When Winter meets Spring in the UP

Last weekend, we were lucky enough to make a journey North to spend the weekend in Munising with our friend Vanessa.  It was a trip that we had originally had scheduled for February, but due to some really terrible weather in the forecast, we decided to cancel that trip and find another time to make the journey.  With lots going on in our busy schedules, our Munising Winter adventure was finally moved to the first weekend of Spring.  Lucky for us Winter always seems to hang on a little longer in the U.P.  

With much excitement, we loaded up the Jeep on Friday afternoon and started our journey North.  The girls were excited to be on a road trip and to have another person to give them love.  I think we were all pretty excited for our trip.  After a few hours on the road, we made a quick stop in Mackinaw City to stretch our legs and let the girls out for a potty break and then we were quickly back in the Jeep and on our way across the Bridge.  The Lake was frozen for as far as we could see.  

After another quick stop for some dinner in Naubinway, we continued our journey on toward Munising.  We arrived in town, checked into our room at the Holiday Inn Express, and settled in for the night.   The girls were happy to take advantage of the comfy hotel beds to rest up for our big adventures planned for Saturday.  

After a good night's sleep, we were up early Saturday and out for a potty break before the sunrise.  It was a beautiful morning on the lake.  

We had lots of plans for our Saturday, so we were up and out of our room early to get started.  I was excited because we had plans to visit the Eben Ice Caves.  I have wanted to visit them for years, but have never gotten the chance.  The caves are about 20 miles outside of Munising in a remote area.  In order to get to them, you must cross through private property and then hike through the Rock River Canyon.  I had heard there were steep hills and slippery conditions, but I didn't really know what to expect.  While in the dead of Winter the trail is firm and icy and ice cleats are the preferred method of travel, with the weather beginning to warm up, I was concerned about the condition of the snow.  I had heard that there was about 3 feet of snow on the ground, and if it was too soft, there would be a risk of sinking in with each step.  After a little research, I decided it would make sense to have snowshoes for our hike.  Better safe than sorry. 

I had forgotten to pack my snowshoes and Vanessa didn't have a pair so our first stop of the day was Valley Spur to rent some snowshoes.  For only $2 per pair, the rental there is a bargain, and we had use of them all day long.  With a quick stop to get the snowshoes, we were off for our adventure.  

The snow was still pretty firm and the sun was shining, so it promised to be a good day.  We got our shoes on, bundled up, and headed out with two excited pups.  As we walked across the field and into the woods, I felt like the snowshoes weren't actually helping...as people with ice cleats hiked right on by us, and I felt like I was slipping and sliding around constantly.  But I was determined to make the mile hike out there, no matter what.  

The trail had some narrow and steep areas which nearly stopped us from continuing on, but Vanessa fought through her fear of heights and I used Peaches to pull me down the hills on my butt.  Just as we got to a spot where we weren't sure we could make it any farther, a nice group stopped to tell us that we were almost there...and that we shouldn't give up.  They did suggest that we take off our snowshoes for the remaining hike, and we took their advice.  Much to my surprise, the hike was much easier without the snowshoes and we didn't really even nice ice cleats.  We rounded a curve and started up a hill...and there they were, right in front of us. 

The ice formations are pretty impressive and very pretty and, while I didn't go inside the caves since I didn't have ice cleats, it was a great experience to see them in person.

Just after we reached the caves, I realized that somewhere along the trail I had lost my phone, but thankfully I had my camera with me.  I was pretty sure that I would easily find my phone too, since I knew I couldn't have lost it very far back along the trail and I didn't have to worry about it sinking in the snow since it was so firmly packed.

After a short time exploring the area, we headed back to the car.  We hiked the entire way back without the snowshoes and the hike went much better and a lot more quickly.  I still can't believe how much more difficult it had been with snowshoes! When we didn't find my phone on the way out and no one had left it at the trail head, we decided to put the girls in the Jeep and retrace our steps to see if we'd have any luck finding the phone.  After hiking out and back again, and having no luck finding my phone(but I did meet a GSP owner who happily shared pictures of her dogs with me), I was convinced that someone must have picked it up and that I may or may not get my phone back, but I couldn't spend all day worrying about it.  So we went on with our journey. 

I had hoped to take Vanessa behind Scott's Falls, but we determined that it was too difficult to get to the falls and settled for some pictures from the side of the road.  I promised her that we're going to get behind those falls when we return in the Spring.  Everyone should climb behind some waterfalls at least once in their life! 

By this time we had had a busy day and had worked up an appetite, so we headed into town to grab some lunch at Eh! Burger.  My burger was tasty and while we sat there eating, Vanessa was working hard to try to track down my phone with a couple of texts, some calls, and a Facebook post on the Eben Ice Caves page.  If I was going to find my phone, I wasn't going to be able to do it without her help!

After we finished lunch, we headed out to Munising Falls.  It is a quick walk to the falls and they are impressive to see any time of the year.  Due to warmer temperatures, the Falls weren't completely frozen, but they still looked pretty amazing partially frozen. 

Peaches got to practice her stay while we were there with another dog just a few feet away.  I was pretty impressed at how well she did.  And of course I had to get the obligatory picture of the girls together at the Falls, but not looking at me.

Our next stop was Sand Point. In the Spring and Summer, this is one of our favorite beaches to visit when we're in Munising.  It is not usually very busy and the driftwood is pretty amazing there.  In the Winter, it gives you a great view of a frozen Lake Superior and the Grand Island Ice Caves.  In years when the lake freezes solid throughout the bay, Sand Point is the starting spot to walk across the Lake to Grand Island.  The Lake didn't freeze well enough this year to walk all the way to the island, but it was still worth a visit.

While it wasn't safe to cross the Lake, it was safe to walk out on the ice closer to the shore so we had to take a walk out on Superior.  The top of the ice was a little slushy and I know it won't be long before there is open water there again.

As we walked back to the Jeep, I thought it was worth a stop to take a couple of pictures to show just how deep the snow is currently.  Yes, that is the top of a trash can sticking out of the snow.

Next we were off to my favorite waterfall in the Munising area, Wagner Falls.  While I have never seen these falls freeze, they are always very beautiful when framed in snow.  It is a short walk out to them and I can't drive by without stopping there.  This is my first time back to these falls since October when Imke and I walked out to them before we left Munising.  I'll probably think of her and that last trip there every time I visit them.  It is a special place for me and I have a lot of great memories there over the years. 

Peaches really wanted to climb over the viewing area and splash around in the water.

Maddie begrudgingly let me take her picture.  By this time of the day, she was pooped and just ready to go back to the Jeep!

Our adventures for the day were coming to an end, but we still had one more stop to make.  We piled back into the Jeep and headed the short way down the road back to Valley Spur for a little snowshoeing on the North Country Trail.  I couldn't miss the opportunity to add to our Hike 100 miles while we were in the area.  We headed out on the trail and after about a mile, we turned around to head back to the Jeep.  It had been a busy day and we were all tired and ready to head back to the hotel for the night.

On the way to the hotel, Vanessa noticed these awesome snow features off the side of the road. 

We finally made it back to our hotel in time to kick back, eat some leftovers, and watch some basketball  It had been a fun and eventful day and we were ready to kick our feet up and relax for the night.  The girls made themselves cozy for the evening.

And in case you are wondering about my phone...in a strange turn of events, someone contacted Vanessa from her Facebook post about the lost phone.  They had found my phone on the trail and had kept it safe. We were excited to hear that my phone was safe, and we were even more excited when we found out that the person who had found it was staying at the same hotel we were.  So with a meeting at the front desk, I got my phone back, fully charged and unharmed! 

We awoke on Sunday ready for more UP adventures.  We had made the most of our Saturday in Munising, but we still had things to see on our way home.  We left the hotel heading East on M-28 with plans for a new experience... to see Snowy Owls.  I had some good intel on where we should go to see them and I was hoping that we'd have a sighting.  We arrived in Rudyard and decided rather than drive around looking, we'd park and take the girls for a walk and stretch our legs.  I kept scanning the distance on rooftops, fences, telephone poles, and on the ground.  And then, there it was a beautiful Snowy Owl, mid-flight, being chased by a crow.  While I was unable to get a picture, the experience was so cool.  We walked a bit farther and then turned around to head back to the Jeep.  On the way back we were lucky enough to see another Owl in flight as well.  I was so excited that we were able to see them and I can't wait until next Winter when I can hopefully see even more!

After a stop in Pickford for lunch, we continued our journey East with plans to drive to Detour and then travel the Lake Huron coast back to St. Ignace.  We drove along the shore and saw lots of open lake along the way.  We made a quick stop in Hessel for a view of the Les Cheneaux Islands and got the girls out for another quick walk.  I found the two payphones right next to each other very interesting.  After our walk, we continued on our way to St. Ignace.

We planned to get another couple miles on the North Country Trail before heading over the Bridge toward home.  The boardwalk was covered in snow and basically unwalkable, so we took a detour along the sidewalk through town and saw some things I had never noticed before.  About 3/4 of a mile into our walk, Maddie started to slow down, so we turned around to head back to the Jeep.

It was a great stop and it was nice to get out to stretch our legs one last time before we continued our journey South.  It was a pretty day on Lake Huron and by the time we got back to the Jeep, the girls were ready to settle in for the rest of our journey home.  We made a stop for gas and snacks at the Holiday in St. Ignace before crossing the Bridge and leaving our UP adventure behind us. 

What an amazing weekend it had been. I love sharing the places I love with others.  I'm so glad that Vanessa is willing to put up with our craziness and is up for whatever adventures I throw at her.  I can't wait until we head back for our next UP adventure in May when I get to share the Keweenaw. 

March 29

At this time thirty years ago, I was in the delivery room at Owosso Memorial Hospital and about to bring in to this world a beautiful baby girl.  Every year, as we enter February and March, I think back about those months all those years ago with much fondness.  It was a special time in my life and a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me.   I was young and naive and I had no idea what was in store for my life.  I also had no idea how much I was going to love being a mom...her mom.

When I think back on that night before she was born, waking up and not feeling well...but having no idea my labor had started...when I think about that whole night I realize that story is mine and mine alone.  We each have our own pregnancy, labor, and delivery stories, and I'm sure for mom's with multiple children each story is unique.  But I realized last night just how much that story is only mine.  I am the only one who was there for every minute of the entire nine months, for every bout of morning sickness, for every kick, and for every labor pain.  And when you see that beautiful little perfect face for the first time, it is a magical moment.  And you already love that little person more than you can express.

I won't recount the hours leading up to her birth that day, but will say that I had it pretty easy with only 7 hours of labor.  And the next 30 years were pretty amazing too.  Nicol is an amazing human being and I am thankful every day that she came into my life.  I can't believe how lucky I am to be her mom!

A busy week

Oh what a week it has been!  I was busy every night this week and had originally planned to go out of town for the weekend.  Thankfully, I decided at the last minute to just stay home this weekend, and boy I am glad I made that choice.  After a busy Sunday last week and the change to daylight savings time, I'm not sure I was really ready for the busy week that lie ahead.

Monday morning started bright and early with a flight from Lansing to Minneapolis and then on to Nashville for a two day work meeting.   Of course the girls were confused why mom was up at such an early hour...they know me well.  But I was glad to have the time to feed them and make sure they were settled in for the day before I left. The flights were smooth and uneventful, the only highlight was watching the sunrise as we flew over Wisconsin.   Monday and Tuesday were just a whirlwind of meetings and travel and, although I was only gone two days, I was exhausted when I arrived home just before midnight on Tuesday.  I got a great welcome home by two girls who were very happy to see their mom.  Sure does feel great to come home to them!

Paige spent Monday evening and all day Tuesday in boarding with the Vet.  So after getting in late and starting my work day a little later on Wednesday morning, I took a break mid-morning to go pick her up and bring her home for the day.  It was a happy reunion when she saw me, but nothing at all like the reunion she had with Peaches when she jumped into the back of my Jeep.  They were immediately ready to play!

I worked from home that day so that Peaches and Paige could spend lots of time running and playing, and we had a mid-day ice cream party because Wednesday night Paige would be meeting a family and I knew that this would in all likelihood be her last day in our home.   We left home just after 4pm to head the 90 minutes West to meet Ben, hopeful that this would be Paige's lucky day.

We arrived just about 5:30pm and Ben came out to greet us.  I could tell that he loved Paige already.  Maddie and Peaches patiently waited in the Jeep while Paige and I went inside so that Ben could get to know her a bit better.  Before we were even in the house, he had already made the decision that she was the one.  With a house full of new toys, shiny new dog dishes, a new crate, and two new dog beds, I could tell he was ready to have pup of his very own.  They played and she sniffed every inch of the house as Ben and I talked and completed the adoption paperwork to finalize her adoption.  Paige had found her new home.  I am so happy for both of them; I think that they are going to be great together, but I sure do miss her silly antics and all of her snuggles. 

I had promised Maddie and Peaches a little adventure on the way home, so we made a stop in Lowell to add 2 miles toward our 100 on the NCT on the Lowell Riverwalk.  It was a beautiful night for a walk and, after being gone for a couple of days, it was nice to be able to get out and spend some time with the girls.  I could tell that they were both happy to be out exploring with me.  Before leaving Lowell, I grabbed a bite to eat and then we were on our way home.  The added stop had made for a long day and we didn't get home until 9pm, but it was worth the stop. 

Thursday night I had tickets to see Miss Saigon at the Wharton Center here in East Lansing.  It is a show I have always wanted to see and, while it made for another long day and another late night, I was not disappointed.  It is one of the best shows I've ever seen. 

Finally, Friday arrived.  After the crazy week I had, I decided that I would change my plans to leave town for the weekend and just stay home instead.  After a nice dinner, we snuggled up for a nice night of watching the Big 10 Basketball Tournament and relaxing.  It was the perfect night at home and I could tell that Maddie was happy to have me home with her because she insisted on touching me all night long.  Boy was I happy that I had made the choice to stay home.

We had a lazy Saturday morning, followed by an early afternoon of house cleaning before getting out for a nice walk.  We found a new section of the Lansing Riverwalk to explore, and the girls thoroughly enjoyed exploring a new area.  It was a bit chilly out there today,  but the sun was shining and I can feel Spring in the air. 

Tomorrow we have plans to spend the end of our last weekend of Winter exploring a section of the North Country Trail early so that we can be home in time for the Michigan vs Michigan State basketball game and then rest up for the week ahead.

Happy St. Paddy's day to you all!  

Hometown Fun

Hello friends and happy Sunday morning!  We've had a couple of crazy weeks and I've been sick this last week-for the second time in just 5 weeks.  I don't get sick often and I've never gotten sick so closely together, but I am thankful to be feeling better again and back to a more normal schedule.

Yesterday marked 6 weeks since Paige came into our home.  It is hard to believe that she's been here that long...I never expected her to have to wait so long for a family, but I believe all things happen for a reason.  Paige has settled in so nicely here and, while she is still a crazy ball of energy at times, she has settled into our routine and has learned a lot about what it means to be a good dog.  She still needs some love, patience, and training, but as I sit here watching her, it is amazing to see how much she really has grown.  Later this week we have a meeting with a potential new family for her and I really think this one is going to be the right fit for her  Wish us luck!

Last weekend, my nephew, Mason, and his basketball team were in town for a basketball tournament.  It is rare that any of the kids ever have any sporting event so close to me, so I was excited to be able to spend the day Saturday with my family watching him play.  His team had a great day and won all three of their games on Saturday.

In between games, we stopped for lunch, and after lunch, we had some time to explore, so I took my parents downtown to the Vietnam War Memorial on the Capitol grounds.  It was cold and blustery, but it was nice to spend some time with my dad as he talked about some of the people he had known whose names are on that wall.  It is sobering experience every time I visit. 

 After a long day of watching basketball and squeezing some errands in between games, I headed home for the day.  The girls had been home alone all day, so they were ready for some fun as soon as I walked in the door.  With the icy sidewalks in my neighborhood, it hasn't been easy to get them out for regular walks, and we were all ready to stretch our legs, so I decided to head back downtown to the Capitol Complex to explore a little more. 

The great thing about this area is that no matter what the weather has done, the sidewalks are always clean.  The bonus on the weekends is that it is generally pretty quiet too.  It is the perfect place to take three crazy girls for a walk.

Since there is a lot of foot traffic in this area all week and it isn't an area we go daily, it is an especially interesting area for three bird dogs who love to use their noses.  Plus the views of the Capitol Building are pretty great.

I always try to use the times when we're in places like this to practice some skills.  Off-leash recall and stay are two that I work on regularly with Peaches.  I also would like to teach her how to look a little happier when I make her sit for a picture for her Instagram page, but it seems like she's always just mad at me for making her stop exploring for a silly picture!

As you can tell, everyone needs to work on their listening skills.  Sit is Maddie's least favorite thing to do...unless you have a goody for her, but she stills begrudgingly does it...and forget a sit/stay.  She's only willing to do that if an entire meal is involved.  So I take what I can get!

Paige especially enjoyed this outing  because there were lots and lots of squirrels around us.  Amazingly she sat nicely watching one while I was trying to get the previous picture of Maddie and Peaches.  And even more amazing, Peaches and Maddie didn't chase after the squirrel even though I had them off leash. 

After an adventure, it was time to head back to the car.  Maddie was being such a good girl that she got to stay off leash all the way back.  She always has a little extra pep in her step when she's not connected to a leash.  It was a nice way to spend our Saturday evening before heading home to relax for the night...and before my cold knocked me out for the next couple of days.

Tuesday night we made an unplanned visit to the vet.  When I got home from work that evening, Maddie's lip was swollen and painful and she was clearly not feeling well at all.  I made a quick call to the vet and then loaded her into my Jeep and off we went.  While Maddie is not a huge fan of going to the vet, she is a pretty good patient and enjoys the love and attention she gets from everyone there.  And everyone there was happy to see us.  Since we were an emergency appointment, they triaged her to check her vitals and then we patiently waited for the vet.  

While there were no obvious issues with her teeth, we couldn't rule out an abscessed tooth causing an infection.  We also couldn't rule out an allergic reaction, maybe to a spider bite.  So we came home with a course of Prednisone for the swelling and a round of antibiotics to take care of any potential infection.  I was relieved that she was willing to eat some rice and eggs when we got home and she took her meds like a champ...and then she took a much needed nap. 

Thankfully, by the next day she was already starting to feel better.  Most of the swelling has gone down, although her gums are still a little red and irritated.  In about a week, we'll be heading back for a recheck to make sure there is nothing more serious going on, but for now she seems to be back to her happy, silly self. 

Since Maddie and I were both feeling better on Thursday night, we headed back downtown for another walk around the Capitol.  It was dusk and the lights were just starting to come on downtown.  I think it's such a pretty area in the evening.  I couldn't resist trying to get a picture.

Finally, after a long, exhausting week, the weekend arrived.  I had a lot to get done this weekend, so after spending Saturday morning cleaning, I loaded the girls into the Jeep and headed out to run some errands.  They were so good all day as we drove from stop to stop-dropping off our styrofoam and batteries for recycling, running to the mall to do a couple of quick shopping stops, a stop at Great Harvest Bread company for a loaf of bread.  In and out of the car I went with three girls patiently waiting for me.  After hours of errands, everything I could do for the day was done and it was time to reward the girls for their good behavior.

I decided to explore a new area of the Lansing River Walk so we stopped at Maguire Park, harnessed everyone up, and off we went.

Since this spot was new to all of us, it was pretty exciting.  The girls were taking it all in, sniffing and jumping and having a grand time.

There were some pretty views along the way and of course I made Peaches stop for a picture.

As it was starting to get darker and the wind started to pick up, we turned to head back to the Jeep.  Although I had hoped to get another mile in, we ended up walking just about 2 miles.  Never one to miss a photo op, I made the girls stop one more time on our way back to get a picture at the trailhead.  As usual, they were distracted, but I am always happy to capture moments...even if they aren't perfect.  This is real life with these crazy girls and I wouldn't change anything about it...well, except maybe having Peaches learn to walk better on a leash!

We got back to the Jeep just as it started to rain and by the time we got home it was pouring.  Whew!  Got lucky there.  After a busy day, we all had dinner and settled in for a quiet evening at home.