UPDATE, 22 October 2008

David and Chiva are taking a break from the Tour de Dog but are sure to plan another ride in the near future. A sincere thank you to all of you who helped David and Chiva in countless ways. The Tour de Dog would not be possible without your support. THANK YOU!

View a Photo Documentary of Tour de Dog by Jason Houge

Tour de Dog is past states: Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ontario, and New York.


Friday, June 27, 2008

Allen's Take


After three days on the road, it was great to finally meet up with Tour de Dog in Salt Lake City. First thing I noticed was that David had lost weight. Chiva looked about the same. When I last saw David, he was a beefy 220lbs. He is now down to the trim and lean 190’s.

Salt Lake treated us well, and it gave David a much needed chance to rest while we all enjoyed the local sights like the Mormon Temple and the Golden Spike at Promontory Point.

The next day we went to climb Mt. Borah, the highest peak in Idaho. Basically, it felt refreshing to be in the great outdoors. The Idaho Mountains were beautiful, and it was fun seeing all the snow and witness all the open space that you can see from 11,000 feet up. None of us went all the way to the top, but instead turned back after a few strenuous hours of hiking. We got out of the hike what we wanted, which was time together in the mountains.


For one day I put myself in the Tour de Dog world, and it was quite exhausting. I am amazed that David has been able to continue the Tour de Dog for so long. Do not worry about Chiva, she is having the time of her life…I have never seen a happier dog.



Even though I have been following the Tour de Dog blog closely, I had never before imagined the physical endeavor. Tour de Dog is about expending tremendous effort and energy in the name of a good cause. I cannot find the words to explain the effort sustained in an average week of Tour de Dog. Just imagine biking 400 pounds for a few days in extremely hot weather, camping each night, with a shower every few days, throw in some serious hiking every now and then, sprinkle in some visits to animal shelters, and then add several hours of work on the website a few times each week, while mostly camping in new areas. Then imagine doing this for 100 days.

It is the support from the Tour de Dog pack, and the belief that David is helping a cause that has enabled David and Chiva to keep going.

Regards,

Allen

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice trip report Allen. Sounds like you all had a grand time on Mt. Borah! Beautiful pics.

Anonymous said...

glad you had a good time with your mom, al and virginia.
the website looks great.
lindz

Anonymous said...

Hey Dave. I see you are in Dubois. I hope you are having a great time. I spent 3 months living just outside Dubois (It was called Brooks Lake Lodge at the time) and have many fond memories of my introduction to the "cowboy" lifestyle. Make sure and pick up some Wrangler jeans before you leave. From what I've heard you've lost enough weight that they might even fit.
Take Care!
PS. Watch for cows on the road...

jeremy said...

Really good to have an outsider's perspective on the tour and what dave is doing.
I just can't get enough of the photos, at the close of it all I'm quite sure a book would be in order :)