Guide to Natural Swimming Holes

You may ask. How did she get here?

I ran a fishing lodge in Northern Mendocino county on the Big Bend of the South Fork of the Eel River for five years in the mid to late 80s. The lodge was visited by Bay Area and SoCal families and their pets in the summer; fishing guides and their clients in the winter. Always accompanying me when all others had gone home was the lodge mascot, my redbone coonhound, Poppy. During the years I ran the lodge I had the opportunity to spend a lot of time on the river. I walked through river waters filled with migrating salmon. I have watched them tirelessly performing upward acrobatics to reach higher into their spawning creek. I had always loved fishing and water sports in the Midwest but here, I had found my new home with clean and unspoiled waterways.

All these years later, a total of more than 25 years in the woods of Medocino and Humboldt counties, I have my GUIDE Team, Rhody and Jasper. They are my American breed pawpies Yes, pawpies, is the name by which I can them both. First they were puppies and then, they became paw-pies.

I watched their parents and how they behaved when they were alone. I never heard them bark when folks where just walking by. They never barked at the postman who had obviously befriended them. But they were always alert and "on the job" watching the couples house.

When puppies sprang from the porch one day, I was delighted. This was my chance. I approached the couple to see if any pups were available and to see the puppies up close. I fell in love with one fat little brindle colored pup and decided he was for me. Alas, when I asked for him, the owner said "Oh, if you take him, you must take this one, too. They were born together and have never left each other's side." So, I took both pups to my home in Kneeland.

Little did I know what good friends and companions in the woods they would be for me. Today, I bring them on all my excursions to the rivers. They are always approached by fellow river visitors and their children.

The Other Member of the Guide Team

Now this story is not just about my dogs. When the original author wanted to release the "Guide" to me, I was a little ovewhelmed. The book covers miles of territory in Humboldt County and would need periodic updating. As this is not my only job, I just could not envision how I could do it alone. So, I am not doing it alone.

Bruce Chaiet, a native to Massapequa, New York, has lived in Humboldt County for more than 35 years. He is a sailor, a craftsman, a photographer, a videographer, a mediator and perfectionist who assists me in documentation of the swimming holes and takes photos when I want to be in the water. And my pawpies love him.