Stop One Superior Wisconsin

We headed out early today on day one of our trip to Alaska.  With a long day of travel ahead of us, I knew we'd need to make a few stops along the way to stretch our legs and give the girls a chance to explore.  So we left bright and early to begin our adventure.  The girls were excited to be in the Jeep heading off on an adventure.  They have no idea what's in store!

Our first stop, as is the case with any trip North, was Mackinaw City.  It was a hot and humid day, so the girls were ready to head right for the Lake. 

Happy girl at the Lake!

After a little splash in the Lake and a good drink, we were off to take a quick 1 1/2 mile walk on the North Country Trail before jumping back in the Jeep to continue on our journey.  But before we could get into the Jeep, I had to get a picture in front of the Fort.

After a nice stop, we settled in for a long drive.  I decided to stay on US2 as we headed West through the UP.  The girls were sound asleep and I had settled in for the drive so I was able to make good time on some really long, quiet stretches of highway.

US2 West of Crystal Falls

After driving through a bit of a rain storm, the sun came back out and it was time for us to get out to stretch our legs again so we made a stop in Wakefield and I forced the girls to pose for some pictures for me.

We took a quick walk around before we were back in the Jeep and heading to Wisconsin with my co-pilot in her rightful spot in the front seat.

The trip across Wisconsin went quickly and smoothly and we were soon in Superior, our destination for the night.  Although Superior is very much a industrial town, it still has some very pretty areas.  Before heading to the hotel for the night, we went for a walk on the Osaugie Trail which runs along the waterfront.

Silly me, I forgot it was the 4th of July, so we had to shorten our walk due to the fireworks which were just about to start.  As we walked back to the Jeep, we even got a little history lesson.

Before heading to the hotel, we mad a quick stop to pick up dinner at Shorty's, which was featured on Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. The pizza and cheese curds were both amazing!

We're now all nicely settled into our room for the night.  The girls are snuggled together and sound asleep and I'm about to snuggle up with them.  We have an even longer day ahead of us tomorrow as we head into Canada. Time for bed!

Hit the road, Jack!

Tomorrow is the day we leave for our epic road trip through Canada to Juneau, Alaska.  After months of planning and preparation, we are ready.  The Jeep is packed with the exception of a couple of items which can't be packed until we are leaving, the girls got in a good walk tonight, and I have done everything I possibly can to make sure we are prepared.  I can't believe it's here!

Tomorrow we'll be traveling through the UP and into Wisconsin for our first night away.  I plan to make some small stops along the way to stretch our legs and maybe even get in a few miles on the North Country Trail.  I'm excited beyond belief, a little nervous, and am amazed at that fact the we're really doing this.

No pictures to share tonight and no big story, just one excited girl ready to go out and see the world.  It is my plan to update this blog every night as long as I have internet...I guess we'll see what happens.  I hope to share some really amazing stuff with you all along the way and hope you enjoy the journey with us!

Until tomorrow night, good night to you all.  I wish you all a happy and safe 4th of July holiday!

Dogs days of summer

It was a great week to get out and enjoy the first full week of Summer here in Michigan.  Early in the week, we had some really great weather with low humidity and temperatures in the upper 60s to low 70s.  Knowing that a heatwave was headed our way, we decided to get out and enjoy the great outdoors while we could.  

Our adventures last Sunday took us to Battle Creek to get in some miles on the North Country Trail.  We are working on our 100 miles on the trail again this year and are a little behind schedule, so it seemed like a great day to get in a few miles.  

The trail follows the Battle Creek Linear Path through town and has some nice views of the river.  It also has a great park with a little history of the Underground railroad and some great places to catch the girls exploring.  Peaches loves to jump up anything she can so she can see more.

After forcing them to pose for some pictures, it was back to the trail.  We met several friendly bikers along the way and enjoyed our time together on the trail.  We completed just about 4 miles on the trail that day, but we are still a little behind schedule (I would like to have 50 miles completed since we're at the end of June and we're about 5 miles short), but we have some time on the trail planned for this week, so I'm hoping to get back on track!

Once we finished our hike, it was back in the Jeep to head home and partake in a charity dog wash being held by a Lansing area rescue.  All three girls were troopers, but I can honestly say none of them enjoyed the experience.  

Maddie getting soapy

Imke being pampered 

Peaches post bath...I don't think she was happy with me

Even if they didn't enjoy it, I love that they were clean and we were able to support other dogs in need.  We always like to do our part to help where we can.

Peaches first State Capitol visit

Since we were already downtown for the dog wash, I decided we should take a little walk around the Capitol Building and see if we could get a practice session in with Peaches.  She did amazing!  Although she loves to scoot forward every time I take a step back, we finally got a good sit and stay out of both Peaches and Maddie while Imke was laying down very nicely.  I was pretty happy with our first attempt-even if I cut the dome out of the picture!

Best Co-pilot ever!

Monday was just as nice as Sunday, so it seemed like a great night to take the top off of the Jeep and take a drive, after all, half the reason for having a Jeep is so you can take the top off!  This was Peaches first ride with the top off and she had the best time.

Peaches enjoying the ride

Mom and Maddie!

We had no destination in mind and just took our time and enjoyed the fresh air and sunshine. Who doesn't love just going for a drive?  I know the girls and I love it!  It was a great way to spend the evening with the girls.  

Fun with the girls

Tuesday night I took the girls to watch my niece, Brezlyn, play softball.  I've got a whole other blog post planned to talk about our love of the game, but here's one picture of all three of them to hold you over until then!

Thursday, Peaches had her 6 month check-up and chest x-ray for  her cancer.  I am happy to report that the cancer is growing slowly and the doctor was very happy with how well she is doing.  Although we know our time with her is limited, she's become a big part of our lives and it's nice to know that we've still got some good times left!  

Waiting patiently at the Vet

Since Thursday was the last day of nice weather before the heatwave hit, and in celebration of the good news from the vet, we decided to get out and get a couple of miles on the North Country Trail in Marshall.  We really like the Marshall River walk, mainly because it's one of closest parts of the trail to us.  But Maddie and Peaches like it because they can splash around in the River.

After a nice dip in the River and a good drink, it was back on the trail so we could finish up our 2 miles and head home before sunset.

I'm so glad we went because it was a gorgeous night and we got to spend some quality time together, but most importantly, I had three happy girls by the end of the walk!

We finished our week with a trip to Midland to visit our dog loving friends, Shauna and Eddie, who are moving West in just few days.  They always have the best dog-friendly parties!  

While the heat (and food) kept Imke and Maddie close by, Peaches had the best time exploring their yard and hunting for critters.  A few times she was joined be her new hound friend, Ricky Bobby.

I was only able to get one picture of Peaches with Dylan...and it took some good venison as a bribe to get this one! Joey, the Beagle, joined in on that fun as well!

Imke and Maddie stayed close by on the deck most of the night.  I'm sure the heat and the proximity to food were contributing factors to that.  And Imke was happy to make people friends that let her lick their plates. 

Dylan was happy that  Auntie Trisha was willing to spoil him!

 Jesse and Joey enjoyed the air conditioning most of the night.  I can't blame them!

All of the dogs had a great time!  We were so happy to be able to see our friends before they leave.  We're going to miss having them just down the road, but now we have a reason to make a road trip to Washington!  It was a great way to end our fun first week of summer.   There's nothing better than a life surrounded by dogs!

Fun at Showboat Park

Summer has finally arrived and with it comes longer, warmer days and more time for fun!  I love that it gives me more opportunities to be outside with the girls and to enjoy our beautiful state, even if it's just more time out in our own backyard!  And this week, we've been taking full advantage of every minute.

Last weekend took us to my home town of Chesaning to visit my dad for father's day.  My dad is not the dog lover I am, but he's certainly grown to appreciate the girls and even embraces the craziness that comes with three German Shorthaired Pointers.  The girls always get excited about their trips to visit Grandpa and Grandma because what GSP doesn't love some time in the country?  Of course there are always adventures and lots of things to sniff, but there are also lots of walks, lounging in the sun, petting, and treats!  Everything a good GSP loves.

This year, my parents decided to spend some time camping at Showboat Park, so that is where we went to visit them.  The girls have never been to Showboat Park so this was an excellent place for us to get out and explore somewhere new (at least for them).  With lots of wide open space to roam and very few other campers around, it was a good location to pull out the long leashes to allow everyone more freedom to explore.  And explore they did!

Peaches loved the opportunity to sniff far and wide and to drag Grandma all over the park!  Even when we were sitting at the campsite, she was on the prowl for critters!

But I think the best part of the day for all of the girls was the opportunity to splash around in the Shiawassee River.  It was a hot day, so some time in the water was very much needed!

In typical Maddie fashion, she used the river as a drinking bowl, not getting too deep in order to prevent the water from touching her belly.

Peaches ran right in at full speed.  She jumped and splashed around like a crazy youngster!  She'd then run out at full speed to run back in.  It's actually amazing I didn't end up in the river too! She's certainly not afraid to get a little wet.  She was having a great time and it was so much fun to watch!

Imke spent her time in the river close to the shore where there are lots of things to sniff.  She's always on the hunt for a critter to terrorize.  Of course, along the banks is also where all of the good grass is. Nice long pieces of grass that make for the perfect snack.  And when she's not hunting, she's grazing like a goat.

After a good walk and some time to splash around the river, it was time to head back to the campsite for a little rest.

Peaches enjoyed lounging at the campsite and watching the world around her, while Imke and Maddie were ready for a nap in the shade.  It was the perfect end to their day of adventures.

It was a great way to spend our day and I think the girls would agree!  I'm pretty lucky to have them around to explore the world with me.  I love to see the world through their eyes.  Boy have they shown me a lot over the years and it seems like I learn more every day.

This Summer I'm more determined than ever to make the most of every minute.  With Imke and Maddie getting older and with Peaches' cancer, I want to make sure they don't miss out on anything that a great Michigan summer has to offer!  We are living every moment to the fullest and look forward to sharing our adventures with you.

Now we're off for our next adventure! 

Summer is coming

After several crazy weeks and busy weekends, things have finally started to slow down and this week I've had the chance to enjoy the longer days and the warmer weather.  I always look forward to this time of year.  With more daylight hours and nice weather, I can spend more time outside with the girls every day of the week.  And I take full advantage of it!

Peaches loves to be outside and is especially enjoying the beautiful weather.  She'd spend hours just lounging in the sun with occasional breaks to bark at a passerby or to stalk a bird or squirrel.  Imke has also been enjoying much more outside time this year, now that she has a friend to hang out with her.  She'll happily stay outside sniffing every inch of the yard as long as someone is out there with her so Peaches is her perfect friend.  Maddie prefers to be outside only if mom is out there with her, so while the other two are outside, I have a little shadow following my every move.  But once I head out the door, Maddie is happy to follow and spend time watching the world go by.  She also loves a good nap in the sun.

So this week, I've spent some time out with the girls every night, working on finishing up this year's mulching, adding new flowers to the landscape, weeding, fixing the garden and laying down my annual layer of straw(although there will be now plants in the garden this year due to our upcoming travels); I even made time to just sit back and relax a bit.

 We've made sure to get out for some nice walks around the neighborhood, trying to vary our routes regularly so that the girls can experience new smells along the way.  And we even splurged and had a little ice cream one night, which was the cause of much excitement and an audience of beggars watching my every bite.

But my favorite night this week was the night I decided to have our first bonfire of the year.  It was a beautiful night with no mosquitoes and I had the first lightning bug sighting of the Summer.  It was so relaxing and enjoyable sitting in the yard and enjoying the sound of the wood cracking and the smell of the smoke. It is really beginning to feel like Summer now.  

Over the next couple of weeks, I am hoping to have more time to just sit back, relax, and enjoy all our Michigan Summer has to offer. I'm looking forward to all of the quality time with the girls enjoying the fresh air, sunshine, and bare feet in the grass.  I've got to make the most of it while we can because Summer goes by way too quickly and before you know it, we'll be heading into Fall.

Now we're off to enjoy some time with my parents for Father's Day on this very humid and hot day.  I'm sure that we'll find some fun adventures along the way.  Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there, but especially to mine!

Caught up in a Whirlwind

Wow has life seemed busy lately!  I've been caught up in a whirlwind of activities that have kept us on the move for the last few weeks.  From work travel to a fun Memorial weekend in the UP with friends, family time at the niece and nephew's sporting events, graduation open houses, the shelter's adopt-a-fest, and just being able to get the girls out for their daily exercise (and mine!), it seems like I've been on the move for three weeks straight. 

And though today is going to be busy as well, with a full day of graduation open houses and some friend's going away party, I am thankful this morning to have two whole hours on this peaceful Saturday morning to sit and relax with the girls.  So I thought while Peaches is outside on a squirrel hunt, Maddie is still in bed, and Imke is curled up at the other end of the couch snoring away, that I'd take a few minutes to just sit here and enjoy the moment.  I'm going to ignore the buzzing Fit Bit telling me that I should get up and move and the load of laundry sitting in the dryer waiting to be folded or the other load waiting to be washed.  I'm just going to listen to the sound of raindrops hitting the windows, the birds chirping, and the dogs snoring.  I'm going to close my eyes, take a deep breath, and soak it all in because we all need time to refresh and recharge with no commitments and no to-do list. 

Life gets busy for all of us, but it's important to remember that life is short and it is precious and that it is important to slow down and enjoy it!  Some of the best moments of life are found sitting in quiet reflection with those you love best in the world. 

Happy Saturday!