State Parks, the North Country Trail, and beyond!

The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of activity for us. It is hard for me to believe that it's only been two weeks since Labor Day!  Boy have we been trying to make the most of what remains of our Summer.  From our walks close to home, to our North Country Trail Hikes and State Park visits, we are discovering new places regularly and we are enjoying all of our adventures to places both new and old.

We have spent a lot of time adventuring with friends lately, and I was excited when my good friend, Kim, and her family came into town with their Bernedoodle puppy, Baxter.  The girls hadn't had a chance to meet Baxter before and I was nervous about how Peaches would act, but after the initial introduction, she relaxed and was happy to be out exploring with a new friend.  We had a great walk around the MSU campus with them and they all sat nicely for a picture at the end of our walk.

We have also been enjoying working toward our goal of visiting all of Michigan's State Parks.  We spent a full day exploring Michigan's Thumb with Vanessa over Labor Day weekend.  It was a great weekend to get out and explore this beautiful State.  Our first stop that day was at the Sanilac Petroglyphs.  It's a tiny park with a short trail and we discovered that most of the people who stop here visit the petroglyphs site and nothing more.

While it isn't a very large State Park and the trail isn't much more than a mile, we enjoyed a nice hike through the woods while we were there.  I think this was the perfect place to start our day because the girls settled in nicely for the trip after this stop.

After our visit to the Petroglyphs, we continued on our journey through the Thumb.  With snacks provided by Vanessa...because I am horrible about remembering to eat...and a few stops for some geocaches along the way, we made our way to the Point Aux Barques lighthouse for a short hike, a little geocaching, and a great view of Lake Huron.

The lighthouse was hopping that day, so we didn't take a tour to the top, but we enjoyed the views before leaving.  We continued our trip around the tip of the Thumb to our next stop, the Port Crescent State Park.  Of the State Parks I have visited so far, this is one of my favorites.

There are lots of hiking trails and we decided to take the trail on the dunes along the Lake.  Sand, dune grass, and a Great Lakes' view are all things that make me happy!  Of course we had to stop on the beach and stick our toes into the Lake and let Maddie get a drink before heading back to the Jeep.  I think we all really enjoyed this stop.

Our final State Park stop of the day was the Albert E Sleeper State Park in Caseville.  We were all pretty tired when we got here, but we were determined to get my State Park book stamped and to do one more hike...and a little more geocaching.  We had a nice walk through the woods, and surprisingly, Maddie got a little second wind while we were here, so we were able to hike longer than I expected.  By the end of our hike, we were all tired and hungry, so we loaded the girls into the Jeep and headed into town to find something to eat.

Vanessa doesn't have the best track-record when choosing restaurants, so I was forced to choose...and after looking at the reviews online, we headed to Iggie's Pizza.  It's a small pizza place with no indoor seating, but there were picnic tables outside and the food was pretty good.  If you're in Caseville, you should check them out...the calzone sandwiches and breadsticks are pretty tasty! Of course, I had to get a picture of the girls in this big green chair. It had been a good day(despite the fact that shortly after this picture was taken, Maddie decided to snack on some poop and had stinky breath most of the drive home-eww!).

After spending way too much time away from the North Country Trail, last weekend we made time to head into Albion to get some miles toward our Hike 100 challenge.  It was a cloudy, drizzly, and humid Friday evening, so I wasn't sure how far we'd go, but the girls both did well and we were able to get in 2.5 miles on the trail before heading home for the night.  It was nice to be back on the trail.

The next afternoon, I had time scheduled with a potential adopter to do a home visit for ISR, but before that visit I had several errands to run and was hoping to also get in a couple of fun stops along the way.  While I had planned to be up and out of the house early, we slept in a bit instead and headed out a little later than I had originally planned.  The girls were happy to be out running errands with me, and after taking longer than I expected, we then headed toward our first fun stop of the day, the Meridian-Baseline State Park.

The park was only a short distance out of the way from our home visit, so it worked out perfectly for us to stop here.

This is another rather small State Park with a short hiking trail, about 1 1/2 miles round-trip, and an interesting history.  It is the baseline for surveying for all of the townships in the State of Michigan...although I read all of the historical Markers, I'm not sure I can really explain it to you, but it was an interesting place.

We hiked out to both of the survey markers, grabbed a couple of geocaches along the way, and then headed back to the Jeep to continue our journey to Stockbridge for our home visit.  I always enjoy those visits because I get to meet people who love GSPs as much as I do.  This visit was no different, I met a very nice family and their handsome GSP Winston.

We'd had a great Saturday, but had even more fun planned for Sunday.  Sunday morning, Katelyn joined us as we headed out for a day-trip to Chicago to visit Emmalee and attend the ISR Reunion.  The girls and I were happy to have company on our drive to Chicago and were excited to see Emmalee.  Luckily, Sunday morning traffic into Chicago is pretty light, so we had smooth travels with only a couple of slight delays along the way.

We took part in the poop-flinging contest(it wasn't really poop) and the girls had fun with the bubble chase and the peanut butter licking contest.  Peaches even came in fourth place!

At the reunion, I was happy that Peaches was on her best behavior and was able to spend time interacting with some of the other dogs, even while she was on leash.  This was a huge accomplishment!

Our friends Barb, Tom, and Sherman, also made the drive in from Michigan to attend the reunion and Peaches was excited to see her friend! Overall, a good time was had by everyone, even poor Emmalee who had a horrible allergic reaction to the dogs.  It was nice to get to spend some time with our rescue friends and all of those brown-spotty dogs!

This past week, we weren't able to get out for many weekday adventures.  With rain and storms in the forecast, and two nights out of town for work, I wasn't able to spend much time with the girls.  Friday was a busy day too and we weren't able to spend any real quality time together.  But I did my best to make up for it on Saturday and Sunday.

After a long and exhausting week, Saturday started out slowly, but I had promised the girls some fun so we headed out to explore Frances Park.  It was a beautiful evening and after a nice walk around the park, we headed over to the rose garden to enjoy some end-of-summer blossoms.  I was pleased to see so many beautiful roses still in bloom.

Sunday morning we slept in and enjoyed a slow, peaceful morning.  It was much needed after the long week I had had.  But eventually we were up and around, finishing up laundry and cleaning and some other odd-and-ends.  Thankfully the weather held-off and, after I finished housework, we were able to head out to Marshall for some time on the North Country Trail

We haven't been to the riverwalk in Marshall for a while, so there were all kinds of new smells and interesting things for the girls to sniff.  It was a beautiful afternoon and we were able to add another 2.4 miles toward our 100, leaving us with about 28.5 miles to go.

It was a great way to end our week and head into a new week relaxed and refreshed.  The girls even let me get a good picture of them at the end of the hike!  It's not often that they cooperate and both look at me at the same time. 

It has been a busy 16 days and somehow, we're now in mid-September already!  Where has the time gone?  I am excited to continue to work on our State Park goal and have some plans over the next couple of months that will hopefully allow us to check off some new State Parks while also chipping away at our NCT miles.  I'm hoping to have our miles done by Thanksgiving at the latest this year.

While most we have completed almost everything on Peaches original bucket list, we continue to add things to and check things off of that list.  What I've actually discovered is that really we're just trying to make the most of every day that we have been given.  We have lots of future adventures planned and the next couple of months should be very exciting for all of us.

I will end by sharing something pretty cool...at least I think it's cool.  Our friend Emmalee traveled to India this summer for some clinical work as part of her Medical school training (she's a second year med student at Northwestern).  She returned from India with a gift for me that I absolutely love...

While her goal was to bring back a full bottle, the store in India made her drink the Mt. Dew before she could leave the store.  But I still have this awesome bottle all the way from India.  I think it's pretty cool!

Thanks for continuing to follow along on our journey.  The girls and I appreciate each and every one of you and can't wait to share more of our fun adventures with you!  

The Move

Hello friends  and happy Saturday.  We have lots of adventures to share from our long Labor Day weekend last week, but boy have I been busy this week.

After a fun-filled Labor Day weekend with friends, I went back to work and had to move my office.  I spent hours on Tuesday and Wednesday emptying drawers and cabinets and packing up all of my mementos and pictures from throughout the years. Its amazing how much stuff you can accumulate over a 22 year career, and even more interesting when you haven't moved in 10 years.

I found things that I carefully moved and stored 10 years ago...and then haven't really needed since.  I also found some special items which have traveled with me from office to office and desk to desk.  I have saved some items as a reminder of all of my history with Ameriprise and I have some special items from throughout the years.  It just made me smile to think of how much things have changed since I started working with Ameriprise 22 years ago.

I was sad to take down my wall of memories and especially sad to lose this desk.  It was perfectly set up for me and made my work life easy.

I was also sad to lose my windows and my more spacious office, but change is inevitable and you just have to learn to go with it.

My new office and new desk are much smaller and I have a lot less storage space,  so I spent several hours Thursday and Fridsy reorganizing and getting rid of things I don't need any more.

I was able to donate some unused office supplies to the shelter, some books to a local library, and some other odd and ends, like a pencil sharpener that has literally been with me my entire career, to Goodwill.

When I left the office on Friday,  I felt like I had accomplished a lot in a short, 4-day work week.  My office is 95% organized and I can get back to doing my real work again.  But boy was I exhausted! 

I had planned to write the blog today and share our adventures of the last week with you all, but I had errands to run,  volunteering to do, and of course,  I had to take the girls out for some fun too.  With all we had to get done today, I've had no time to relax, but I still wanted to share a little piece of my busy week with you. I know it isn't as fun as dog filled adventures,  but sometimes that's just the way life goes!

Tomorrow the girls and I will be driving to Chicago with their Auntie Katelyn and picking up their Auntie Emmalee, and then heading to the Illinois Shorthair Rescue Reunion.   We're excited to spend time with friends and to see our ISR family! It's always a good time.

So I'll end tonight with a promise to catch you up on our Labor Day adventures as well as all of the fun of the last week.  Who knows, maybe I'll have time for a mid-week post!

Until then, here's a cute picture of the girls to end tonight's post...because they are too cute not to share!  Wishing you all a fun Sunday and looking forward to sharing more of our adventures with you again soon!

Staycation or Vacation....or why not both? Part 2: The Vacation

After spending the first few days of my vacation from work at home, it was time to head north for a few days away from home.  We all really needed a trip to Copper Harbor and the opportunity to spend some time with friends.  

Bright and early Wednesday morning, we were in the Jeep and on our way.  Our first stop was Mackinaw City.  We always enjoy a stop at the Bridge and a walk along the beach.  This day was no different.  Maddie enjoyed wading out into the Lake for a big drink and Peaches was excited about all of the seagulls. 

We had a nice walk along the beach, but we had a long drive ahead of us, so after a short stop to grab some lunch, we were on our way.  Crossing the bridge is always an adventure for the girls.  Peaches was especially excited because there were seagulls all around us...luckily she didn't try to jump out the window! 

The traffic at the bridge was slow moving and it took us nearly 30 minutes to get through the toll booths.  With our stop in Mackinaw City and the delay at the bridge, we didn't stop much the rest of the day.  We were just anxious to get to the Bear Paw Inn outside of Michigamme, our home away from home for the night.

We had never stayed at the Bear Paw Inn, but I was pleasantly surprised.  It was a clean and quiet area even though it was right off the highway.  Just across the highway was a little roadside park, so after dinner, we got out for a walk and really enjoyed the view.

After a short walk, we spent some time relaxing outside of the Inn.  There were several areas to sit and enjoy a beautiful evening.  Following a long day of travel, it was the perfect place to sit back and enjoy the beautiful UP Summer night. 

Finally it was time to head in for the night.  Peaches spent some time watching the world go by from the front door of our room as the sun set.  Then it was time for us to settle in for a good night's rest.  The girls always know how to make themselves comfortable!

We were up and on our way early on Thursday because we had lots to do and see.  Our first plan for the day was to head to Canyon Falls and get in a little hiking along the North Country Trail.  It is a beautiful section of the trail and I always enjoy stopping here.  Many people only hike as far as the viewing platform for the falls, but we continued on the trail. 

The trail continues along the river and there are several smaller falls along the way.  There are also many beautiful views. 

It was such a great hike with the girls!  We enjoyed the peace and quiet of nature and the beautiful views along the way. 

We left the Falls to continue our journey North.  We made a stop in Houghton for a little shopping(because someone forgot to bring a jacket, so I quick stop at Walmart was necessary) and then headed over our second bridge of the day-into Hancock and a stop at Four Suns for some fish and chips.   After enjoying a relaxing lunch, we headed to Great Sand Band to spend some quality time with our favorite Yoopers, Bryce and Zi.  We had a nice visit with the boys and it was so great to see them both.

After our visit, we headed into Copper Harbor to settle in to the King Copper for the night.  I have to say that this is one of my favorite views in the Harbor. 

Friday morning we woke up well-rested and ready for a fun day.  First order of the day is always a walk to Jamsen's for some baked goods.  Maddie knows the route from the King Copper to Jamsen's well and happily lead the way. 

We walked back to the King Copper with our baked goods in hand and enjoyed them while enjoying a view of the Harbor.  It was the perfect way to start our day. 

Our first adventure of the day took us to Fort Wilkins.  We love to hike there and the girls enjoyed some time splashing around in Lake Fanny Hooe.  We found a good number of Thimble berry bushes full of berries and had to eat a few along the way.

We were also happy to do some geocaching in the area and to get a chance to visit the end of the road.

As we were driving back into town, I stopped to get a picture of the girls at the State Park sign and as we were pulling away, I was happy to pass our friend Tom!  I continued into town for lunch at the Pines and was happy that Tom was able to join me.  He's one of the people who makes Copper Harbor a pretty special place so I was excited to get a chance to catch up with him.

I had really been looking forward to just spending some time at the beach, so after lunch, we headed out to Hunter's Point Park. 

Peaches loved all of the rock formations there and spent a lot of time climbing every rock formation.  She was so excited to explore as much as she could!

While Peaches spent her time exploring, Maddie and I took the opportunity to just sit down and enjoy a peaceful afternoon listening to the waves lapping into the stones on the beach.

It was a marvelous way to spend the afternoon and, honestly, it was just what I needed.  We left Hunter's Point as three very happy girls.

Next, we headed out to explore the shore and then headed into Eagle River.  We made stops in Eagle Harbor and at Jacob's Falls and continued to do some geocaching along the way.

We had a full day of adventures and were excited to be able to spend some time at the end of the day on the beach at Great Sand Bay with Zi and Bryce.  It was a beautiful evening with a gorgeous sunset and great friends. 

Friday night we did a little Jeep camping along the lake shore and woke up to this amazing view.  What an amazing way to start the day! 

We took a dip in Lake Superior to wake up and ate breakfast beach side...and then we sat back in the Jeep to relax and enjoy the morning.  The girls really know how to live the Jeep camping life too!

We were lucky enough to get to the Jampot, just down the road, for one of the limited (they only make 36) Saturday morning cinnamon rolls.  They are huge and tasty and I was excited to get one for myself as well as one for Bryce. 

I really enjoyed our slow and peaceful start to the morning, but was also excited to catch up with Bryce and Zi again for our first real adventure with them on this trip.  We were able to get out for a nice hike in secluded area. 

Part way through our hike we stopped to enjoy the views and just spend some quality time with friends.  What a wonderful way to spend our time. 

Far too soon, we were back at Bryce's house and it was time for us to leave the Keweenaw and head toward home.  We had a long drive ahead of us, but the traffic was light and the views along the way were beautiful.   We got home late Saturday night, but I had no regrets about making our whirlwind trip North.  It had been an amazing few days and I was relaxed, refreshed, and reminded just how much I love that area and the people who call it home.  I can't wait until the day I call it home too.