Days 73, 74 - Bishop,  California, and HOME!

I honestly was going to post a short piece to the blog last night, but Geri and I went for a late walk, as it had really been to hot to go earlier, and by the time we got back, Don was getting ready to go to bed!  Without my typist and editor, I was out of luck.  So, let me fill you in on the last days of our journey.

We left the lovely Sparks Marina RV Park a little after ten, and connected with highway 395 heading south.   Every time we take this route, they have completed more of the freeway extension; someday, Don says, it will extend all the way through Carson City!  He also says that we might not be around then.  We passed by Topaz Lake, where we had spent a few pleasant days some years ago, and reentered the State of California.  We had to stop at the inspection station, where they check to see if you're bringing in any foreign fleas, or something.  The lady at the station obviously wanted to meet me, 'cause she came aboard on the pretext of wanting to look in our refrigerator.  She presented me with some very nice treats, and spoke to me in a very complimentary way.  I think she wanted me to  come home with her. 

Shortly after leaving the inspection station, we had another visitor, an Officer of the California Highway Patrol, who was also very pleasant and appreciative of my good disposition and manly good looks.  He spent quite a while with us, looking at documents that Don presented him with, and doing a lot of writing on a pad.  I'm not exactly sure what it was all about, but it was all very amicable.  We bid him goodbye, and continued down the 395, which is quite a beautiful trip with mountains on both sides and lovely wild rivers along the road.   We stopped at a rest stop, and immediately noticed a couple with a dog that had been at the Sparks Marina with us.  The dog was a rather small lady, about the size of my Aussie buddies, and we were told that she was a Swedish Cattle Dog!  She was very sweet, and seemed quite intelligent until we saw her trying to catch flies in her mouth; I think that's a waste of effort, as she rarely caught them, and they couldn't be much of a treat, anyway.

Shortly after the rest stop, we pulled into our stop in Bishop, the Highlands RV Park.  The weather was very hot, and we kind of hibernated in the coach until it cooled off later in the evening.  As I mentioned, Geri took me for a long walk, and we met quite a few people and some nice dogs.  One of them was a really big Goldie, by name of Cody, who must have weighed 120 pounds!  He was really nice and friendly, and we had enough time to exchange quite a bit of personal information.  When we got back to the coach, everyone was pretty tired, and we all went to bed soon.

This morning, Don and I were both up early, though I chose to go back to sleep while he browsed the Net.  Geri got up a little later, and Don asked her if she wanted to have a discussion about where we were going today.  The short answer was NO.  She pointed out (rightly, in my estimation) that we could come to Bishop to visit anytime we wanted to, and that should be at a time of year when the weather was decent.  Our destination today was to be Ventura.  Don was impressed with the logic of her argument, and agreed immediately. 

The ride home was uneventful and not really too scenic after we left the Owens Valley.  We made a brief refueling stop in Mojave, continued down the 14 highway to the I-5, which took us to our homeward highway, the 126.  We pulled off the highway and disconnected the truck near a place where Don and I frequently go for walks, and I was really excited by the familiar smells and sights! 
Geri took me with her to the house in the truck, and I was overjoyed to see my dear friend and Temptress, Debbie, coming over to welcome us.  Don showed up shortly with the coach, and positioned it in the driveway; Geri and I went over the field at the school and met up with our human and canine friends, and I was particularly glad to see Barb and my buddies Alice and Cooper.  Back at the house, there was some effort made at unloading the rig, but tiredness soon set in and it was decided that tomorrow was another day.

Don once told me about one of his favorite movies, about a little girl from Kansas (I've been there!) who is swept away by a tornado with her dog to a strange and far-off land, where she had some amazing adventures.  When she finally found her way back to her home and her family, she could only say, "There's no place like home!" I understand that feeling;  though I really enjoy our travels, meeting new people and reuniting with old friends, seeing new places and just being close to my human partners, I always am overjoyed at returning home to our usual routines and familiar places.  I hope your day was a joyful as mine!