HERO – Memories that will not fade… PART I

This is a tribute to Ally’s rescue dog HERO . Because we (family) have a lot of photos it will be BLOGGED in Two Parts. HERO was ALLY’s companion, protector and best friend. Wherever Ally went, there was HERO. When HERO was a puppy, he lived next door to my oldest daughter Nadia. His owners did not take care of him and left him in the backyard while  they were gone all day…

This is the first photo of Hero taken by Nadia…

One day, Nadia noticed the HERO was no longer in the backyard next-door and left a note on her neighbor’s door that HERO was missing. After a day, she went back, in the evening and  asked where HERO was. The occupants feigned ignorance and stated that HERO must have run away. Nadia didn’t buy that explanation and went looking for HERO …

She found him here, at a nearby pound/shelter…

HERO was not a happy pup…Nadia  called her sister Ally and asked if she would be interested in fostering HERO, until a permanent home could be found for him. Ally was all engaged in that suggestion and went through the process of adopting HERO. Fat chance that HERO would not become Ally’s shadow and a fixture in her life…

A young HERO…

HERO at home in Simi Valley with Gabby…

HERO beside himself after ALLy’s trip to China and the Philippines with NICK in 2018…

HERO was the best fed dog…

HERO loved sunshine…

HERO basking…

By the pool with Gabby…

HERO & Ally…bed mates

Stylin’ O’Pop’s Stetson…

Ally’s favorite photo of HERO at home with a bandana…

HERO’S daily view…

HERO was an outdoor adventure kinda’ guy. What follows are his trips to various locations here in CA before he moved up to Pullman, WA while Ally got her degree in Veterinary Medicine from Washington State University. HERO may have had something to do with Ally’s choice of profession…

With O’Pop at 6AM along Lone Pine Creek 2013…

Ally & HERO Symmes Creek in the Owens Valley along the base of the Sierra…

Water dog…

Taking care of BIZ near Manzanar in the Owens Valley – 2013

Near Lone Pine Creek…

Sunset at Lone Pine Creek…

In the sagebrush at Goose Lake, Dec. 2013…

Goose Lake…another favorite of Ally…

In the Owens Valley…2013

Ready for my close up…

Hand out at Georges’ Creek Sandtrap…Dec.2014

Downtown Lone Pine with Michael –  Dec.2014

 

HERO also enjoyed his visits to urban areas like San Francisco with Ally and sometimes the family…

In the marshes with Ally – 2012

Ally & HERO on the beach in Carmel, CA – 2012

With Liz Tran in September 2012

Up in SF for Michael’s graduation – May 2013

 

Some of HERO’s favorite places in the Eastern Sierra:

Bridgeport Reservoir – 2014

Hiking with Ally above Little Virginia Lake – 2014

On the trail with Ally –

Cooling off…

Hugs at Virginia Creek Settlement – 2015

Boat snooze with Ally & Nick, Little Virginia Lake – 2015

Mt. Whitney Fish Hatchery …

My favorite photo of Ally & HERO …at the summit – 2015

North Lake Trout…

Upper Twin Lake Bridgeport, CA – 2015

Lanark Lake, Eastern Sierra – 2016

Smokey snooze lakeside…

North Lake above Bishop, CA – 2016

Sierra Road Dog…

Long leash …

Above Kernville in the Southern Sierra…

Kern River – Dec. 2016…

Kern River Dec. 2016…

Cabin in Northern CA – Dec. 2016…snoozer

Alabama Hills Sunrise…

Alabama Hills and Mt. Whitney…

Bishop,CA and long gone Culver’s Sporting Goods…

Long Valley in the snow…

Malibu Beach, September 2016…

Somewhere out beyond Joshua Tree…

Death Valley, CA…

Just another dry lakebed…Death Valley, CA –  2016

More dry lakebed…with bumps…Death Valley, CA 2016

Agua Dulce hike…2016

Red Rock Canyon – 2017

Looking for Flash Gordon – Red Rock Canyon…

Up there…

Goose Lake with Dad looking for small, pointy, black stuff…

Alabama Hills with Michael…Dec. 2017

Alabama Hills, above Lone Pine, CA…

Mt. Whitney Portal waterfall…Michael, Liz Tran, Ally & HERO…Dec. 2017

Northern CA…first trip to Pullman, WA  to recon WSU…

With Kyle and Liz in the redwoods…

Big trees…

With the family at Virginia Lakes – August 2017…

Family hike into the backcountry…

The last phone booth, Bridgeport, CA August 2017…

AM snacking at the Jolly Kone in Bridgeport, CA…

Taking a break in the parking lot a Little Virginia Lake…

Pleasant Valley Res., Bishop, CA – November 2017

Sandtrap Lone Pine Creek…November 2017…

 

NEXT:  HERO Part II…Pullman, WA, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Nevada and home…2018 -2023

 

PT/TB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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LOS ANGELES to PULLMAN…A Winter’s Tale

Six months certainly makes a difference in driving conditions. It would seem that Winnemucca, NV is the halfway point for things to get more snowy, icy and cold. It was a beautiful sunny day in Los Angeles when we left Ally and Hero’s home with Jean Marie in Simi Valley to make the two day drive back to Eastern Washington…

Heading up to the Santa Susana Pass on the 118 West…

Cresting the hill…

Lovely Lake Palmdale, CA and into the upper desert…

Up a slight grade and headed into Red Rock Canyon State Park…

Why it is called Red Rock Canyon…

A better view of the canyon…

Highway 178 West… just ahead. This turnoff takes one to Walker Pass, up to the Chimney Peak road, Lake Isabella, Kernville and the Kern River. I have taken this exit hundreds of times through the years…Back in the day, there was a phone booth next to the sign…windiest phone booth on the planet…

Little Lake with ice. No fishing allowed here. It is private property !

Red Hill and Fossil Falls. When Michael was a toddler, this signaled we were almost there. There being Lone Pine, CA…

Ranch House Cafe in Olancha, CA…I have been going to this joint forever when traveling up and down 395…

A cottonwood tree standing guard on a cow pasture with Owens Lake in the distance, in Olancha. I parked under this tree many times for a short snooze when traveling up to the Owens Valley to go bird hunting, duck hunting, varmint hunting and looking for bright, shiny black things…

That’s Owens Lake in the distance…

The Dino Hut in Cartago, a couples of miles North of Olancha and the factory of the water stealers…I never pass this place without taking a photo…

Almost there ! Coming into Lone Pine, CA…

Best Western Frontier Motel just outside of Lone Pine. I have been staying here since 1953 when the cost of a room was $6.00 a night. They have a room there dedicated to my Mom…

The main drag in Lone Pine, CA…two of the better local eateries on the right…

The climbing shop was my Dad’s favorite liquor store back in the day and two Trout art pieces on the roofs beyond…

They should be open now…Best hot dogs North of Pink’s in L.A. ...Frosty Chalet, Lone Pine, CA…

Heading towards Independence, CA…High Sierra on the left…

On Hwy 6, going North to Nevada out of Bishop, CA…When I was stationed with the 10th. Special Forces Group (ABN), at Ft. Devens, MA…Provincetown wasn’t quite so far away…

Bye California…

The White Mountains, North of Bishop in Nevada…

Pulling into Hawthorne, NV…This town has more ammunition bunkers than anywhere else in the world…Just passing’ through…

Walker Lake, NV…

Booking it through the desert North of Fallon, NV…

…a right turn on Hwy 80 and we are headed East to Winnemucca, NV as the temperature falls and the light fades…

6AM the following morning…

Yep…I remember this place…

North on Hwy 95 outside of Winnemucca, NV…It is COLD !

Paradise Mountain, NV at sunrise…

There are Trout streams up in those mountains …

We didn’t see this on our way down because it was dark…

Bored driver…

Classic Casino in Mc Dermitt, Nevada…

Oregon State Line

Coming down the hill into the flatlands of Western Idaho…

Just South of Weiser, ID…

Map of what is left of our journey…

Finally, some mountains in the distance…

North of Weiser, ID…

Cambridge, ID …a good place to visit in the Summer…

Getting closer …

New Meadows, ID…

The 45th. Parallel…near McCall, ID…

Salmon River just outside of Riggins, Idaho…

Riggins, Idaho…get wet…

Two Time Zone Bridge… Confused ???

The turn off to White Bird, Idaho…

Mountains above White Bird, ID…

Last stretch of mountains before Lewiston, ID…

Crossing the Clearwater River heading North out of Lewiston, ID…and yes, that paper mill stinks from miles away…

Heading up the grade…go left…

Yay !!!

Pulling into Pullman, WA…

Downtown Pullman…The Black Cypress is in that brick building on the right…YUM !!!

View of fog from the casa, upon arrival…

Shortly after arriving, we got buried in this for the next seven weeks…

HERO was digging it…

 

 

Next: We shall see…

 

 

PT/TB

 

 

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Upper Desert / Lower Desert…

Michael and Aimee took off right after our Sunday brunch and picked up his ride for Death Valley and other environs deserty – thereabouts. What follow are a few photos of that trip and then my venture down to Palm Springs, Palm Desert and Rancho Mirage to spend time with my oldest daughter Nadia, her guys and her Mom…

Michael preps breakfast in the van…

Somewhere out in Death Valley…

Exploring a canyon in Death Valley…

Light and shadow…

Michael and dune at twilight…

Red Rock Canyon State Park…

Settled at the campfire…

Past twilight…

 

Down to the Lower Desert

Loading the elf in …

Quick stop at the best bakery in Glendale to pick up a birthday cake for Nadia’s Mother… Porto’s…

On the road East of Los Angeles…

The stop at In-N-Out…but of course…

On approach to Palm Springs…

The Casa in Palm Desert…my daughter Nadia designed and built this place for her Mom…

The Christmas Tree…

Dinner with Nadia, Miles and Omi at Tommy Bahama’s in Palm Springs…

The usual…

Miles getting the day before, the day before, one XMAS gift to open…

FOXY, it is…all the way from Deutschland…

Chocolate croissant…

…and berries for breakfast the following morning…

Nadia is in charge of overseeing the caterers for her Mother’s birthday party…nice spread

Another view…

Somethings to wet the palate…

Back to the food…

Lil’ Moo relaxing with FOXY…

Ilse had quite a few friends over along with a woman from her church who told me that I had dated her roommate back in 1965, when both girls were students at West Georgia College in Carrollton, GA. That was certainly unexpected, but I remembered. Above is a photo of Nadia’s Mom when I met her in September of 1971…

Something light to eat…

Miles in the jacuzzi  after the guests left…

Sunset in the desert…

I whipped up something to throw on the BBQ along with the jar of cocktail onions that Miles is now addicted too. Yep…he’s a Barker…

All set and ready to go…

Going light…

With Miles and Nadia…

The presents are growing beneath the tree…

 

The following couple of days were spent shopping for additional stuff for the family, just relaxing and doing what we like to do…eat at good restaurants. This spot, in the Hotel Paseo, was a place Nadia had wanted to go to for awhile. She’s also a big fan of the decor…

But first, Miles had to open another present…

Uh-oh…

On the Rodeo Drive of Palm Desert…

“Why R U guys all dressed in black ?”…

AC3 at Hotel Paseo…

“You WILL like this place !!!”

“Pick something !”

Caesar Salad…

Prime Rib…

A view of the rear of Hotel Paseo in daylight …

A view at night by the fire pit…

Then there’s the Airstream…

Looking straight up…

The Airstream with elf in the lobby…

 

Now we are down to Christmas Eve and Nadia wants to take the whole gang over to the Ritz Carlton in Rancho Mirage to do a walkabout and snack before we attend midnight church service at Ilse’s church…

A Gingerbread replica of the hotel in the lobby…

That took some work…

Nice Christmas Tree…

…and palm trees too…

A view across the valley from the hotel’s back terrace…

Nadia, Pop and Ilse…we all got old…er

Looking out over one of the pools…

There’s that Elf guy …way down there…

Another view of the Christmas Tree…

Time for snacks !…

…and for those who can…

The usual Virgin Bloody Mary…

Nadia’s stuff…and her Mother’s white wine…

Lil’ Moo wants Mom to collect as many of these as possible…

Michael texts me and lets me know he’s back in L.A. and having dinner with Aimee here…Musso & Frank Grill in Hollywood…

We go back to the Casa for some warm clothing and head here…

“Hey Dad, what happens if I turn this upside down after it’s lit ??? “… 🤪

 

Next: A visit with the family to Huntington Gardens…

 

 

PT/TB

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DOWN THE ROAD…to L.A.

The following three posts will cover the trip that Ally, Nick, Hero & I took back to the environs of Southern California for the 2018 Christmas Holidays. Some of the photos in this family travelogue were lifted from Ally, Michael and Nadia…I only took a few photos over the duration ( 1600+)…This post features  our two day trek down to Los Angeles…

Nick packing up the rental vehicle so the kids don’t have to put wear and tear on their own rides…

Ally takes the first shift driving until dark. We left at about 11AM …Ally needed burger fuel…

Snow in the pastures as we headed South towards Lewiston, ID…

Coming down the grade into Lewiston, ID where the Clearwater River become the Snake River…

Lewiston, off to the right looking South…

Gas stop in the flatlands of Idaho, on Hwy. 95…

Canyon country South of Lewiston, ID…

Canyon driving with the white stuff…

Coming down a steep grade into Whitebird, ID…

Along the Salmon River…

Riggins, ID…Jet boat and rafting town…

Downhill towards Boise, ID…

A rough estimate of location…

Chilly out there…

Sunset near Marsing, ID…

A long stretch of road through Oregon and down to Winnemucca, NV where we finally got some food…Chihuahua’s | Grill & Cantina…

Up at 6AM…

Heading West in Nevada…

Walker Lake, near Hawthorne, NV…

Getting close, California is that second range of mountains in the background !!!

Ally takes Hero for a pit stop…right at the state line…

Back in the high life again…

That looks familiar…the High Sierra, Lower Owens River to the right…just outside Bishop, CA…

After gas…the place to stock up on treats for the family…Mahogany Smoked Meats, Bishop, CA…

Fill ‘er up…Paiute Palace, Bishop, CA…

Ally’s happy now !!!

Late afternoon in Lone Pine, CA…where it all started and a lot of good memories…

Cinder Cone and Fossil Falls…heading South on 395…

Red Rock Canyon State Park at sunset…Santa Clarita, CA …

Hwy. 14…lots of friends and memories here…

Unloading in Burbank, CA and waiting for Lil’ Moo, Greg and Nadia…

Dinner with the guys …where else…Bob’s Big Boy…

 

 

Next: L.A., Big Moo in the Upper Desert, PT & Family in the Lower Desert and around town…what do we eat next ???

 

 

PT/TB

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Outta’ HERE…or, follow THAT truck !!!…

So…on Monday, July 9, I said goodbye to Los Angeles after forty seven years and headed North with Ally, Nick and Hero for the Pacific Northwest, Steelhead and Salmon,new adventures and a stone’s throw from Idaho…

Under the bougainvillea gate…

Past the LA Aqueduct, on the hill, that brings water from the Eastern Sierra and Owens Valley into the San Fernando Valley…

A gourmet, tailgate breakfast with the crew in Mojave, CA where the wind always blows…

Through Red Rock Canyon State Park…

Past Little Lake on Hwy 395…

Goodbye, for awhile, to the Dino Hut outside of Olancha…

…and Owens Lake nearby…

Through Lone Pine, CA where I caught my first Trout when I was five and the Pizza Factory – (“We toss ‘Em , They’re Awesome”) that Michael loved when he was little…

High Sierra Outfitters in Lone Pine where my Father bought Salmon Eggs and Red Worms for my twin Brother and I, back in the 1950’s…

…and, of course , the Frosty Chalet where the best hot dogs, french fries and chocolate shakes I ever had  – after hunting for chukar, quail and pheasant in the Owens Valley back in the day…

This was the Georges Fire that had started the afternoon of Sunday, July 8 and was ragging in the foothills of the Sierra as we headed North towards Independence, CA…I spent a lot of time up in that area, through the years, fishing for Trout and later, teaching Michael and Ally how to target shoot…

Looking down towards the Owens Valley way up along Georges Creek…

The White Mountains below Independence, CA…

Ally’s favorite BBQ in the Owens Valley…Copper Top in Big Pine, CA…

Along Hwy 6, North of Bishop on the way to Nevada…

Ally & Hero at the stateline…later California…

Up the grade…where’s the truck?

S’Socorro’s Place, Mina, Nevada…

Ally…healthy eating…

“Don’t ask me…”

There is the truck !…on to Winnemucca !!!

Winnemucca …1st. stop.

Overnight accommodations…

Morning in Winnemucca…

Halfway there…

Looking East, North of Winnemucca…

Last Chance to gamble … McDermitt, NV..

Flagman…hurry up and wait…almost in Oregon…

Rustic indeed…

Southeast Oregon…more desert…

There’s that truck with Nick !…

Always with the stickers…

Pit stop for Hero…

Dropping down into farmland in Idaho…

Somewhere near Arcadia, Idaho…

North of Fruitvale, ID on Hwy 95…

Near Weiser, ID…looking North…

Looking South…

Entering Payette National Forrest…

Finally, some forested mountains…

This is a very pretty place that needs some additional exploring…

45th Parallel in Western Idaho…

Little Salmon River... headwaters…

The Summit above White Bird, ID…

The Salmon River…

Outside of Lewiston, ID…

Lewiston Hill…Entering Washington State…

On to Pullman, WA…

Apples in the front and backyard…

Ally & Hero…

My new view…  🙂

 

NEXT: Lil’ Moo in Maui then BIG MOO on the Madison River and other places…

 

 

PT/TB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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ALLY’s B-DAY in the SIERRAS …(with HERO)…

So for her Birthday, Ally Nick and HERO headed up to the Eastern Sierras to camp overnight and to wander in some desert locations looking for black, shiny obsidian thingees…here is a record of that experience…

HERO…”Are we there yet ??? “…

Ally & Hero  at Red Rock Canyon State Park…North of Mojave on Hwy. 14 on the way to Lone Pine…

Interesting formations…

Some of the “Flash Gordon” film serial was shot here in 1940…

Ally & HERO looking for the “Rock Men”…

Looking for a campsite in the Alabama Hills above Lone Pine, CA…

Sunrise for HERO with Mt. Whitney in the background…

Checking out the local scenery…

Wait…there’s Ally’s  G -Ma making a movie ( “Rawhide” 1950)…

This has become a very popular spot to visit…

Mom with Tyrone Power, in a burial scene from Rawhide – shot in this area…

Another view, looking North along the Sierra Range…

Out in the middle of nowhere on the way to Goose Lake…Ally’s friends in the road…

Goose Lake…looking North…

Another view…

 

A bit to the South…we have been coming here a looking for a very long time ( early 50’s)…

Looking for Charlie’s Butte….

Gotta’ pay attention when I take you there – Ally !!!…

Not too shabby !!! …

They will join these…

On the return, Owens Lake at Olancha at dusk…

 

NEXT: Preppin’ for MONTANA…

 

 

PT/TB

 

 

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