should have pinched my ball with my teeth...ooops

Resort??

June 19, 2018
Wisconsin

We have been meandering east and then south in Wisconsin heading for Indiana.  Momma found another 'Boondockers Welcome' location in Seymour, Wisconsin with a huge, wide driveway, 30 amp and water and nice lush grass for me.  The owners even invited Momma and Dad to enjoy a beef brisket dinner with them.  I wasn't invited into the house as they are cat people....four cats.  There were cat beds on the kitchen island, a cat water fountain on the kitchen counter and cats roaming the kitchen table...even in the middle of dinner.  Yep, they are quirky about cats!!  But Mike did come out and pet me.  I guess dogs are okay with him as well.

Seymour is a small community with a welcome sign and a 12 foot statue on Depot Street that identifies Seymour's claim of fame.

Too bad the museum wasn't open.

Our current campground claims to be a resort.  The website pictures even tend to support the resort claim but......what we found when we arrived didn't even resemble the pics or our definition of a resort. 

Thank goodness we only paying Passport America 50% rate...but truthfully, we feel ripped off even at that rate.  We have water and electric only...no sewer hook up at our "full hook up" site.  They claim it is a pull thru site but our truck is straddling a fire pit...really a hole in the ground

while our 5th wheel is sitting on an uneven/non level gravel site.  The gravel section is not very wide so by the time you put your stairs down, the ground drops off making the first step a leap to get on to.  Now doesn't that sound like a 'resort'?  I guess with so many seasonal rigs here, they really aren't worried about maintenance or manicuring the campground for the daily/weekly campers. Dad said we are scratching this place off our list and adding it to the NEVER return to list.

It has rained for two days but we did get lucky enough to get set up before the rain began.  If we get lucky again, the rain will stop so we can pack up tomorrow without getting wet when we move on to our next adventure.

I'm Chloe

Making friends

June 16, 2018
Irvington Campground
Menomonie, Wi

 The campground host invited me to play with one of their playground balls.  She said I would make a great soccer player. 

 It was a dull gray ball, but it rolled really well.

Today, our neighbors went shopping and bought a ball just for me.  A rainbow colored ball that I can take wherever I go.  Now how cool is that?

So not only are we staying in a great campground.  I also get to play on the farm with cousin Murphy. 

He is so lucky to have so much land and green grass to romp in.  


And then there are all the other friends on the farm.  Now, I have to admit, their size is a bit intimidating.  But I have found if I keep on the opposite side of the fence, they can't get to me. 

I had a short conversation with one of my new friends and asked him what he does all day.  He has led a very sheltered ..stay at home life, unlike me. He said he sees loading in the backseat of the truck as a real problem which really limits his exposure to just the farm.  I think I'll keep my lifestyle.

I even got invited inside and played with Cousin Corey and his father Don.  I think they both love me.

I can be rather fun to play with and pet.

 Yes, it is very enjoyable here.  Momma got to enjoy sitting on the porch and catching up with Missy while Murph and I got to know one another.  Murphy did tell me there is one rule you cannot break....Don't run in the garden.  Somehow I keep forgetting....well not really forgetting so much as my paws just get carried away romping and the next thing I know, everyone is yelling, "NO,  DON'T RUN IN THE GARDEN"   Oops!! Well, once you are in the middle of the garden, you HAVE to run to get back out.  I wonder if Missy's vegetable plants are tough and hardy!! They'll have to be if I hang around much longer.

Sorry Missy😏😔  I really didn't mean to do it. Murphy will explain.....

It's time to say good bye to the farm as we are hitching up tomorrow....... more adventures at the end of the highway.  

I'm Chloe

Does this apply to dogs too?

There is a saying I've heard, 'Curiosity killed the cat'.  Can you tell me if that applies to dogs as well?

You see, our campsite is near the kids playground.  It has been rather quiet all week until the rigs began rolling in on Friday evening.  Now I have some entertainment to watch.  I can sit on the steps that go upstairs right by our front door and look out the window.  Those kids sure seem to be having fun on the wrap around slide and swings.  And look....they are playing ball.  

Well, I sat there sooo long I began to get a cramp in my hip. 

Then I got to thinking.  This door window isn't the only window on this side of the rig.  There is a nice large window by the dining room table.  And I began to wonder if the view was any better from that big window...so...I hurried over to the window...but.....it is too high for me to see out of.  But I was still curious.  Now Dad had conveniently left the chair out a bit from the table.  I put my front feet on that chair, stretched my chin and....I still didn't have a good view.  So....I struggled myself up on the chair......but my view still wasn't at a good angle.  So....the next logical thing to do was to hop up a bit higher.....on the table.  Did I mention that Dad was busy outside and Momma was busy with her nose in her computer?  

Well, just as I hopped up in the middle of the dining room table,

Momma looked up, and her voice wasn't all that pleasant sounding, "What are you doing?"  Who me?  I was just curious if I could see the kids better from here.  

Well, let me tell you....I didn't even get a chance to check out the view.  

When she asked me if I wanted to live long enough to make it to my first birthday I hope she didn't really expect an answer.  Of course I do.  I LOVE life!  I'm having a great time learning, exploring and satisfying my curiosity.  Why just the other day I found out what propane smells like.

I was trying to see what Momma was doing in the kitchen so I hopped up on my back legs.  Now I have to admit, I don't have very good balance so I wound up resting my front paws on the stove.  All of a sudden, Dad got excited and wanted to know what that smell was.  Momma had just opened the refrigerator door and it smelled like something dead was in there.  But then Dad realized that the smell really wasn't coming from the refrigerator.  It was coming from the stove.  Those black knobs moved when I brushed against them trying to balance myself.  That smell was propane.  Dad quickly shut off the knobs, opened the windows and turned on the fan.

Life sure is interesting.  I wonder what I will discover tomorrow?

I'm Chloe

The farm in Wisconsin

June 11, 2018
Menomonie, Wi

We made it to cousin Murphy's farm.

I'll bet you thought Murphy was a dog and not a cow.  Well, you are right😁😁😁  These guys don't have names ....something about appearing on the dinner table down the road a piece...like tonight's dinner.

I'm not sure why Momma didn't get a picture of Murphy with his golden coat of fur.  It certainly wasn't because he was moving too fast and flying in the wind.  I kept after him to get moving but....  I would zip by him and bump his back hip on my way encouraging him to let loose but he was too busy stamping out the scents that my cousin Ciar, the black lab, Aunt Janice's companion, was leaving as he lifted his leg around the farm.  

Momma did get a bit distracted taking shots of all the colorful, lush plant foliage.  Missy seems to have a green thumb

and Momma said she was sad that we were here so early in the growing season as we wouldn't be eating from her garden this year.

  It is still a work in progress.  Between the late cold and then all the rain, the garden is off to a later than normal start this year.  

This is a great place to work out any kinks from riding all day.  You can really stretch out with so much land.  They didn't let me go to the fields.  I had to stay close to the house. 

But I still had PLENTY of running room.  If I could have just gotten old stick in the mud Ciar or Murph to run with me.  Maybe another day?

I'm Chloe....

only 51/2 months old and I've slept in 8 states already.  Does that make me a rambling traveler?  I don't think I qualify as  a 'seasoned' traveler yet.  

Options

Now this is some lush grass!!

Sunday, June 10th
Rockton, Illinois

The rally ended and we packed up between rain storms.  Yep, it poured during breakfast but then quit so we could get hitched up. Momma said I am going to meet my cousin Murphy who lives on a farm in Wisconsin.  She said it was too far to travel in one day but she was having trouble locating a midway point.....
and then......
she decided to give Boondockers Welcome a try.  People who are willing to host for night or two and people who want to stop for a night or two connect on the Boondockers website.  It's only $30 a year for guests to join the Boondockers Welcome website and half price if you also host.

Well, I must say, we hit the big time!!  What a super spot to stop.  Less than 4 miles from the highway.  A Walmart with reasonably priced fuel to make Dad smile.  An easy, spacious back in location next to the host's garage so we were on pavement and ....a bonus....30 amp service.  But the REAL winner was the soft, plush, belly tickling green grass that seemed to go on for miles (remember, I'm quite small so everything looks huge).  

And the price....free....but Momma did give them money to pay for the electric we used.

Now typically, the 'hosts' are home and we would get to interact with them but in this case, they were off enjoying time in their class A but they let us stay anyway.  That worked out real well because everyone crashed early after a busy rally schedule that kept everyone on the go.  Factor in that we are back on Central Time and it really WAS early according to the clock on the wall. 

See how fast I can run...I'm a blur!!  Can we stay another day...please???

I'm Chloe

Rally Days

June 4 - 9
Open Range Owners Rally
Goshen, Indiana

Momma and Dad are having just too much fun here with all the rally events and spending time with old friends and making new friends with nearly 80 rigs here.  I have to schedule my 'romp' time.  Lucky for me, there is a partially fenced grassy area not far from our rig where I can chase my jug and burn it up!!  No driving to the dog park.

My cousin the black lab Ciar is here but he is a stick in the mud and doesn't want to romp.  I need to find another pup full of vim and vigor like me. Dad just expects me to do all the work.  He keeps tossing my jug and expects me to return it to him.  I've been trying to tell him that he needs to take a turn going after the jug.

It can get real confusing when returning to our rig because they all look quite similar...a sea of gray rigs.  Thank goodness the tow vehicles are different!!  

Yesterday got even more confusing as everyone had on the same shirts.  They called it Highland Ridge Day as the rig manufacture not only provided the shirts, they provided breakfast, dinner and they unveiled the plans for this coming year's designs.  Then they asked for more ideas on what people like, don't like and would like to see in future products.

Sunday is travel day once again.  We are heading northwest to Wisconsin.

Catch you down the road.....

I'm Chloe....want to scratch my belly?

Rolling Wheels

May 30 - June 1, 2018
Lazy Day Campground
Danville, Mo
Prairie Pine Campground
Rontaul, Il

Our wheels are rolling again.  Momma and Dad said we would ALL enjoy a much more leisurely pace than the original mad dash plan getting us to Goshen, Indiana on Sunday for the Open Range Owners Rally at the Elkhart 4-H Fairgrounds.  In other words, we packed up before the official end of the Escapade in Sedalia, Mo and set our wheels in motion.

Our first stop was in Danville, Mo at Lazy Day Campground.  We had stopped at this campground heading into the Escapade and they have such a super dog park, I asked if we could stop again.  The campground is well manicured and maintained and this time, Momma found something else to smile about.  Check out the laundry room.

Now how cool is that?

And then there are the Restrooms... neat doors...

The owner 

is the artist.  No wonder the whole campground has such an appealing look to it with placement of flowers and colors of buildings.

And.....this is the campground that will let you wash....the 5er, the Ram and ME!!  All traces of  fairground mud have been removed!

We sparkle once again.

The wheels continued to roll on into Illinois.  We are at a lovely public park/campground with full hook up, loads of grass, some shade and a cheap rate but still on central time.

This is farm country as we passed many fields of crops as we exited I-57 and discovered this cute little grain shed on our way.

We were all wondering what year it was built.  It can use a bit of roof work, but it has artistic appeal.

Momma has been baking today.

Pumpkin Muffins....

Multigrain bread.....

I volunteered to be the official taster but.....all I got was, "Here, go chew on this,"  a rawhide bone.  It doesn't smell at all like bread or muffins.  I'm sure it doesn't even chew the same...but I wouldn't know for sure as I have led a sheltered life.....so far.  I may need some tips on how to loosen the parents up a bit.

I did go out to play a bit but with 90 degree temps, no one wants to stay out too long with me.  Guess I'll just get comfy and take a bit of a nap.

Then I'll be recharged and ready to romp this evening for PLAYTIME!!  I'll bet you wish you could muster up as much energy as I have...maybe even half as much!!  I'm spring loaded for sure.

I'm Chloe

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