Sometimes you just need to get away

Oh, what a nice week we had.  After making the drive from Minneapolis to Copper last Sunday, we were happy to wake up to a beautiful, quiet, fall morning in our quaint little cabin at the Minnetonka. 

We started our day with our morning walk around the Harbor.  It's always our favorite way to start our day.   When we returned to our cabin for breakfast, we were excited to meet Louie the GSP who was staying in the cabin next to us. He was a very sweet boy and I'm always happy when I get the chance to meet another GSP and crazy GSP owners.  

After breakfast, Peaches enjoyed watching the world from the screen door.  It was such a beautiful day and we had no specific plans.  I really just wanted to enjoy a relaxing few days up north.

We eventually headed out for a visit to The Genny to pick up some lunch.  The girls always wait patiently outside for me while I shop and they usually have at least one visitor while we're there.  They are very popular!

After eating lunch, we hit the road for a trip out to Bete Gris for a little beach time.

Unlike the Summer, this time of year it is much more likely that you'll have the beach to yourself.  We were happy to be able to get out for some quiet beach time and a nice walk.  It was even warm enough that I took off my shoes, rolled up my pant legs, and waded in the water as we walked.  

Before we got back in the car, I made the girls pose in the middle of the road because we could.  

Then we were off for a trip down the Gay-Lac LaBelle Rd.  

The color was lovely along the side of the road which made the drive even more scenic.  It was just beautiful in the sun.

We had a very nice stop at Brunette Park next.  We don't often stop here, so it's always a nice change to stop to explore.

We left Brunette park and continued our journey toward Gay, then headed toward Calumet, and then made the drive along 5 Mile Point Road back to M26 and through Eagle River and Eagle Harbor.  It was a lovely drive checking out the fall colors along the way.

When we returned to the Harbor, we took a short break before heading out for our pre-dinner walk and visit to our horsey friends, Benjamin and Chance.

It was a beautiful late afternoon walk that we all enjoyed very much.

Then we walked over to the Genny to pick up dinner.  As we left the store,  we ran into our awesome friend Scott and had a very quick visit.  I'm always happy to see Scott when we're in town.

After dinner, we settled in for a very quiet evening.  It had been a really great day.  

We woke to a much cooler morning on Tuesday.  Of course we started with our morning walk around town.  The weather forecast promised high temperatures around 48 and some windy conditions,  something we aren't used to yet, so I wasn't sure how much time we'd spend hiking, but I knew we'd still have a fun day.

I decided this was the perfect day to pick up lunch from Four Suns.  The wind wasn't as bad in Hancock, so we were able to continue our normal tradition of sitting outside at one of the picnic tables to eat.  The girls had their lunch while I ate mine, and I shared a few bites of my fish and fries with them too.  As always, it was a hit.

Then we headed out to make the drive to the Gratiot River County Park.  

The colors were beautiful along the drive and the girls enjoyed sticking their heads out of the windows to smell all of the smells.

I was so happy that I had decided to make this drive. We all really enjoyed it.

Finally we arrived at the beach.  I was surprised at how many people were there when we arrived, but we were able to get away from the crowds by walking down the beach.  We even found a hiking trail in the woods to explore. 

While it was a little windy, we still really enjoyed exploring the beach here.  

On the way back to Copper Harbor,  we discovered a little lookout with a nice view of the area from above.  I love these kinds of places.

I knew it had been a good day when Peaches settled in for a nap in the front seat.

After getting back to the Harbor and having a little break, it was time again for our pre-dinner walk out to see Chance and Benjamin.

We had a nice long walk and, when we were heading back to our room, we ran into Tom on his way to feed the horses, so we turned and headed back to the horses for a nice visit with Tom.

We made a quick trip up Brockway before sunset, but it was so incredibly windy I thought I was going to blow over.  We didn't stay long because i have never felt wind quite so strong.  

Wednesday morning was gorgeous.  While it started a little cloudy, the temperatures were perfect and the wind had stopped.  On our morning walk, we stopped at Jamsen's and I was happy to see they had a wild blueberry turnover on the menu.  I had to try it, and it was delicious!

After breakfast we drove out to Fort Wilkins.  We all love walking here.  I was looking forward to a nice walk, but with the crazy squirrels out in force preparing for winter, the girls were losing their minds.  Somehow we still got in a good walk, but boy was it exhausting!

After our walk, we took a short drive down Mandan Road to check out the new East Bluff bike park.

Then I made myself a sandwich and grabbed some snacks, and we headed out to Manganese Lake for lunch.  The girls and I all ate our lunch with a beautiful view in this peaceful setting.  

After lunch we took a drive to Esrey Park for a visit.

Then we drove the Eagke Harbor Cutoff Road to Garden City Road to Eagle River.  I got the girls out to stretch their legs at the dog park in Eagke River and Mina even got to play fetch.  

We did our pre-dinner walk a little earlier on this day and we made a late afternoon trip up Brockway to enjoy the views before the sunset crowds arrived.

We had a nice little walk around on Brockway enjoying the views. It was a pretty day at the top of the mountain. 

We finished our evening with a potty walk around the Harbor before bed.  

For the first time of our whole vacation, Mina was up before the sun on Thursday morning.  It was our final morning in the Harbor, and I was glad we had the chance for this pre-sunrise walk.  

After breakfast, I packed the car, and we prepared to leave. I'm always sad to go, but so thankful for the time we spent and memories we made.  But before we could leave the Keweenaw,  we had one more stop to make.

We arrived at Great Sand Bay ready for a nice visit with Bryce and Hope, and we immediately headed to the beach.  Hope and Mina had a great time running and playing chase.  Then we took a walk down the beach.  It was a great visit and so wonderful to see them.  This was the perfect end to our trip. 

As we made the drive home, we stopped in Baraga for lunch at a burrito place on the bay.  It was a beautiful day to sit outside for lunch.

As we continued our drive home, I knew we'd make a couple more stops along the way.  The first of those stops was at a trailhead for the North Country Trail along M28 outside of Marquette. 

The trail here was mostly gravel, so we moved along pretty quickly.  We didnt have time for a long walk, but we were able to get in 1.5 miles before loading up the car and continuing our journey. 

Our next stop was at Wagner Falls in Munising where the trail was recently moved off of M94 and into the woods near the waterfall.

I was so excited to quickly check out the trail here.

We only hiked a half mile, but we saw a lot of squirrels and some pretty views. I look forward to having more time to explore this new section of the trail.

I had to make a quick stop at Wagner Falls too.  It is my favorite waterfall and we had a few quiet minutes here all by ourselves.   It was perfect. 

Before leaving town, I topped off the gas tank and got ready for the rest of the drive home.  Thankfully we successfully made the rest of our trip home without anymore stops.  It was dark and later than I would have liked, but we were safely home.

I wanted to take advantage of my Friday off by taking the girls to Chelsea to finish our Chelsea Trails Bark Ranger challenge.   

The trails we picked to walk this time were mostly through neighborhoods.  We enjoyed all of the festive Halloween decorations and the fall colors.

With this trip, we officially completed the challenge and I had hoped to pick up the girls' Bark Ranger tags, but unfortunately the Chamber of Commerce was closed while we were there.  I'm really happy we did this challenge this year because it got us out exploring some new areas.  

We ended our Friday with one of our favorite events of the year, Howloween in Old Town.  It was a great success and so much fun.

The goal for Saturday was to get out on the North Country Trail.  I really want to finish our 100 miles before it gets too cold this year.

We have been hiking in Albion so much lately and I wanted a change of pace, so we made the drive to Jonesville to hike the trail there.

With temperatures in the mid-70s, I wasn't sure how far we'd get with Peaches, but she was a trooper and we finished with 3.65 miles on the trail, leaving us just 10.6 miles from reaching our 100 miles this year.  

By the end of the hike, both girls were pooped.  It was such a great day to be on the trail.

When we got back to Lansing, we headed to REO Town for the Happy Feet Pet Rescue's 5th annual Halloween Pawty. 

The girls enjoyed "Pupkin" Pies and bobbing for tennis balls, as well as some other fun activities. 

This is always a fun time and it benefits a great cause, so I'm happy we went.  The girls were happy to be there, too.

My favorite part of the event was the cute paw print artwork the girls created for me.  I love them.

After the event, we took a quick walk around REO Town, then made a short visit to the Apple Butter Festival at Fenner Nature Center.  We made it home before rain moved into the area for the night.  With all of the fun we had, the girls crashed for the rainy evening. 

With rain in the forecast all day Sunday, we didn't have any big plans.  Vanessa suggested a little geocaching adventure, and the girls and I were happy to join her.  We had a nice drive in the country,  enjoyed some fall color, picked up several geocaches, and ended the fun with a stop for cider and doughnuts.   It was a great way to spend a couple of hours before having a quiet day at home...the perfect end to our week of vacation.

October vibes

Happy Monday!  The Sunday blog was delayed this weekend due to a day full of travel, but tonight is perfect for writing.  

We started our week with beautiful, unseasonably warm weather, but knowing that it would soon be coming to an end.  The girls had to take advantage of the weather by spending much of the morning outside.  Then we headed to Mason over my lunch for Peaches' appointment with Dr. Jason for some routine bloodwork and her first Liberela shot, which will hopefully help with her arthritis.  Mina got to come along for the ride since we also stopped to get their nails trimmed before the appointment. 

On Tuesday the weather was still beautiful and, once again, the girls spent most of the day outside while I worked.  After work, I headed outside with them to spend some time in the garden.  In addition to picking all of the ripe tomatoes,  I picked the final cucumber of the season and the final green beans and then I pulled all of the bean and cucumber vines and started some of the garden clean-up.  

I ran out of daylight before I was done in the garden Tuesday night, so on my lunch on Wednesday I picked the last of the broccoli and the celery.  I was able to get most of the final garden clean up finished over lunch.

Wednesday evening I headed out to the shelter for our dog walk, but accidentally left my phone at home so I didn't get any pictures. It was a great walk, though.  

I got home after dark, but with a freeze warning for the night I knew I had to quickly pull the remaining herbs.  So I headed out to the garden with a flashlight.  I put the herbs all in pots in the garage so I can deal with them later.  I also pulled the tomato plants and will allow the remaining tomatoes to ripen to use later.  And with that garden season 2025 was done.

Thursday morning we slept in and started the day slowly because we were officially on vacation!  Mina fully embraced the slow start to the day.

After a quiet morning around the house doing some laundry and cleaning, I decided to take advantage of a lovely fall day and get the girls out for a nice peaceful walk at Hawk Island Park. 

The girls were both so happy to be out and we all thoroughly enjoyed this beautiful mid-afternoon walk. 

On the way home from the park, we stopped at the South Lansing Farmer's Market.  Then we headed home to pack and prepare for a little road trip.  

We were up and out the door early on Friday and i was pretty surprised to see a wild turkey in the dead end across the street from my house.  That was a first for us. Then we hit the road to make the drive to Minnesota. 

We didn't make many stops along the way because I knew it was already going to be a long day, but we did make a couple of quick stops for potty breaks and to stretch our legs.  

We finally arrived at our hotel outside of Minneapolis just after 6pm and after unpacking the car, I immediately got the girls out for a short walk. We were pleasantly surprised to find this cute pet store right behind our hotel, so we made a quick visit. Then I fed them dinner before getting them out for one last walk before we settled in for the night.

While I was busy in Minneapolis, my lovely niece Brezlyn was celebrating homecoming.  She was on the homecoming court this year.  I was bummed I couldn't be there to cheer her on and wave at her in the parade, but she sent me pictures and I had to share this one.  I'm so proud of this young lady.

We woke to a beautiful Saturday in Minneapolis and I was excited to get the girls out to explore somewhere new before I had to attend a luncheon celebrating the recent wedding of my friend Megan.  We found the Purgatory Creek Preserve near our hotel and had a really nice walk there.  

 

Then, after our walk, I headed back to the hotel to get ready for the luncheon.  We then made the drive to Spring Lake Preserve which is situated along the Mississippi River.  The girls ate lunch and settled in for a nap in the car while I went to the luncheon. 

Of course, after we ate and things settled down a bit, the girls got invited to join the party.  They got lots of attention and were so good.  I was very proud of them.

And after the party was over, I changed into my hiking clothes and got the girls out for a nice walk at the Preserve. 

It was a beautiful walk and we had such a good time.  We really had a great day in Minneapolis.   It was so great to celebrate a good friend and to be able to spend some time exploring with the girls.  It was really just what we needed.

After a full day of fun, I picked up dinner from the Smashburger right next to the hotel and then we got all settled in to watch the Michigan vs USC game.  Mina and Peaches crashed after dinner and happily snored the evening away.

We were up early again on Sunday and ready for the day of travel ahead.  When we left home on Friday, I was packed and ready for several days of vacation, and while I wasn't 100% sure where we'd end up, I had a few ideas.  

Ultimately, I settled on Copper Harbor, and I was looking forward to the drive through Wisconsin.  While I've been feeling the need to wander and explore some new places, the draw of Copper Harbor was just too strong this time.  I really need some time along the Lake and to see friends. So I packed the car, stopped for gas and caffeine at the Holiday Gas station across the street from the hotel, and we hit the road for the drive North and east.

Once again, we didn't stop much along the way because had a long drive and would lose an hour when we returned to the Eastern time zone.  But I knew we'd get out for a short walk somewhere along the NCT in Wisconsin. 

Lucky for us, we were able to get on the trail really quickly in the town of Mellen.  We had a quick 1.25 miles on the trail and then were quickly back in the car and continuing our journey. 

I was so happy when we reached the lift bridge in Houghton.   So close to the end of our drive!

We finally arrived in Copper Harbor and got checked into our little cabin at 6:30pm.  I quickly unpacked, and then we immediately headed to the Genny to grab some deli goodies for dinner, and then we headed up Brockway Mountain hoping to catch the sunset.

Some clouds and a few sprinkles had moved into town, and I loved seeing this double rainbow over town.  Some pretty strong winds also moved in along with the rain and clouds.  

When we reached the other end of the mountain there were so many people.  I didn't want to stay long, but I did want to get out quickly with the girls.  What I was not expecting was just how strong the wind was.   I honestly felt like it was going to blow me over! I have never felt wind that strong.  It was crazy.

After our quick stop, we got back in the car and headed back to our cabin to settle in for the night. After a lot of driving over the last three days, I was glad to know that we'd be able to relax for a few days before making the drive home.  Mostly I was just happy to be here.  I love this place!

We've got lots of fun coming up over the next few weeks, but right now, I'm most excited just to be here right now.  So here's to a great week of rest and relaxation.