Adventures of Jack Dog Pratt via GlobalBaseCamp

Oh Deer

2008-02-29T11:24:00.000-08:00

View of the Cascades. Are we spoiled or what?

2008-02-29T10:49:00.001-08:00

North (on right) and Middle Sister (on left)
Three Sisters: L to R: South Sister (10,360 ft),

Middle Sister (10,050 ft), North Sister (10,090) ft)
Mt Washington
North and Middle Sisters

Broken Top Mountain

Race after bath

2008-02-29T00:11:00.001-08:00

See how cute I am?

Buddy,Race and Jack

2008-02-29T00:03:00.001-08:00

Jack

Race and Buddy

Lunar Eclipse February 20th, 2008

2008-02-20T23:07:00.000-08:00

Jack, Buddy and Race

2008-02-15T10:29:00.000-08:00

Mr. Race "Race Car" Pratt

Mr. Buddy "Butter" Pratt

Mr. Jack "JJ" Pratt

Pretty Sunset

2008-02-12T10:55:00.001-08:00

We haven't had a pretty sunset like this in quite a while, with all the snowy weather.

Near Crater Lake

2008-01-31T08:58:00.001-08:00

Taken out through the windshield as I drove...

Brennon and Greg Go Snowshoeing at Swampy Lakes, Bend, Oregon

2008-01-29T13:27:00.000-08:00

Brennon just getting started
Brennon just getting started falling in a hole.
Brennon and a hot cup of hot cocoa.
Warm inside the warming hut

Cozy!

Compare this picture to the trip that Kathy and I took to compare snowpack difference.

Race and Buddy

2008-01-27T14:19:00.000-08:00

Here's Race (black and white McNab) and Buddy (Yellow Lab)

Backpacking Yellowstone in September

2007-11-20T10:48:00.000-08:00

Here are some pics of Steve Stowers and I backpacking at Yellowstone National Park

Here we are starting our trip

Bison skull on the banks of Yellowstone Lake

Steve is not gonna give up trying to make a fire by rubbing sticks together!

Gotta LOVE that rain!

From camp 2

(Below) SUCK IN THAT GUT !!

Little Chloe

2007-11-20T10:39:00.000-08:00

I just want to add some pictures of little Chloe. She was about 9 months when these were taken. She and her parents have moved back to Alaska now. We will sure miss this adorable little one!

Catching Up With A Freight Train Going Nowhere

2007-08-24T22:26:00.000-07:00

Well, it looks like the last time I posted was when my son Brennon visited for spring break. I will try to give a summary of what has taken place is this world of ours in central Oregon.

(Here I am on the right at Crater Lake)

In April I started a company called DogWatch of Southern Oregon. You can imagine where it is based. What you may think DWSO does is another story. I will leave that for later. Anyway, what we DO do is install a hidden dog fence that contains dogs inside a perimeter, with the help of a buried wire that transmits a signal to a collar around the dogs neck. When the dog enters the zone close to the buried wire it gets a "correction" which makes it stop and go no further. So, just like many start-ups, business is slow, but promising.

Here I am with the trencher I use for the fence installation and the new truck.

Hilarious Damnberger!!!

Good ol' Brennon came to Oregon for the summer break n June. As usual we had a great time. We tried to balance having fun with growing the DogWatch business. He was a great help. He is very organized, which I may not always be. We fished most of the Crooked, Deschutes, Fall rivers and some smaller ones down by Klamath Falls.

My greatest success was at Davis Lake. This was the only lake we fished. The bass below is a 5 lb that I caught there. I was fishing from an inflatable kayak with my fly rod, using a popper. He struck on the second cast. He pulled me all over, especially toward the high grass, looking for cover. It was exciting trying to bring in the monster. I had to row with one arm to keep him out of the grass and reel in the bass with the other.

In addition to seeing Brennon, my brother John visited for a few weeks in late June and early July. It was great to see him. Kathy and the three of us went camping once at Elk Lake, which is a little south of Bend and west of Sun River.

John, Brennon and I visited Crater Lake. It was quite beautiful, but a little hazy.

We drove around the whole lake and hiked down to the shore where the boat launch is. It is quite a hike. John was brave enough to actually get in the water.

Nearly Skunked

2007-03-22T22:22:00.000-07:00

Brennon was here for spring break. We spent as much time fishing as we could (6 days out of the 8 he was here). We fished the Fall, Middle Deschutes and Crooked Rivers. All we beautiful. I only wish the fishing was as good as the scenery! We didn't catch any fish until the last day in the Middle Deschutes. We each caught a trout each. Brennon will be back in late May. By then the fish will biting much better! We had an awesome time!

Above, on the Deschutes, and below, on the Crooked, Brennon shows his philosophical side.

Here is "H" catching one of those flying fish on the Fall River, just southeast of Bend.

Here I am practicing the ancient, time honored trout mating rituals. Who says it not just for the trout!

Here we are after our trip on the Crooked River, near Prineville, Oregon

Just a note

2007-02-21T13:28:00.000-08:00

Here we are! We are getting settled slowly, but surely. It is a bit cool at this time, but we will take the dry, cool weather anytime over the wet weather in Portland. We unpack some every day, but it seems the boxes are never ending. We did have some time to get to Cove Palisades http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_32.php with my mother. It is a beautiful place. Nice sunsets! More later!

Head 'em Up and Move 'em OUT !!! Rawhide !!

2007-01-23T08:39:00.000-08:00

These hillbillies are not striking gold, but there surely will be fish striking our flies in the crystal clear waters of central Oregon once we get settled in our new house in Redmond . Brennon and Geoff and I will have to teach Kathy to fish! We move in a week. Moving is so much fun. NOT. But, hey, we gotta do what we gotta do. We are looking forward to the beautiful blue skies and dry weather. My father-in-law and I are going over there today and doing the walk-through inspection and checking on the progress of the fence. Of course, all of you are welcome to visit the new digs. Plenty of room. John might have to sleep on the floor, but the rest of you are elevated to mattress level!

The Birth of Miss Chloe

2007-01-09T16:50:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that my son Geoff's girlfriend Amanda gave birth to their beautiful daughter, Chloe Faith, Monday morning. She weighed in at 10.5 lbs! Best regards to Geoff and Amanda. We think of them all the time. Can't wait to see the little one!

My Left Foot - Not the movie!

2006-11-29T23:34:00.000-08:00

I looked up "running foot injuries" on Google and found a great website http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_5/191.shtml that helped me figure out what was wrong with my foot. It turns out I have plantar fasciitis http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_5/191.shtml#plantar . It sure hurts. I think I will not run at all for a while and just walk or bike, at least until I think it is healed. It hurts like heck in the morning when I get up and after sitting for a while.
I am not able to watch my DVD of "Long Way Around". The DVD player is INOP. Just my luck.
Brennon is studying "Into the Wild" in one of his classes, as well as watching the "Man vs Wild" & "I Shouldn't be Alive". I think that is one of the more intelligent subjects his teacher has discussed with the kids. Of all places in the country a person would need the wilderness skills, it would be Alaska! I told Brennon one thing I learned that from the "Man vs. Wild" is that I should always carry a waterproof/windproof lighter or fire starter on my body when I am in the wild. That way if I get separated from my pack, I can at least start a fire.
I loved the last episode of "Man vs Wild". Nothing like watching someone else jump into icy water and biting the stomach out of a trout.

Trip to Nepal/Tibet

2006-11-24T17:24:00.000-08:00

In the near future I would love to travel to the Himalayas. I would love to do a long trek in a circuituous route that would cross many high passes and get to experience the high mountains and the culture that goes along with it. I think it would be great to climb to the Everest base camp. I met a man at a bookstore who had been on this route. I hope to bump into him again in Portland and find out where he would suggest we go.

I just read a book written by Ewan MacGregor and his buddy Charley Borman. It tells the story of their round the world trip on motorcycle. Check it out http://www.longwayround.com/lwr.htm . It has invigorated me and fueled my hunger for the road again. I envy them. The experiences they had must had been very fulfilling and a dream come true.

I am trying to get in better shape, but I could swear I am falling apart. My shoulder has been killing me. My hamstring feels like it is on the mend....but my left legs aches around the knee area and my instep ( back near the heel) hurts quite bit. I hate to think my 40's are going to be more of the same! Maybe I should bike more and run less.

In addition to losing a few pounds and getting in better shape I need to brush up on my photography skills. I keep saying that...but it's true. However, my photo skills are not so bad outdoors. Where I lack talent is indoor photos. My eBay photos were better with my Canon Digital Elph than with my Canon Rebel Digital XT.

First things first though. We are planning to move to Bend, Oregon. We are looking forward to getting out of the rain and starting a new life. Life is great here, but we would enjoy more sun. Bend is a beautiful place. So, maybe I can trick myself into thinking of the packing for moving as just the initial phase of packing for the Himalaya trip! The sooner we get settled and caught up on bills, the sooner I can go on the trip!