On Monday April 18, 2022 at 10 am my service dog in training and I headed on the first leg of our voyage to Flowering Tree Permaculture Institute. 

I must first tell you where we have been so far, if I do not I will not remember where I have been.  If something is not written or a memento not taken I have the tendency to forget. Possibly the memory is recalled by a smell that can not be pinpointed.  This builds a strange character in which one feels like all is new.  Possibly a leftover coping mechanism that disables me from remembering important details.

Currently I am in Flagstaff in an overly detergent room…I can not tell if my headache is the result of the smoke, dehydration, or the smell of this motel room at Du Beau.

The plan was to head to Joshua Tree and stay the night.  To prime us both into the groove of traveling.  I filled my glass jug of water, my truck was loaded the day before so this was the only thing I needed to do the day of the trip.  Timing was great, no traffic.

Being a nervous traveler I like seeing the familiar roads and shops along the way to J Tree.  This was a quick run. The only stop I made was in Redlands.  A small park caught my eye on the maps.  It was perfect for my pup.  It had a small dog park with two pitties which wanted nothing to do with her and two ponds with ducks she is still learning not to chase.  As much as my pup does not mind the car rides, she just sleeps next to me…I try to get her legs stretched as much as I can.  I will skip the condition of her leg till later.

Even though I take that route to Jtree often, when I am getting close I always feel like I have made a wrong turn or that I missed it…I think it's just the nervous traveler in me.  The plan was to get to a cafe that is very popular by the main gate then head to the park.  When I got to the cafe I ordered a green juice, complemented the cashier on her freckles that matched the color of her eyes, made small talk with her and waited till they called my name.  It felt like a while. 

During that time I could not help feeling like I was in LA.  Many yoga pants and work out gear that hesitated a simple hello…cordial hellos,  a common thing when you are in an area of travel.  Also the many chic desert dresses that make one feel like they are settlers in frontier land irritated me as much as made me laugh.  Lucky the desert rats still inhabited the area making sure the place kept weird. One complimented my dog, he was a heavy set fella who breathed just as heavily but was sweet with his presence.  Another couple drove up. One got out with skin, breast and dress hanging off her bones worn from time, to pick up her groceries from a store next door.  My pup spent the time eyeing the birdies she is still learning not to chase. Once we had some time to hydrate and sit in the shade I decided I did not want to spend 30 dollars to enter the park and hightailed it to KingsMan Wash at the border of Nevada and Arizona, on the AZ side.   

I like Kingsman Wash. You just show up and drive 10 min into desert wilderness with no gates, no service , just miles of red, white, green, gray and yellow rock.  You can explore on foot or tear it up on  an ATV. It is beautiful but unforgiving.  Once you arrive at the wash it is always a sight, especially at sunset.  

One road to Kingman Wash that I am not sure I took last time was…, maybe we did, now it is starting to sound familiar,..the 95…on this road there is a dedication to many wars 1 mile apart.  Excerpt I found describes it well-

Kingman Wash is also riddled with glass and pokey thorny things.  But you can drive straight up to the water or just run from your campsite and jump in.  You set up anywhere you please.  Last time I was there it was busy. Many trucks, trailers, small cars that somehow got in.  This time there was a bus, and two cars.

This was the first time my pup was there.  I made the unfortunate mistake of having her off leash as I set up my truck tent.  As I was doing this I turned and saw her fixated on something, that something slowly approached my dog. At first I thought it was another dog as I got closer I wondered if it was a coyote…It finally came into focus…it was a wild donkey. This pup is still working on her prey drive so when I made a quick motion to get her she rushed the donkey.  The donkey did not fear her at first…I was surprised.  My dog barked and barked getting closer and closer.  The donkey backed away but when my pup did not stop he started to cry and move away.   I soon noticed there were a few donkeys and realized I had to get my dog quickly before she got kicked by one of them.  Calling her failed so I had to get between them.  I had to run in my sandals into the rocky desert terrain to give chase like a wild man.  I finally got between them.  I know once I do this my pup listens.  I told her to go back to the camp and she did.  I scolded her some more but later realized these donkeys don't give a shit.  

One of the camp sites across from me kept shining their head lamps in my direction.  I finally got annoyed and asked them to stop.  They mention that the donkeys had invaded their campground and they were trying to chase them away.  It happened twice: once at night at other sites and in the daytime at the first site.  The campers started to honk their horns to try to scare the donkeys…on reflection I think my pup was just standing her ground.

It started to get windy at Kingsman Wash…really it started to get windy everywhere.  I decided to not stay another night. We did a small hike and dipped in the wash a few times. My pup likes water but she is still developing her confidence. We headed to Flagstaff and tried to shoot for Sedona.

I will not bore you with the many gas station stops and looks that my dog and I got, and the many well timed potty breaks for both of us.  I did get a I love boobs mini mug, for a current lover I have, saw a Trump fortune teller machine, ate some instant ramen…

In Flagstaff we explored historical Flagstaff.  Walked around, had a beer and played at the park.   

Speeding down from Flagstaff to Sedona I was waved down by a cop.  He asked if I had noticed the signs saying slow down…obviously I had not.  He asked if my dog was a malinois. I said no, she's a dutch shepherd mix…Cops love Malinois…complimented my dog and set us on our way.  

I knew there was a fire north of Flagstaff and the winds were not dying down so I thought it was best to head to Sedona.  As I got into Sedona The air was smokey I thought it was fog but when I opened my window I got the smell of a wildfire.  So I drove back to Flagstaff and rented a motel.

And here we are.  One or more days till I get to the Institute.

jj April 19,2022