Back from the Redwoods!

The Dog Geek and the Dog Geek Dogs are finally back from our adventure in the redwoods, and ready to start blogging again! We went all the way up to the Avenue of the Giants, camped at Giant Redwoods campground, and played along the Eel River. It was beautiful and majestic and cold and wet.

Living in southern California, we don't often get to use a lot of our gear. It's rarely ever cold or wet. This was a car camping trip rather than a backpacking trip, so we got to bring along just about everything!

I am fortunate that Zip fits into just about everything of Brisbane's. She is longer in the back and narrower in the chest, but she's basically the same size. She stayed dry in a Hurtta Winter Jacket, Godzilla wore her Ruffwear K-9 Overcoat, and all three dogs kept warm in Ruffwear Climate Changer jackets.

Well, lets be honest here, Ru spent most of the trip in his Pet Flys Snuggle Bug. Even his Quinzee coat and Hurtta snowsuit weren't enough to keep him toasty. His favorite part of camping is sitting as close to the fire as he can get without actually bursting into flames. I'm not really sure how hot a chihuahua can be for how long before incurring thermal damage, but it's a lot more than I would have guessed.

Despite two days of rain and an unplanned night in a motel, we had a really wonderful trip. The California coastal redwoods are really, truly amazing and walking among them is absolutely magical.

When People Go On Vacation and Bring Back Souvenirs For Your Dogs

I was going through some bins in my garage when I ran across not one, but two souvenir dog outfits from Hawaii. Naturally, I decided to share them here.

Brisbane's Hawaiian shirt comes from my parent's vacation a few years ago. I had forgotten about it entirely, or I would have used it to keep the sun off him after the embarrassing shavedown. It's a very light shirt that fits well, and he doesn't seem to mind it nearly as much as he minds most clothes. It doesn't have a tag identifying a manufacturer, but it appears to be from Casual Canine by Pet Edge.

Sisci's Hawaiian dress was originally Oakley's dress. My elderly cocker spaniel stayed with me during my senior year of college, and my roommate brought her elderly sheltie. Her parents went to Hawaii and brought back dresses for both dogs that were absolutely adorable. Sisci fits in most of Oakley's hand-me-downs so she gets to wear it now. The dress is by Cocojor Hawaii, a Hawaiian company that actually makes their clothes in Hawaii. The tag says "Made in Hawaii with Aloha". It's a Lokelani Mumu in the Luau Blue pattern. Cocojor also has a daycare and boarding facility and a grooming salon. So fancy! The mumu is extremely well-made, it's probably one of the nicest dog outfits we own.

I think it's amusing that these outfits were purchased by different people at different times several years apart for different dogs, and were stored in separate bins in my garage and laundry room, and I ran across both of them on the same day. All we need now is a couple of flower leis and a big chunky camera to complete the tourist look!