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Position: 45°37’58″N 122°01’13″W
What better way to spend the afternoon than on a walk with your dog? It’s especially good when your dog knows the way to the pub. Even better if they can walk you home again. I understand there are folks trying to teach dogs how to drive, but I feel the days of a legal DDD (Designated Doggo Driver) are about as close as self-driving cars (i.e. not very).
When I uprooted my family from Chelmsford, MA, in 2001 and headed west to Portland, I set my sights on buying a house that I could comfortably walk to a pub from. I failed dismally. Even taking up marathoning didn’t help. Our nearest pub, Wanker’s Corner (now Dub’s Tavern), sat within walking distance, about two miles from our house. (The locals say ‘Vahnka’, but we Brits know what the word ‘wanker‘ really means.) The problem was the road lacked any pavements (sidewalks) and SUVs flew along it faster than a Luggabeast down a wormhole. Pity. The two-mile walk each way would have been just about right. At that distance your pup gets a decent walk, and you work up a thirst. Plus, there’s plenty of time to sober up on the way home.
Nessa Takes the Lead
There was none of that on our walk up to the ridge line in the Columbia River Gorge. Nessa, our friends Wade and Lauren’s chihuahua mix and canine guide, is far too serious to allow anything like a pub to distract her. More importantly, pubs in America don’t allow dogs inside and, well, that makes a mockery of the entire thing. What self-respecting dog would walk five miles only to sit outside while its owner caroused indoors? Before Covid – thousands. Then, during the pandemic, pups became so valuable that leaving them unattended anywhere was risky. Although, I suspect Belgian Malinois and Bull Mastiffs weren’t dog-napped as frequently as smaller, Nessa-sized pups.
By November, weather in the Pacific Northwest had turned from hot summer to frozen winter overnight. Having bypassed autumn, it was cool down at the Hamilton Trailhead. Just right, actually, for the steep ascent that lay ahead. When the sun poked through the trees it warmed us just enough to encourage our endeavours. At the top, things were different. A frigid east wind blew out of the Gorge all the way from Idaho. Snow crusted the hilltops and the grass crunched brittle and sharp under our feet. At the summit there was enough ice on the trail to make you slip and fall on your ass and curse loudly (ask me how I know). Nessa was tireless. There was nothing that would or could have stood in her way. With her low centre of gravity and can-do attitude we had no choice but to follow her lead. It was the perfect reintroduction to all the things that make this part of the world so attractive.
Those coordinates look like a beautiful spot! What kind of pub doesn’t let dogs in????? Who is Nessa? Have I missed an episode about Marlon, or is he still with Tai?
Hi Louise – Marlon posted a couple of weeks ago. He is still with Tai, and still grumpy with us whenever he sees us. And America is so uncivilised. No dogs allowed in pubs, except on outdoor seating. Hope all is well! What’s the latest news?
Nessa is a little disturbed that she is featured in a blog post and a video… without a contract. She has no issue being the idol of tens of people, but she does expect to be compensated. Handsomely.
I’m trying to calm her down, but you know what a diva that little bitch can be.
I sent her the contract weeks ago. I asked her to tell me which clause would cause her paws to pause signing it. Clearly she has her claws out. Would you have a woof with her?