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I’ve procrastinated on writing this little tale for fear of people thinking less of our dear RoadDog, but I guess the time has come. Please remember, this is not Jake’s fault.

Our beloved Cairn terrier has become a tick magnet this summer.

We have no idea what’s been going on. Is it our yard? Is it the weather? Is it something he’s eating that’s attracting the nasty little creatures? (It can’t be the Timbits — he always eats Timbits.)

It started back in late June I think. We have ivory ceramic tile on our kitchen floor. I looked down one evening and there was a tick on the floor. Argh! I can’t stand them. I admit, I might actually despise them. They are truly parasites, absolutely useless to the world. And they’re creepy besides that.

I check Jake every night for ticks when I comb him. I didn’t find any that evening, so I thought that tick was just a one-off. Jake usually gets three or four each summer. But the following morning I spotted another tick on the kitchen floor shortly after Jake came in from outside. And so it began.

Within four or five days, the count rose to 21. That includes the two on the kitchen floor, one on the stairs, one crawling on my leg after I combed Jake one night (Ick!) and the rest were on our poor dog. He must have felt like his skin was crawling. It got to the point that every time we touched him, we’d find more ticks. Two before Steve left for work. Two more as he was pulling out of the driveway. Another one before I left. Three at lunch time. More after work. More before bed. It was beyond creepy! And it went on for a couple of days.

Eventually the tick situation subsided. We’ve probably removed eight or ten since then. (Again, I repeat, ick!) The good news is we always seem to find them before they really get comfortable. Plus we have the handiest tick key (yes, that’s what it’s called) that we bought in a pet store in New Hampshire last summer which does a fabulous job of removing the little creeps.

But I mean, really. Jake is adorable and everyone pretty much loves him, but couldn’t the ticks love him a little less?
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There’s something about the Kancamagus Highway.

I’m sure many riders, and drivers for that matter, would agree with that statement … but maybe not exactly the way I mean it.

I’ve said before that you can’t visit the White Mountains on a motorcycle without riding the Kanc, the local nickname for the highway which runs between Conway and Lincoln in New Hampshire. It’s a fantastic road along a river with beautiful scenery, wonderful twists and turns, and great places to stop and enjoy nature at its best.

For some reason, however, it just never seems to be uneventful for us. Last year, when Steve, Jake and I rode through there with our friends, a bear cub loped across the road in front of Dennis and Heather. It wasn’t a close call as we all stopped and looked and shook our heads a little, so that was a good little adventure.

This time, we weren’t quite so lucky, although happily everything turned out okay in the end.

In August, we stopped at a new-to-us pull off along the Kanc. It was a beautiful spot just off the highway where the rocky riverbed left wading holes and was flanked on either side by forest. There were a few other people there enjoying the day, but it wasn’t crowded and we were all dipping our feet and paddling about, Jake especially enjoying the chance to wade and cool off. It’s just the kind of place our RoadDog loves.

And then Dennis fell down. He slipped on a wet rock, his feet went out from under him and we all heard the thunk as his head hit the rock. It was awful. It was terrifying. It was a very, very bad moment.

Luckily, Dennis wasn’t badly injured. He was dizzy for a bit and I suspect ended up with a powerful headache, but there were no signs of a concussion. He cut his head and, like any head wound, it bled, but not an extraordinary amount. And it swelled … wow, did it swell.

Steve has some medical training and a couple of people who were there offered to help out. One woman was either a nurse or a doctor. Another man was a paramedic who actually had a bike licence and even offered to drive Dennis’ trike if necessary. He also offered up the family van if we needed to get Dennis back to North Conway. Sometimes people are just so nice … it renews your faith in humanity.

In the end, none of that was necessary. After taking some time to ensure he was okay and okay to ride, Dennis rode the trike himself, having promised to pull over if he felt unwell or incapable at any point, with Heather, Steve and I all keeping a very careful watch. We were all very thankful that the situation wasn’t worse and quite content to return to the hotel so we could all take a break after that day’s adventure. Even Jake seemed to sense the stress.

I don’t know what it is about us and the Kanc, but next time I truly hope for a completely uneventful ride there. And there will be a next time … it’s just too great a road to give up on.

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RoadDog had a busy weekend, even if he didn’t get to ride a motorcycle.

Our bike club’s annual toy run was a huge success on Saturday, attracting more than 150 bikes and raising more than $1,200, along with a bunch of toys and school supplies, for the Salvation Army.

It really was, as always, a heartwarming day. I love to see the bikes with stuffed toys strapped on them heading down the road and then the dozens of bikes crowded into the Bridgewater Plaza parking lot as all those riders, mostly in denim and black leather, line up to make donations to help kids. It’s something you really have to see to appreciate, but it is much appreciated, both by the Maritime Motorcycle Touring Association and the Salvation Army.

Jake had a wonderful day. He seemed a little confused when we got in the car. He only wears his club bandana when we’re riding, except for this Saturday. Plus I drove and he sat on Steve’s lap, which never happens, so that left him rather puzzled as well. But once we arrived and he saw all his motorcycle people, he was a very happy dog.

Well, at least until Santa showed up and I tried to take a photo of him in Santa’s arm. Let’s just say Jake is one of those “children” who isn’t so sure about the big guy in the red suit with the white beard. I’m not certain who was more disturbed by the encounter, Jake or Santa, who is actually rather fond of our RoadDog.

Sunday was a bit of a conundrum and, I confess, I feel like I might have let our boy down a little. It was his birthday. He’s a big six year old now. However, with Steve still on the injured list and all that’s been going on with that, plus the 10th anniversary of 9-11, I really didn’t feel much like celebrating. Jake just had several new toys from our vacation, so he didn’t really need another one.

I did get the most important part right though — Jake had a birthday Timbit, so he wasn’t too disappointed.

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Sad news! RoadDog’s riding season has ended early and not for the reason you might expect.

My husband is broken. It wasn’t a bike accident either. He fell off a ladder Friday afternoon while painting the house and landed on our concrete patio. It was just one of those things and it really, really sucks, but it could have been so much worse. We both realize he was very, very lucky.

Steve has a list of injuries, including three broken toes that he’d be more than willing to squeeze into bike boots (yeah, both feet), but he also broke his right elbow. That has ended our riding season rather prematurely … he’s in a cast from his palm to just below his shoulder.

And yes, that is incredibly sad, especially when one of the first things he did once he was up and moving about was show me that he could still roll his wrist to throttle his bike. Uh huh, I’m not kidding, he did. At that point, he was still trying to convince himself that we’d make it to Wharf Rat Rally in Digby on Saturday. Um, not so much.

But remember, he was incredibly lucky. Ending the riding season a few weeks early isn’t all that bad considering what could have happened.

And our little family still plans to attend our bike club’s annual toy run to support the Salvation Army’s Christmas campaign this Saturday. We’ll just be doing it in a car instead of on our bikes. I could take mine, but it just seems wrong somehow. I think it would make him sadder than he already is, plus it would leave him and Jake at home because he can’t drive right now.

So the three of us will be riding in a Ford instead of on Kawasakis on Saturday. As always, the run starts in Mahone Bay across from the Anglican Church (that’s the yellow or beige one depending on who you ask about the colour). Riders should be there in lots of time for the 1 p.m. start. Club members will be there early in case anyone wishes to drop off donations.

The run goes through Maders Cove and into Lunenburg, heading right at the monument and then to Riverport before travelling through Bridgewater via Veterans Memorial Bridge, Victoria Road and High Street to end up at the Salvation Army Thrift Store around 2 p.m.

All riders are welcome and donations can be new toys or school supplies, hygiene products suitable for teens or cash. It all goes to a great cause.

As for RoadDog, he’ll be there to support the cause and thank those who share his enthusiasm. He’s a little confused about Steve’s situation, but he’s trying very hard to be a good nurse even if he’s a little bit funked about all that sunshine and no riding.