Tuesday: Got Lucky

Tuesday is the preferred day to go to town so Brandon, Jax of course, and I leave early. Just going once a week there are a lot of errands to do, trash, water, wood, propane, groceries, supplies, gas, critter food, bank, post office, plumbing supplies, hardware store and it goes on.

Tuesday because off road places, some repair shops, and the barbershop are closed. Plus it's a good day to mail all the forgotten stuff guests left back to them as the post office line is short.

I get back right at noon. I see some disc golfers on hole two off the back porch so even before I unload I walk out to see if they need a map or anything. They say they are fine but it was weird seeing the tortoise hiking up Hurrah Pass when they drove down. I ask what they are talking about and they said they got here about 15 minutes ago and he was walking right up the middle of the road to Hurrah Pass. I just drove down Hurrah Pass and I didn't see him anywhere. I get one of the disc golfers to get in the truck with me and show me where they saw him. I look over as we're driving off and the gate is closed so he made a break somewhere over the fence.

About a quarter of the way up he shows he where they saw Kobae so he begins looking right and I left and just as we approach the first drop offs on the left side there he is. Owning the road and won't move over. Man on a mission. We load him up and put him in the back of the truck.

I unload groceries as quick as I can and by the time I'm done he's headed down the road again to complete his mission. Apparently he's gearing up for the 240 miles road race coming through next week. He's good on distance but not so much on speed.

We run across a guy in his dog in their truck looking for some place to visit. I send them to the Wind Caves. A couple minutes later three guys on motorcycles stop to look at Kobae and the third guy tells the other two we should go help the guy with the flat tire in the truck. With Jax as bait so Kobae will follow we hike over to see if we can help. He has one of those tiny spare tires and is hoping for something larger to get back over Hurrah and limp to his campsite. We put Kobae in the back of his truck, second truck ride of the day, go to the lodge but can't find anything in the garage that will help him so I get him a walkie and some Fix a Flat and tell him to call if he has issues. Kobae continues to patrol the parking lot looking for the dog after he leaves.

I think I have a few minutes to get some stuff done but when I look down the parking lot ten minutes later Kobae is off again. I explain to new guests that are close to him that it's whoever is closest to him has to take him hiking and that buys me ten minutes to get a few things together for the Kobae third hike of the day.
Eventually herding Kobae home again and putting him back inside his gate after a ferocious destruction of romaine dinner I find and repair at the top of the hill by the hogan where Kobae broke out and went over the fence.

Off an on during the day people show up for directions and say "Hey, that's the turtle we saw walking up Hurrah Pass earlier today."