My Journey

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

And then there was the road that ran up high.....





And it too was a special place as we mostly just cruised around up here in the Jeep.....





.....where Yukon had her special place in the back.....





The cattle were sparse up here on the ridge.....





The flowers were abundant and moreso with each passing day.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

The views went on for miles and miles.....







I wondered if the dogs could see the beauty of it all.....I want to think that yes they can.....







I'm so thankful to have met the game warden that told me of this place.....this place will always be a special place for me.....





Everyday I hoped it would not come to an end.....



But I guess most everything has a beginning and most everything has an end.....

 

[AlwaysRoaming]

Jerry, your last 2 posts might be the best ones yet. All the best thoughts for you and your dogs in the coming days. Enjoy them.

 

[tgil]

It always puts a smile on my face when I see pics of the two of them with one resting their head on the other.

 

[Photomike]

I understand what you are going through with your dog, I am so sorry. I am going through the same thing with mine. I have a 15 year old Border Collie / rottweiler cross. She use to travel with me then it became too hard for her to sit in a vehicle for a long time so she would stay home. I would walk her twice a day when I was home by taking her to an area outside of town in the van. Then one day she could not jump in the van so I walked her around town twice a day. She has always had a bad back end and then this past spring she actually sat down on a walk and refused to move. I thought it was the end. A visit to the vet and some Xrays and we found out she had severe arthritis. Put her on some powerful drugs for a short time and it helped her come back to a better place. At the same time she fell down some stairs and injured her front leg. My mechanic suggested CBD oil as he uses it on his dog so we tried some. It really helped. Put some on her food in the morning and some in the evening. It really helps. I can tell when she has missed some doses as she starts to limp. Now we walk three times a day and most days she does really well, but in the snow and ice it does not take much to make her sore.

I know it is only a matter of time. This dog literally saved my life so the least I can do is to give her a good senior time. She gets to walk, bark at other dogs and cats as much as I can manage.

Wishing you and the dogs all the best!!

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Jbynum.....I appreciate that. Thank you. I'm working diligently to get this blog caught up, in addition, I want to document this period of our lives as well as I can. There are times in our lives that seem to have more meaning or importance than others. Certainly for me, this is one of those times. One day I'll come back here to read about these times and I'll admire the pictures and hopefully enjoy my writings.....then I'll be thankful for these efforts.....I'm planning to rest soon.....

tgil.....same here.....

photomike.....thank you very much. For about 3 months now I've had to lift Yukon in and out of most places all day everyday. I thought my back muscles were strengthening until one day it hit me.....it wasn't me getting stronger but it was her losing weight. It sucks.....I wish you the best as well.....




It might seem as though I would have written about the Gila River first rather than last, as I would imagine that it is really the star of the little paradise where we stayed, but as it was, the Gila River was not a large part of our visit.....





The water levels were high and the torrents of water that flowed by were much too strong for a dogs swim.....





The BLM ranger that I spoke with that one evening said that mountain snows from New Mexico were beginning to melt and that it was typical for the river to expand beyond its banks at this time of year.....





So for the most part I kept the dogs away from the rivers edge but I would go there in search of wildlife.....we walked quite a bit in the lowlands where the grasses grew green and where the signs of deer and beaver were literally everywhere.....





I only saw one deer here and I actually only saw the white tail of that deer in the thick brush. On a cliff overlooking the river I came across a fox but it was gone and out of sight within a few seconds. A very large lizard passed by one day.....it too gone in a matter of seconds. It was only the white-nosed coatimundi that stuck around.....probably because he was such a long distance away and unaware of my existence....



From what I've read this was more than likely a male.....females travel in groups and I watched this guy for at least a half hour.....he was always alone.....and totally absorbed with food finding.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Watching the coatimundi late that afternoon was truly a gift.....this was actually the first time that I'd ever seen one.....



Watching the river flow was often done high above its banks.....





The waters flow was simply amazing and at night we could hear the waters from our camp as they flowed downward and through the canyon walls....





After 8 days we finally decided to move on.....I second guessed that decision even before I'd left our camp. This rest was a blessing for us.....and a wonderful place for Yukon to spend some of the last days of her all too short life.....





We drove into town and did what we always do.....then we stopped in at Burger King so Yukon could have some fast food.....

 

[ITTOG]

What a good girl, posed for a pic before scarfing down the food.

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[tgil]

Interesting, in the third pic above (profile), I see a puppy face, hidden beneath the white. Might just be the sweet girl's eyes?

The coatimundi would be a treat for sure! That is a critter I've never seen. A badger would also be on that same list.

 

[Sierra Valley]

Man that Bonita Creek is beautiful

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

ITTOG....yep.....

tgil.....I see it sometimes too.....

Sierra Valley.....I agree. Bonita Creek is the water source for Solomon, Arizona and I think that in at least one picture you can see the waterline attached to the canyon wall. There are several locations along the waterline where one can access the water (for free) to fill water jugs. One more reason to love Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area.....







Reluctant to leave the area, and I do emphasize reluctantly, we decided to drive south to visit Chiricahua National Monument. This place was actually just a short drive south of Fort Bowie which we had just visited several weeks prior. I had heard it was beautiful with amazing rock formations but the thought of soaking in the hot pools won out last time.....now we were back.....



This place gets busy and I'll tell you what.....it's a real gem. We found that camping nearby in the national forest was difficult due to access, and the campground was full when we visited.....so we slept just outside the entrance gate which was fine by me.....



Tanner and I took an early morning walk into the site and came across the Faraway Ranch.....







This turned out to be an excellent morning walk.....







Obviously the place was well marked with the historical signs.....which I might add that I found them to be quite interesting.....Tanner, of course, not so much.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Yukon had not had a good night and that morning she was shaky on her legs. I was pretty much freaking out and began to think that this was the day......



I loaded her up with her medications and I hoped for the best.....







My plan here was to do several of the shorter hiking trails (there are lots of trails here) so that I could keep an eye on her.....







Of course somewhere up there in those massive rock formations I got a bit lost and ended up going the wrong way.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Eventually I returned to the rig.....







.....and found that Yukon had reacted well to her medications.....







and she was back on track once again.....







always the WARRIOR.....

 

[tgil]

Great pic to end that post with! Smiling for the camera!

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[Broshaker]

I have been following your journey for some time - we too (my wife and I) are wanderers and your writing and pictures, as so many others have expressed, are our favorite. You inspire with your perspective. I am deeply sorry about Yukon's decline, but so glad you have had him in your life. Thank you for continuing to share with us.