Honking Dogs on the road with Subaru

Cici and I love to travel. We traveled for a few years in our Subaru Legacy station wagon. We drove all over California, Oregon and Nevada. The Subaru got great gas mileage and had lots of room. Cici took up the back seat filled with pillows and toys. She slept while I did the heavy driving. When we got to the destination, she would shake off and be ready to roll. Her excitement at discovering a new place, having an adventure, was contagious.  She is my polka dot princess now with  four different beds to sleep on, her choice every day and night. She is also my best friend and has earned her place by my side. She has her own driver’s license now so the next road trip we go on, she is gonna take the wheel and head out on the highway. Born to be Cici…

 

We got her new driver’s license from the Subaru Facebook page. It is the same interactive app that we had fun with when watching the Puppy Bowl last weekend. Have you used the app yet? Just download the “IntoNow” app on your tablet or mobile device here  http://blogp.ws/Wxa8ia   There are all kinds of nifty applications… you can even find the perfect Subaru for your dog (The Subaru Dog Matchmaker) and other goodies. Check it out!

Alas, our Subaru Legacy had more than 260,000 miles on it so we need a new vehicle to drive to the beach, dog park, and everywhere. We would love another Subaru, maybe a Forester. We miss driving to the shopping mall (Petco and Pet Smart), the banks (where she would always get cookies and treats from the nice people), and even the grocery store. Cici loves to meet and greet new people. And if there is food involved, even better.

Beep beep beep beep the horn went beep beep beep… do you remember the song, Little Nash Rambler? I imagine that is how Cici would drive the car, beeping the horn the whole way…

Beep beep beep beep
His horn went beep beep beep
While riding in my Subaru
What to my surprise
A little Nash Rambler was following me
About one third my size
The guy musta wanted to pass me up
As he kept on tooting his horn
I’ll show him that a Subaru is not a car to scorn
Beep beep beep beep
His horn went beep beep beep

[Slowly]
I pushed my foot down to the floor
To give the guy the shake
But the little Nash Rambler stayed right behind
He still had on his brake
He musta thought his car had more guts
As he kept on tooting his horn (beep beep)
I’ll show him that a Subaru is not a car to scorn
Beep beep beep beep
His horn went beep beep beep

[Normal speed]
My car went into passing gear
And we took off with gust (whoosh)
Soon we were going ninety
Musta left him in the dust
When I peeked in the mirror of my car
I couldn’t believe my eyes
The little Nash Rambler was right behind
You’d think that guy could fly
Beep beep beep beep
His horn went beep beep beep

[Quickly]
Now we were doing a hundred and ten
This certainly was a race
For a Rambler to pass a Subaru
Would be a big disgrace
The guy musta wanted to pass me up
As he kept on tooting his horn (beep beep)
I’ll show him that a Subaru is not a car to scorn
Beep beep beep beep
His horn went beep beep beep

[Very quickly]
Now we’re going a hundred twenty
As fast as I can go
The Rambler pulled along side of me
As if we were going slow
The fella rolled down his window
And yelled for me to hear
“Hey buddy how do I get this car outta second gear?”

***

Cici has cat issues so when I bring her to meet Grant Weber at the Subaru lot, she will let the kitties know she is boss if there are any felines around.

It is a good thing that Grant Weber knows how to speak dog and caters to each breed. He knows how to give each dog what they need and the best deal. You know that poodles want different accommodations and specifications than German Shepherds, right. And polka dot princesses need extra comfort, cargo space and zoom for their bucks. You could say that Subaru is an equal opportunity mutt pleaser. And yet, their doggie commercials are just as much fun for humans. Don’t you agree?

This post is sponsored by Subaru. we are helping spread the woof about the Dog Tested. Dog Approved.™ campaign, because [Have Dog Blog Will Travel] only shares news for things we love and support. All opinions are mine.

I left my heart in Mendocino, Little River and Westport…

 

 

At Abigail’s B and B in Mendocino… 

 

http://www.whitegateinn.com/abigails.php

 

We had the whole house to ourselves thankfully the way cici was carrying on…  not sure if it’s Mendocino or cici is just whacking out, having a dog breakdown or what but she was pretty crazed yesterday with all of the dogs, cats and people around here. Abigail’s smells very fresh and not chemical like some places do. The feather bed is very comfy and also very fresh.

We stayed in the Drawing room downstairs. A large, very private sunny room with a view of the garden. It contains a queen sized four poster bed, a large closet, sitting area and full bath with shower/bath combination.

The wine and cheese spread at 5 pm was fabulous… there were different cheeses, two wines, olives, salami, rumaki, a hot dip with artichoke that was scrumptious, different kinds of crackers, and cookies. Slept well and so did cici. got her a new halter instead of her collar, which i like a lot.  she also needs a new stronger retractable leash… They have some nice toys and treats for the pups at the gift shop at the Whitegate Inn, bully sticks for $1 and squeaky toys. 

It was a little confusing to get to Abigail’s so here are the directions. Exit Highway One to Little Lake Road. Turn left on the second street which is Howard. Go two blocks to the Whitegate Inn on your left.  Go to the office, and they will check you in and direct you to Abigail’s which is just down the street . 

At breakfast, which was an egg souffle, some banana bread and fresh fruit, I met a family from the Netherlands and several couples from the Bay area.  after I had breakfast, I came back to the car and cici was shaking a lot, so i decided it would be good to walk her around a bit. 

We went to Evergreen Barn which is around the corner and has pet supplies. She threw up at Evergreen, there were two dogs there that she could not play with so we left… the woman there was kind and suggested I get her some rice. Did some errands and drove north up the coast, a bit twisty and windy but beautiful, a little like driving to Big Sur… we stopped at a beach along the way and got out… and cici had a great time running around getting all of her pent up energy run off, so much fun getting all sandy and wet… she finally sat down so then i took her back into the car and we drove the rest of the way up to Westport… it is a tiny little town, smaller than Little River which is saying a lot…

We looked for signs to the Howard Creek Inn and Farm and found it and drove in the driveway passed some sheep grazing along the grass. 

Howard Creek Ranch Inn is an historic, 60 acre, ocean front farm bordered by miles of beach and mountains on the beautiful Mendocino Coast.  Charles (Sunny) and Sally have been working on the Howard Creek Ranch for the last 20 years. They met, fell in love and bought the property from people who had a commune on the land. Howard Creek Ranch is a Mendocino County Registered Historic Site nominated to the Federal Register of Historic Places.

http://www.howardcreekranch.com/history.html

The Ranch has farm animals, nine cats, award-winning gardens, fireplaces/wood stoves, a 75 foot swinging foot bridge over Howard Creek, hot tubs, on-site hiking, sauna, 1000 year old redwoods, and horseback riding on the beach or in the mountains.

Accommodations include cabins, suites and rooms furnished with antiques, large comfortable beds, and handmade quilts with views of the ocean, mountains, creek or gardens. 

Sunny and his wife Sally came here in 1973 and renovated the old building and built new buildings with some modern amenities of Internet and TV videos of old PBS shows and Star Trek… wireless was intermittent in my room… There also is no phone in the room. Atrium B&B and Abigail’s also had no phone in the room. The Little River Inn, Pacific Mist Inn, Surf Motel and Pine Beach Inn all had phones in the room.  If you want to get away from TV and Internet, Howard Creek is a good place to disconnect.

There is a deli in town for food for lunch and dinner, or you can bring your own. The market/deli is not like the one in Little River, I asked for Chicken Teriyaki and got some hot spicy Indian food instead, I did not know until I got back here. I also brought some hot dogs and breakfast is at 9 a.m. in the dining room. 

Breakfast was the heartiest breakfast ever, delicious… eat until stuffed, lots of portions… strawberry banana pancakes, whipped cream, fresh juice, apple granola muffins, turkey bacon, fresh fruit and edible flowers, spinach and cheese quiche, and the best mint tea ever, fresh from the garden… the gardens are spectacular, gorgeous flowers… and it’s soooo peaceful…  the antiques are real, too… 

The ambiance is very peaceful and relaxing and rustic, and very down homey. You can walk to the beach from here and there is a community living room. We stayed in the Walden room.  It is quite large, with a fridge, sink, coffee pot, hanging plants…  deep rich brown wood walls and reddish brown tile floor. 

I had hoped that Cici would be mellow from her run on the beach, but she was up all night, nosing around sniffing everything. We took a few walks and met the other people staying at the farm. It is lovely to be out in the country a hop skip and a jump from the beach. There is a nice grassy area to relax, sunbathe, and barbecue. You must keep your dog on leash at all times so as not to disturb the animals.

If you stay in the Redwood Suite, there is a beautiful view of the ocean from the upstairs bedroom loft and downstairs… if you stay in the Walden room and people are upstairs in the community room, you can hear them walk around up there. There are 12 rooms, four of which are pet friendly. There is a Beach house, and a cabin, which have ocean views, too. 

Visitors come back to the farm on their birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions. Some notables include billionaire entrepreneurs, celebrities, and regular folks from cities near and far. the inn is non-smoking as were most of the inns I stayed at this trip.

Takes about five hours to get to San Francisco, Tomorrow we will travel to Branscomb Road to go across to the 101 and go south to SF. 

Branscomb Road takes about an hour, you get onto 101 (and don’t necessarily know it) and you are above Willits… it was easier than the 128 and took less time and was nice and scenic… 

San Francisco was a whole other matter… the best thing that happened was I found a way OUT of SF easily and fast, by not knowing where I was going… I got off the 19th and had a stop at Geary and 5th. Afterwards, I got onto 19th Avenue, it dead ended and I proceeded towards the 1, the beach and took Hwy 1 south to the 280… easy… no getting lost and driving along the beach, no traffic either… 

We were supposed to stay by the airport but that did not work out so we went to Gilroy and Monterey beach… now we are at a secret location near Lancaster, CA… it is a very nice place is all I can say…  the Mystery and Adventures continue…

 

Walden room at Howard Creek Inn 

      

 

 

 

My dog’s a genius, I knew it…

This basic canine intelligence test was developed by researcher Stanley Coren, PhD, at the University of British Columbia. “Animals who keep trying until they succeed are brighter,” Coren says, “but the longer it takes, the less bright they are. Giving up is not a good sign.” With your dog watching, put a treat under a can; then see how long it takes for her to retrieve it. Less than 15 seconds is very good. Set up three cans, and place a treat under one while your pet watches. Remove him from the room for a couple minutes and then let him back in. Does he run straight to the cans? Does he find the right one? How many commands, hand signals, and noises does your pet respond to? More than 200 means you have a superpet.

not only did CC get the first and second treats right away, but I didn’t know that she had gotten the first one… duh… she was sooooo fast at retrieving and eating it up in a flash…  such a genius… she also continued looking for the treats afterwards and sniffing at the bowls, where did those treats go??? it’s like when she eats up a raw bone or rawhide bone and finishes it and looks around, wherever did that bone get to?  (in your tummy, silly)… 

she knows a few commands but not 200 … so she’s not a superpet… oh well, but this morning, first thing upon arising, she looked for the raw bone that I had taken away from her last night, that she had been chewing on for a couple of hours, and now she is happily chewing it again… but the point is that she remembered the bone overnight… smarty pants.

Doggie IQ test

some of these are too too much… but a few are fun to do…

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/pets/testyourpet/tests/static/dog_7.shtml

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/10/02/earlyshow/contributors/debbyeturner/main524126.shtml

http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/9074/dogIQ.html

and here is that children’s book, Flat Stanley, that inspired me to come up with the Flat Fido idea…

TIP JARLike my blog? Drop a few bucks into the Tip Jar and buy CeliaSue a cuppa hot chocolate!