New Year, New Adventures

Hello and Happy Sunday!  I know it has been a bit since I last wrote, and for that I apologize.  We've been busy with life.  So this week, I just want to give you all a little update on what we've been up to over the last couple of weeks.

We ended 2018 and began 2019 in one of our favorite places, Copper Harbor.  With an abundance of amazing places to explore, the adventures there are endless no matter what the season.  We enjoy getting a chance to explore our favorite summer spots when they are covered in snow and ice.  No matter what the weather, we always enjoy a day at the beach and Hunter's Point Park never disappoints.  It is amazing in all four seasons. 

The best part about being there in the Winter is the solitude.  The entire time we were out exploring, we never once saw another person.  It is the kind of place where you can really be at one with nature and alone with your thoughts.  I can't imagine a much better place to spend a Winter's day, especially when there is no wind.  The ice formations are ever changing and always spectacular.  

With no one there for us to bother, it was a great time for Peaches to be able get in a good run and some off-leash practice in the parking lot.  She thoroughly enjoyed herself!

After a good adventure and the attempt at a good picture of the girls together, they were ready to head back to the Jeep and then to our room to warm up and rest up for more adventures the next day.

While in Copper Harbor, we were able to get out for a good hike out toward Manganese Falls.  We had gotten a good amount of snowfall overnight and the fresh snow always makes the girls happy. 

One of Maddie's favorite things to do is stick her head in the side of a snowbank to see what she can smell.  Peaches was just as enthusiastic about sniffing around and I'm pretty sure that some small critter had been there recently.  They had the best time!

We continued our walk around the Harbor that morning in some pretty blustery weather and got in a good hike before the blowing snow really moved in for the day.  After a good workout for all of us, it was nice to get back to the room and snuggle up and watch the snow fall.  

And before we knew it, it was time to head home from our Copper Harbor Adventure.  But any good trip to the U.P. should include a stop along U.S.2 for a run on the Lake Michigan Beach.  Someone had recently been through on a bike and the girls were very interested in the new smells!

With the ice forming along the shore and the sun shining.  It was a beautiful day to stop...and like I said earlier, any day is a good day to be at the beach!  After a good walk along the shore, we were back in the Jeep and heading home.

Back home, it was time for Maddie to have a recheck for the yeast infection in her ears.  While she doesn't love going to the vet the way Imke did.  She is generally happy to see the people there.  She will wag her little tail and nuzzle up to them to get a little extra love.  She has also become a favorite with some of the staff there and she got to visit with some of her friends.  Unfortunately, the yeast infection hadn't cleared up and she had to have a good ear cleaning and some medicine put into her ears while we were there...and she was not a fan of that!  Hopefully she'll forgive the two vet techs who helped her out because she was not happy with them when we left!  

Now that we had entered the new year, it was time once again to start another North Country Trail 100 mile challenge for this year.  Last year, my goal was to complete it with all three girls together, and we did just that.  This year, I'm going to do my best to complete all 100 miles with both Maddie and Peaches, but who knows what the year will bring.  No matter what happens, I'll be out on the trail working toward those 100 miles!

For our first hike of the year, we headed to one of our regular hiking spots, the Marshall Riverwalk.  It was a beautiful sunny day and the girls were happy to get the chance to splash around in the river in January.

It was a beautiful, sunny day, and there were lots of people out using the trail.  As a matter of fact, we had never seen so many people out on this trail.  It made it a bit more challenging with Peaches and her leash reactivity toward other dogs, but we still had a great time and started the year with 2.6 miles on the trail.  I even took the time after our hike to try out a new restaurant while we were there and I can't wait to go back for another hike.

On January 6, we celebrated a very special day, Peaches birthday.  It has been one year since she came into our home and I decided we would use that day as her birthday.  She is now officially 7 years old and, thankfully, still going strong.

Because we don't know how many birthday's she will get with us, I decided to make this one extra special.  Our first stop was Pet Supplies Plus for a little shopping spree.  She was excited to pick out a new toy and some treats and sat nicely for the cashier to give her a treat.

It was a nice day, so next we drove downtown for a walk along the Lansing Riverwalk.  We got in a nice walk and enjoyed the sunshine.  I don't think she was very happy that I made her stop to get her picture though.  

After a day of fun, we headed home for an ice cream party with Maddie and Bentley. Overall, I think she had a pretty great day.

The day after Peaches birthday, I ended up at the vet with Maddie who was suffering from Vestibular Disease.  It came on very suddenly after I got home from work on Monday.  Her eyes were darting back and forth and she was unsteady on her feet.  While there is no cure, luckily it is something that resolves itself with time and, luckily for us, although she wasn't 100% back to herself, Maddie was feeling much better in just a couple of days.  She has now completely recovered and is back to her silly self, but boy was it scary while it was happening! 

Thankfully, Maddie was feeling well enough the following weekend that we headed out to Albion to add a few miles to our 100 miles on the NCT.  We enjoy the Albion Riverwalk and it is the closest portion of the trail to home, so it's a great place to go and add some miles.  It was a bit chilly, but we had a good time and got in another 3.1 miles for the year.  After a good adventure, it's always nice to come home a spend some time with friends!

In an effort to make healthier choices this year, and in order to keep Peaches and Maddie active during the Winter months, I'm trying to get out for a couple of different adventures with the girls every weekend.   Since we had spent Saturday on the North Country Trail, Sunday we decided to spend some more time on the Lansing Riverwalk.  We found a great softball field along the walk where I can let the girls get in a good off-leash run and then we can hit the trail for a couple of miles before heading back for one more run before heading home.  Peaches has really been enjoying the chance to really run.  I had forgotten just how fast a healthy, young, GSP can run.  She is amazing to watch.  It is also pretty funny to watch the difference between Peaches and Maddie as they run.  Some day I'll have to get some good video to share.  It's really a treat to watch them out there just enjoying the space and freedom.  

Finally this week, Winter has decided to make an appearance in Mid-Michigan.  It began to snow a bit on Thursday and we got a lot more snow Friday night into Saturday morning.  The girls really do enjoy the fresh new snow.  It's always an exciting walk after a little snow fall.

Yesterday, as the snow fell, I had the pleasure of heading out to the shelter for our Saturday morning dog walk and I got to walk this guy.  Ozzie is a Doberman Pinscher and he is absolutely gorgeous-although I couldn't get him to stand still long enough for a good picture.  I was excited to be able to walk him because I have a special place in my heart for these beautiful dogs.   He gave me a good workout as we trudged through the snow on our 1 1/2 mile walk and I gave him a little extra love before putting him back in his kennel so I could head home to spend time with my own girls.

After getting home from the shelter, the girls and I headed out into the snow so that they could have a little adventure before enjoying a relaxing snow day at home.  I took them out for a ride in the Jeep and a good run at the park, picked up a little Capital City BBQ, and headed home to watch the Michigan Basketball game.  Maddie was very interested in my lunch...and I might have shared a bite or two with her. 

Today the temperatures have dipped to some dangerously cold levels, so we won't be going out on any adventures, but the girls are happily snoring away as I write this.  I know Peaches will get restless later, but indoor games and maybe a wrestling match or two with Bentley will have to do.  Don't worry though, more adventures will be headed our way soon!

Hoping you all have a safe and warm Sunday at home!