Last night was like a visit to the top of one of those cocktail umbrellas! I couldn't believe where we were going to stay.....we drove all day from Arcata, through the redwood forests and down through the napa wine valley...with tons of other cars (thank goodness most of them were going the other way), I just rolled over and slept most of the way. With all the turns and twists and up and down hills....the little narrow roads...gee..Carol said I looked green. About an hour before we got to Calistoga I lost the little bit of breakfast I cared to eat-but I felt better.
The Shangrala cabin at the Hillcrest B & B was high on a hill and had a great view of the vineyard. The little cabin transformed you to a Polynesian island, complete with plastic palm tree lights! A rainbow parrot hung from the ceiling and I could of sworn I heard him screech , but Carol said he was made out of felt and was "disgusting". The TV didn't work and there was no cell phone service and of course no high speed internet, so after we ate sandwiches and fresh cherries we went to sleep earlier than usual. We woke early and Barney gave me a bath in the jacuzzi, he let me dry on the palm tree bedspread-we left pretty soon after that. This place had some big and curious pit bull dogs so we didn't want to linger.
The drive to Groveland was to be "the quickest ever" but again, the roads!!! so little and curvy and up the hills and down the hills. I had decided not to eat the chicken this morning and opted for a strip of chicken jerky (Carol says it is fortified with good stuff) so the drive didn't make me sick today. The traffic was constant but kind and before you knew it, we were driving into Groveland (at the mouth of Yosemite Park) to stay at the Groveland Hotel. It was another renovated older hotel, but really, really nice!! The bed was so high, Barney had to pick me up to get me to the top-WOW it was worth it-so very soft-I had to bury my head in all the way.
There is a really nice restaurant here and they let me sit at the table outside with Carol and Barney. They each got a salmon and chicken dinner and shared it with me. They splurged and bought a bottle of wine, because they forgot to buy any wine when they were coming through the valley!!
I think I am really going to like sleeping here tonight, and tomorrow we go through the Yosemite Park and see some pretty incredible sights I hear. We will bunk down in Lone Pine , a little town off of hwy, 349 just west of Death Valley (that sounds really warm!! I just don't get it).
I sure miss my home and nice back yard-mostly running in the yard I think. Well, time to crash out on this feather bed----ahhhh life is good-J-

Nothing like being lulled to sleep by the sound of a pounding ocean! that is "so wonderful" they say- I don't get it. Once Carol shut the door last night, I was so relieved-it was cold AND noisy! But then, when she pulled the drapes, a small wooden door appeared from behind them-when she opened it, she discovered a handmade screened door to allow the sound of the ocean to blow into the room-oh great! they say "so special".
Once we got on the road, it was stop and go all over again-Carol was driving today and she really knows how to handle that wheel, but the new Kia is a smooth machine. Up and down and around these sharp curves-fog rolling all over the place-you know the waves are down there but where?
Then we started into the Jedediah Smith Redwood Forest-the most enormous trees I have ever seen.
We stopped for lunch at a picnic area-it is always shady in these woods. It would take me forever to pee all around those wooden towers.
I slept most of the way. I flipped my nose up to the chicken and carrots this morning and what-do-you-know? I got a subway chicken dinner!!!!this afternoon.
We arrived in Arcata about 5-the earliest we have gotten anywhere. Barney took me to the park across the street from the Arcata Hotel, while Carol checked us in. Moments later, we were all walking across these super slick floors and then into an elevator-that was really cool, but kinda scary. When we got to our room, Carol noticed Barney flipping up his nose and forgot how it isn't "old" things he likes, but "ancient" things and wished she had gone for the Best Western up the road-oh well-he says he likes it and it is pretty cool. The reservationist upgraded us up to a suite, so I can run back and forth between the bedroom and the sitting area. They said the view "sucked-but it IS quiet". That is good, because Humboldt College is here and there are alot of newly graduated kido's roaming about.
They went out for "food" again and returned with a sumptuous plate for yours truly. It made me feel so good, I wore the both of them out in two games of "throw the Eddie".
Barney says the computer is ready and Carol is about to put the memory card into the computer-a sudden gasp from her tells me something is different. Seems they left the memory card in the computer last night and all their pictures from today is on the camera's memory not the memory card, so they will have to wait till they get home to download them. So, I am going to share some of the ones from the last two weeks and catch up soon.
We are headed for Napa Valley tomorrow. A little place called Calistoga. We are staying at a countryside bed and breakfast called the Hillside. The owner has a pit bull that loves poodles-I really don't know how to take that, I'll be curious to see how it turns out. I hear she also has a bottomless wine tasting room-ummm their room has a jacuzzi tub-this could be an interesting night-Oh and a full moon-Look out!!!!
Till I write again from the Shangrila cottage......Jackson

Today was really hard....Carol and Barney both woke up busy....I got to go outside, but never no one ever harnessed me up for a walk!! I was really getting used to that and then I didn't get to do one last one...well..."I do what I want and I don't care"...I just pooped on Nathan's nice mowed lawn!! We all sat for one last picture (Jenny cuddled me and I snarled at Barney when I thought he wanted to hold my paw) Everyone was hugging and taking photos, Jenny was teary and Nathan said "it was such a long, nice visit..but now next weekend I can go mountain biking" then Carol said "yes it has been a nice, long visit and now I get to go to Napa Valley and the Grand Canyon", they hugged again and smiled so I guess they understood each other. After that, it was back in the car, I really got the hang of the car thing, so I just went back to my cozy little crate and went to sleep, while they managed to find their way to the Oregon coast.
I felt the car pull to a stop awhile later and found myself getting harnessed up to go eat lunch, right at the ocean side....again, the place was full of dogs (I really like this new life!!) Carol and I walked over to this huge steel sculpture of fish. At the same time this dog came by and I just didn't like the way his coat was hanging, so I had to snarl, too bad Barney decided to snap a photo at the same time..oh well.
Back in the car with a full stomach, I crawled into my den, where I sleep till the car stops
again...are we there?? no...we are turning around, seems this place is tucked down on the beach loop road. I am finally a little thirsty so to get to our room and have a nice cold beverage will be good. WOW this place is nice and the balcony looks right over the Pacific....it was nice to have a little bit of sun left when we got here. I sniffed this place out good.....it was a really nice room, the sound of the ocean is sending me to sleep but I am so cold, "will you two close the door??" Oh right, put a hoodie on me.....tomorrow-a walk on the beach then off to Arcata, California to visit the Redwood forest......big trees I hear....really big.