Lost Dog!

We left Redding this morning, heading on Hwy 299 towards Eureka on the coast. Hwy 299 is the Trinity Scenic Byway, and it extends 140 miles, but we planned to stop halfway across, at Del Loma RV Resort, and go on to Eureka on Friday. The drive was definitely scenic as we followed the winding road up and down through the mountains and along the Trinity River, but the curves and sheer drop-offs were also a bit nerve-wracking for the passenger (Lee). Ken remarked that it would be his turn to be nervous tomorrow.

We stopped in Weaverville at the Joss House, a historic Chinese temple. The original temple in this area was built by early Chinese immigrants who came to the area as part of the California Gold Rush. The current building, called the Temple of the Forest Beneath the Clouds, is very ornate and impressive.

Approaching the temple in the state park

Interior is rather dark, but extremely ornate

We arrived at the RV park just before lunch and were assigned a pull through at the back of the park, overlooking the Trinity River. No one else was in the area, so I decided to let Sweetie off the leash, since she'd been shut up in her kennel in the car for a couple of hours. We set up camp and fixed sandwiches while I kept an eye on her and moved her back near our rig a couple of times. Then we sat down at our picnic table to eat our sandwiches . I got up to locate Sweetie, but she was nowhere to be found. We immediately started to search for her, with no result. We figured she had to be nearby, since she is pretty slow moving, but after a while we spread the search out further.

The campground is in a forest with lots of manzanitas and it sits on a bluff overlooking the Trinity River. We reported our lost dog to the owner of the campground, who suggested that we go talk to his niece, who lives just west. Back from the road, where travelers would never see them, there are a variety of dwellings spread out in the forest, from small trailers to shacks to cabins to houses. The niece said that her three dogs were out and that Sweetie might come back with them. She said she'd spread the word among the neighbors.

Of course we also talked to the few others in the camp, but no one had seen her. We spent the next several hours combing the area, but no little dog appeared. As night approached, we hoped that she would find a warm nest among the pine needles, since it was quite chilly--and that no predators would find her. We'd been reassured that no mountain lions had been seen in the area for a couple of years, but there are definitely foxes and other critters.

Meanwhile I was concerned about my Aunt Iris. I'd gotten a message this morning that she had tripped and fallen down a flight of stairs at church and was in the hospital. Beth said that God must have pushed her--because it was discovered that her coumadin levels were sky high and her heartrate was unsteady. I asked Beth to call, but it turns out that there's no cell phone service here in the gorge.

I was feeling awful, worried about Sweetie and thinking that I was responsible for her predicament.