East Side Real Life

Buddy Hamilton 1994-2010

2010-08-19T10:17:00.000-07:00

A bungee cord for a collar and nothing else. That’s what he cane to me with. Well, a little coil of rope for a leash, too.

“ No bowl?”

“Nope!”

Strange but true.

“You can have him…or else he’s going back to the pound.”

“Well, then . . . I guess I’ll take him.”

Not much of a beginning of a relationship, but that’s how I came to be entrusted to Buddy. Actually it was Budweiser on his papers. By papers I don’t mean the usual AKC pedigree that people seem to care so much about. The local animal shelter had a file on him, and his name was Budweiser. But that was quickly changed to Buddy, as he was called anyways. A co-worker in Lake Shasta had a troublesome wandering dog, and I had some time on my hands.

He was a troublesome dog, but I quickly learned that all he really needed was attention and a firm hand to teach him right from wrong. We would walk the 100 yards down to the lake twice a day for a swim. Initially leash training was tough, but as soon as he learned that it was necessary, and that I would not give in, it went easier. In a way he welcomed being trained. The basics took about a week. Retrieval training took another 2 weeks. Once we hand an understanding, that I was going to take care of him in exchange for obedience, things went smooth. By the time my seasonal job in Lake Shasta was over, Buddy was ready for some serious showing off. In a year, he would know commands in English, German, and hand signs. He made me look like I knew how to train a dog, but in reality he was just incredibly smart and wanted to please.

He followed me to Chico the summer of 1996, for my last half year of school at Chico State. He would accompany me on pedicab rides, helping out by being cute & smart with a bag of tricks all the while earning me bigger tips. On occasion he would be forced to make new friends while tied to a handrail outside a bar. The miles he ran did him good.

As he was part duck, he swam in every body of water we could find. In Northern California he swam in the Feather, the Sacramento, the McCloud, the American. The creeks and lakes will be harder to name, as they are so numerous. He swam in Bidwell Creek nearly every day while we lived in Chico. It was only a prelude to the waterways of Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Southern California, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and Texas; all in which he swam. He even floated/swam a 5 mile section of the mighty Colorado River north of Moab, Utah.

After a six-month stint in Chico, Buddy followed me to Ventura while we waited for our pal Dave to finish up nursing school. Then we loaded up in the Leaping Trout, a 19’ RV for the next adventure. For months the three of us traveled the southwest US, looking for rocks to ascend. Buddy never failed to find an alternate route to the top. This often surprised other climbers, to find a dog at the finish of a route that only had one obvious way to the top, and certainly no Labrador was on belay.

At Hueco Tanks Buddy faced down a 900 pound bull, and attempted the only D2 (doggy-2) rated climb in the park, both with only moderate success. In New Mexico, he found a new passion, digging up the homes of local rodents, for hundreds of yards. Dave had remembered that in Mammoth Lakes there was a picture of climber with his hand suck deep in a crack, and the locals would say he was “looking for his keys” to those who had no idea what he was doing, and that phrase stuck as a good descriptor for what Buddy would do for hours; he was digging up the landscape, “looking for his keys”. On that cross country trip, Buddy was secretly learning to drive; he would stare at my feet on the pedals, and brace himself for each acceleration and each stop sign. It was often said that if he had thumbs, he would grab the keys and drive on his own. This belies the fact that he was a nervous passenger, and would shake and shiver for hours on end, and of course never, ever. lay down or even sit in a moving vehicle. He loved to go places, but would have preferred to run there.

After the trip in the Trout, it was time for Buddy’s first residence on the East Side of the Sierras, namely in Bishop, Ca. While living in Rovana, now called Pine Creek Village, he got to chase deer, swim in creeks and collect ticks, all while impressing the ladies, both human and canine, with his grace and style. It was because of a lady that he took his next big trip, looking for a place that his master deemed worthy of such a dog.

It was Robert, (Buddy’s person), Phil (Robert’s father), and Buddy on a many state cruise in a pickup and not much of a schedule. It began in Ventura and went north to Washington State, then on to Montana. Then, onward south to Colorado and New Mexico, and finally to Arizona. Buddy swam and chased sticks in all his favorite rivers and lakes, because that’s what dogs who are half duck do. He was very impressed with Flagstaff, and its dog-centric culture, and told his master that that is where they should live, and so they did. He spent two years lying on the shop floor at Absolute Bikes, and as the official greeter, showed Wal-mart how it was done. He allowed people put their babies on his back, played stick, and performed other various duties as they arose. He also spent a year working as a therapy dog in a Chinese medicine business. He knew his role was important. He would calm the nervous, and absorb their tensions. Bred as a working dog, the job was thing; he was happiest when doing his duty. Serious work was somehow made fun, Buddy was never one to shy away from his duty.

Sensing it was time to move again, he followed his person to Sedona, AZ to further his career as a greeter. Not as welcoming of a dog town, he was forced to carry his own leash, due to the stricter laws in that town. Never one to relish the heat and sharp cactus needles, he knew the gig would only last a year in the land of red rocks and New-Age crystal healing. As he predicted, he moved again, back to Southern California to see his grandparents, and they to see their grand-dog.

Avocados for dinner! What dog wouldn’t love to have an endless supply of manna from heaven and bunnies to chase? In the end the avocados won over chasing anything. The short drive to the beach meant that he had an ocean to swim in and many rotting carcasses on the dunes in which to roll. That and 80 acres at home kept him happy, and fat. He was forced to travel to the Sierra foothills to find the lakes and rivers that were worthy of being swam in, but every car trip still produced bouts of anxiety and a desire to do the driving on his own. Once he mastered the art of bodysurfing in beach break, he realized it was time to move on, and so he urged his master to return to the mountains.

The hot springs near Mammoth Lakes were a welcome relief for a tired dog, and Buddy soaked for a long time, as any half-duck-dog would do. With many more bodies of water than the last stop, from 2005-2009, the Eastern Sierra was once again home. But, he was slowing down, and the 10 mile hikes and hours of swimming in iceberg-ed water were not as frequently welcomed. He learned about snow, as this was the first time he actually lived in a ski resort. The cold weather agreed with him, and he took to cruising the fenceless neighborhood of Mammoth near Chair 15. He would never admit it, but his master thought he was either visiting a girlfriend, or just getting an extra meal, on his occasionally extended solo trips away from home. His navigation skills never failed him, and would have made Sacagawea envious. He could revisit an area that he had not been to in years and still know exactly where he was, and what was to be done, whether it was to break trail, or wait patiently at camp. No one ever worried about him finding his way back home.

Four winters in Mammoth made him restless, as he still needed to move one last time. That and the stairs that seemed to infest the mountain town were taking a toll. The hikes were getting shorter and swimming was much harder than in years past. So back to Flagstaff he went, to a nice single story house with a nice flat grass yard. Even the greatest dog in the world will age, and his 15 years of service were catching up to him, but he still brought slippers to his mom every day when she came home from work, something he taught himself to do for a cookie years before. But car trips proved too stressful for him, so he traded them for a walk around the neighborhood, or to the nearest trailhead for a short visit to the woods.

Over his lifetime, Buddy was the best man in two weddings, a shop dog in 3 bike shops, and a friend to all. He reminded his person to spend more time outside, that a walk in the woods beat just about anything else one could do, except swimming in a lake, of course (as any half-duck will tell you). He climbed mountains, hiked innumerous miles of trails, and was a companion to all who could throw a stick or ball. He was an inspiration to all dogs, he showed them what they could be. His intelligence was renowned, he wasn’t trained to do tricks, he just did them after being shown once or twice. This from a dog who was going back to the pound for being a “horrible, un-trainable dog. You can have him!” He touched the lives of so many people over his years, it would be impossible to try to list them all. All that knew him, know who they are, because he will always be an unforgettable dog.

Buddy Hamilton was laid to rest on August 17^th, 2010, in the middle of two acres in view of the mountains and forest where he often ran, on the property his person just bought for him. After all his moving, he found a peaceful, lasting spot, next to an aspen tree; a fitting symbol of the mountains he so loved. He passed peacefully, with his faithful companions of nearly 15 and 9 years both at his side, after reaching his 16^th birthday. He truly was a best friend, and Buddy will be missed.

Back from the Holidaze

2010-01-02T09:58:00.000-08:00

Rena made this super cake for Thanksgiving, and since I have such a hard time updating this Blog, the photo is a bit out of date.

Well, I made it back home. I traveled to Ventura to assist with the recovery of the father after surgery. Gave us a chance to let Dave see Buddy one last time.There for nearly two weeks, it was time to travel up to Mammoth. Rena joined me in Ventura and made the voyage to the land of snow. Five days later me were back in Vta to pick up the dogs. An overnight during new years eve led to a 9 hour drive back to Flagstaff where we were greeted with snow in the driveway.

Let it Snow

2009-12-10T20:15:00.000-08:00

My wife is crazy. She actually likes Facebook. I have a pretty hard time getting into it.

But we did have a "blizzard" here in Flagstaff. Oh-my-god. People were insane and stupid all at once. Folks, it was 2 feet of snow. just two feet. not the start of an ice age. not even "big" by any other mountain town standard. But since Flagstaff, in all its wisdom, does not plan for 'big' snow (even though we are at 7000' , at the foot of a 12000' mountain), of course all hell has broken loose. This is our street at 3 pm after the storm. Notice the cars stuck at the bottom of the street, the road not plowed. Fun. Its been sunny all day, but could we actually go anywhere?

But then again I am now super jaded after being in Mammoth for 4 years, where they plan for snow. The Town plows the roads. here, not so much.

We took the snowshoes out for a stroll, and made our way down to the park.

That is the skatepark. Its actually a really good one for a municipal park.

Best deal ever!

2009-11-08T20:31:00.001-08:00

Rena, her eagle eyes always keen, spotted the best bargain I have ever personally witnessed at a thrift store.

The Campy (Campagnolo) Corkscrew is a coveted piece of bike geekishness. They are expensive. ever seen a $250 corkscrew? Don't believe me? Here is a WHOLESALE price for the one we got:
So how much did we pay for ours?

$2.99

Plus tax

That's a deal. The Goodwill store in Flagstaff just had no idea what it was worth. But that is the whole thing about value and worth, isn't it....hard to say just what people will pay good money for.

So, is it worth it? I give it a 7 out of 10. It removes the corks nicely, but the actual screw part is too big and sometimes tears the cork. It does release the cork with just a back twist of the handle. We use it, but I wouldn't spend $250-300 on it. A $20 corkscrew could, arguably, do the same thing, albiet with less flair.

Whats in a name?

2009-11-08T09:25:00.000-08:00

I just realized I have to change the name of teh blog, as I moved (back) to Flagstaff 2 months ago!

Back at home

2009-11-08T08:38:00.001-08:00

SO I've been gone awhile. Working in the burn area of the Station fire, Which burned 165,500 acres in the Angeles National forest. We are designing the new line which will replace the power lines that got burnt in the fire. They were paying me overtime to hike to the forest. It was fun sometimes, not so much at other times. The devetation was pretty intense. We were out looking at what was there, and how to replace it.
Yep thats where a pole was.

While in Vta I got a chance to go for a hike with Dave up Matilija Creek. Year round water in So Cal is rare.

OK I'll continue

2009-09-17T09:02:00.000-07:00

So, due to popular demand (well it's Dave mainly), Ill be updating here more frequently. Hell its not like I have that much else to do. Well actually I'm getting new accounts at Hub Pages so I can make some money writing about stuff that I like. Also I'm working on selling stuff on Ebay, Gunbroker and craigslist. I have too much stuff and getting rid of it is a good feeling.

Movin to Facebook

2009-09-14T07:49:00.000-07:00

Well folks, I just can't (won't) keep up with this Blog and a Facebook account, so I am moving the whole thing over to Facebook, where there are more people who will be interested in my ramblings.

Look me up by name over there!

getting ready to move

2009-08-20T18:53:00.000-07:00

So, after many miles of driving, I'm back in Mammoth. It took a couple days to get out to Logan, to pick up the trailer of stuff I left there. Then it was an overnight in Kanab and on to Flagstaff where I picked up Rena. Then on to Vegas for the night, on finally to Mammoth for a total of 1900 miles. Now the real fun begins. We get to pack up the house, clean and move to Flagstaff by next Friday.

Driving fool

2009-08-16T07:03:00.000-07:00

Today I get to go get the trailer load of stuff from Utah. Hooray.

I'm driving from Mammoth To Wendover, NV today. Then I'll get up and drive to Logan UT on Monday morning. Pick up the trailer and stuff from Utah State and head south. I'll camp somewhere in southern Utah. Then I'll roll into Flagstaff sometime Tuesday. On Wednesday, Rena and I drive to Vegas and stay the night there. I'll be back in Mammoth on Thursday. Only about 1800 miles. Its gonna hurt.

Breaking news! We are moving!

2009-08-10T20:00:00.000-07:00

Well folks its been a wild couple of weeks. I've been meaning to get a new post up, but events have been happening so fast that this is the first time I've been able to get online in nearly 2 weeks.

It all started when Rena got offered a position in grad school at Utah State in Logan, UT. It was offered to her because one of the original 2 people accepted to the school dropped out, leaving one coveted spot open. She was 3rd on the list, of the hundreds that applied. We made the decision to move by the end of the month as classes were started soon, and Rena needed to get there ASAP. So I drove a load of stuff out to Utah last week. While there I needed to find a place to live and a job, no small feat for Logan. It was tough, but I found a place to live. Not so much luck with the job, but I only had a few days and really was just getting acquainted with the place.

So, I'm driving back through Nevada and Rena calls me to say that Sinagua High in Flagstaff just offered her a full time ceramics teaching position. That's a tough call to get after driving 12 hours with a trailer to Utah and 5 hours back after spending days pounding the pavement in a strange town. My ultimate response was, "If I had to pick a place to live, Logan or Flagstaff, its Flag hands down," and so...

we are moving to Flagstaff. Like now. Well not now, but very soon. Rena left this evening to be at the first day of school, which is Thursday. We got this call last Thursday, and gave our answer on Friday. Saturday we had a yard sale, since we were already planning on leaving. We continue to pack, well I continue to pack, Rena is on her way to to new job.

She had applied and interviewed for a different job at Flagstaff Middle School months ago, but because the job was already filled before applications were even reviewed, we thought her drive out there and subsequent wowing of the panel were all for naught. But the panel liked her so much that when another position came up in the district, she was chosen for this job, based on the strength of her interview for the other job. Yep, its all stranger than fiction, and I couldn't make this up if I tried.

We actually first met while I was living in Flagstaff, and she on a road trip, looking for a town to live in. Flag was high on her list. She didn't actually move out there till I was living in Sedona, a 45 minute drive south. Ever since we have moved away, our goal was to move back. It is going to happen now.

Sorry, I don't really have any new pics for this post, just use your imagination for a very big pine forest, set at 7000ft with a vibrant community and that's where we are moving to!

Anniversary Ride

2009-07-23T20:56:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was Rena and mine's 3rd wedding anniversary, so what a better way to celebrate than take a ride! So we did a "favorite" in the Mountain Biking Mammoth guidebook. What a crappy trail!!! A terrible description, poor directions and BORING trail, but hey its Mammoth....our trails generally are smooth and sandy, this was no exception. Not a single technical section, mostly dirt road, with a steep climb a the end, and an out and back configuration. yawn. yawn...

Well we still had fun, just cause bikes are fun. That's Rena's 08 Jamis Dragon 29er

This is Rena doing the only fun thing on this ride, the water crossing.

Due to the deep snow pack, Dry Creek is actually still flowing. We wound up on the Mountain View trail, aptly named for the views of the hill like this one. Enlarge it to see the gondola going to the top.

Ride stats: 14.52 miles, 1hour:50Min rolling time and 1253feet elevation gain.

That's us at Minaret Vista Summit overlooking the San Joaquin drainage.
Apre ride we went to the Auld Dubliner for happy hour. had a few pints and a couple appetizers and saw this great rainbow while sitting outside. Nice end to the day.

A Special Day

2009-07-22T09:34:00.000-07:00

Today is my 3rd wedding anniversary! Rena and I got married here in Mammoth Lakes just three short years ago. She is still the love of my life, and I am very happy to be married. Rena made that cake for the wedding.

Gifts are fun too. I bought Rena a nice Swiss automatic titanium watch, as her watch recently went missing. Hope she doesn't lose this one:

We are taking a couple days to relax together here in Mammoth.
I actually got two days off in a row from work.

2009-07-20T07:21:00.001-07:00

Last night was another cross country ride, this time with Tom Petersen, a good buddy of mine. Tom is a total animal, so in order for me to even think of keeping up, it have kick up the effort a few notches. He's a fly fishing guide in the summer and a ski coach/instructor in the winter, and is moving nearly all day long. Ride stats: 17.6 miles (only 2.7 on the street), 1hr:59min with 1680 ft elevation gain. We rode the Mountain View trail up to Minaret Vista, which overlooks Mammoth Mtn from the north. Not as sandy as I was expecting, just a couple deep patches of gravel and a ton of "more up", as our trails often are. Then it was down Uptown to Big Ring trails and back home. All in all it's a better trail than I expected, but only a couple of sections that had any real difficulty, other than being plain steep!

After that it was a dinner and guitar jam session at Toms house. Tom has a beautiful Taylor guitar, made by Rob Taylor before he got real popular, an 18 year old C25, that he plays really well. Of course he practices and takes lessons, where I have been playing the same chords for the last 15 years and never taken a lesson in my life.

My axe is a 1983 Yairi Alvarez DY48, that plays much better than any $350 guitar should. Very deep tone and pretty loud. But the worn frets are getting annoying and it may need to be sent to Dan Erlewine for some work HIS SITE.

Cristina's husband Gill supplied the scab of the day shot. He went over on the Hillary Step, which is some feature on some downhill trail on the mountain. He got a nasty shot to the head and wasn't allowed to sleep for more than an hour that night. He's singing the praises of his DOT approved DH helmet.

2009-07-17T14:48:00.000-07:00

took the cross country rig out for a ride before I have to go to work. Its a 02 Fisher Mt Tam 29er. Perfect for the sandy smooth non-technical trails out here. Only real mods to it is the custom gearing, sporting an old XTR crank, with a small spider and 20-30-40 chain rings. Gives me the same gearing as a 26" wheel using stock gears.
Ride stats today: distance 11.34 miles, 1h:34min time with 1296 feet of elevation gain. Its all that climbing that makes it so slow, 7.2 mph average.

I climbed from the house to the Juniper trail, poaching the mountain's trail system (more on that another time) to Lakes trail, to Panorama Dome Trail, then to the Mammoth Rock trail. Up to the end of the last climb on Mammoth Rock, then turn around and retrace to back home.

New section of the Juniper trail, where they PAVED OVER one of the best sections of trail we had in the area, to make way for, yep, a bike path!!! So we got a section of nice smooth, obstacle free trail where there once were roots and rocks. Gee, thanks Mammoth Lakes!

You can see Mammoth Rock to the left. The trail goes along the hillside just under the big plug of limestone.

You don't ride Mammoth for technical stuff. The Forest Service and the town work hard to make all the trails look like this.

The Mammoth Rock trail is along a steep mountain side, with off camber catwalks. mostly just fun riding, with only a couple dicey spots. Every year it gets less and less rocky.

One thing that's new is "that which shall not be named" (Mammoth Mountain) has added berms in the middle of Lupin ski run, right under chair 15 on the Juniper bike trail. These will be interesting come ski season!

Holy CR*P!... Oh, its just a bear.

2009-07-17T09:15:00.001-07:00

All right, since Dave is doing regular posts on his blog, I figure that its time to show what happening here on the East Side. I'm gonna do this at least two times a week, and will probably just a be a few rants and raves about the good and the bad of life up here in the frozen wasteland that is Mammoth Lakes.

First off a little about me. I'm a college educated guy that likes doing stuff and being productive, and can't find a job that pays a living wage. I've been working at the Ski Surgeon/Village Sports for nearly a year as a way of keeping the income flowing when my contract utility planning job dried up. That was a great gig: lots of travel, interesting work, and a work at home scheme. I still occasionally get a job here and there, I think I got about 50 hours this year. But its not enough to count on, so off to the bike shop I go. That's not a bad gig, but retail sucks in a tourist town. Its the same stupid questions all day, and its getting old.

There is a bike park here, where one can go up a gondola and bomb down on a mountain bike. Normally this would get me excited, but not here. The trails are pure pumice, like riding on kitty litter. And the town and the mtn and the USFS all conspire to ruin our trails that we do have. They go through them and "clean" them. That means they remove the obstacles and make them "safe", which I liken to chipping holds on routes to make sure that any climber can get up the route. Hell, why not just pave them? That's the way they are going...every year the get more and more smooth.

I was riding a couple days ago and scared our local bear out of a tree. Scared me too. I think its the same one pictured here, but he's bigger now and is about 250-300 lbs and standing about 5 feet tall at the head. Its scary when you startle a bear, cause they are just plain big. I took that shot from the deck. Its likely the same bear that got into Dave's truck and tried to open the bear canister he left in the bed of his truck. It now has nice battle scars (the canister, not the truck).

Stay tuned for more.