Michigan Trails Week Fun

Happy Sunday and happy October!  Last time I wrote, I mentioned that we had joined the DNRs Michigan Trails Week challenge which took place September 20 through September 27.  I love a good challenge, especially one that gets us out on some trails, and wanted to share some of the fun we had during the week.

We have some really great local trails in the Lansing area and I wanted to take advantage of as many of them as I could for our challenge.  Most days I tried to get out for a longer hike with Peaches and then take a second, short walk that Maddie could join with us.  The weather was beautiful for the entire week which made getting outside even better.  

Peaches loves her one on one time with me, mainly because we can move a lot faster without Maddie slowing us down, but it isn't always easy to get out for a walk without Maddie because she really doesn't want to miss out on any fun.  Some days we were lucky to be able to sneak out of the house while Maddie was sleeping and sometimes plans had to be changed...and on a couple of occasions I had to leave a very sad Maddie behind and watch that sad little face staring at me out the front window as we drove away without her.  But she's pretty forgiving and always happily greeted me when we got 

back home. 

Our walks included time at Anderson Park, some time at Frances Park and along the Grand River, a slow meandering walk around Benjamin Davis Park on the South Lansing Pathway-which ended with a nice run on the softball fields for Peaches, and a beautiful Friday evening hike around Hartrick Park in Okemos, where we got a little taste of Fall watching the football team warm up for their Friday night game and the soccer team out on the practice field.  

Once the weekend arrived, we were excited to have some friends join us for a hike and we had a really great time hiking some new(to us)trails at Anderson Park with Vanessa, Katelyn, and Arlo.  Peaches was excited to have the baby join us and she was so interested whenever he made noises.  It was pretty cute.  

After our late morning walk and a stop for ice cream with Vanessa, we headed home to do some things around the house and garden.  As the early evening approached, I could tell the girls were ready for another adventure, so I decided it would be a great time to head out for a walk at Sleepy Hollow State Park.  The park is only about 20 minutes from home and there are plenty of trails to choose from, so we headed out to add some more miles for the day.

Sunday morning arrived, and after looking at the weather for the rest of the week, it looked like this may be our last chance to get out and do something for a bit so I called Nicol and made plans to drive down to meet her for a nice walk at Maybury State Park in Northville.  I had never been to Maybury, but I was happy to see Nicol and spend some time with her for the afternoon.  We had a good hike and just spent some time sitting and chatting for a bit as well.  Maddie and Peaches were both pretty happy to see Nicol too and to check out a new place.   It was a great day.

We had such a great time with Trails week and we logged a total of 26 miles for the week.  While we could have done more without Maddie, I like to include her as much as possible because she really does enjoy getting out for adventures.  So while we won't break any world records, we are so lucky that we get to enjoy spending time together and explore the world together.

This past week was pretty quiet for us.  The weather was cooler and rainy most days which made it hard to do much.  While I try to get out despite the rain, none of us were really feeling inspired to do much on the rainiest days of the week, so we just spent some quiet days at home.  

We did get one really beautiful morning on Thursday, so I decided to take an early lunch from work, grabbed the girls, and got in a quick walk around the neighborhood.  I was so glad that we did it because it was a beautiful morning and we were able to enjoy the sunshine before the rain moved in to the area again.

With the rain and cooler weather came some frost advisories this week, so after a couple of nights of covering what remained of my tomato and pepper plants, yesterday I did my final gardening of the year.  It was a sad day for me because I have enjoyed my garden so much this year, but I still have some tomatoes that are in the process of ripening, so at least my bounty will continue for a while longer.  Plus I have a full freezer to remind me of the warmer days of Summer.  I can't wait until next Spring when I can start the garden again and I have big plans for an even better crop next year.

Fall is in full force here in Michigan.  The leaves are changing and the temperatures are getting cooler.  In parts of the U.P., the Fall color is already past peak, but in the Lansing area we're just getting started.  We've got plans to enjoy a couple of fun Fall adventures, one in the UP in places that we love visiting, and another in some new areas in the Northern Lower Peninsula.  I'm hopeful that we'll have good weather without too much rain and get to enjoy some beautiful scenery as we prepare for the impending Winter.  We'll be packing in as many adventures as possible in October and I look forward to sharing them with you all.