Tails of a Spinning Dog

Hobie was very interested in the box of gifts we received from Kris' family. He managed to sniff out his gift and once he heard it squeak, we couldn't leave it under the tree. So we hid his gifts in the closet until Christmas Eve. He could barely contain his excitement once he finally got his gift.

Hobie went on another camping trip, this time to Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. It's a gorgeous park filled with towering redwoods. But like most California state parks, dogs are not allowed on any trails. So we made our way down to Pfeiffer Beach, and since it is owned by the National Forest Service, it's dog friendly!

On our way down to the coast, we realized we had forgotten to bring a toy for Hobie. Luckily, we spotted a pet store along the freeway and made a quick dash inside and chose a Chuckit! Flying Squirrel
. The crazy miniature schnauzer was clearly delighted with his new toy.

Hobie was definitely a much happier camper at Big Sur vs. Big Basin. It was much warmer at Big Sur and running off leash at Pfeiffer Beach was pure heaven. We wrapped up the weekend by spending the afternoon on the Carmel River Valley State Beach

Earlier in the fall we took Hobie on his first camping trip, to Big Basin Redwoods State Park. Dogs are allowed in the campgrounds (leashed) and on a fire road.

We got there after dark, but that didn't stop Hobie from barking like a crazy dog when I left the car to check in. Fortunately, he calmed down as soon as his little pack got back together.

We stayed in the Wastahi Campground (PDF map of park). We stayed in site 85, which was fairly secluded (site 86 was even more secluded). Stay away from the sites just down the road from 85 - they are right next to each other. There were a few other dogs nearby, and it looked like most of them were off leash while inside the camp site.

The campsite itself was pretty nice, although Hobie found it a little cold for his liking. We could just bundle up and sit near the campfire, but Hobie wasn't quite happy sleeping on his pad. However, when I put him (and his pad) on my lap he quickly curled up and fell asleep.

Hiking with Hobie
Since Hobie is not allowed on any of the trails, we had to walk along the main road to the fire road, near the check-in point.

It's about a 20-minute walk away from the check-in point and the main day-use parking lot.

The fire road is a couple of miles long, and it's a pretty nice walk. It starts out as a two-lane paved road (closed to traffic), but turns into a more conventional fire road about a mile up. On the way there are a lot of day-use areas there were closed off (not sure of it was because it was late in the season or because of budget cuts).

We bring water when we go hiking with Hobie, and a few sips of water tends to get him (and us) re-energized.

Hobie staying warm

We stayed there for two nights, and the next day Hobie figured out that in addition to my lap, the sleeping bags also made a comfortable sleeping surface.

On overall, this was a good campsite to bring Hobie to, although the hiking options were pretty much limited to one fire road.

We took Hobie to the downtown Sunnyvale pet parade last weekend. I took the opportunity to reuse his reflective vest and turned into his Halloween costume - a miniature schanuzer crosssing guard, complete with whistle and stop sign. I found a picture of the stop sign online and pasted it onto some cardboard, and sewed it onto his vest.

And as one passerby commented, Hobie was a very alert crossing guard! Be safe out there tonight. Happy Halloween!

One of the things we brought from Finland was Mölkky, a throwing game.

It's kind of like lawn bowling, and since there is throwing involved, Hobie is of course very interested.

We went to the Whisman School Park in Mountain View after a walk, and set up. I hoped Hobie was tired after walking for an hour, but once the game was set up and things were flying in the air all thoughts of tiredness were forgotten.

Although Hobie sits still in the picture, he spent the entire time running around the game. Although he didn't interfere with the game, I think he (not so) secretly hoped this would turn into a game for him.

The Whisman School Park is a good neighborhood park for dogs as they are allowed off leash in one corner. Officially it is only for off-leash training, but it looks like the local dogs are usually having a good time playing. One of the regulars told us to be on the lookout for park rangers and just leash Hobie should we see one.

It was love, er, bark at first sight. We went to visit my friend Kat and her new dog, Bella. She spotted us from her perch at the window and Hobie greeted her with a round of woofs at her door. Bella followed Hobie around the house, got close enough to sniff, but she knew better than to engage him in play. Hobie in turn growled at her and stole her football. They tolerated each other but preferred their people instead.

When it was time for us to leave for dinner, they whined and barked together. And when we returned home, we found them both asleep on the couch, though at opposite ends. And when it was time to say goodbye, they somehow ended up laying next to each other and we snapped away with the photos. That's Tokai in the middle, keeping an eye on Hobie and Bella. Not pictured is Milo, aka Jaba the Hut, who is the biggest cat I have ever seen - almost weighs as much as Hobie!

Ah, back on the beach again in Half Moon Bay. Life is good.