Coconino National Forest, NM

On day two of our tour we crossed two entire states on Interstate 40.  We started at Needles, CA on the Arizona border and ended at Tucumcari, NM near the TX border.  It was a long day for Patty but he never complains while riding quietly in his crate.

As a young pup, he used to get car sick even on short rides but he’s really grown out of that and is now a veteran of long drives and multi-day trips.  This time we stopped in three places for him to stretch his legs and check out the smells in the new terrains.

At dawn, we stopped near Yucca, AZ for Patty to get in a quick morning run.  As always, we practiced with a few “whoa” and “come” commands too.  Proofing Patty’s training in every new location and situation is just part of our regular routine.

Late in the morning we stopped in the Coconino National Forest near Flagstaff, AZ for a longer break.  Patty explored some meadows between the stands of pine trees and scaled some exposed rock too.  After about an hour, we headed back to the Interstate and into New Mexico.

With the change to Daylight savings time, dusk kind of sneaked up on us.  We made a final stop just past Albuquerque as the sun dipped below the horizon.  Patty had his dinner beside the truck and then ran it off again.

We finished the days drive, pulling in to Tucumcari well past dark.  Patty still wanted a bit more exercise so we went for a civilized walk in town before crashing for night.

Tomorrow, it’s on to Dodge City to meet up with Tod.  Patty will be spending next week at a kennel while Tod and I do a little deer hunting.  Then he (Patty) and I will join up again for some Kansas bobwhite quail hunting.  Woohoo!