Many years ago, nine years to be exact, a very wise vet said to me that we were going to keep doing whatever we could to help my Jake "as long as he kept showing us he still wanted to be a dog." I didn't understand at first, but soon grew to understand and appreciate exactly what that meant. And we did continue to help Jake with all of his health issues at the end of his life as long as he kept showing me that he wanted to be a dog.
That has become my gauge in life and I used it as a guide as I dealt with Imke's health issues, and now I am using it once again as I deal with Maddie as we plug along through our daily life. I think it is a great way to make any decisions I may need to make in regards to her well-being and quality of life. Because if she still wants to be a dog and do dog things, then I will continue to do my best to help keep her as happy and comfortable as I can.
With that in mind, I made the decision at the beginning of August that we were going to make the most of the last weeks of our Summer and let Maddie do as many dog things as her little heart desired. So we've spent the last few weeks doing just that.
Two weeks ago on a beautiful Wednesday afternoon in mid-August, we spent the day traveling around the middle of the mitten with Vanessa visiting some new places, some old familiar places, and making fun memories with the girls. We visited State Parks, lakes, the middle of the woods, and some interesting historic sites searching for geocaches along the way as we continue to work toward geocaching in every county in Michigan.
But the trip was not only about geocaching, it was also about making the most of all of the minutes I have left with Maddie in my life. She has always loved adventures and I'm not ever going to be done giving them to her. We will adventure to the end because I know that is what makes Maddie most happy. It makes me happy too. It's what our life together has been -one big adventure.
During our day, Maddie enjoyed lying in the grass in the sun while Peaches, Vanessa, and I explored a bit more in some interesting spots and looked for geocaches. She also got out for a couple of rides in the stroller. We even made a stop at the Roscommon County Animal Shelter, the shelter that brought Peaches into my life, to visit Dee Dee the shelter director and the person responsible for Peaches being here today. The girls really loved that visit because they both got plenty of love and treats. It was a wonderful visit and I am forever thankful that Dee Dee reached out to the rescue when she learned of Peaches' cancer diagnosis and gave her the chance to continue to live her life. We're going to continue make the most of the chance she was given.
Of all of our stops that day, none made Maddie happier than our stop at the South Higgins Lake State Park where she got to visit the lake and drink to her hearts content. She was not happy when we made her leave the lake and head back to the car. Oh what a fight we had with her! She huffed and pulled and clearly showed us just how much she did not want to leave. But we had had a busy day, it was getting late, and we still had a couple more stops to make before we headed home.
After leaving South Higgins lake, we headed to Nibbles of Roscommon to treat the girls to a pup cup and to get an ice cream treat for ourselves too. The purchase of each of these pup cups earned a donation to the Roscommon County Shelter, which made them that much sweeter. I think Maddie may have forgiven us for making her leave the lake when she got this yummy treat.
Just two days later, we packed up the car and headed North again for a full week of doggy fun in the UP. Maddie was happy to be traveling North once more and settled in nicely for the drive.
Peaches was also happy to be heading North for an adventure and even let Maddie snuggle with her for part of the drive.
The plans for day one of our vacation were to get over the Bridge and make it to Manistique with time to enjoy a relaxing evening there. We had great weather for traveling and didn't have to deal with too much traffic, so we made good time. We made a couple of quick stops to stretch our legs and pick up a couple of geocaches along the way, but didn't stop in any one spot too long. I really just wanted to get to our destination for the night!
We made it to Manistique, unpacked the car, fed the girls dinner, and then headed out to get my dinner from Clyde's-the best burger in the UP. I picked up my burger and we headed out to park along the Manistique boardwalk with Lake Michigan views to enjoy it. The girls got to share a couple of bites too, of course. And after dinner, we took a nice walk along the Lake. It was a beautiful night to be out enjoying the views.
After a nice walk, we headed back to our hotel room to rest up after a long day of travel and to rest up for day 2 of our adventures. Peaches and Maddie loved our room with a view and big window.
Vacation day 2 arrived and we packed up the car and headed out to continue our journey Northward to the Copper Country. We enjoyed a shorter day of travel than day 1 and only stopped when we arrived in Calumet to pick up a few things from the store that we'd need for the rest of our time in the Keweenaw. We were all anxious to get to our cabin and get settled in for our vacation.
We arrived at the Cedar Point Cabins and received such a friendly greeting from Jami and Paul, our hosts. I had never stayed here before and had no idea what was in store for me, but boy was I pleasantly surprised! Not only were they amazingly friendly and helpful hosts, we had ended up with the best cabin they had with the best view of Lake Bailey and Mt. Baldy. Peaches immediately approved.
While we would normally spend much of our time out hiking and exploring while in the Copper Harbor area, this vacation was going to be much different. While I really needed a week away from everything to relax and refresh, this vacation was also a way to ensure Maddie had an opportunity to visit her favorite people and places and that Peaches had a chance to enjoy herself in the great outdoors as well. There would be no big adventures and no long hikes, instead there was going to be lots of time relaxing outside and enjoying our quiet time together.
I had packed lots of food and plenty of fresh veggies from the garden and had also picked up a few items at the store to ensure I could enjoy some nice meals at the cabin. Boy was I happy to eat my first dinner there with this beautiful view. We really enjoyed our first night at the cabin.
Day 3 of our adventure arrived and after a quiet morning at the cabin, we headed in to Copper Harbor to visit Jamsen's to get a turnover to share before visiting Art in the Park while in town. We parked the car and got out the stroller to walk around town and Maddie definitely knew where we were when we pulled up to the take out window at Jamsen's for our treat. We were greeted by our friends there and her nose was going crazy sniffing and waiting impatiently for our treat.
We parked the stroller on the dock and enjoyed our treat together while enjoying the view. This is one of our favorite things to do in Copper Harbor.
We then headed to Art in the Park and were pleasantly surprised to run into one our favorite Copper Harbor residents and volunteer firefighter, Tom. Of course I had to buy an ear of corn on the cob for me and a hot dog for the girls to share to support the firefighters. I think Maddie and Peaches enjoyed our visit with Tom as much as I did.
After our visit, we continued to stroll around the park and were stopped over and over with people commenting on how well behaved the girls were, asking about Maddie and her stroller, and wanting to pet the girls. It was an exhausting afternoon for them with all of the excitement of seeing old friends and meeting new people and after a couple of hours in town, we loaded up the car and headed back to the cabin for some peace and quiet.
Maddie was clearly exhausted by all of the fun in Copper Harbor and happy to be home. We spent the rest of the afternoon sitting outside enjoying the surroundings and resting up for our evening adventure.
Early that evening, we headed out again, this time to visit Great Sand Bay to see Bryce and to meet our new friend, Hope. This may have been the one thing I was most excited about on the entire trip. I had been waiting two months to meet Hope and anxiously awaited the time for our visit to arrive.
Hope is a sweet young Husky mix, approximately 10 months old, and she's going to be our adventure buddy for many years to come. I was excited to meet her, for Peaches to get to know her, and most of all, for Maddie to be able to meet her. Maddie is the last of the original Great Sand Bay adventure buddies, and so it was important to me that the last of the originals was able to meet the newest adventure buddy. Hope was very sweet to Maddie, loved playing with Peaches, and was a hit with me as well. Meeting her and seeing the amazing sunset over the Lake was the perfect ending to our day.
After much wading in the lake and playing chase on the beach, the girls quickly settled in for the night when we returned to the cabin and both slept soundly all night.
Day 4 arrived and a sleepy Maddie and I shared some peanut butter toast in bed to start our day. We had no real plans for the day except to just enjoy being together. This was the perfect start to our day.
Soon we headed outside and Peaches was being so good I didn't even make her stay on her leash. She happily watched the water and looked for birds and then enjoyed a little time napping in the sun.
After eating lunch, the girls were a bit anxious and clearly ready for a car ride and short adventure, so off we went to see what we could see. We drove up Cliff Drive and then out for a visit to 5 mile point, one of the prettiest views around in my opinion. And we ended our adventure with a stop at 10 foot Falls on the Eagle River along M26 where Maddie insisted on doing a little rock climbing(with some extra support from me) and eventually a soak in the river while getting a good drink. I will always fondly remember this day and the desire of a little old lady to climb some Keweenaw rocks. It was a great day of doing dog things!
We then headed back to the cabin again to eat dinner and rest up for another evening adventure at Great Sand Bay.
The smoke from the Minnesota wildfires moved in before sunset, so we didn't see much of the sun, but we still were able to enjoy a great evening on the beach. While Maddie was tired and not up for much fun this night, Peaches and Hope had a great time playing and it made for a wonderful time for us all.
And even though we didn't see the sunset, the skies were still pretty amazing.
Day 5 took us back into Copper Harbor for a nice walk along the hiking/biking path between Fort Wilkins and town. It was a hilly 1.5 mile walk into town which was a lot of fun for me as I pushed the stroller, but we were all enjoying being out on the trail.
I was pretty excited when I found what I am pretty sure were the last two thimbleberries in the whole Keweenaw and I happily picked them and ate them. What a treat!
We stopped at the Genny for some water and the girls were spoiled by the people there and then we continued on to Jamsen's for a snack before completing our walk around town.
As we headed back to the Fort, we ran into Tom and Daisy and had a nice visit with them. It was the perfect time for a break for me! As a bonus, I got kisses from the beautiful and sweet Daisy. I was so happy to see this sweet old girl.
Soon Daisy and Tom were on their way home for lunch and the girls and I continued our walk. We took a walk through the Fort on our way back to the car.
We had more adventures to take and after our nearly 4 mile walk, I was happy to get in the car for a nice drive down to the South shore of the Keweenaw. Our first stop was a quick dip in the Lake at Bete Gris. Maddie was happy to be in the water again. The lake always makes her happy.
And I couldn't resist getting a picture of the girls together on the beach. What a wonderful day we were having!
We continued our drive down the Gay Lac Labelle road so that we could make a stop at Point Isabelle. I love the view here and enjoyed a stop at this cute little park. And I was so excited to find some wild blueberries nearby. Boy were they delicious. I really wish I would have picked more!
After another day full of adventure, we headed back "home" to relax for the night. We were having such a great time and I was so glad I had decided to make this trip despite the challenges of a slow old girl. Maddie and Peaches were so happy to be on this adventure and that made everything worth it.
Because I had planned the trip rather last minute, I had to piece together stays at a couple of different places, so we had now moved into Eagle Harbor for a couple nights at the Eagle Harbor Inn. We have stayed there a number of times over the years and Maddie is pretty comfortable there, it's like a home away from home.
We started day 6 with a peaceful walk around Eagle Harbor. We made stops at the lighthouse and at the beach and then continued around town. It was a great day for a walk.
After lunch, we headed out for another drive. This drive took us up and across Brockway mountain and then back down again. Maddie tried really hard to convince me to take a walk down the side of the mountain, but I put a stop to that, although I did let her spend a good amount of time sniffing around.
We had plans for another visit at Great Sand Bay so we headed down US41 out of Copper Harbor, made a couple of quick stops in Eagle Harbor, and then headed out to the beach.
Maddie was pretty determined to walk down the beach this night and so we took a short walk with her, but we didn't stray too far from Bryce's beach. Peaches and Hope once again had a wonderful time playing and it was another wonderful night on the Bay. I was pretty excited when the girls all sat still long enough for me to get a picture of them all together. This picture will always be special because it will remind me of the wonderful night Maddie had on the beach and our first adventures with Hope. It was our final night in the Keweenaw and it was a beautiful way to end our day.
Day 7 arrived and we were up early to pack the car so we could take a few last adventures before leaving the Keweenaw. As is usual, Maddie watched me like a hawk as I packed, always ready to make sure that I don't leave her behind. Silly girl, how could I ever forget her?
We left Eagle Harbor and headed out for a stop at Esrey Park. I rolled the windows down and Maddie happily rested her chin on the window to take in all of the scents as we drove along. She may not be able to stand with her head out the window, ears flapping in the wind, but she was still one very happy pup!
We stopped at Esrey Park and then continued on to Copper Harbor for one last stop at Jamsen's. I left Peaches in the car while Maddie and I walked up to the window to order our turnover. There is nothing like the promise of a good treat to encourage Maddie to make that walk. We said farewell to our friends at Jamsen's with our treats in hand. I got a little emotional as we got back to the car not knowing if Maddie will be there again to make that visit with me.
Our final stop as we leave the Keweenaw is always Great Sand Bay for one final adventure with Bryce. That morning we parked at the public beach because we had to make sure that Maddie was able to adventure a bit farther down the beach and make a visit to Owl Creek. True to form, she was a stubborn old girl when we first arrived, but eventually we made it to the creek and she laid down in the cold water for a little rest and a good drink.
After a good drink in the Creek, she was ready to head back down the beach to Bryce's and so that's exactly what we did. It was a nice walk on a beautiful day. Once we got back to Bryce's she laid down in the sand, content to just sit in the sun while Hope and Peaches played. We were there longer than I had planned, but honestly, I was happy that we stayed. But eventually it was time for us to get on the road for the day to begin our journey South. Getting Maddie down the beach and back up the stairs was a challenge because she did not want to leave, and true to her stubborn form, she pooped on the stairs on our way up to show her displeasure at me forcing her to leave. Bryce thought it was pretty funny...and appreciated that Maddie was being her authentic independent and stubborn self. As we prepared to leave, I once again got a bit emotional not knowing if she'd ever make this trip again, but so very grateful that I had gotten this time with her and Peaches. What special memories we made.
The girls settled in for our drive and other than when I dragged them out of the car for a picture at the Baraga State Park, we didn't stop until we reached Gladstone along the shores of Lake Michigan. We drove through some areas I'd never been, but there wasn't much to see along the way...with the exception of this cow on a tie out in someone's front yard.
I picked up dinner in Gladstone, got gas, and then continued our journey to Rapid River, our home for the night. The girls settled in for the night, exhausted from our week of fun.
We made a quick trip to the Dairy Flo in Rapid River later that evening for a little vacation ice cream party and took a quick drive around town before heading back to our room for the night.
Our final day in the UP arrived and before leaving I had to make sure I got potato pancakes from the Swedish Pantry in Escanaba. I was not disappointed! As we began the drive East toward the Bridge, it began to rain and the rest of our trip through the UP was a rainy one. The girls happily settled in for the drive home.
Once we were South of the Bridge, I made a slight detour and headed South on US31 for a couple geocaching stops to complete caching in a couple of counties I was missing as I work on caching in every county in Michigan. We completed a few Charlevoix and Antrim county caches and enjoyed a few unique stops, but since it was still raining we didn't get out for any long adventures. It was a nice change of pace taking a little different way home though and added to the fun of our trip.
As we reached US127 around the Higgins Lake area, the sun came out and the temperatures were noticeably warmer. While I was sad our vacation was ending, I was happy we still had the whole weekend at home before I had to return to work. The girls were just content to be along for the ride!
Our Saturday was filled with picking all of the veggies that had been growing in the garden while we were gone, mowing, and visiting my parents to pick some apples which will become apple sauce. It was a great way to end our week of vacation, but boy do I have some work ahead of me!
We had a marvelous week in the UP and I am so very happy we made the trip. While I don't know how much time we have left with Maddie, seeing the joy this trip brought to her and watching her doing dog things all week made me so very happy. We still have a few weeks of Summer left and lots of fun plans to get out and enjoy them. After all, we've still got dog things to do!
