Click on any photo below to see it in a larger format.

Wayne and I started taking Buzz and my mare, Sunny, to Ft Ord in . . . 2009? Before it was a National Monument anyhow. Back then, it was a regular BLM area, which meant a couple of things, including that dogs could be off leash if they were under control and the land was leased for livestock grazing several months a year. So, in those early years, the four of us could go to Ft Ord and just ramble.

Sorry to say, it's no longer the case that dogs can ramble there. The BLM has limited the off-leash area to a small section of fire road (no trails) and the dogs can't leave the road. Period. So they can't even get drinks out of the seasonal ponds. I understand the rationale, but I sure miss the freedom.

Buzz and Sunny got along on the trail. Usually Buzz led, and Sunny would relax, just as she would if he was a horse. If it got too hot, he'd just plunk along beside us, and, if Wayne was joggin behind us, Buzz would go back to check in or get a treat.

Most years, there is water in the stock ponds and vernal ponds in Ft Ord. Buzz, after learning about the Joy of Water in Hyampom, was a regular customer.

But what Buzz really liked to do was to get up really, really early and go mountain biking at Ft Ord. We would get to the top of the ridges before it got too hot and you could see for miles! The flowers and the fog both made for gorgeous landscapes. Even the sheep were pretty. Sort of. And, of course, we brought water along for him, so he could make it to the ponds. As he got older, he didn't seem to actually slow down, but any heat seemed to really take a toll. There were tiny springs along the trail in some places and he would bury himself in the bushes to stay cool.