The Travels of Faith

This was a heavy driving day. Woke up usual 6-6:30, took the dogs outside, did some NYT puzzles. Got on the road about 8am, not rushing too quick. Aiming for my parent’s house in MA, about 2 hours away. Champ was excited to see Dad, and Ender was excited to see me and Champ. Luckily, Champ dealt with Ender better than usual, not much growling. Showed Dad my end result van in person, and changes I would make. Ender also checked everything out, including being the first dog to jump out the back via the fridge. Seems to like the bed. Dad made chicken sandwiches and we talked a some, but he was a bit busy doing things so I left around noon and headed towards my next stop – Robin in NYC.

Took me a while to get to NYC. 5 hours. Some of this was an extra long nap, and two stops to let Champ get out and about. Some of this was traffic. I parked by Fort Greene, instead of trying to park near Robin’s building, and we met in that area. Went to dinner at a chicken place, it was okay. For whatever reason conversation felt a bit less comfortable than usual, but we settled in to the good feeling times at the next place (Italian pizza type place, we got the happy hour wine + little apps special). I thought about staying the night, but decided to get back. Ultimate frisbee finals weekend the next day, I’d like to be in my bed. Left around 7:30, and got home a bit before 10. Back after almost exactly 3 months! Kiki briefly stopped by to say hello to me and Champ, and I brought in the very minimum stuff before dropping into bed. Well, I also put my comfy sheets back on the bed first. Air conditioning was on and I slept solidly.

Another 6am wake up. This time I might have slept in but Vienna got me. Original plan had been to leave New Hampshire today, but the new plan was: go to Crucial 10 cidery (opened at 4) and probably stay another night, leaving in the morning. First, however: check Champ’s wound. Looked much better, though had some hair stuck in it. Was mostly scabbed over. I damaged the scab a bit by pulling out some of the hair, mistake. Much less worried though.

Hung out outside, and eventually we headed back the Smart’s Brook trail system. This time we went for a slightly longer route, going North down a side trail before coming back to the main trail. Very green and pretty. Some of it was pretty newly cleared trail, looked like. Banked for mountain biking. Not all of the trails were on AllTrails or the local map. We got to one part where it looked like we had somehow gotten off the intended path – the cardinal direction we were headed seemed wrong. I led a slightly reluctant Kallie on a little off-roading adventure, and my personal sense of direction was successful! We made it! Plus we saw some great mushrooms on the way.

Back on the main Smart’s Brook trail, we followed what we’d done the previous day. At the swimming hole, Kallie was debating swimming. I encouraged by wading – thigh high or so, and then Kallie did dive in. So cold! Kind of nice starting the hike up again though. Hike stats: 5 miles, 1h45m.

Post hike Kallie had some work to do, and I hung out pretending to be productive. Took the dogs outside and did some abs while they explored and Champ played with the ball. A little laundry. Cleaned up and prepped my car in case I did decide to leave tonight (unlikely). Updated my dad with plans. Did some trick practice with Champ, including “wait” (to eat a treat) and paw.

Headed to Crucial 10 cidery, arriving around 4:30. Brought some snacks with us, no food there. Makes the indoors and outdoors both dog friendly! After talking to Byron (the head cider maker) for a little and ordering a tasting of the dry, very dry, pink lemonade and regular lemonade ciders – went outside to enjoy. There was some livestock in view, which Vienna took an interest in. Champ was his usual pretty chill. With some other people joining, the sounds, dogs in a car barking, and the wind picking up – Vienna was getting anxious. We moved the party inside, which she was much happier with. Champ found a great resting place with his head against an anvil. He has different ideas of what is comfortable…

The ciders were a surprise – the base lemonade was meh. The pink lemonade cider was good. The dry was good, we’d had that the night before. The extra dry was a little too dry for me. I tried two mixes of ciders – one which worked out well, and one which did not. Can’t remember what they were. I felt a strong need for food, so went to the car and grabbed the cheese, crackers, hummus, etc. The snacks were very helpful. Talked quite a bit with Byron about the cidery. He’d planted some apple trees, one for each of the “crucial ten” he used in production plus a Redfield tree. Redfield I’d heard about on the cider podcast, it has a natural red flesh that can also add color to a cider. His trees are semi-dwarf – apparently very hard to find any standard size apple trees. Mostly semi-dwarf and dwarf, since those are most common now-a-day. Easier to pick, prune, maintain. Yields apples sooner than standard.

Second drink, Byron suggested the mix I’d already self-made. He also brought a small taster of an up-and-coming imperial cider. Maple was the main add. At first, it was a little too much maple for me – almost close to a coffee taste? But as I settled in the taste smoothed out and I really enjoyed it. Would try a full glass.

We ordered pizza for pickup, which would be ready at 6:30 and was only a few minutes away. Left on that time scale, picked up the pizza, and back to the Airbnb. We settled in for the night, and flipped through deciding what to watch. Kallie suggested Superstore, in part because there is a character overlap with Not Yet Dead. Show was pretty funny. We tried the Rhubarb Gitchee Gumee cider, and that one was actually quite good. Prepped to leave in the morning, played with the dogs, and headed to bed – Vienna hanging out in my room again, Champ downstairs.

Around 4:30am I woke up, which woke Vienna up, which probably woke Kallie up. I went back to sleep though! A little after 6am got up for real. Took Champ and Vienna outside for a bit, Kallie joining us. Played some soccer. Made breakfast. Did NYT puzzles. About 8:45am headed out for Smart’s Brook, a trail nearby. Upon arrival, actually a small trail system, also used for cross country skiing. We picked a general route, and headed off. Beautiful – it is hard to capture the greenness of the situation. Champ is a little less wander-y when Vienna is around (even though she is wandering). Not that he doesn’t go exploring at all – just less, especially at the beginning of the trail. Took some pictures of mushrooms, and a hanging caterpillar that my phone refused to focus on. Following water, Champ did some wading. Turned and followed the main water feature (Smart’s Brook). Two people, father and son, passed us running with their dog. Champ wanted to follow, but we held off.

Walked out into the water (on rocks). Kallie went upstream a bit, and while I stood on a rock a butterfly started flitting about me. I stood mostly still and watched it. Pretty sure Kallie took some pictures of me there, but I doubt they were very exciting. Too far away for a butterfly to really show up.

Eventually hit a bridge, which reminded me of a hike Kallie and I did in New Jersey near cranberry bogs. Then back along the stream! Found the father/son/dog trio in a “pool” in the stream. I got some photos hear, with the mini falls in the background. Champ wasn’t happy with me going out onto the rocks, and watched from the side – which was a bit behind a tree and looked like he was peeking out. Very cute! I also got some butterfly pictures. Same type that had flitted about before, but this one landed and stayed still for me.

The path became a little more gravel, but still nice, until we reached close to the road and the parking lot. Into the car, to the coffee shop! Sat on the outside patio. We were going to get lunch, but it was before 11am so they didn’t have food. I got a hot chocolate. We decided not to stay for the food, even though it was close, and headed to a lobster roll place in an old school house. This place seating was all on a screened in porch – which sadly counted as inside, so instead we were on the picnic benches outside with the dogs. Order at the counter. Kallie got the lobster roll, I got their version of a BLT (I think – not 100% sure). Shared some food with Champ. Pretty cool spot.

Side note – Vienna gets anxious driving. These were fairly short drives, but still stresses her out. She was very happy when we got back.

Kallie had some meetings in the afternoon. I was supposed to catch up on journaling… yeah right. I did a little writing, but a lot more: reading. Playing with dogs. Napping. Anything but writing. One thing I did discover, after 5pm while petting Champ, was find a wound that was not small (fingernail sized) and looked very raw. Agh! No idea how that happened. Texted Carolyn to see if she knew what it was. Took a medicated wipe I had from a previous Champ injury, and cleaned the area up. Eventually concluded we weren’t going to do anything that night, and see how it looked in the morning. Champ didn’t seem to be licking at it or anything, other than right after I cleaned it up.

Original plan was to go out, but changed tact and ordered in from a nearby restaurant. Considered eating outside, but the Thermacell wasn’t charged and the bugs were all about. Pulled out some local ciders from Crucial 10 – Kallie had picked them up Monday, since the cidery closed Tuesdays & Wednesdays – and put on some “Not Dead Yet”. We were much of the way through season 2 already. It had been a disappointment compared to season one – but the last few episodes wrapped up much better! We finished the series (and a bunch of cider). We did break into the Gitche Gumee cider I’d gotten in the upper peninsula, and pulled out the Mackinac fudge I’d gotten. Sadly, the show has been dropped and no third season is coming. 

Turned off the TV and bedtime it was bedtime. Took a quick detour outside to clean up and enjoy the stars. I actually brought my bed inside and slept on the floor – the other bed was a little too short and had a foot thing so I couldn’t drape my feet over the edge either. Champ quickly planted himself on it when I placed it in the living room. After some debate on where to sleep – the second floor was a little stale – I did move the bed upstairs. Champ had decided the stairs were not great (too steep and slippery wood), so he stayed downstairs with Kallie. Vienna came back upstairs with me. Entertainingly, I could feel the noise machine through the floor. Didn’t impact my sleep though.

Got out of the car about 8am, and did a little exploring while Champ stayed in bed. A little trail off to the side. Decided not to take it. Goal for the day was make it to Kallie in Campton, New Hampshire. Ideally with an Adirondack hike and a Vermont hike. Since we’d done some pretty intense hikes the two preceding days, should be a good day for some easy ones. With that in mind, went with cleaner sun hoodie and long spandex pants.

Drove off about 9am, targeting a falls hike about 20-30 minutes away. Almost immediately diverged from the plan, stopping at the next campsite on Powley. This one had a (slightly questionable) pit toilet! A little more private and off the road, not that anyone was on the road. Sounded like it was really more popular during hunting season from the comments online when I’d searched out the camping. Went down to the water, and saw a sign for a trail to Big Alderbed Lake. 3 miles away. Why not! Can go a mile out and come back.

Ha. We did the full out and back, 6 miles total, and ran a decent portion of it. So humid. I very early on shed the sun hoodie. Plenty of water for Champ to wade in. Some very muddy parts. Very well labeled, though one section had a big pine tree fallen in the middle of it that obscured the signs and took a minute to figure out the right trail. Some sections had logs laid down to be a path above the mud. Tons of mushrooms.

Made it to the lake. I would guess the path keeps going, but it wasn’t super obvious and I didn’t spend time looking. We turned around, still running Champ said. I was getting annoyed by my drenched sports bra, and no one was on the trail, Tuesday morning… risked it. Felt great, and doesn’t bother me to run without a bra. Got about two miles, when whoops! One guy was backpacking the trail. Turned around put the bra on, he was turned around as well. He said sorry, which I found pretty funny. I said I’d taken a risk, didn’t expect anyone on the trail. He agreed, saying I was the only person he’d seen on the trail in the years he’d been hiking it.

Carry on! Already ran into one person, sound a second person sounded extra unlikely. A mile later, got to the car. Took a picture of the site, so I’d remember it as a future option, and drove on. Stopped at a bridge, getting out to take a look at the lake. A little after 11am. Now time to get some driving in. A few stops for gas, snacks, responding/sending texts when I had service. In Vermont we hit the Appalachian Trail, starting in Killington. Pre-hike, took a 40-minute nap and then made a late lunch. Already pretty tired from the morning, so we did a 3-mile total out and back. Decent elevation gain. Start has a cross-country ski option, cool! Dogs are allowed off leash, but there is also a sign that says something like “The porcupine population in Peco has exploded. A local vet has seen a large number of dogs for porcupine spine removal. If you don’t know how your dog will react to a porcupine, we suggest using a leash”. We still went off leash, and did not see any porcupines. We did see some hikers and a tent. The hike had a decent amount of elevation, 750 feet.

Final stop, Campton! About another 2 hours of driving. Saw a nice covered bridge! Tis the area. We arrived about 6:45, and did some greetings. Vienna (dog) was very excited to see me and Champ after such a hiatus, and Champ was very excited to see Kallie. Brought some stuff in, discussed dinner options, and changed before heading out to a bar & grill type place with outdoor seating. Hopefully it wouldn’t rain. Kallie checked in with the hostess, who thought outdoor seating was closed – turns out it was okay. The rain concern was the only reason. Champ and Vienna were semi loose on the deck (just us), with treats coming regularly. We ordered; I got a cider & burger. Kallie had previously gotten not great fish here, but the food today was much better. Waitress and bartender (who came out with the drinks) were great. Inside looked very busy! I was almost cold, but not enough to go back to the car for a jacket.

Dessert looked unnecessary, skipped it. Back to the house (one minute drive, road is too busy to walk comfortably). About bed time. Finished bringing things in, and played with the dogs. Lots of circling inside the house, up and down the stairs… simple fun. Vienna abandoned the downstairs at bedtime and took Champ’s bed in the second-floor room. Champ was right next to my bed to start, though at some point he went downstairs and slept in Kallie’s room. Vienna stayed the whole night.

Woke up around 7am. Andy was heading off at 7:45. We all talked a little and had yogurt and fruit for breakfast. A very delicious peach. Fresh ripe peaches are like sunshine exploding in the mouth. So good. After Andy left, Kathy and I kept talking for a while. Mostly about my travels, going through all the different places. I also took a quick shower. Kathy had an appointment at 9:30, so I left about the same time. It was out of the way, but took the suggested destination of Letchworth State Park for my target. The “Grand Canyon” of the east.

A little over an hour of driving later, we arrived. I stopped at a lookout. I can see why this would be an ideal place for fall leaf watching! On to the visitor center. A brief walk in the woods next to the parking lot, just to let Champ out, and then we went to the visitor center itself. A bit fancy on the inside (Champ stayed outside). They have hard to read paper maps – apparently there are better ones, but we didn’t know to ask. Learned what the main highlights were and suggested walks – lower falls required a walk, the upper and middle you could drive to. Since I wanted to get real miles in, we were going to do some of the longer trail, probably as an out and back though.

A little after noon. Prepped my running pack, map in pocket, and... mouse! Ran right across the back of the van when I was getting food together. Well, now the mouse poop evidence I’ve been seeing for a few days is proven true. Third day I’d seen evidence (first two I blew off as dirt). Checked all my food supplies, and didn’t look like a mouse had gotten into anything. Everything (Champ’s food and mine) is in plastic bins, so it wouldn’t be easy to access. Bear aware!

Back to hiking. First down the road, and Champ starts sniffing in the grass. Suddenly I see a chipmunk fly a little. Champ actually caught something??? He picked it up again and effectively threw it, but I was more prepared for the third time and held him back. No closing of the mouth, and definitely not safe for the chipmunk. I didn’t see any blood, but the little animal was not in a good state. I’m not sure if that was from Champ, or if it was already dying before we found it. I’m guessing the latter, not helped by the former. Since Champ can’t normally catch anything, and he hadn’t even broken into a run catching this chipmunk. Rodent heavy day!

Kept going, and got to the Gorge Trail. Started going North on it, and got to some views. Then we turned back. Mostly wooded, nothing Champ could wade in for water. We took what looked like a reasonably official path, getting to a lookout point. Champ then went down. My initial reaction was “not a path”, but AllTrails had it, so… why not, just a little steep. This led us deeper into woods, until we got to a fence line next to a cabin area. Somewhere around there the trail seemed to stop. Instead of turning around, I decided to see if we could find a trail, and we went to down the ridge away from the fence. No AllTrails access because no service there. This turned into a long period of bushwhacking. Long because it was hard to get through, not because we went far. Very muddy in the area as well. Enough that Champ lay down and drank from a puddle.

Thunderstorms were threatening, I still had no service, and we turned around. The bushwhacking was fun while it lasted, but I didn’t have pants on to block the thorns so time to evacuate. Back up the hill to the fence line ridge “trail”, past a patch of cool mushrooms, and up the steep hill. Found the correct main trail, and kept going that way towards the lower falls. Saw a sign for a rafting entrance, which was tempting – probably would have water Champ could wade in. However it was an extra hike add on, and I wasn’t sure we were up for that. Without the wading water, and with the bunch of running we did on the trail already (before and after the bushwhacking), Champ was getting tired. We skipped it and came into sight of the falls viewing platform and bridge across the gorge. Target acquired!

The viewing platform was about Champ’s limit. Of course we still had to get back to the car, so… whoops. I thought there might be water access on the far side, so we took the bridge. Turns out the map was a little misleading – but there was a nice (gross) puddle on the bridge! Champ lay down and drank, because we all know muddy puddle water is better than clean backpack water. I nearly slid out on the mud, but stayed upright. On the far side, tried following a trail along a fence – promptly ended. Guess you couldn’t connect to the river access without going up to the road and then over. Met a family with two boys. Talked to the parents for a bit, the dad telling me what they’d seen for trail options and the mom and I talking more generally. Dogs, her kid was going slow because of a recently twisted ankle, the views… They got to see Champ lay down in the puddle on the way back too.

Took a different route up from the viewing platform. Trying to keep it shorter at this point, back to the car, but not a really direct route there. We went on to Inspiration Point – checked out the views – and then took a path from there. Also passed a bench with a quote, “Time with sisters makes the sun shine brighter”, which I enjoyed. Ended up coming back via the trail we’d briefly hit in the morning. 7.5 miles, 2h26 moving time, 3h16 total time. Got Champ into the van, and then I went to use the restroom and refill waters. Pack in/pack out park – which I get, but is really annoying when you’ve picked up dog poop and then have to pack it out in your car.

Drove to upper falls. We were both pretty leg weary, but Champ was showing it more. There was a little food place, and I decided why not get some ice cream. Then I didn’t – we got chicken fingers instead. Champ sniffed around while we waited, and tried chasing a squirrel. The squirrel carried a fry away, so I distracted Champ by pointing out all the other fries on the ground. He helpfully cleaned up, or – from the squirrel’s POV – stole the squirrel’s meal. Once we had the chicken fingers, walked over to the upper falls path and sat down on a bench with a view to eat. A few comments from passerby’s about how Champ deserved some chicken, normally followed by me handing him more… Walked over for the better view. A family was taking photos, and we traded – I took one for them, and they got some of me and Champ.

Next stop the middle falls, all based from the same parking lot. Pretty – also a neat side small fall covered in green. Then we were in the car and off. It started raining on and off. I decided to take the route through the park – slightly longer but good views and probably prettier. Only a little concerned about my gas levels. Some on and off rain now. Stopped at an overlook and was going to go down a trail. Champ started ahead, me following, and then whoosh! Nearly slid out. The mud looked safe but was extremely slippery. I managed not to fall, but quickly abandoned the trail.

Looked up some camping options, and best spot seemed to be Powley Road in the Adirondacks. About a 4 hour drive, a little long. Already 5pm so we’d be getting there about dark. We went for it. Stops at gas stations, got a pre-made chicken wrap at one for dinner at one. It was raining quite a bit of the drive, including the back road area. Despite that, we made it! Powley road. I saw a campsite before my specified location, and we stopped. Luckily the rain had also abated. Official site – had a sign! Just a campfire, no pit toilet. I was setting up the mosquito nets, cleaning up trash and dishes from the day, when mouse! The brazen fellow was in the front driver seat looking around. Clearly, I needed to not leave trash in the front console during the day either, since the mouse’s investigation started before I could move it to the fridge.

I grabbed my phone, and when to the driver side door (already open) – mouse had moved to the passenger seat. Started videoing, and it came right towards me into the driver seat! I sadly paused my video just as it did a cute standing up move. Much cuter than those city mice, with big ears. My animal tracking pamphlet says it was a deer mouse. I’m pretty sure I picked it up at the KOA campground.

Mouse disappeared into the van somewhere, I finished cleaning up. Now ready for bed, hopefully not too many more rodent surprises for the day. Now that we had a hitchhiker, could we be the three musketeers?

I was up about 6:30, and went to check out the beach. Champ left behind, way too early for him. I had missed true sunrise, but still beautiful. Hit the bathroom, and pulled my computer out to do some writing at the table. Champ eventually emerged, and hooked him up to the long line. While I was prepping food, the line somehow got cut! I’ve had that for almost 3 years. Champ just was standing next to me with a tiny portion of the line. I tied it together and we had breakfast. Played some soccer and scattered some treats for him to sniff out.

Today, finish the thumb and aim for Niagara Falls! First stop – pulled over at a rest area. Michigan’s rest areas on 23 and 25 are so good. Bathrooms, trash, picnic area, and often a trail – in this case a very short nature trail. Champ and I walked around for 15-20 minutes. Spotted a yellow finch. Walked the trail. Found a sign for “White Rock” – which now that I was looking, was a rock just sticking out of the lake a bit off shore. Without the history, pretty boring. No easy beach access here.

Stopped at another rest area, couldn’t access the beach again but a nice view. Carrying on, about 11:15 we got to the “Bridge to Canada”. Hurrah! The line coming in to the USA looked long, but there was no traffic going into Canada. Easy border crossing. Standard questions, I told them I had a dog, carry on. Added a hike destination, “White Pine Trail”. Short, less than a mile, but not too far off and we’d get there about noon – so two hours after our last stop. A second trail in the same area. Good timing for a break. I got there and almost turned around – maybe was supposed to pay? Not sure if that was for the campground access. Decided to check it out and see if it was worth it. Passed the trail, graveyard on the left, but no parking. Just beyond hit the end of the road – beautiful tree in the middle of a small circle. A golf cart with a couple saw us, and we paused for me to make decisions. They drove off, but when I drove back up the drive – tested out parking on the side of the road and decided not to – the guy stood in the middle of the road and flagged me down. Asked if I needed help, he’d seen my MA license plate. I said just looking for parking to walk that trail, and he suggested going down the cemetery road and parking in the grass on the right – and that it was a nice little trail.

Did the little walk, maybe .6 miles. Skipped the second trail option because that was definitely in the campground area. Back on the road, not main highway. Scouted out another hike, Thames Valley Trail. Did some hiding of treats in the blanket for Champ entertainment. Arrived at the trail about 1:15pm. Got my running setup ready, and in we went.

Started out paved, but switched to dirt quickly. Made a mistake going left around the pond – not well used, lots of prickly plants invading the path. Pretty though! Then we were along the Thames. Quite muddy, with a few creeks flowing down into the river. Champ took advantage of both the creeks and the river. The whole trail was very pretty. We passed a handful of people and a couple dogs. Mostly jogged it. About 2.5 miles in, turned around – we could keep going, but that led into a neighborhood, and I didn’t need to jog back on pavement in the sun. On the very last stretch there was a family that the little ones asked to pet Champ. He just ran past them, whoops. But had a fun little repertoire. End result: 5 miles, a little over an hour.

Ate a snack, and then targeting our final stop: Niagara Falls. Traffic was getting worse, so way further than desired. I also missed an exit, which didn’t help. Pulled into what I thought was a rest stop looking for a bathroom, but was actually just a fancy bus stop. Over an hour of time added from the traffic, boo. But we made it eventually, around 6pm, and I paid $$ to park in Parking Lot B. Lucky I found a spot immediately, actually. Made a wrap for myself and packed food for Champ.

First sign of Niagara was the spray. As we got closer, a rainbow also showed up, at first partial and then entire. Took a lot of photos as we approached, and then when we got there. The falls are huge! So much water! We got photos with the falls from a few different spots – thinking “this is a great spot”, and then moving on and realizing there was another great spot. Each stop someone offered to take a picture of me and Champ, the third one I said we already have some. I also took pictures for some families. The photoshoots were excellent, and I had chicken to temp Champ. A decent number of people scared of dogs as we were walking – or I’m pretty sure some of them were. Higher than usual ratio for touristy areas. We were careful to stay aware. Stopped on a spot of grass and ate dinner.

Kept walking. After 7pm, felt like it got a bit quieter. Still packed, but not as much as before. My phone died (whoops), so no pictures of the other side falls or the double rainbow that showed up. In hindsight I had a GoPro in my bag, but too late! Eventually we turned around and headed back to the car. People were waiting for the spots, so made someone happy.

Crossed over into NYC – ignoring google maps to save 30-40 minutes. They didn’t have a road closure by the falls, and were going to loop me that way. Crossed the bridge to the USA – cool view of the falls! Time for customs – complete with the new dog rules. I filled out the online form in the morning, so should be all set. Only one car ahead of me in line, very quick. The guy asks me are you importing anything, etc. I said nope, just have a dog. He immediately said “Close the window!” AKA – hide the dog. Then told me the rules had changed. I said yep! I filled out the paperwork. He said, You filled in the CDC form? Me: yep! I have it on my phone. Him: Really? Can I see it?. Then he called a lady over and asked her what he was looking for on the form and what to ask. Clearly, I was the first person he’d seen with a dog since the rule change August 1st who knew about the change and prepped. Thank you, vet in GA for warning me! The lady asked if Champ had a microchip (yes), and that was pretty much it. Got my phone back (since that was where I had the form receipt), and they both said bye to Champ as we headed on our way.

Stopped at a Niagara pull-off. Turns out it was access to the river, so Champ and I waded in. Beautiful trees too. Walked around a bit before continuing on. Pulled into a place with a chimney or some brick structure, but decided to not get out of the car for that. Already past 8pm. About 8:30 I pulled into a rest area to use the bathroom and grab a snack. Since we were there and Champ wanted to get out, we stopped at the dog park. He “made a friend”, or at least sniffed their butt. Someone yelled out their car about how beautiful Champ was. I tried to find where we wanted to sleep. Didn’t realize all the potential sleep spots were pretty far away, or didn’t look great.

I was talking to Kallie, and she suggested staying at her cousin Paul’s parent’s house in Rochester. I’d met Andy and Kathy a few times before, but didn’t have their numbers. It was on route, and I’d get there about 10pm. She and Paul’s brother figured out how they wanted to ask – I found out later it was even more convoluted than I realized, and soon I had a destination! Sad backup plan avoided. On arrival, Champ greeted Andy and Kathy, and I showed them my car. Thanks for the last-minute hosting! Grabbed what I needed to bring inside, and then we sat down for a bit. The house was quite nice, very comfortable and lived in without being cluttered. Kathy offered lots of food options, and I ended up with blueberry pie and vanilla ice cream. Champ got to lick the plate. We mostly talked about my travels, heading to bed around 11pm.

A slow start to the day. I was up about 7, Champ was happy to get pets. Did some reading and writing. Procrastinated to the last minute. Made breakfast. Organized/cleaned the car and put away the (now dry laundry). Took a shower (after ten days maybe?). When Champ got up, played more soccer. Filled my water tank up a bit. Headed out just before checkout at 11am.

Found a tiny hike in Standish Nature Preserve. Got there about noon. Cute spot. A father and son were there fishing. Very short trail, did just over a mile. Champ went through some brush into the pond, and when I realized and saw the pond I freaked out a little – the water was nasty. Looked like blue green algae, which can be very toxic. He got out immediately, thankfully, and wasn’t in the blue-green part… but high alert. Searched if I could get activated charcoal (not without visiting a vet or ordering online). Need that to be part of my standard kit for the future.

My next goal was to find cleaner water for Champ to bathe in so we could make sure nothing nasty was on his fur, in case he licked it. This… epically failed. All the beaches I tried were now not good-looking water/possible algae, or private access only. Our first stop was a bird preserve. I made lunch, but we didn’t end up doing the hike. The water looked not as nasty, but still not great. Champ chased swallows, and did eventually get in the water – which I discouraged and got him out as quickly as possible.

Onto the thumb area, still having issues trying beaches. Stopped at two public accesses, but the water was more marsh like and no one was swimming. As we were driving (on 25 now) I saw a trail sign, and decided to pull in. 4pm already. The trail was Sand Point Nature Preserve, and… this was the turning point of the day. By now I knew Champ was out of the neurological time frame for algae problems, but still worried a little about the other toxic algae issues (liver). We had a great hike. Ran into a guy and his dog early on, they’ve been coming for years and until covid it was almost no one. He had suggestions on which trails to take for optimal shade. Also – if I was going to be barefoot, watch out on the boardwalk sections for nails sticking out. He also gave me two beaches that were good to visit.

I did do the whole hike barefoot – aka a little slower, but fun! 3.2 miles. Champ also did the hike barefoot ;). On trial we met another dog who looked kind of border collie like. Well – we met the family, the dog barked a lot. Talked to the mom while the kids pet Champ, she had been told a certain set of breeds but as a rescue… unsure and has been suspecting incorrect. Champ got to wade in some nice clean water that I didn’t call him off. There were various types of surfaces to test my feet on. Also three deer – all of which Champ tried making acquaintances with. The first one I saw before Champ. The second one was hidden and I would never has seen it if Champ hadn’t flushed it out. The third one was further away and he saw first.

I tried finding a beach on Sand Point, but the drive was a waste – all private access, couldn’t even get to seeing it. We then went to Caseville, one of the guy’s suggestions. It was a great spot. Big wide sand beach. A bunch of people. One other dog was off leash in the sand, I had Champ on leash. Champ let out a bark, and someone came by on an ATV and informed me that dogs were only allowed on the other half of the beach. They are working on getting signs… questionable but okay. The other dog also switched sides of the beach then, I think Champ’s bark exposed us both. Put my stuff down and Champ and I ran around in the water. It was shallow a ways out, but Champ still stopped after a certain point. I got him a decent distance off shore though! A guy standing near us was very impressed by Champ’s focus on me. Never letting his eyes off me, even when I tried encouraging deeper. I also rescued some toys from the water when a toddler threw the sand castle builders in…

Decided to go to “Baywatch on the Beach” – the restaurant – for ice cream, and also dinner. Fryer was already off, so no chicken fingers or fries – I got a burger instead. Shared with Champ, of course. Then we finished off the meal with ice cream. Very pleasant sitting on the beach as the sun was going down, albeit a little hot. I booked a state campground at Wagener Park, which was the far side of the thumb, about an hour drive.

Restaurant closed at 7 and we went shortly after. Got in the car and drove via 25. Stopped twice more at beaches – where were these earlier in the day? Very nice. Walked a bit on one, which had a public access and then a lot of houses along it. Arrived at the campground about 7:30pm. Looked like registration was closed, but then a lady came up and asked if I needed anything. She’d thought everyone had checked in already. Apparently, I only got my spot because someone had cancelled earlier in the day. Three separate family reunions going on that week, including one family that was been coming for 50 years. The others were 8-10 years and 3 years, not as impressive. Told me the beach dogs could go on (knew dogs weren’t allowed on the main one).

Setup the van – got a bit confused because it felt like our neighbors were in our area, and we didn’t have our own picnic table. The other neighboring campsite was unoccupied, so we parked next to that table. Further investigation, the primitive sites were missing one picnic table. I mentioned it to the lady later that night when we passed, and she said probably moved by other campers – staff reset all the furniture Sunday when everyone left. Wasn’t a problem, so once she was aware carried on.

No cooking needed since I’d eaten, so Champ and I visited the beach. Very mucky, which I discovered after Champ went in. A bit buggy. Back at the campsite we did some (on a long line) training and play, before heading to bed.

I got up sometime after 7am. Got changed, did some phone & computer stuff, ate breakfast… and luckily was looking safe for public when a car drove up! Father and son, pretty sure, looking for a fishing spot. The water was too far down the hill with no path to it from the camp, so not a good spot. The older guy on getting out of the car made a joke about finding a super secluded spot just to have other people show up. Way better phrased than that, was quite funny at the time. I grilled them about Mackinac and any suggestions for the hand portion. Mackinac, the older guy said eh – overrated. Almost convinced me not to go, but so many other people said I had to… The other suggestions were all for Lake Michigan, which I was not going to drive along. They drove off, and I soon followed suit, getting out by 8:30am.

Passed the two fishermen at another – much better looking – spot. I was only twenty minutes from the ferry at St Ignace. Missed the 9am, should have prebooked the ferry so I didn’t have to wait in line. I think it was full before I got there anyway, but not 100% sure. Wandered around with Champ for a bit before getting in line for the 9:30. Had some conversation about dogs with the people behind me in line. Showed off some tricks, and generally tried to keep Champ occupied – because there were swallows about. Champ noticed them before I did (as usual) and let out some barks. Hence – need for distraction.

We boarded, and went to the upper deck. Front seat, maybe more out of the way? Meant there was an open seat next to me – row of 4 only 2 occupied before I arrived. Eventually, the ferry filled up entirely, and a lady stepped past Champ for it. She liked Champ a lot, and he was happy to get many pets from her. Right before leaving, she ran off and came back with her son, who sat on her lap so he could see better. I don’t think he cared, because as we were getting off he wanted to go find daddy… but at first he was happy about it! The ferry ride was about 25 minutes because we did the extended version that went under the Mackinac Bridge, aka Big Mac. Which was kind of cool, but really… it is a suspension bridge. The cool parts about it are, as discovered talking to the neighbors across the aisle and the ferry worker who was sitting in front of the cabin: (1) it is super long, just under 5 miles. (2) apparently the total length of the wire in the cables could wrap around the Earth… twice.

Anyway. Got some pictures because what else do I do on a ferry with a dog. Round Island (maybe) had a neat looking tiny lighthouse. Then we arrived at Mackinac, checking out the Grand Hotel as we came in. Best ferry announcement – depending on where you were staying, your luggage could be picked up in the luggage area on the dock or… the three fancy hotels you would find it in your hotel room. Neat! Champ and I got out, and went left down the street. First encounter with horse drawn carriage: no problem. Champ barely cared. Phew! We got to the end of the street, with a little park and rock beach. Stuck to the water for a block or two, everything transitioning to residential quickly. Then we took another road back into town. Quick bathroom stop for me, and then passed the carriage house. After several carriages, I was a little surprised when Champ let out a small growl at the unmoving horse & carriage outside in their “driveway”. Maybe because the horses were at a different angle, or not moving past? They had more time to make eye contact? Unknown. Only set of horses he growled at all day, so I’ll take it.

Pictures at Bark Chapel, where the couple that had been in line with at the ferry also was – said hi. There was a bagpiper somewhere in the lawn playing… poorly. The high range wasn’t great. The pace was inconsistent, and the breathing interfered with the music. Not impressed and little painful. Maybe they were practicing, not busking, or just having a bad day. We walked to the entrance of the fort (I guess there are two, whichever is closer to the ferry!). Asked the woman in the ticket booth how much it cost and if dogs were allowed. $16, yes to dogs, but – “if you’re just trying to get to the arch, you can save $16 and keep going up the path to get there.” Apparently, she assumes people with their phones out looking at maps don’t actually want to visit the fort. With that sales pitch, I decided I definitely could skip the fort. We went up, and then as much in the woods as I could find. Not the straightest route to the arch (natural stone structure), but: saw the gazebo from “Summer in Time”. Which I then had to look up, and realized is a movie I’ve actually seen! Even though none of my friends who I mentioned this to have. That is where I’ve seen the Grand Hotel porch before!

Lots of horse drawn carriages when we were on the main path, Champ did fine with them. Everything did smell a little horsey though. Got the rocks, and took some pictures of the view and the arch. Followed some trails and found the ridge trail. This was fantastic – less populated (we saw one family eating lunch, that is it). Woods, aka shade. Only problem was I hadn’t filled my water up all the way, and the lake was way below. Some great vistas though. Eventually, after some snack and water breaks, we turned inland along some still woodsy trails. Horses definitely used some of these ones, as well as bikes. Was aiming for Soldier’s Field or a cave, but I directionally failed. Or at least the paths I chose did not get through. Passed the scouts mess hall – did I mention there are boy scouts helping out all around? It seems like working summer camp. Some of the postings looked miserable, out in the sun for long periods of time. Kind of fun seeing them around in uniform. Back past the fort, down the hill, to the lawn with the bad bagpiper (no longer playing), water fountain! At the fort, in the sun, is when Champ started his heat limping and hiding in the shade. Poor buddy.

Water revival – one guy passed after we were pretty much set and said I should keep going to the visitor center for cold water. Too late! Nice sentiment, though I don’t care cold vs tap. Next stop, food! I really didn’t see many options for takeout or outside seating. Just looking for a basic lunch place. In lieu, ice cream for lunch! I had scouted out one shop, but passed multiple and decided to just go for it. I got chocolate, Champ got a kiddie sized vanilla – pretty big. I stole some of it. Champ very politely waited outside the store, not actually attached to anything but not moving. Many impressed people as I came out. Crossed the street for shade, and found a place to sit next to an older lady.

We got to talking, and this lady was sitting while her son and family were inside shopping. We had a great chat about ice cream, Champ, and Mackinac. Her first visit to Mackinac was in 1950! She didn’t get back again until 1975, but now they come just about every year. Apparently never before in July or August – she does not recommend. Too busy and hot. June is better, and there is a lilac festival, so the streets smell lovely – not like horse manure. Back in 1950, you might see one or two bikes pass by, whereas now the street is littered with bikes. We could see 100 just from our current spot. The buildings are pretty much the same, and the street just wasn’t paved before. Her son showed up with ice cream for her – his own was blueberry waffle cone, which looked delicious. It was also from the place I’d scouted out. Maybe, since there weren’t any obvious sandwich shops (the lady couldn’t think of any non-indoor only sit-down places either), we’d get second ice cream. After a little more chat, we went. Champ waiting outside again – so many compliments and people doting on his excellent behavior, I could see while I was in line. The lady at this shop was very helpful. She also recommended the blueberry waffle cone… in a waffle cone! Exactly what I wanted. A small vanilla for Champ again – spoiled. This ice cream was definitely better, albeit two in a row is a lot. Picked up Champ and we went back to the park with the rock beach we’d seen in the morning. We sat in the shade and ate, then went over to the water. Champ waded, cooling off. On the way out, noticed the park had a little shop! No sandwiches, but hotdogs. Why not! Champ and I shared one as we headed back to the ferry dock.

About 2:10, so we’d get on the 2:30 ferry. Waited in the shade tent on the dock, although one ferry we weren’t sure was going to St. Ignace or Mackinaw, and got up to check. Wouldn’t want to miss an earlier ferry. Briefly chatted with some folk, including two younger woman who clearly knew the ferries better.

The line started forming in the sun, and we joined in. The top was pretty full, but still had single spaces – I sat next to those same two woman in the back. Champ immediately lay down under the seats against the side of the boat – found himself some shade! I was on the outer seat, but the ladies were fine with him being at their feet. They were talking about groceries and meal prep – they lived on the island, working at a bar I think, and were going into town on their day off. One lady did meal prep – she had just arrived, and had a long list of groceries to buy. The other had been around for a few months, and was from Kennesaw. She tended to do simpler, more repeat meals – like me. We talked most of the 15 minutes. Neither planned to stay long term. The already-there lady had an offer as a fulltime glass blowing instructor back where she grew up, starting in the fall – probably taking that and doing college classes in the evening. Pretty neat! She also talked about having Ehlers-Danlos syndrome – mild version. I was curious what percentage of people are impacted by Ehlers-Danlos, because I feel like I know a few. It is mostly genetic, so all her family has or probably has it undiagnosed. A higher percentage of the population impacted that I would have expected.

Ferry arrived, and Champ and I headed for the car. The morning line neighbors that we saw at the bark chapel were getting in the car next to us! Had a brief chat and then headed off. About 3pm at this point, and we’d had a hot day. I started driving along the coastal road, 23. Lots of great views. We stopped at a beach pull-off around 4:30. Went down to the beach and Champ and I both waded. Two ladies and a dog were down there, and we talked a bit. One was from Alpena, up visiting the other from Cheboygan. I asked for recommendations – they had some ideas, but said they were mostly homebodies. The furthest the lady from Cheboygan traveled was to Alpena… to visit the friend. She did talk about an active mining quarry around Rogers City that you could drive into and look over. Rogers City there was a boat show happening I could stop at, and she’d heard Agate Beach was nice. Thanks! I said bye and headed out. Refilled some water from the pump. The main tank was running out so I needed enough for the near future. A lady was watching me on the pump – neither of us were sure if it worked. A lot of priming later, water finally showed up! A little bit yellow, but I assumed safe.

We got to Rogers City before I realized I’d missed Agate beach, so that was out. No interest in a boat show so skipped that. Then we got to the quarry, and I missed the turn for looking closer. Could see a little bit from the main road, but not much. I briefly considered turning around but decided I didn’t care. Soon after, saw signs for a state park I’d looked at. Missed the first entrance, but pulled in at another and found a hike I could target. Presque Isle Lighthouse. Neat little walk. Quiet, relaxing. A beach we could walk out on, and forest with views of the water. The middle had the lighthouse and an old boat. Named S.T. Crapo, which is probably someone’s last name but still laughed about it. When we got back to the start there were two people, probably father and daughter (both adults). The older guy and Champ had a moment before we headed for the car.

Kept driving, had a general idea to aim for Huron National Forest. Passed two Paul Bunyan statues, with his blue bull friend. Just as we got to the area, around Oscoda, and were looking for forest roads, I saw a sign for a KOA. Decided to just stay there – it was already late enough, after 7, and didn’t need to spend an hour looking for a camp spot that might not exist. They were pretty busy but had some primitive spots. Right next to the train, which she made sure I was aware of – they’d be coming twice that evening, last one between 10 and 11, and then should be done for the weekend. Also laundry available, dog run, and that the showers by the main building were better than the ones by the play area – because they were separate from the toilets. Laundry would probably cost $9 in coins if I was doing two loads. I bought two detergents as well, save my liquid bottle in case I needed it in the future.

Led to the campsite by a guy on a golf cart – who again warned me about the train. Just on the other side of the fence. Started dinner, and played ball with Champ. Post food, headed back to registration to trade dollars for quarters. Including dollar coins, the ones I’d gotten at the laundromat/carwash combo! I asked if Champ could go in, they said yes – but then one of the workers behind a door went to come out, and when warned of a dog, said “there’d better not be any dogs out there!” I took Champ outside, and when she peeked in again, I let her know the dog was outside. Very scared of all dogs, apparently. Nothing personal towards Champ.

Went back, collected laundry, and left Champ behind. Traded for some more quarters because I was pretty sure I’d need the dry time. Set a timer, and went playing with Champ again. Pretty late by now, about 9pm. Moved things to the dryer. I was going to shower, but quite late and had lost my inspiration. Train came and people were videoing it. Hit the dog run – small but we ran about and had fun. Sent Champ to bed, got my laundry – still damp, but I was out of quarters so… hung stuff that wasn’t dry up and put the sheets on the bed anyway. I stayed up late reading – my excuse was waiting for the train to come by, but it came and went and the book was still going.

Slept in a little late. I pulled my chair out and sat in the nice quiet forest. Got breakfast together. Champ was still groggy at 9. Decided to leave, Champ not having gotten out yet, and headed towards Pictured Rocks. Limited dog friendly trails, but we were going to hit them all. First stop, Munising Falls. Stopped at the info person, and she gave me a holder to easily display my America the Beautiful pass, as well as a list of all the dog friendly activities. The trail was mostly boardwalk to a nice little waterfall. Very short walk. Cool rocks along the way. I tried getting Champ to put his feet up for a pose, but he kept misinterpreting and going under the barrier into the greenery. Whoops! Then someone offered to take a picture of both of us, so got a good one.

Next stop was Sand Point Beach. We stopped and did some sprints up and down the beach. Champ loved it. I had fun, and pretty sure some people enjoyed seeing Champ’s excitement. There was a little set of ducklings (and one full grown) just hanging out on the water, which was cute. After I got tired (Champ was obviously ready for more), and my bag got a little damp from the tide… Continued on and realized there was another side to sand point beach. This one I left my phone in the car, but did bring the GoPro. There was a little raised sand section out in the water, which I crossed to – and eventually Champ followed me. My initial crossing spot (this is ~10 feet) was a little to deep for Champ, but we found a slightly shallower path. Then we did some more sprints up and down the surrounded-by-water berm. A family arrived and one of the kids asked me how many of the sprints I had done. Only 3 on that side of the beach. Then, next stop!

Lots of driving to get from place to place in Pictured Rocks. Next stop was Miner’s Fall trail. About 1.2 miles, all through the woods. Saw some repeat couples and groups from Munising Falls. Tried for some posing at Miner’s Fall. I was wearing sandals, so didn’t do the running thing. Miner’s Beach, some good views of the pictured rocks. Also kayakers, who I was envious of. Too bad Champ is anti kayak.

Then the trail we could actually hike, to Au Sable Lighthouse! It took about an hour to drive there. We went past the overflow lot to the main park, and there was one spot – but some people were trying to save it. I said don’t worry, your person coming down can have it I’ll find something. We talked a bit because the mom was from MA. Had family in Southborough, and works at or went to Tufts. My license plate clued her in. Then drove back to the overflow lot, found a spot (pretty packed!), and made lunch to go. Got Champ some snacks. To the hike!

Start going through a campground. Then found a sign that said “wear long sleeves! Bug spray doesn’t work on the flies”. Great… At first it wasn’t an issue, but they could bit right through my leggings. The hike was meh. Along the water but at a slight distance. All on a road – used by park people to get to and from the lighthouse. Found a set of stairs to the beach and took that, let Champ get in and cool off. Eventually got to the lighthouse, which was nice. A tour was going on, and I overheard a little of it but did not stay with them. About history and rocks – from that area you can see both the newest and oldest formations in Pictured Rocks. The good part of the trail started right after the light house – no dogs of course. I had trail envy.

Ate lunch, and then tried going down to the beach. The stairs were… something. Champ hesitated and then went for it while still on leash. I dropped it because holding on was a surefire way to fall face first down a steep hill. There was another dog at the bottom, but Champ very politely lay down when asked and waited for me. Both dogs ended up off leash and were fine. One of the dog’s family was throwing rocks into the water, and the pup would chase and try to get to the spot. Champ got pretty excited about that and semi-joined in, but never actually went to fetch the rocks. The groups told me there was an exit from the beach, obvious because it was a set of stairs and after the two ship wrecks. Instead of going back to the boring path, we took that route. Did some running on the beach when it wasn’t too rocky. Champ’s paw prints were quite well defined in the sand, and I got a great picture. I tried to keep him out of the wrecks, because there were metal rods sticking up and sometimes hidden in the sand. No injuries from that!

The stairs were where we’d hit the beach before, so back up and to the trail! When we got back to the start, went down to the beach. A river was flowing in right there, my favorite. Went and played in it. I crossed it and encouraged Champ to as well. He took a minute but eventually found a path he liked. Couldn’t cross the bridge, no dog trail, but from the beach we could get a good view of it! Then back to the car and on to Sable Falls.

168 steps down. Fun! The trail wasn’t too long, and we found the falls. Asked Champ for a pose, and then kept going. Thought we weren’t supposed to take dogs past the falls but didn’t see any signs, so… On we go! More stairs, though not many, until we got to a cool beach. Rocks, sand, and water flowing in. Also a giant dune cliff that people were climbing. I opted not to climb it with Champ, but had fun watching. Champ met a corgi friend. The corgi’s favorite person, the daughter, got back down and gave Champ pets. Apparently the corgi could get very grumpy about this, feeling the daughter was his person and should not be petting other dogs – but handled Champ getting attention decently at first. Headed out, briefly chatting with two people we’d talked to on the way in who’s friend was going up the hill and had just made the top.

Stopped at the falls again and got some great photos. A lady offered to take pictures of us. Those were fun but didn’t turn out as well. Then back up all the stairs! That was the last Pictured Rocks stop, next destination: Tahquamenon State Park. It was getting later, but thought we could get a few miles hiking in and be ready to move on from the Upper Peninsula in the morning. We pulled in a little after 5, paid the day fee. Walked down the main wide path, and very soon there was a deer in the woods. Champ did spectacularly – he definitely saw it, but he barely pulled in that direction and didn’t bark or scare it away. The people taking pictures got their photos, and I even stopped and got some. The mother and son in front of us talked about it – the son was so impressed by how well-behaved Champ was. Didn’t say anything to me directly, but I overheard as they walked ahead of me. Made me happy.

Along the river, there were a few viewpoints. The main one was 127 or so steps down. Metal stairs, not Champ’s favorite but not bad. The water was brown, which a sign explained was tannic acid, getting into the river from “the decomposing vegetation found in the cedar, hemlock, and spruce forests found in the drainage basin”. Cool! Back up the steps, along the river, to another view point. 125 or so more steps. So many steps day! Champ caught his foot on one, which I flinched at but didn’t seem to cause an issue beyond a mini trip. Back up the stairs, and then took the nature trail back instead of the big path. Still a well-defined gravel-ish path, but not as wide and no one else on it. 1.6 miles total.

Drove on to the lower falls, which has the camping area. Coming in, we already had the pass. I asked about camping – the lady said she’d just filled the last campsite Oh well, guess we’ll have to find one for the night. Parked and started the hike. This one was pretty quick to see the waterfall itself. I did the back and forth thing as Champ stops to sniff with a couple who (a) complimented Champ and (b) told me all about the area. There was now a bridge across the water, so you could get to the island on the other side of the falls without a kayak ($70 per hour rental). Also, you can walk into the falls area. I watched one kid walk up to a smaller fall, against the current, and then use it like a water slide. Looked fun! Champ and I crossed said aluminum bridge, and went counter clockwise around, ending where you played in the water. I didn’t go in beyond my legs, lame. Passed the same couple shortly after we left the water area, going clockwise. I walked back to the car barefoot, didn’t feel like putting my sneakers back on. There was another older couple that we’d passed a few times – and I really don’t know if that lady was scared of dogs or just overly zealous about letting him by. We were careful either way (and on leash).

Started pulling out and then decided to have dinner right there. Moved the car closer to the picnic tables, got the stove out, and 15 minutes later voila! Pasta on a bed of spinach and other veggies. There were some girls roller blading in the parking lot. Champ didn’t care, and I was watching thinking – I am terrible at roller skating. Been a while since I tried roller blading, might be better… but not as good as they were for sure. I’d be passable at best. I did update the ATBA (herding) website while eating!

After dinner, I had a general destination for camping. It was definitely going to be dark by the time we arrived… Ended up taking longer than expected. Tried two failed forest roads before going to the further away but much more successful spot I’d seen on free camping. Got there a little after 10pm. It was near a highway, but enough woods between to not be a problem. Nice and secluded, and no one else there. Fire pit and plenty of space. I got the van prepped and we went to bed pretty much immediately. Champ had really been complaining for an hour (aka looking unhappy about still driving, very quiet complainer), so good we found a spot.

Woke up about 7am. Did some reading, and then started writing. Got in three days! Up to July 22nd, and then most July 30th. Had done the 28th & 29th the past two days. Only 5.5 days behind, effectively. Champ was still not up for activity. I made breakfast. Pulled out my yoga mat after Champ moved up. Talked with Al. Checked out plants with Kathy. I was going to give Kathy and Al money for the possibly unpaid for beer, since they were planning to hang out at the brewery that night. However – it was getting close to noon, opening time, so after some attempts at getting change, decided to go myself. Al and I talked a little about their solar, and flexible panels vs more traditional.

Right before heading out, I encouraged Champ to get out of the car. He got out and almost immediately turned around wanting to get back in… Okay bud. We packed up, drove to the edge of the campground – stopped to use the wifi – and drove on to the brewery. Waited a few minutes until noon, Champ getting out of the car and wandering a bit. Left Champ at the door and walked in. Conversation with the lady at the bar went:

F: “Hey. I’m not sure if I paid for my beer last night, so I wanted to today”

L: “I wasn’t here last night, so I don’t know if you did”

F: “Yeah, that’s fine. I was just going to leave $10 just in case”

L: “Eh, don’t worry about it, you’re good. Pay it forward”

Okay! On we go, with a pleasant post conversation feeling. Drove back via Brockway mountain, stopping for some views on the way. Saw an ice cream shop, Ahmeed’s Street Car. Got some for me and Champ -very good. On reaching Houghton, I looked up where to buy Gitche Gumee cider, the cider maker I’d looked up when coming in. A ten minutes out of the way grocery store stocked it, and I decided to reroute there. With some help, I found it – bought two, wine bottle size. Would have only gotten one (“Entropy”), but there was a rhubarb based one (“Rhubee”) so had to get both. Into the fridge!

We continued mostly along the edge of Lake Superior. Took a pullout just for the pictures – wildflowers and lakes. Coming around the bend of the Keweenaw peninsula, I found a short 1.25 mile hike in L’Anse, MI. People had mentioned L’Anse, but I assumed spelling of Lance – corrected! The pair of trails made a figure eight. I started on Cathy’s Loop. I was wearing my sandals, but shortly in decided to go barefoot. Nice to feel the ground under your toes – until it gets gravelly anyway. Shoes back on briefly as we entered a campground area. Walking along the side, some guy was driving around, getting out of his car occasionally. I saw the red trail marker a little in the woods, but no trail – the guy was out of his car by us. Asked him if he knew where the re-entry was. He said, yes! He was a cross-country coach, and was marking the trail with pink ribbons. Thought the red markers were for marking the trees themselves, not the trail. I was pretty sure he was wrong about that, but… If I followed his next stop, I’d see the entry. Great! We talked a bit at the re-entry. He used to do long (50 mile) trail runs, but the knees gave out. Coached middle and high school now. Liked Champ. I did confirm the red markings on trees were trail markers, when I saw the double red marking the turn.

Back in the woods, shoes off. They stayed off the rest of the hike, making the walk a little slower. The second half of the figure 8, Soup’s Loop, was aptly named. Some muddy sections, and a little water that Champ went for. 30 minutes moving time total.

Next stop – was talking to Robert, and saw a sign for a roadside scenic area. Why not! Canyon Falls and Gorge. Champ and I took the trail, and it was quite nice. Short, under a mile. Partly along a river, which led to the falls. We took some detours out onto the rocks for pictures and wading. I talked to a few people, mostly about Champ. One littler dog we greeted – that pup decided it did not like Champ nearby and started barking. Champ ignored and continued exploring the water unphased. At the end, you got to the falls. Turned around and walked back. A few more dogs and water stops. One couple we passed back and forth a couple times, and talked with them about pets. They’d had a really bad vet experience, where they brought their cat who was having trouble breathing in to the vet. X-rays or MRI. Vet comes back and says “which one of you did it” – accusing one of them of closing a door or stepping on the cat and breaking ribs. Rude and insulting. Also very wrong – the couple took their cat to the vet they used for their rabbit instead, and apparently vet one had blown the diagnosis. No broken bones, but heart failure or something akin. Too far gone, so sadly the cat passed away. The original vet is out of business now, at least in that area.

About 6:30pm stopped for a short beach walk. Another Michigan rest area – can’t say enough about how well Michigan does their rest areas, at least along the coast. Almost all have picnic tables, grills, bathrooms, and trash. Some of little hikes or beach access. This one had the beach, and Champ found some good smells and something I didn’t see to eat. Eventually made it to Munising, close to Pictured Rocks. Instead of continuing on, we turned south to find a campground in Hiawatha National Forest. Detoured west on 94 after seeing a sign for a waterfall. Parked, and it was a short walk on boardwalk to the falls. I really liked this one – unique with how the trees had fallen onto it. Wagner Falls.

East on 94, and turned down a forest road. Saw a good-looking spot that was already occupied, complete with a school bus – cool! Turned down a side dirt road with grass growing on it, and quickly found a perfect spot. 7:30pm. Took a reading break, and played with Champ a few times. We tried something new – I’m calling it “legs”. Champ comes between my legs, and we walk together a few steps. It went pretty well! I have a short video of it too. Two people on a dirt bike came by. Asked if we were camping, and said if we needed anything, they were just down the road. Turns out they were the school bus camping people! Very nice of them. About 8:15pm, I started dinner. Time to cook Terry’s chicken breast wrapped in bacon with cheese and mushrooms. Since I only had a frying pan, I sliced it up into pieces and cooked it that way. Turned out delicious. Made a salad as a “side”, and dinner time!

Cleaned up, and post dinner got a little dancing/playing in with Champ. Then into the car. I stayed up a bit on my computer. Champ got sleep and pets. I used my foot at one point, and he did the cute trap it with his paw thing.

Woke up a few times in the night on high alert for Champ concerns, but none manifested. Still got decent sleep. I got up around 7am, and did some reading. Soon switched to writing, and got two journal entries done. Catching up! That took about two hours. I got out and made myself breakfast. Did some reading at the picnic table. Champ had moved up to my bed but not gotten out yet. I tried to share breakfast, and after a slight hesitation he licked the bowl clean. I washed up, and then got mats out and decided to do yoga… before realizing no service. I did some abs instead. Just as I was starting, Al called over and asked if they could do a tour of my van – of course! Perfect timing, they came by ten minutes later and I got various exercises in. Kathy loved the seat covers – beautiful and washable! Went through the whole setup, Champ still in the van. Sat down and talked for a bit. Champ came out around 11:30.

Kathy and Al were planning to tour the garden (CSA garden on the property, I was parked between two parts), and Champ and I joined them. Some very smart setup. The water lines were easy to see how it was done, and the solar panels were definitely not up to code. Could follow the inverter setup, see batteries. Cucumbers and tomatoes had strings hanging from the top of the building to keep them going up, very clean. Lettuce, fennel, zucchini all outside. A lot of basil.  Wildflower/pollinator garden outside as well. Kathy was very knowledgeable about the plants. Also some of her looking at wildflowers to investigate what family a new flower might be a part of was inspiring – the stem is fuzzy and round, the leaves are in this pattern only at the base, the flowers coming out in this pattern… so much detail you can pay attention to. Sometimes I don’t see things as deeply as I good! Kathy proved detail oriented in various other ways too, good at observing her surroundings.

Post garden tour, and Champ barking at some dragonflies over the lake, headed back. I made lunch for myself, and a little after 1pm (two very late starts in a row!) I headed to find some scenery and hiking. First stop, Hunter Point. This was a great little two mile hike, one part along the bay and the other part lake side. Very pleasant. Talked to a lady who had a border collie that passed away in November. She discussed how it is hard to go back to a different breed after having such an intelligent, well mannered, easy to teach dog. Red rocks again lake side (a theme on the border of lake superior), more sand and greenery bay side. Did the hike in slides, which was questionable but made it easy to walk into the water.

Passed through town, got some service briefly – enough to check the next spot. Short, .6 mile hike to Horseshoe Bay Beach. A mile of not great for a van dirt road down to it, and then a sign for no dogs. Oh no! A lady said, probably no one cares, so we went for it. Passed 4 dogs on the .3 miles down to the beach. Red rock, and then a big rock you could climb on. We waded a bit. I expected Champ to not go up the rock, but he did! No problem at all, did a switchback and everything. A different lady was watching and was very impressed by him. My climb was not so pretty – but I was in slides and they are not great for climbing things. Still made it. Champ had a great time going around, and then started barking at sea gulls. I cut that off pretty quick. The lady at the top with the dog comment and her family (daughter, son, partner) was on the rocks, and we talked a little. On the way down the lady who commented on the way up was there, and still impressed as Champ took the rocks like a mountain goat. She mentioned how smart he did on the switchback. I struggled down, and she suggested more spots to the right of me. Thank you! The shoes plus sweaty feet were slipping all about.

That lady and her partner were a little ahead of us going back, and we caught up and passed. Then Champ stopped to poop (side note – getting more solid poops today, not totally to normal but better!), they passed back. Got to talking when he asked if I did a lot of shooting – because of my SIG shirt. He is retired police, having worked at the university in Ann Arbor. Part of his job included working the football games. Mentioned only thing better than a police pension was fire department – which his son was in. Since his son had been in the military, only needed 15 years in the fire department to get full pension. Crazy!

Back up the dirt road, only one scrape each way. Decided not to keep going down the gravel road to another sight 6 miles further. Turned back to town. Stopped in an area with service, and did some quick research. The trail I’d been looking at was Woopidy Woo + some others, a mixed use mountain bike & hike trail. Mostly the name caught my eye. We drove to the entrance, and I prepped for a run. Dogs on voice control or leash control, excellent. Estimating 4.5 miles, so left the water behind. Then off we went! Started on Garden Brook trail, switched to Woopidy Woo. Clearly mostly built for mountain biking. So much up and down. We didn’t run everything, especially at the start, but most of it. Quite a fun albeit tiring adventure. Passed 3 groups of bikers (2 may have been the same) and one single biker as she walked up a part. I was going to try short-cutting by going on Flying Squirrel, but when we got there it was a double black biker only trail. Guess not! About 3.5 miles in, after running many wood planks (actually Champ walked a lot of these) and banked dirt curves, we finally found a stream. Champ stopped for a long while, and I sat on the bridge. Sitting was a mistake – when we started back up, my legs were not happy with the decision. They warmed up again though. A bit uphill to finish, rough. Back at the car, very satisfying run. Time to jump in the lake!

Actually, detoured to Brockway Mountain Lookout. The lady at the top of the trail saying no one would enforce the dog policy – was there! We talked briefly. Another family was there, and the woman asked who had the Massachusetts plate. She was from Worcester, went to Dougherty High School. Her partner was from Michigan, they met in Massachusetts. When she went to Michigan for her masters, her partner got a job in Michigan and they never left. Talked about how different Piedmont Street is from when she grew up there. I took a photo of their family. They had a ten month old mini golden retriever (golden, cocker spaniel, and a touch of poodle).

Now the lake, for real. Went to Hunters Point directly, skipping the walk, I did a full dunk – a bit cold! Champ also got in, his normal wade. Talked to a family who was collecting rocks, looking for ones they didn’t have, and who like Champ a lot.

Went back to Trail’s End – got the same spot. I changed and hung up my clothes, then back in the car and went to Brickside Brewery that Kathy & Al had recommended. I got pulled pork nachos from the truck outside. While I was ordering two guys sat down at the table I had claimed – Champ right there with his water bowl. I guess they assumed he was the neighboring table’s dogs. Took the third seat and said didn’t mind if they stayed. Went inside to get a drink. Only beer, and none looked light. I asked the bartender, who was very talkative, just to check. She said try XYZ, it was more like a sour than the description let on. It was actually decent for me! Ordered that, talked a little with her and the guy a the bar. She no longer drinks, but has accidentally tasted most of the beers because she is bad at changing kegs and sprays herself regularly. Headed back outside. Got the nachos. At first hard to insert myself in the two guy’s conversation, but they mentioned Tucson and I learned a little about mountain biking and them. Mostly was third party, but did recognize the trails I had just run on the maps. One of them had an electric mountain bike – helps you get up the hill. Sounds like they were in their 70s. He wanted more green trails, his friend thought he could do the blue. I thought the blue trails would probably be fine. Nothing you would have to pick up speed on and go into a complex turn or akin. Something I would be comfortable trying on a mountain bike. Don’t try the double blacks though!

The table behind us got involved a little in that conversation, a couple also in their 70s. The guy had been mountain biking for 50 years he said. The two guys at my table left and I talked to the back table. Really enjoyed this conversation! We talked about his levels of fun. Level 1 fun: something you do and it is just fun. Level 2 fun: somewhat fun while you are doing it, but partly for the story. Level 3 fun: actually not fun while you are doing it, but in it for the story. Now-a-day, he sticks to mostly level 1 fun, sometimes up to level 1.5. Used to do a lot more level 2 fun, but has gotten wiser with age. They both also enjoy skiing, and he enjoys sea kayaking but not her. We also talked about retiring – highly recommended. I said maybe I should just retire now, but then I would have some problems – especially if I wanted a farm. Really like both of them.

After they left, I talked to a group of four. Three in their 70s – a couple and their friend – plus a younger woman who I’m not sure if she was a daughter or friend. The younger woman was Dannette, and the friend was Jane, other two names forgotten. We started talking because of Champ, who went over and said hello, especially to Jane. Talked about where they were from, and how the trip was high speed (the guy likes to stick to the schedule, and only 2 weeks). Were hitting pictured rocks and Taquamenon, on the same route I was aiming but hadn’t planned – now I had a destination! Somehow the conversation turned to farms, and discovered that Dannette’s brother owns a sheep farm in Ohio, southeast of Columbus. Mainly because he and his partner can train their border collies, but also donates sheep to 4h and such. She thinks they have about 100 sheep, that’s not small! It is a hobby for them, doesn’t teach anyone. Uses the whistle commands. I said I’d be really interested in checking it out, and got Dannette’s number so I can maybe swing by in the future.

Headed back to the campsite. Al was out and we talked for a bit – levels of fun, he apparently used to do some pretty serious skiing before getting his skis stuck between two trees and tearing his ACL. No more skiing with the replacement knee, doesn’t want to need a new one in ten years when he is 80. Cathy was already in the trailer. I realized, not sure I’d paid for my beer. Already 9pm so the bar was closed. Al thought they’d be back the next day, and could put money in for me then.

Did some training and play with Champ, and got ready for bed. In theory the Northern Lights might be visible, prime time around 11pm, so I read to stay up… didn’t see anything though and went to sleep by 11:15pm.

This day started at 3am… I woke up barely, Champ wanted something. He was being aggressively cuddly. I pet him a bit, and then said “goodnight for real”, so close to the call of sleep. When I stopped though, he started nudging me. Checked the time, and it was 3 something. This repeated several times. I offered him water, even got out the food, opened the door and went out myself in case he needed to go out… nope. Lots of pets required. I tried repeatedly for sleep and at some point he actually climbed into my bed. I should have known something was off, but I was very much still half asleep. At 4am, everything because clear when Champ jumped off the bed and had diarrhea. I re-opened the door as quickly as possible, and he bolted out and went to poop in the woods, but it was too late. His bed had a nice poop on it. Poor guy. After two days of excess poop attempts, this was it.

Well, finally I’m fully awake. Time to clean. I pulled out his bed and filled up the sink bucket, grabbing soap and paper towels. Took the cover of the bed off, and cleaned the foam (barely touched) separately from the cover. It actually cleaned quite nicely, the brown remnants floating out when I dunked it in the bucket water. A few cycles of that looked pretty good. Hung the cover up to dry, put a towel over the foam to make a temp bed. Let Champ back in the car. Mistake. Forgot to clean Champ… now, since he almost always gets on to the upper bed first, my bed had some remains on it. Back to the cleaning area. Not as bad, just some streaks. Since it was hot the main cover wasn’t on, so I got some on my blanket and sheet.

Take two, about 4:30am. Champ was out, sleeping very solidly. I soon followed suite. Sadly, I couldn’t sleep in as much as I wanted, waking up before 7am. Oh well… Maybe I could get some writing in! Or reading. Champ was still conked out. Around 8:30am our neighbors in the good spot with an actual creek view moved, and I decided to take the spot. Threw all the drying stuff in the car and drove over. Re-hung things, and checked out the area before setting up at the picnic table. Champ moved up to my bed, but then back to sleep. Eventually I made myself breakfast, around 10am. Champ was still in the car, so when I finished I gave him breakfast in bed. Seemed fine eating, good sign. At 11am, Champ was still in bed but awake. I joined him and we had some pet time, and then I was going to take a nap… but he decided to get up. Peed, and then straight to the bush area to do a long traveling poop attempt. I could find no evidence, but I’m sure there was something I missed.

Decided it was time – clean Champ up. Step one, gather supplies. Including treats. Step two, get Champ. He’s rarely happy about these grooming type things. We started on the mat (where I try to do grooming thing when I remember). I did the best I could while he was lying down, but then insisted on him standing up. Decided it was good enough, and then went to clean up the mat. Checked the car for anything I had missed – a little on the side of the bed (bottom sheet) and on the clothes container right below it. Otherwise looking decent. Now, took my actual nap. Champ was like, “excuse me – I’m awake now what are you doing” – but he did let me sleep. Just went for ten minutes. Post nap spent some time with Champ – playing, practicing. Took a break and started cleaning up everything, getting the car ready. Made lunch. Around 1pm, we headed out. Looked like 5 miles on this dirt road, the opposite direction we came in targeting Keneewah Peninsula.

As I was driving there was a lump up ahead on the road. I thought it was road kill. Slowed down a little and planned to go around it, when boom! An owl popped its head up to look right at the car, before taking flight. Woah!! SO COOL. I stopped, so excited. As expected, couldn’t find the owl anywhere in the woods (looking with binoculars too). But so cool! Got back in the car and carried on. A little research, I’m guessing it was a Northern Hawk Owl. Not 100% sure, because I didn’t get a good enough look at it. Based on size, general looks, and location in the upper peninsula – seems like a good guess.

Turns out it was about 20 miles on dirt roads to get out of the park. Soon after we got back on regular roads, the rain threat came through. Had some pretty hard rain, maybe today will be a wash! Targeted some trails outside Houghton anyway. Lord of the Rings themed names. When we got there, it was $15 for day use, what! Outrageous. Michigan Tech trails, right outside Houghton. We did about a mile walking through, it was quite beautiful. Not worth $15. The trail we were on, Dragon trail (technically closed, but really that was because the mountain bike parts were under reconstruction), was great, albeit short. The rest of the trails were wider, which the area was used for cross country skiing and mountain biking as well – so makes sense. Anyway. Moved on. Got gas in Houghton. There are some really neat ruins and building in the town. I didn’t explore, but did pull over to look. Stopped for groceries at another town. Instead of following google instructions, I took a road along the coast towards Five Mile Point and Eagle Harbor. Deer crossing, actually the second deer sighting of the day. Back to more east coast white tail deer. The coastal road was a good choice, beautiful. There were some really nice, day use only, picnic/rest areas on the side. Picnic table and fire pit per space, among the pines overlooking Superior Lake. We walked around one of them. Stopped and walked around Eagle Harbor as well. Very rocky beach, red tinged rounded rocks everywhere. Some kids fishing in the stream coming into the lake.

We got to my hike target, Jacob’s Creek to Holy Monastic. I came in from the backside vs what AllTrails had listed, because I was already on that road. This hike was brilliant. The first part was steep, through the gorge, but Champ and I both made it. Joined a path and realized there might have been an easier way, but too late. It quickly flattened out. Stairs down to the water for Champ. Getting to the Holy Monastic part, what surprises! Forest. Beautiful water flowing over rock. Wood plank pathways through swamp/meadow. Ruins you were allowed to walk in. Champ at first didn’t come down the steps into them, but then had a great time, passing me and taking a tiny corridor between walls that I wouldn’t have even considered. Around the bend before I realized. Called him back and got a picture as he came through. Carrying on more forest. Open field, cemetery? Only one marker. Ran through the area, and got to a road. Hmm. Looked at the map, weren’t supposed to hit the cemetery. Turn around! Take the pond direction instead. Extremely neat little pond, cute path going all the way around. The bridge a little sketchy, but taken out of the Shire. Flowers all around.

Ran a lot of the path back, and took the “easier” route down this time. I think it was easier for Champ, but it was still pretty steep dirt and less handholds – so maybe a little harder for me. Some people at the bottom, two were trying to fish for brook trout. Hopped in the car. Stopped at the red dune trail, but decided to skip it and go to the beach side instead. I walked in to the waist, and dunked my head. Sweaty after the hike. Looked up some campgrounds and decided not to bother with a free spot, settling on Trail’s End Campground instead. Driving detour to Eagle Harbor lighthouse. What a cute little building.

Arrived at the campground about 7:40pm. I see rabbits! We searched the spots and found one I liked in sight of the water. Going down to the water, Champ wanted to say hi to the neighbors. So we met Al and Kathy. Had some lovely conversation, and Kathy was cooking dinner. Pasta – but much better smelling than mine, actually has some spices in there. They invited me to join for dinner. I went and changed out of my damp clothes, and we ate overlooking the water. Talked about their setup, some politics, canoe trips, dogs, … wide gamut. Their other neighbors had a bear try to break into the car for food the night before, so Al was planning to loan them bear spray. I brought Terry’s cookies over to share for dessert. Around 9:30, wrapped up and went back to our side of the trees to get ready for bed. Prepped the car, went to the bathroom. Saw Al on the way back. Headed to bed. I was probably asleep about 11.

Duct tape attempt three survived the night, and we were happily bug-free. I woke up at 5am, but 6 hours of solid sleep by then. Managed to get back to sleep until about 7am. A little surprised with the warm night, but I’ll take it. Champ got up pretty quickly after, and hopped right outside. We walked and played a few minutes down the road, but then came back to the van, packed up the bug nets, and got a move on. Mapped to Meyer’s Beach, but first actual stop was Sisikiwit* (sp) Falls, which we’d passed the sign for before Lost Creek Falls. Turns out, my directions had us turning down Sisikiwit road anyway. I pulled over into the parking lot, and we got out. Walked the trail, maybe a little over a mile total. Along the creek one way, a little more into the forest meadow coming back. Stopped to wade, and took a couple pictures. Wasn’t so much a falls, but was pretty with the water flowing over the rocks. Same type of rock that Lost Creek had.

Back in the car, crossed the bridge, and… another sign for parking. I’d seen the trail on the other side, but didn’t realize it was the main one – complete with a pit toilet and signs. We did that trail too, probably half mile total. Another lady and her two dogs were there as well, on a nice slow sniff walk. This one you got a better view of actual falls.

Arrived at Meyer’s beach around 9am. Parked, paid (online - $5). Prepped my running bag. On to the trail. We stayed on leash most of the way out, excluding a water stop or two – a lot of the creek beds were dry, but not all. Mostly boardwalks, similar style to Lost Creek Falls. At the sea caves, we looked around and I tried to take a picture of the two of us. A man saw this happening and made some sounds to attempt getting Champ to look in the right direction, which I enjoyed. Then I settled in to read for a bit with the view of Lake Superior. A while later, the man and his partner came back through, and I asked them if we should keep going. They said half a mile on there was the “bowl”, which was a bigger area that it was easier to see the arches on. So, Champ and I got up and went on. Found the bowl (I think), and turned around.

Coming back, stopped again at the original sea cave, this time on a picnic bench, because I was pages away from finishing my book. Some people came and said hello to Champ. On the way back, we did a decent amount of jogging – off leash a bit. Gotta focus because the boardwalks have a lot of minor variation that is easy to trip on. A family surprised me as a man ran into view, so I called Champ back to go on leash… Turns out he was running because he was so excited to see Champ and thought he had scared the dog when Champ recalled. Champ was happy to say hello to him, and much of his family. We had another I recalled Champ and watched as the other group recalled their off-leash dog. Good trail etiquette all around.

Back at the car, I made a sandwich and then we went down to the beach. A few too many flies in the shade I’d found, so I finished standing in the water. Champ came in a bit too, seemed pretty happy – waves weren’t too much for him. We watched some newcomers to kayaking learn the best ways to carry one. A struggle at this beach, the stairs look no fun to carry up.

Next stop, Frog’s Bay – decided to skip. Looked like any other bay, and was out of the way. Instead routed towards Bayfield (town). This was a really cute town, and some nice looking ice cream shops. I pulled over and… took a nap. Didn’t even kick Champ out of the bed, just laid my seat down (it goes super far!!). Twenty four minutes later, I decided no need to walk around in the sun in the little town. Cute but I wasn’t in the mood. On to Houghton Falls. Parking area for a 70 acre nature reserve, which is closed after 6pm – electronic gate! Otherwise free. We walked slow – lots of sniffs – until someone passed us, asking to say hi to Champ, who then decided we needed to stay with them. Very pleasant walk. Same person pointed out a tree coming out of a ledge down, going in a U shape to get back to the sky. Super cool!

Walk to the coast was short, maybe half a mile. Nice spot to go swimming if you didn’t have a dog and like jumping in (and good with cold water). Didn’t see any falls, but I think that may have been the season – saw some large pipes that would have created a waterfall if there was enough water. We headed back, stopping at the U-shaped tree again and sharing the knowledge. The older man suggested it may have grown that way because the ground shifted and it had to adapt – I like the idea. In the parking lot, Champ went clean up crew after finding some cheese and fries on the ground.

No further stops planned in Wisconsin. Mapped to Keweenah Peninsula, as suggested by Neil. Started driving. Stopped for gas and to get food from the trunk, but otherwise about 2.5 hours drive before we detoured for a random hike in Ottawa National Forest. Some boring drive, some really pretty winding through meadow rivers. First ended up in a fee area, but I only had $20 bills for the $5 cover, so backtracked and found a hike to the Bear Lakes. On AllTrails there was also a 5 mile out and back option, which I originally put in but knew I would likely shorten. We ended up getting to the east and west Bear Lakes, then turning around. A little over two miles total. Swans on one of the lakes! Also, looks like a great place to canoe, and portages are listed on the map. The trail overall was very nice. Easy to follow but also not that well used. A few too many bugs in some parts, but we added some jogging and that solved the problem.

Last stop for the night, Sturgeon River Campground. Arrived a little after 7:30pm, fingers crossed Sunday would find open spots. More than half open! Sadly only one spot that doesn’t have a piece of forest between it and the river, and that was taken. The rest of the spots still had paths to the river. The pit toilet looked quite nice! Later investigation showed it was built in 2023.

I took a short break, and then cooked some pasta and made dinner. Got my computer out to write, but was not able to focus. Switched to dancing with Champ for a bit, did some exploring of other campsites, and read a bad book that I’m not going to finish. We had switched to Eastern time, so I went to sleep about 11pm EDT… aka 10pm body feel. Last trip to the bathroom in dusk saw a toad hopping along.

Another beautiful morning waking up along a river. Went over to the boat ramp and took a full dunk. Exactly like a shower, right? Had some breakfast and off we went. Jay Cooke State Park, followed by Duluth. About a two hour drive to the park. Annoying check-in – you had to pay by phone, and they required you create an account (if you didn’t already have one). Then they said write the confirmation number on a piece of paper and put it on your dash – but provided no paper or pen, so if you didn’t have one good luck. This was a Saturday! I was not the only one complaining, helped a couple of people with the system while I was working on it. Prepped my bag, ate a snack, and checked the maps. The main trails were suggested to avoid due to mud, hmmm.

We started off our hike along the river, then took a questionably steep shortcut to the main path where we immediately met another dog – staying distant. After a couple of passes back and forth, the other dog’s owner and I started talking, and then ended up hiking together. She (name forgotten, begins with a K) moved to Minnesota recently with her fiancé, first time moving out of her hometown in Florida. She is currently a dog groomer at a dog complex that has everything from a rescue to agility classes. Sounds like a cool place. Previously, K has worked as a trainer for dogs, a groomer, a vet tech… been in the industry for 8 years or so. We talked a lot about dogs – our dogs, general dogs, training, grooming. Our dogs were getting along great – happily ignoring each other. I went off leash with Champ for most of it after checking she was okay with that, and towards the end K also let her dog off leash. Sticks to her and seems like good recall, concern because the dog was a rescue at 5 years old and used to have some issues with other dogs. Hanging with Champ was great practice.

We talked about different types of training. The place where K is at now is interesting – a lot of their techniques she likes, but they put electric collars on all dogs 8 weeks old and up – a bit aggressive. K has seen a few styles, and has picked up various pieces that she likes. Her partner also has a dog, who is less well behaved. She says not enough time spent, because they’re both busy and the dog is now at a point where as long as you don’t take her various places/avoid situations, she is well enough behaved. But K would like to go further so it is easy to take that dog on a walk too.

Also, happy birthday K! Her 25th. Her fiancé got called into work, so they were hopefully going to do dinner but other plans may be postponed. Such is life. K mentioned that she is getting better at going off and doing things without others as she gets older – a sentiment I share. Happy to have company, but now-a-days when I make plans it is normally “even if so and so says no, I’ll go anyway”. So today she was taking a nice walk with her dog (and now me and Champ), and enjoying the outdoors.

The trail was a little muddy – and some of the mud piles were Champ lie-down-in worthy. Luckily, we ended the hike back at the river, going down the same steep spot we went up. Both dogs went in the water. Champ started barking at… something. Probably a swallow I couldn’t see, but who knows. Decided it was lunch time, said bye to K who was going to hang out a bit longer, and headed back for the car. Final stats: 6.4 miles, 2h4.

On to Duluth! We went to Fitgers, which was recommended for lunch. Ended up being a little mall type place – big building with various shops anyway. Dogs allowed inside the building, albeit not the restaurant itself. I didn’t notice that sign immediately, so left Champ outside when I went to get a table. Got a cider and a burger, and Champ got all the snacks. Talked a little with the waitress. As we were wrapping up, check paid, the wind picked up and one of the umbrellas went flying. Exciting! Not my umbrella – mine self-closed right after I stood up to leave. Pretty hot out, by the time Champ and I left no one else was on the patio.

Champ and I headed into the building, and found a dog store. Picked up some new food and some longer-lasting (hopefully) treats. Next stop, ice cream – out the back. Overlooking Lake Superior! I got chocolate chip cookie dough, and a yogurt pumpkin bone shaped frozen treat for Champ. The dog treat was not good, Champ rejected it. Didn’t even want to lick up the melted part when it became clear I was out of the good stuff (which I obviously shared with him, since his was bad).

Back inside. Saw a “Day Care Center” – someone did permanent Halloween, the sign is next to a red lit staircase to a skeleton daycare scene. Pretty funny. One more stop at an outdoor store. After some exploration and people saying hello to Champ, I came away with a new pair of smartwool running socks. Asked the person at the cashier if she had any recs for hiking on the South coast of Lake Superior (actually I said North first but also Wisconsin, conflicting request). She did not, but another person in the store was from the area and caught me before I left. Had a whole bunch of recs for the drive that I jotted down.

Got a little turned around leaving Duluth due to many closed roads – race? Made it out eventually. Stopped for a nice beach view around 4:50. Closing in on the evening, got to the first recommended stop, Lost Creek Falls. This was a nice, 2.5 mile classic forest walk. Cool flat rocks with falls at the end. Talked to a group of mushroom forages – one guy leading a mini class. Not great pickings that day, sounded like. Then we aimed for a national forest campground about 20 minutes away. Sadly, on arrival, everything was already full – not surprising given it was a Saturday. We stopped anyway by the lake area, and I got out the smoked chicken from Terry. Set up on the picnic table and started tearing the carcass apart, getting all the meat off and into a container. Or Champ’s mouth, for some of it.

While sitting there, two bikers showed up – they were also hoping for a camp spot. Asked if I was planning to camp by the lake in the non-camp spot (nope). They sat down to make dinner as well. I offered them some chicken, and one took me up on it – guessing the other was vegetarian, based on his encouragement to his friend but no intention to take some himself. Or maybe allergic? Some people swam in the lake. After the chicken was set, made a very easy smoke chicken salad – with a glass of choccy milk – and watched the sunset. Talked on and off with the two guys, but mostly were at our own benches. They decided to try for home that night – 13 miles, but unreliable roads so unknown how long it would take. Had lights though. I left a little after them, driving to look for a spot. Caught up to them on the road before turning down a smaller one. Found a nice pullover very quickly! A little buggy, but we can handle that. Got my duct tape out and bug nets on. Close to 9pm, so we holed up in the car and went to bed. One surprising howl sound, which Champ sat up for – I think an actual dog. A truck drove by with some blaring a bit after.

Slept okay. Went to bed a little late with the killing mosquitoes and late dinner. Woke up early, about 5am, and saw the gradual ascent of the sun. A little cloudy so not a cut and dry sunrise, but still beautiful. Definitely had mosquitoes coming in during the night, probably through gaps at the bottom of the sliding door mosquito nets. Went back to sleep for a while, back up before 8am though. Stayed in the car until at least 9, reading and a little catchup writing. Switched venues to being in the chair outside, leaving the door open in case Champ wanted to get out the hard way (off my bed through the passenger sliding door). He did not.

One set of fishermen went out on a boat, parking their car in the grass behind my spot. Another car came in and turned around, weird. Made breakfast about 10am, and 10:30 Champ was still in bed so I let him have breakfast in bed. 10:45 Champ was awake! Wandered about, waking up, before coming to focus on me. I played a little with him. Then I did some yoga, 30 minutes this time – while Champ played soccer/fetch. Multitasking. A few issues with service where the video paused, but not bad.

In the morning the plan was lounge most of the day, then head out – but I changed plans to stay another night. Made lunch, took a nap, played a lot with Champ (training, soccer). Explored the boat ramp area and the forest road (briefly, much buggier in there). About 4, I was wrapping up and planning to go into town for dinner, when Terry came back. He was surprised to see me still there. We talked for a bit, and another car drove up. Lady got out asking if we knew how the fishing was in the area. Terry doesn’t fish that part, and the guys who had been fishing had left while Terry and I were talking. I, obviously, knew nothing about it… I asked some questions though, spring is apparently the time that spot is very busy. She left, and soon after I said I had to go, getting hungry and wanted to go to a diner. Would be back in an hour or so.

In town, went to a (very well rated) diner. Settled on a BLT and a chocolate shake. Had to be to-go, because Champ was in the car. Really good diner feel. I think I should have gotten the chicken fingers or the hashbrowns. Got the milkshake, and was waiting for the BLT, and a regular I was sitting next to mentioned the milkshakes were good. He used to get the chocolate milkshakes, but of recent he’s trying to lose some weight and has stopped the milkshakes. The milkshake was excellent, and had whipped cream on top I shared with Champ when back in the car. BLT was fine, falling apart but the bacon was good.

Stopped at the farmers market I’d seen on the way back. They’re only out one evening a week, so got lucky! Talked to a lot of the vendors, and Champ got much attention. Bought dog treats, honey, jam, a candle, and some tomatoes. Back in the car, drove back to the campsite and finished off the BLT. A little over an hour. Terry was not there. Got setup again, and tried improving the bug nets. While I was doing this, Terry showed up again – bringing presents. This time, he had a rack of ribs (packaged, pre-cooked). Thought he’d bought an aluminum grill thing for heating them over a fire from the dollar store, but didn’t find it. We talked for a while, as I did stuff around the car. I asked about his bigfoot necklace. Terry’s had a couple sasquatch sightings. One he got on his old phone, but the phone broke and he lost the photo. Terry has always been otherworldly aware, so to speak, since he was young. I ceded to switching to duct tape to keep the mosquito nets gap closed. The theory is Sasquatch is actually from another dimension, rather than a native resident. Eventually Terry had to head out to put groceries away – but before he left came back from his truck with a pack of oatmeal raisin cookies. Would have come back to build a fire, having brought some wood the first time around, but wasn’t sure if I wanted that. By now it was a bit late and I planned to go to bed early, so we eschewed those plans.

Champ, maybe tired from all the play during the day, didn’t chase or bark at the dragonflies. He did play some soccer while Terry and I talked. We did, in fact, get into bed a bit earlier. The duct tape worked – after the first round of killing mosquitoes (not many), no new invaders appeared. Annoying to have an extra step, but excellent that the bugs were kept at bay!

Woke up at 5:45 and went to the bathroom. No bear in the playground, but there was a deer! Complete with small antlers. Then I went back to sleep for a bit. Made breakfast around 8am. Champ got breakfast in bed… where he stayed for another hour. I prepped for hiking, and we headed out a little after 9am. Planned to come back post hike for a shower, since checkout was 4pm.

Deer lake trail. We parked at the visitor center. Intended about 7-9 miles - ended up doing 6 miles. The trail was beautiful. Wide because it is used for cross country skiing in the winter. Various camp spots on the way with (nasty) pit toilets, and also a shelter. The other thing this trail had: flies. I knew it was going to happen from early on, when I saw the trailhead that the neighbors had mentioned (we didn’t take that one). I had layered on the bug spray. As they got worse, I broke into a jog. This fixed the problem – move fast enough and they won’t get you. Luckily I was prepped for running and had the right bag.

Then the flies got even worse, and the jogging was insufficient. Helped – but these little red bodied flies were aggressive buggers. Stopping for photos was invitation for a major attack. I still did – we pulled over at a couple lakes. Champ waded in, I enjoyed the view/got attacked by flies. About 3 miles in, turned around. I didn’t think the landscape was going to vary much more, based on the map we’d hit the best parts. I meant to take a semi-loop, but missed the turnoff as we jogged. Might have been one of the extra fast phases where the flies were too much so I sprinted for a second. Still stopped at lakes on the way back, and saw a family of swans. The people who checked in ahead of me the night before were planning to backcountry portage canoe this area – which sounds awesome, I hope they have bug nets for their heads.

Pretty sweaty, humidity is back! Walked the last part where the flies were missing, and drove back to the campsite about 11am. South side of the lake – buggy. North side, where the camping is – not bad. Thank goodness. I took a short nap, made lunch, did on and off training with Champ. Got in twenty minutes of yoga. Generally relaxing in the afternoon. A family was playing on the playground – the two boys (twins) were being dangerous, and the parents were not happy about it. The little girl was well behaved. One of the boys shoved the other when he was hanging upside down from a bar, causing him to fall – that was the end of their playground time. Soon after the dad took them back on their bikes. The girl wanted to come look at Champ – from a distance it seemed. The mom and I got to talking. She recommended a few places – Door county (near Green Bay), Mackinac Island. Also said the headwaters trail was great, check it out. They were a military family, so had moved to the area recently. Teddy Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota if I was heading that way – amazing. Bison right up to the car. Maybe not great for Champ? Too late this trip anyway. When I mentioned I should probably go shower, she said “Why? You smell fine”. Excellent! I had meant to shower right after the run and now it was almost 2, so my motivation was pretty much gone. That statement sent me over the edge, no shower. They headed out, the girl wanted to walk back… only to return for her shoes.

Champ and I packed up and went to do the wilderness drive, stopping first at the headwaters trail. This was FANTASTIC. Highly recommend. A bunch of people so we stayed on leash, but still. The trail itself was nice, and at the headwaters you could cross on rocks and take pictures. Then we realized you could wade in the river, the steps down that we’d used instead of the bridge were actually permission to walk along for a while. Champ and I started at the headwaters. It got a little deep for him in some sections, so he would try to find dryer land in the cattails and other plants to the side of the main river walk. But we made it! Very cool.

The rest of the wilderness drive, first part was nice but nothing exciting. Maybe if we’d done one of the side hikes. I pulled over and made lunch. The latter half, on the South side of the park, was beautiful. There was a place between lakes – the breeze was great, I had my binoculars out. Talked to a guy who also was enjoying the spot. His partner was in the car – guess he liked it more than she did?

Anyway. Moved on, setting my target for Duluth and taking the back roads. So many lakes and wildflowers. I found that Chippewa National Forest had a free campsite at Six Mile Lake, and went there for the night. Arrived about 5:40. The pit toilet was truly nasty. The sites were private and good sized. Got out to look around and we were immediately under attack. Mosquitoes, mosquitoes, mosquitoes. Evacuated to the boat ramp area, thinking that was a little more open and might be better. It was a not as bad, but… After some thought decided to abandon ship and look for another place. Some research there was one by Ball Lake, but digging deeper the Chippewa National Forest maps actually had dispersed camping areas listed. Still near Ball Lake, but on the other side of the road and by a river instead. Only twenty minutes away. No toilets.

Made the switch, and what an excellent decision! Beautiful spot right along the Mississippi River, at the confluence of the Mississippi and Leech rivers. Mostly used for day fishing, rather than camping. More open, less bugs. There was an into-the-forest path beyond where we stopped, but it looked sketchy for van use so we didn’t bother. Soon after I arrived, a truck pulled in, and I met Terry. Terry and I talked for a long while, over an hour. He lives in the area, and stops at this spot when he goes in and out of town. Had a nice looking kayak in the back of his truck, and fishing gear. We covered all manner of topics – politics (strong opinions against Trump). Vietnam, PTSD, and being a vet – Terry was drafted at 21 and sent over to lead a squad of even younger men in the jungle. One story he told – they called some snakes Two Steppers, because if you got bit, you’d make it two steps and be dead by the third. He also talked about coming home, and how hard it was that instead of being greeted by people celebrating the return, there were lots of war protestors right on the other side of the fence the vets walked past getting off the plane. Drafted, fought, and then come back to be harassed – really messes with you.

We also talked about dogs, and Oklahoma. Terry says Oklahoma is hell. Of course he was living out of his car for 50 years, until he bought a house 2-3 years ago (congratulations!!), so that probably didn’t help. Terry rescued some dogs there though, and now is down to one – Alfa. Mainly yellow lab, goes off into the woods and brings back presents in the form of bones. Sounds like a great pup. Terry used to fish, forage, and hunt – now he has cut hunting, since having an experience with a buck.

During all this, Terry was in the truck and Champ was chasing dragonflies. About 8:45, I told Terry I needed to make dinner, and he headed off. Before leaving he made sure I didn’t need anything – even offering a bottle of water. I said I was all set, thanks! Gave me his number, so I could decide if I wanted to reach out later. Another car pulled in and I thought they might be joining the campground, but they just turned around and left. Who knows! I was adventurous at the market earlier and had bought chicken – so cooked that up and otherwise had the usual pasta dish, substituting chicken for meatballs. Champ likes chicken. At 9, the mosquitoes started coming out – bummer. We were wrapping up dinner and another car came back – it was dark now, so Champ was in protect mode and did a little growling until he confirmed it was human… and Terry! He had come back with a full smoked chicken – he smokes them three at a time. One for the dog, one for him, and one extra. Also a packaged chicken breast wrapped in bacon, cheese, and mushrooms. With some rearranging, all fit in my fridge. Then he left and Champ and I hid from the bugs in the car. I spent a bunch of time killing the mosquitoes that had gotten in after closing it down. Champ was not a fan of the random bangs when I hit the car and killed a bug. Also – it felt like more were getting in.

Took a nice relaxing morning. I took a shower. Champ was still in bed about 10am (central), at which point he moved up to my bed. Coaxed him out with some breakfast yogurt at 10:30am. Headed out soon after that. First target: Sheyenne Grasslands. Tried finding a grocery store on the long stretch, but it was a food desert. We could have gotten a non-dollar store if we really tried, so not as bad as the Colorado food desert, but would have added 20-30 minutes to the drive. Not ideal.

Arrived at Sheyenne National Grasslands, North Dakota, around 12:30. Side fun: I had no idea there were things other than National Parks and National Forests. I assumed things like grasslands that weren’t national parks would be labeled under the forests brand. Bad assumption! I wonder if there are some I don’t now about. Anyway. The grasslands, we went on a four mile walk. It was pretty nice, starting through the forest (oak trail). Transitioning to the grasslands there was a little windmill and a big water station for livestock. I didn’t let Champ get in because it looked nasty and I didn’t know how actively they cleaned it/anything bad for him in there. Right after it there was a skeleton, pretty complete set of ribs. I’m guessing from a calf based on the size, and been there a while.

Back into the forest. Towards the transition back to grass, we could hear some cows but couldn’t see them. Beyond the fence, probably hiding among the hills. Champ was getting tired from the heat. Drinking water was insufficient, he wanted a water feature to wade in. He’d also tripped in some of the various holes (big! Frequent. Watch where you step, ankle breakers). Started hiding in the grass for a break. I was hoping to take our next rest stop (I’d already given him water) back in the trees, out of the sun, but oh well. Sat down and had some snacks. Champ was limping a little, I think from the heat. A mile to go. Some beautiful wildflowers. Finished around 2:30pm. I made lunch before we continued on. Verdict: recommend. Unique, pretty, all the tall grass is relaxing to walk through. Aside: the gates they had for the humans passing through livestock areas – awesome. They rotated up instead of in or out! Had a spring on them so they would always come back down.

Next stop… grocery store in Fargo! Just like in Empire Builder, all the fields of grain. We stopped at Hornbacher’s, and I splurged again on a half gallon of chocolate (choccy) milk. Carried on towards lake region Itasca State Park. It looked nice on the map, but turns out it is also the official headwaters of the Mississippi! We just missed the visitor center being open by 10 minutes. That’s what happens when you stop on the side of the road to take pictures of pretty lakes. Took a picture of the map, and went on to find the campground registration. Luckily, they had 2 non-electric spots left in each camp. We took one of the lakeside campground spots. Pretty packed for a Wednesday! The lady gave us a map after prompting, and said “all the hikes are great” when I asked for recs. Champ was super popular with the people waiting in line, as usual. Almost looked like he was going to get in one of their cars.

We found our camp spot, right next to the playground, and then went for a walk. Made it down to the lake, but I hesitated on letting Champ in after our recent (few days back now) toxic algae concerns. I’d forgotten to ask the registration lady if it was a problem. Walking back I saw a couple of dog life jackets hanging up, so probably a good sign. When we got back to the campsite, talked with the neighbors “across the road”, who had two aussies. One with a tail! They said people swam in the lake and no comments from the pontoon rental they’d done, so should be good. We talked a bit about sheep herding and dogs, and any recs they had in the area. They had one hike they said was too many flies, and to definitely do the headwaters area. Also, that morning there had been a black bear in the playground area, until rangers came and encouraged it on.

I made dinner, we walked around and did some training. On the long line – when it got stuck, I started practicing “go bye” and “away” to get around the picnic bench. Quite successful! The aussies went inside because one of them was barking at Champ when we were moving around, whoops. Off to bed.

No rush to get out. Casey and Will were leaving early for the airport, but the front door had an autolock. I let Champ out the back, doing some training/play, and then started loading the car up. Will came out, hadn’t left with Casey – I’d offered to drive to the airport and he was hoping to take me up on that. Of course, works for me! Will made breakfast while I wrapped up loading the car and sorting laundry. Another delicious meal on the porch. I did some journal loading while I had internet, and then we headed off about 8: 50am.

I changed my mind about using the free vacuums, so straight to the airport. Dropped Will off, and then carried on to Badlands National Park. Routed through the town of Scenic, an abandoned old town. Not totally abandoned, the main street was neat western ghost town, but the gas station worked (self service) and there was a very nice house in the back area clearly occupied. Driving on we were passing through lots of fields, some area that started looking like small sand dunes, over a bridge with a sad sandy river. Back to fields as we got to Badlands National Park… and prairie dogs! Started with a few on the side of the road, and then tons of them. Prairie dog area, Champ wasn’t allowed out – good for both the prairie dogs and Champ, because apparently, they can harbor a lot of disease. Cute though! Very hot and sunny. We soon got to badlands part. Kind of like a maze of dunes that are actually rock. Striations of color on some parts of it. We made a couple stops, sand Champ got out in a few places. As you kept driving you got to drive through some of that maze. I would recommend doing this on a cooler day or early in the morning. The Badlands is decently long, and fairly repetitive, so with the summer sun beating down after a couple hours we felt it. There was a really big, cool looking bug that got stuck next to my license plate though.

After Badlands, we drove to Sioux Falls. En route stopped at a gas station. Went inside to use the bathroom, and saw a guy buying chocolate milk – inspirational. Changed time zones, which I did not expect. Guess half of South Dakota is on central time. Talked to Robert for a bit. Arrived at Sioux Falls around 5pm, and it was surprising! I know I was told it was good, but… still. Waterfall in the middle of a city in South Dakota. The cascades and rocks around them were very cool. Pretty unique set of falls, with a city background.

The park covered both sides of the river. We saw a lady with Eagles tights, and said “hi” from Philadelphia. She initially thought I was asking if she wanted me to take her picture (and she didn’t, was happy with selfies), and we did have a tiny conversation. She was on business. Clearly not into the conversation, albeit pilot, so we moved on. Crossed the bridge to the other side. Champ saw a chipmunk go under a sign, and spent a long time sniffing and going around the sign trying to get to it (no digging). I thought it might have disappeared, like when he chases rabbits and the rabbit goes the opposite way Champ is running. However, a chipmunk did end up popping out and running to another location! Champ didn’t notice when it popped out (just like with the rabbits), but the smell must have become less strong because soon after he moved on to a grate over the walkway in his search. Later I got a picture – the chipmunks of striped backs, the dark parts with a line of light dots going through them. Cool! On the way back, we stopped at the ruins of a mill for a few seconds. It was right next to the parking area, so we’d originally passed it in my rush to see the falls.

Found a campground destination between Sioux Falls and Fargo, and went for it. Arrived about 7:30. The lady at registration was very nice, and we talked for a bit. She had a hip replacement recently and is loving it. Out of the walker and back to only two legs. Only not totally fixed thing is she needs to take stairs one at a time, and sometimes forgets now that her hip feels so much better. Her husband is probably getting a replacement next year. She highly recommends them, major life improvement. She also told me the ice cream truck (on camp!) was open until 9, so time for dinner so we could get ice cream for dessert. I played with Champ for a bit first, and then we did some soccer while I cooked. Started with the stove on a rock, because I wasn’t sure if the picnic table was mine. The registration lady came over and said the grill or the picnic table might be easier than balancing on a rock, so we moved over. She also said “hi” to Champ, and did not care he was off leash.

After dinner and a short break, I got one scoop of chocolate and one of chocolate chip cookie dough, sharing the vanilla part of the cookie dough with Champ. Played a little more as I did things like go to the dumpster, and then Champ went in the van and I went to find the bathroom. Bed time.

A little tired because I stayed up late, oops. Woke up a bit before 7. Champ heard Will up stairs and woke up about 7:30. Couldn’t get all the way up the stairs because Merle is a wall, but Will came to Champ. We went outside and played for a little, then settled on the porch while Will made breakfast. Bacon, sausage, eggs, banana, and some veggies + hummus precursor. The eggs looked pretty (and tasted good). Ate on the porch again, beautiful morning weather. Post breakfast, decided to reconvene at 10 to leave for Black Hills. Intending to do the Black Elk Mountain trail.

Stopped for gas on the drive there. Free vacuuming, which I didn’t use then. The pizza delivery guy using it zoomed off and I noticed he left his delivery container. He left way to fast to get his attention. Whoops! Will grabbed it and moved it out of the way, then was calling the pizza place so they could let the guy know when the dude came whipping back in. Guess he noticed quickly!

Black Elk Mountain was a fun hike. About 7.9 miles total, and we did it as a loop. Started on the Little Devil track, going by Cathedral Spires. The hoodoos were fantastic. Cathedral spires is very impressive. We didn’t do that extra loop, just a little off shoot. Champ was on leash the first part, but then we got to Black Hills National Park sign and dogs were no longer restricted so off we go! Still put him on or brought him back to heel when we saw people or dogs that weren’t obviously okay with him. The only issue with the hike was nowhere Champ could jump in the water. It shows in his energy. As we got closer to the top (and great views), Champ was looking tired. Granted my legs had started off tired (until I warmed up) because the running/long hike in Custer Gallatin forest had been a lot, so it could still be residual from that.

Checking in with some groups coming down, we weren’t too far from the top. There were some big steps that weren’t great for Champ. Not sure he was happy about it, but after one break where he looked extra tired, I just picked him up for a section of big steps. The top section was really neat – the path went through rocks (got some cool pics!) and ended at a tower with a platform. Views were far and wide. Below you could see an area to picnic on the rocks, pretty big that people were climbing around on. Champ being tired, we opted to skip that part. Champ was not a huge fan of the platform, because it was metal grate.

Will and I talked a bit about dogs and dog training. He has an acquaintance who got a dog, but is a bad owner and not taking good care of the puppy. Will confronted him about it – I appreciate that a lot. We also covered his past dog experience, and cats, and human vs dog minds. Lots of ground covered. Baseball, general sports, my travels, motorcycle adventures… and beyond.

On the hike down, we stopped at an overlook for a break before continuing on. Eventually, on this side of the loop, there was a(n extremely muddy) creek! Champ took advantage and immediately looked revived. Might need a bath before entering the house… Amazing what a bath can do (also he drinks more water from non-water bowl sources, not matter how much I try to give him). Back at the start we headed to the lake, and Champ really took his time in the water. I also shed my shoes and waded in. A few other dogs were enjoying the lake as well. Champ spotted some bird he wanted to bark at. I eventually spotted a swallow, but took me a while. We tried to avoid too much barking and distracted him a little. Sat on the grass by the beach for a few minutes, and decided to take the circuitous route through the park and past Mount Rushmore on the way back.

This route was cool! Went pretty slowly because it was windy. But the rock structures, and some tunnels through rocks, and views. Then there were some spiral road sections where you crossed over the road on a wood bridge and it immediately spiraled down and went under the same bridge. I loved it! Once there were two in a row, extra neat.

I missed the first Mount Rushmore potential view, because I was paying attention to the “be careful” road signs. We pulled over at a different view point, and had a great sight. Pretty much exactly what I expected. I pulled out my binoculars, and got a pretty good “up close” investigation in.

After that, more or less back to the house. Will brought the hose over and I refilled my water tank. Grabbed all the sheets and blankets, hanging the ones I didn’t want to wash in on the porch in the any remaining sun. Casey was already home, and we decided to head out for dinner. Found a place Champ could come. I showered and started laundry, and soon we drove out. Downtown Rapid City is pretty neat. There is the president’s walk, where they have a different president statue at each corner. A lot of cute shops and restaurants. We ate at Murphy’s. I got a whiskey mule cocktail that I was very happy with, and salmon entrée that was filling but not impressive. Should have stuck to the burger, Casey had that and it was cooked correctly. The table we got sweet potato fries that were excellent, and some steak in sauce dish that was quite good. Weather had cooled off enough it was very nice to eat outside in the shade.

Post dinner walked back to an ice cream shop. Casey was curious and asked if it was healthy for dogs to have ice cream. Nope – but I treat it like humans, also not healthy for us. Just keep the quantity a little smaller and don’t do it all the time. The store didn’t have pup cup sized ice cream, just some weird treats in the freezer – after the last Champ rejection of one of those, I decided to get an extra vanilla scoop for him. Way more than usual, so I had to take the hit and eat some extra ice cream. We ate on the patio, and then went to the car and headed back. Said goodbyes in case we didn’t see everyone in the morning. Bed time! I moved laundry to the dryer, and played around on the internet until it was done. A little more time.

Slept very well. I woke up and did some writing, getting out of bed around 9 to make breakfast. Closed the door, which didn’t do its normal electronic final close sound. Went to open the trunk and realized I hadn’t unlocked the rest of the doors yet… then I discovered the side door was locked. When I woke up in the night to pee and manually unlocked/re-locked it, I must have not closed it all the way or something? So it didn’t require unlocking to open in the morning, but when I shut the door fully it was still locked. Bad. Champ was inside. Windows were all up because it had been a very cold night. I just had my pajamas and sandals, phone was also in the car (not that I had service). I briefly tried forcing the door open, but it was really locked. At least it was cold enough and in a still shaded spot, so the car wouldn’t overheat. The neighbor trailer was in fact unused, as observed the night before. I decided to walk down the road and see if I could get some help. Another unoccupied trailer on the right, but then I found a large group that was around a fire. Walked into their camp and asked if anyone could help. After initially talking to a lady, one guy took point. The person who would know best was still in their trailer, so asked a kid to go get him. That guy asked how long it had been locked (15 minutes, but longer if you counted overnight). New knowledge: if you lock (at least new) cars, after a certain amount of time they may turn off the lock buttons on the inside/make them non-functional. Main guy needed a few minutes to get ready and gather stuff. Point guy and I talked for a bit, about the area, my plans to hike, where they were from and how often they came out here. Then I said I’d meet them at the car, and walked back.

Point guy, skilled guy, and one other came in a UTV a few minutes later. Immediately got to work trying to take the antenna off and pry the window a bit so they could sneak the antenna in and press a button. I said damage whatever, (a) most important was Champ, and (b) the car is in bad condition anyway. If we needed to break a window, go for it. Spoiler – no windows were broken. They had some trouble getting the antenna off and sent the third guy back for pliers, but once he was back it was go time. A knife had been used to get the window pried open a bit, and then another tool jammed in to widen it. Then the antenna was bent so you could fish it in and press the button. Managed to get to the lock button, but not the unlock. Re-bent the antenna, and voila! Unlock button pressed, doors opened, thank goodness! I thanked the guys as they headed off, and opened all the doors. Only 9:30am – who knew it was so easy to break into a car.

Breakfast time, and got ready to go. I forgot to take a picture showing our secluded spot for getting locked out of the car, but I did stop on the way out and picture the road a little ways down to keep the idea of it. Paradise falls time – only 10 minutes down the road. Prepped the bags, and were on trail by 10:30am. I’d parked at the upper lot, because the hike was supposed to be short so why not add the extra half mile.

This hike surprised me. It had everything in a tiny hike. Started out bare plains, quickly into the woods, soon a meadow. Rock structures, back to plains, and then the top of a waterfall overlooking a big gorge. We were on and off hiking with two ladies who also had a border collie (on leash), and I’d overheard talking about a croquet birthday. She was worried her yard might be too hilly – nah, more fun that way! When Champ and I got to the gorge overlook, I could see a path on the other side down the hill, but wasn’t sure how to get there. The two ladies caught up, and one went exploring. Found a way down, so we all kept going. This part was still on my alltrails. Achieved the actual paradise falls, and also got a few of the falls into the gorge. Beautiful. Then we kept going! I found a campsite, but the ladies took a higher route. I would have stopped there if I hadn’t seen them, Champ and I rejoined the trail we didn’t know about. It didn’t actually keep going much further, but… we persevered, finding paths and doing some bushwhacking. We came to an area that was easy for humans, but Champ was not sure he could make. I went down first and then lifted him down in two stages. The younger border collie had no issues with it. That ended up being the final stopping point for us – we all sat down and took a rest. Talked for a quite a while. Bree (with the dog) and… I forget the other lady’s name. Let’s call her Jane. Jane was a teacher, and did a lot of hiking and adventuring during the summers. Bree was “along for the ride”. We traded suggestions, and I got some ideas of where to go in South Dakota (Black Hills and Badlands). Also heard about a corn palace, but I missed that.

I decided it was time for me to head back – actually Champ was acting bored and harassing me. Bree kindly videoed me picking Champ up the first lift. The second part he figured out himself on the uphill. Then Champ and I got pretty far ahead, despite stopping to look at birds. Waved to them from the top of the gorge and kept hiking. Champ was in a “keep going” mood. Lovely hike back. Even the end part up to the parking lot, Champ was off to the side of the road in the field, looking happy and free. At the car, I made a wrap for lunch. Just as I finished up that, Bree and Jane drove by. A brief goodbye and off they went. Champ and I followed – destination, Rapid City. Originally I’d planned to look for a second hike, but with the long talk in the middle this one lasted much longer than expected, so no stops. About 2pm, and 4 hours to drive.

I made some panoramic stops on the way out of Bighorn, and saw what looked like someone setting up to windsurf? Or at least there was a big triangular kite thing. Arrived in Rapid City at 6:10, and Casey met us at the door. We did a brief tour of the bottom floor on our way out the back door, where Will was. At first, Champ didn’t see Will, because he was talking to the neighbors and there were two loud dogs on the other side. But when he finally realized Will was there, what a happy excited pup! Will is definitely one of Champ’s favorite people. So much licking and bouncing and excited-ness. Will ran around with Champ a little. I ran around with Champ a little. Grabbed his ball just in case. Pretty sure he was tired from yesterday’s hike, but the excitement overrides that a little. The first set of neighbors went inside, but the side neighbors with two small dogs came out. Champ was more interested in the small pups. We talked to those people a bit, and Roy came and checked out the van.

Inside, figure out how Champ and Merle deal with each other. Merle the Cat, has a history of not liking dogs. He seemed to be okay with Champ. Not happy, and banned Champ from certain areas, but not causing problems. Probably helps that Champ is much calmer than other dogs Merle has met, and has a heavy respect for cats. At one point Merle was blocking the stairs, and Champ wouldn’t come past. I made a mistake and encouraged him, looked like space to me. Merle took a swipe at Champ, whoops. Not a problem, and Champ’s reaction is to keep going and get away. Listen to Champ on space, and 3 feet of space for Merle.

I took a shower (first time since… bucket shower outside Edmonton?). Dinner time, Will grilled up sausage and Casey setup a salad bar. Delicious. Ate out on the porch. Talked for a while. Casey made some reference to Kamala Harris, and I learned a few days late that Biden had stepped down! Around 9 decided it was bedtime. Champ and I headed to the downstairs, and setup a pet gate outside the guest area to discourage cat intrusions and Champ wandering. I ended up staying up a bit late, playing on my phone with service and internet available.

For whatever reasons, woke up regularly in the night and didn’t feel that rested. Not rested Faith == slow moving Faith. My intention to leave for the trail around 8am, thwarted, despite the secluded spot. Still got out around 9am, after some breakfast (yogurt/cereal) and lounging. Back down the “not too bad” road, and onto the main road. Following that all the way to the end, we reached a full parking lot with a few overflows. I got ready for a hike, hopefully this was Champagne Falls because I didn’t know where else it might be.

Timing was good – a lady named Nicole had two huskies and was starting her hike same time as me. The huskies were both off leash and we were still in the parking lot, so excellent sign for Champ being off leash! Reading all the signs, sounds like no regulations around it. Nicole was a regular, here because she was recovering from an injury and decided it best not to test that with a mountain hike her partner was doing. She said the best hiking was the straight trail – take the detour to the first set of falls, and then don’t backtrack, there is a second trail on the far side that will reconnect. Also, the lake is only 5 miles and worth going to. Nicole was planning to jog the first part.  I was wearing shorts that weren’t ideal for running and had my red bag instead of my running pack, but… the seed was planted. Nicole set off while I hit the bathroom.

Champ said, yep! Running sounds great let’s do it. I figured, why not do some on and off running. The trail was fairly wide and flat at the start. We apparently run much faster than Nicole, and caught and passed her quicker than I expected. Had a brief chat in passing, and then took the side trek to the first set of falls. Nice spot, Champ jumped in the water. Took a bunch of pictures. Mostly walked the trail that connected to the main one, it was a little rougher and uphill. Still runnable but didn’t need/want to. Back on the main trail we took up some on and off running, passing Nicole again. We did another side trek, this one did not end up in falls. However, long enough we once again found Nicole ahead. Champ followed her and her pups down to the river, and we talked for a bit about the unexpected warmth of the day.

Then we moved on and never saw Nicole again. Running/walking through beautiful meadows and forest. Arch Falls side adventure was quite nice. Bigger falls, couldn’t get as close. Champ went to get closer – where there were humans and looked reasonable – but misjudged one spot – you saw him hesitate with the jump down, and then couldn’t figure out turning around. I would have tried to help but he decided too quickly, and took a small roll on landing. There were two guys standing with me, younger. We talked a little about dogs – one of them had a lab who passed away, but was super adventurous and had significantly less caution than Champ. I speculated that was probably one of the bigger mis-judgements I’ve seen Champ do, he is generally very aware. Silken Skein Falls was a longer path off than I expected, and the result was a more subtle falls, beautiful in a quieter way. More a piece of the forest puzzle than a standout. The path was getting more uphill. A lot of runners or people with running packs coming down the trail. I was impressed. Another runner/walker we caught up to and passed then ran past us while we had settled on walking, and Champ said we should run again. Okay! Passed her back quickly. Bikers coming down hill, so we pulled off to the side and the runner caught back up to us. She also let the bikers know that in the summer on weekends the trail is no bikes allowed, a “time share” – although hikers are always allowed, so I’m not sure that is the right word. This time we let her pass, because I assume it is annoying if Champ and I do too many passes, and walking seemed like a good option. Champ said “fine”. Some point in there we did take the detour for Champagne falls – I assume, the sign was torn off. Nice, but I didn’t take a picture.

A beautiful section where there was meadow with water running through it in various directions, before a switchback section that was less woody, so more big views. So many wildflowers on the edge. On the way down some lady commented on it being part of a Tom Petty song. Streams/waterfalls coming down in several places, some with bridges to cross over and a few that required creative rock hopping. Re-passed the younger guys we’d seen at Arch Falls at one of these rock hops. I assume they didn’t take all the extra paths, especially Silken Skein. Well past 5 miles… I think we only did a mile of detours. Eventually we achieved the lake! About 7 miles in.

Beautiful little lake. Woodsy on one side, brush all around. Camping spots – we’d seen and chatted with a few backpacking groups on our way up. Some of the families, good choice for a backpack with kids. We walked around a bit, took pictures. Pulled out the binoculars. Spotted at least one bird – did not identify successfully. A few other dogs, some on and some off leash. Very dog friendly trail in general. Sat down and ate some snacks before heading back down.

The younger guys we’d passed on the way up had gotten to the lake, and started down similar timing to us. We stayed with them for a short while, but were overall faster. Talked to a couple with a dog – mostly the lady – for a bit. They had just moved to Montana from Boston, about a year ago. Loved the nature here, and the winter this year wasn’t too bad – only one cold spell that lasted 4 days… of -40 degrees! Crazy cold. The lady was on a work trip during it so she missed it. We moved on. Mostly walked down… with some running. Especially after a fast guy ran past us. So the latter half had a decent amount of jogging. Stopped to take some pictures I hadn’t taken my phone out for on the way up, like the hill meadow with many creeks running through it. Couldn’t capture the beauty on camera, the water weaving through the grass is too hard to see. Some of the waterfall crossings I took pictures of this time.

Fun side, someone called Champ my wolf near the bottom. Just in passing. I liked that. Overall – loved this trail. 10/10. A bit busy, but it was a Saturday at almost 10am when I started. The beauty, both in the drive getting to it and the trail itself, fully worth it. 13 miles total.

Time for lunch – I found a parking lot by the lake, and turns out it was an eh spot. Pretty occupied, and the open parts were swampy. We made the best, ending up walking through the woods to a side creek which divided the camping area and the day use area. Walked in the creek to an embankment, and sat down for a lunch. A few too many flies, but not bad. On the way out, made one more stop by the river in a pulloff lot with some shade. I took a nap, and then did some writing outside the car overlooking the water. Champ didn’t deign to get out. Tiring morning!

Destination: Bighorn National Forest. Already after 4pm. We drove for a quite a while. Big sky Montana turned into just as big sky Wisconsin. About 5:30 we also started seeing storm clouds. Soon we were engulfed. A lot of people were pulled over on the side of the highway, even though visibility wasn’t too bad and it felt very drivable. Pulled over just in case I was missing something. I was talking to my mom and we double checked there weren’t any tornado warnings in the area. Nope – I should be good! Un-pulled over and kept going, albeit much slower than the speed limit. Got to the border of the national forest around 7:30, and the skies were stunning. Off in the distance it was raining, and the sun coming through created beautiful colors. We followed signs to a campground, up a super windy road… Good because the views were fantastic. Bad because, the campground on arrival was clearly made for tents. Also expensive. Used the bathroom, turned around, back down. Pulled over for photos a few times. Onto the alt highway again. Generally driving towards the Paradise Falls hike I intended for the morning. When we got passed the switchbacks and up-hills, onto a flat area, started seeing forest roads that looked promising for camping. I finally took one, dirt/gravel road, and kept going past – there were plenty of other people pulled off to the side on this one. The rule was as long as you were far enough away from the highway, and didn’t cause undue damage to the land, you could camp there. I passed some groups, and then found a nice mostly secluded spot by a few trees and 50 feet off the road. I could see one other trailer, but it looked unoccupied for the night.

Got food out for dinner, luckily I had leftover pasta – and then quickly hid inside the car to eat as it started pouring rain. Discovered a tiny leak in the back, over the fridge. Put a towel under it, problem solved. Not sure if it was an accumulation of water from when it started raining while the hatch was open, or if it would have leaked anyway. Then we went to sleep.

Slept so well. 9 hours. Nature sounds all around, protected from the sun by the trees… excellent morning. Champ seemed to be catching up on sleep, so I took my laptop out and got in 2 more journal entries in 1.5 hours. Only 6 days behind! Around 10, made myself some breakfast, and shortly after Champ was encouraged up. The family was already off adventuring for the day. We went wandering in search of Mill Falls. I’d seen the creek the night before, but up the trail a little ways was the actual falls. Note to self: should probably where sneakers on all my “short walks”. We didn’t go that far, but up the hill, past the waterfall, and a ways beyond. The hill up was slippery dirt – no problem in real shoes, slide on sandals not as good. On the bright side, wearing sandals makes me more prone to walking in the water. Which was freaking freezing. I need wet suit booties so I can walk in cold water without my feet being the limiting factor.  Coming back was a bit less steep a downhill, as we took the more defined trail instead of the waterfall route. At the campground, a couple were getting out of the truck, and asked if they were in the way where they parked. Nope! Briefly talked, though the lady seemed a bit awkward about it (guy was all about talking). They were just doing some exploring before aiming for Our Lake, day trip not overnight. Walked back with me towards the map, and I went to my car to obtain a dog poop bag. Back to the trail where Champ had gone number 2 a little into the woods. A last dip of my feet in the freezing water, a nod to the wanderers, and into the car we go.

I aimed for a hike just outside Helena, on Hauser Dam. Turns out – pretty meh choice. We got there about 2:30, and it was hot. Sunny. Very little shade. Start out crossing the dam, which is neat. Then its dust and rocks and bushes with stickers that Champ’s fur absorbs. Not even good river access, though Champ found one place. The other side looked better – more shade, the fishermen were all over there, easy river access. Oh well. We turned around less that a mile in. Next destination: cider and food. I had looked up a place that had potential in Helena. We got there, and the main patio was not dog friendly. We could sit outside the building  (it had multiple shops) on the sunnier side, but no service. The food was from a cajun food truck. The ciders looked terrible – four options, all flavored. I found a different place, Brewhouse. The outside seating had service, shade, and they had food. They had two local ciders plus some non-local options. The waitress (who was great) said the local ciders were similar in flavor profile, so I picked the first one she listed – Western Cider, Ranch Hand. I liked it – light, which worked with the day, and good flavor. Along with that I got a bbq bacon burger with sweet potato fries, which got shared with Champ. The burger was a good enough, wouldn’t go out of my way for it but tasted good. Champ got the royal treatment, ice cubes in his water.

About an hour later we wrapped up, tipped well (great waitress), and headed out. I decided to aim for Custer Gallatin national forest. Saw a good hike to Champagne Falls. On we drove. Some very flat sections before we got back to national forest. This section turned out to specifically be Gallatin. Stopped at the initial sign and took pictures, it had campground listed. Went in and… this place was busy. Also the drive alone was beautiful. I understand why so many people, especially close to Bozeman and Helena. We went through all the listed campgrounds, and stopped at a dirt road. All camping spots were full. Turned around and headed back out, didn’t have service so couldn’t check anything.

When I got service, pulled over – found there might be some free camping in the park on “Jeep Road”. Probably the name should have clued me in. It was 8pm, and I wanted to do the hike the next day, so I tried finding it. Up the road… a lot of bumps. Definitely needed more clearance than I had. Even with care, I got a few scrapes. Not very wide either, so the branches were coming in the windows on occasion (which I enjoyed, otherwise would have shut the windows). We saw a herd of deer in a field down the hill! That was pretty neat. At the end of the road there was a turn around… no spots had been available. Quite disheartened, already 8:30pm, I stopped and let Champ out for a quick exploration. Then we jumped back in and headed back down. I was better about avoiding scrapes, but still got a couple. Back down, I decided to try the other dirt road attached to Jeep Road… desperation. That split twice, and I took the right route again. It said “leaving designated camping area”, which I took as a good sign for dispersed camping. First few spots were taken, but then an opening! Woohoo! Success! Pretty secluded, only saw one car (presumably looking for camping) pass us. Champ did some exploring, and I made food – leftovers made it quick and easy. Did a little reading, and then headed to bed 11 or 11:30.

Another sleep in morning. While Champ rested recovering from his soccer the night before, I typed away and finished writing July 9th. Picture of Champ there is just after 8am, as he was waking up. Got up, made some breakfast. Husky friend wanted to play, but didn’t care to entertain. Sad husky. Femme got off a little before me. Knowing that Glacier National Park is pretty dog unfriendly, I played a little with Champ before we headed out.

Pretty soon into our drive, we crossed back into the US. The border crossing was easy. No line, he didn’t ask for Champ’s rabies certificate. My passport, do you have any firearms, weapons, etc., how long were you in Canada. His final question was “can your dog have a treat” – yes, of course. Then he handed me my passport and a milkbone. Best border crossing ever!

Saw a bison on the side of the road, making up for the lack in Elk Island. Then we got to Many Glaciers road. Some beautiful sights on the way in, I stopped to take pictures. Champ took a quick dip in the cold water. Passing through the checkpoint, pulled out my qrcode for the road and my national park pass. The guy was very friendly and made sure I knew all the dog rules (not allowed more than 100ft from parking lots, no trails, nothing). Said a good place to let my dog out was the campgrounds. Plus one bike trail on the far west side of the park. Not staying here long, that’s for sure!

Stopped a few more times for views. One of the stops had a sign that was a “story” about a bear, reminding you to help keep wildlife wild. The ending was “because of human interference the bear ran into the road as a car was coming and…”. Sad. Anyway. The wildflowers were also out for viewing. Got to the end of the road, and stopped on the bridge over the mini falls. After enjoying that spot a while, I headed back. Made one stop where there was a sprinter van and a guy with binoculars. I had been scanning with my binoculars over the day as well. No animals or anything in sight, I asked him if he’d seen anything and we got into a long conversation. Robert and his wife Loretta were from Tennessee – mountains around Knoxville, not big fans of Nashville or Memphis. Both of them were wearing Trump hats with pins on them. We talked a bit about traveling, and he pointed out some of the parts of his rig. They have a port-a-potty type van toilet, which is apparently great and very easy to dump. I’ve heard the van toilets are pretty good at keeping in smell (except if you change altitude too quickly). He also had batteries rigged to the car, with a switch to turn it off when they weren’t driving so the car battery didn’t drain. 1000 watt inverter, which he regrets because it can’t run the coffee pot easily. Wished he had spent a little more on the 2000 watt inverter. I don’t know if that is in tandem with running the fridge, or watt. Based on the size, I’m guessing it is a pure sine wave inverter, more efficient.

We also talked about the rocks, and the differences in the various mountains we could see. Plus animals he’d spotted in the few days past with his binos – including bighorn sheep. He said, “aren’t those goats with the horns? All the signs say sheep”. I said, many varieties of goats and sheep. Based on the signs… probably sheep. Overall, lovely conversation. Said, stay away from bears. He doesn’t trust bear spray and bells. Robert asked if I knew how to tell grizzly scat from black bear scat – “black bears, you’ll see berries and sticks and such. Grizzlies will smell like pepper and have little silver bells in it”. Okay, I laughed at that one. Loretta and I talked about different directions I could head.

After a while conversing, headed back to the car and carried on. Decided to aim for Lewis and Clark National Forest, specifically Our Lake trail. I fueled up, was on a 55mph road, driving a bit slower because of the curves and I was relaxed, and WOAH! A black bear tried to cross the road in front of me. I hit the brakes and pulled to a stop maybe 5 feet from the bear. Said bear froze in the middle of the road for a second, and then bolted back to the side it had sprung out from, just inside the tree area. Close encounter. I checked for cars behind me and took a couple pictures before driving on. Wow! Unexpected, startling encounter. Glad I didn’t hit the bear.

Within two minutes the road was a 70mph speed limit, straight, and clear on both sides. Then we were driving through the hills of big sky Montana. I saw to deer-like animals cross the road and run off, disappearing – they may have been deer, but looked a little different. I’ll need to look up potential species. The driving was very easy, mountains visible for at least part. I was optimistic weather would be cooler in the national forest (proved true). Turning off to the trail was a gravel road for over 30 minutes. Some lady walking down it, I was moving at 30mph which felt safe to pass – but in hindsight, I should have slowed down more, because the dust I was kicking up enveloped her for a minute and I could see her turn away from it and eyes closed after I passed. Next time I’ll know better. On the way to the trailhead, saw a turnoff for a campground – excellent, maybe we’ll try that.

At the trailhead, there were a few other cars but no visible people. Somewhere along the drive I had lost service. I let Champ out, and he took an immediate wade in the water. Prepped some snacks and the hiking bag, including bear spray, and we set off. Supposedly 7 miles round trip, 1500 feet of elevation. My phone clocked it as 7.3 with 1700 feet, but we did a detour or two for water. Excellent hike. The views were great after we popped out of the trees. Champ went on a side trail that led to the top of a waterfall, and got right in. I raced after him because I couldn’t see and just knew the waterfall was that way, but as usual he is good about his limits and it was a safe venture. Some fallen trees had created a little pool he was in. I walked out onto one of the logs and thoughts about how clean the water probably was – but didn’t test drinking it.

The next side trek for a waterfall was a clear side shoot on the path, and we went down. I asked Champ to pose for a picture, and he mostly obliged before getting another drink. Back into a more wooded area, a few more switchbacks, and… a lake! Walking around the lake was interesting. We saw the only people on the trail, two guys and a dog fishing. A little past them Champ and I both tested the temperatures of the water. The path wasn’t totally obvious, and it was pretty rocky, but we found a way Champ could take. Back to non-rocky parts on the far side, the path again hard to find. A few misdirects but we got past the brush and creeks, to the last side of the lake which was gravel. Champ took the high road while I took the low, and he didn’t think it was safe to come straight down on the gravel so got “stuck”. I used my commands (get back, go on, there) to get him to the spot the trail had split and then call him to me. Huge success!

Getting back to the original point we crossed the outlet to the lake, and paused there for a bit. Then it was all downhill! The chipmunks were out, and Champ was on the chase. Again, safely – he chased one chipmunk that went right over a ledge (small, switchback area), and Champ stopped 3 feet away. So easy to travel with when he knows boundaries and his own abilities. We stopped at the waterfall again, but skipped the first water side trek. Pretty quick going down. 2h40 minutes total.

A last dip in the creek at the parking lot, and I used the toilet just in case. Then we backtracked to check out the campground. “Mill Falls”. The campground was great – free, pit toilet, one family in an RV at the spot closest to the stream. I took one a little further away from them but closer to the sign and toilet. Looking at the map, the lake hike was a tiny entry point into a huge wilderness. Looks so cool. I need to get some backpacking wilderness trips in.

About 6pm, so I started making dinner. I also had some hot chocolate, why not – just took the pasta water off a little early and dumped it in the cup, perfect. Otherwise, dinner as usual. The neighbors came by on a family bathroom trip, and on the way back we made eye contact and waved. They had a puppy, but seemed like it was being kept on leash so no worries about greeting. I played a bit with Champ, and did some reading and a lot of writing. Two journal entries! Considering I was 10 days behind… finally. Takes me between 30-60 minutes to write a day, sometimes a little more. Some guitar music came in from the other campsite while I was writing. Eventually we wrapped up and headed to sleep about 10:30.

Based on me going to bed late… we definitely didn’t get the sunrise early bird viewing in. However, we did go on the boardwalk trail (short) about 8:30am, and there were still birds to view. A bunch of ducks, some non-ducks of similar proportion that I haven’t placed yet, and a hoard of what I initially assumed were swans… but zooming in on the picture it looks like they have heron style beaks. Are there white herons that live in very large packs? I also saw a beaver house, but none of its residents.

After that jaunt, made breakfast and then packed up. Plan: drive to the forest bison trail on the other side of the park, past the highway we came in via. About 15km trail. En route, we tried the bison driving loop again – still no plains bison. Maybe if we’d been out earlier, instead of close to 11am when it was getting hot. On to the hike.

I parked, and while I was at the lot getting ready two more cars showed up. Champ and I started on the trail clockwise, but some smell was very interesting to Champ and we quickly backtracked and switched to counter clockwise. Good choice of hike – very woodsy and shaded. On occasion you could see where large animals had come through based on the tracks and non-human paths. Also got some looks out onto more of the water/marsh type environment – but mostly woods. About 30 minutes in, I heard something in the woods – Champ did too. We went a little further forward, and I don’t know if Champ indicated or if I saw it first… but a moose! Maybe 50ft away in the woods. Munching away on trees or bushes. Champ was not happy with the moose – he was on leash, but didn’t test the leash… however he did growl and make some aggressive anti-moose noises before settling in to tense quiet. Then, we moved on.

Around the 2.5 mile mark, Champ limped for a minute. I checked his paws for stabby things, but found nothing. He stopped limping, and we kept going a little bit. A lady and her Aussie were coming back. We’d seen them at the start, she had turned around at the 5k mark and was doing their normal 10k total walk. Champ and the other dog greeted, and we talked for a minute. Champ had started limping a little again, so I decided to turn around with them. The limp disappeared and didn’t reappear the rest of the trail. The lady and I talked for most of the trail back – she lived nearby, having moved to be closer to grandchildren. Back when, she used to do more camping, but not as much anymore. Most of the kids and grandkids, except one that was doing summer semester for college, were coming in to town for vacation in a few weeks. Lots of further discussion, including about golf and a recent trip for her daughter’s birthday, and my adventures.

We did not see the moose. I assume it wandered away after Champ’s growling presence. The hike ended up at about 5 miles, and that was good. The heat was not conducive to much longer. I’d parked the car in shade, but… that clearly didn’t last long. The interior was hot. We got in anyway, and set driving directions to Glacier Park. I wasn’t intending to get there tonight, but general direction. About 2.5 hours into the drive, we crossed a river… and then turned around and crossed back. Looked like a good place to stop. Pulled into a campground/day use area, and went to the riverbank. Excellent decision! One big group and a few smaller were there as well, hanging out in the water. Champ and I wandered in and stayed in the water for a bit. Good temperature to swim in. I sadly did not swim, just getting my legs wet. Champ was happy to wade for a while, and when I was ready we got out and headed back to the car.

Did some campground searching, and decided the free options were… bad. Parking lots by busy roads, not my favorite. Settled on Lee Creek Campground in Cardston. Set my alarm for just before 7pm so I could get a Many Glaciers Road reservation for the next day (Glacier National Park). Success! No time slots on it. Arrived at the campground 7:30-8. It was along a creek, but in the middle of a town, so interesting. We got one of the tent sites. A little expensive, maybe $35, but they did have wi-fi, free laundry (already done…), and a shower (which I forgot about). I picked a spot that hopefully would have less light coming at me, empty to one direction and a sprinter van lady with a small husky on the other. First thing – we got out of the car and gave Champ a nice wander. In theory across the bridge was an off leash dog park, but in practice… I’m not sure it exists. We still had a good jaunt, lots of sniffing, a little running and playing, a dip in the creek that I was pretty sure was safe (toxic algae fears have been triggered by the past few days) – Champ only. Wandered back to the campsite, short break before going to the other side of the sprinter van to play soccer, Champ on the long line. The husky really wanted to come play and was making some cute husky speaking noises. The lady, whose name was Femme (spelling unknown), asked about them playing. Let her dog off leash, and he tried saying hello to Champ. Who… at first didn’t care. Then did some growling. Husky play attempts were very good, and also from a little distance, so give Champ space. Eventually Champ gave in, and we got some real play. Femme and I talked for a while. Discussing free campsites in the USA vs Canada. How van life was. She had been nomadic for 10 years, and is a horse wrangler. She came back to North America and got the van two years ago, and her dog 1.5 years ago – this was relative settling for her. She travels from job to job, exploring when she has time between. Had been at a job in Calgary, but didn’t like it. Went south to Idaho for a vacation first, but was on the way to a job in Yukon. Lots of driving. Post Yukon, probably heading back to Mexico, and not looking forward to the amount of car time. Showed her my van setup – she had no water or kitchen setup, but did have a solar panel. A lot more stuff in her van than I have in mine, and with the current setup has to pull everything out regularly. Inconvenient.

Champ and I split off and I made a (fairly late) dinner. I sat and wrote up a journal entry (the 8th – so far behind). Champ took himself to bed while I was writing. After I finished, put up some light barriers, did some planning, and headed to sleep.

Wakeup in the morning… and lay around in bed enjoying the bird sounds. Champ came up onto the top bunk. The two guys left while we were still in the van, so I leaned out the door and said bye. Very slow start this morning. I was not feeling rushed. Decided to take a “shower”, aka I walked into the river and dunked my body + head. Used the sink bucket to wash my hair. Last dip in the river (not too cold, good temp), and then breakfast. Champ was still in bed at 10:40am. The phone store didn’t have cross warranty with US stores, so skipping that stop. When we got out, targeted Elk Island National Park (other side of Edmonton). En route, stopped at a laundromat… which was also a gas station and a self-service car wash. While the laundry was going I did the car wash, the vacuum (separate), and checked the air in my tires (good, no problem). Hurray for clean cars!

Stopped at a lake recreation area I found for lunch. Made a wrap and went walking with Champ. Original plan was the multi-mile walk around, but nixed that pretty quickly in the heat. They had a concession stand like you’d see at sporting games, and the guy was talking about Champ and if he was a border or aussie. So we went over, said hello, and got a hot dog to share. Then we wandered around the lake area, and eventually found an open grass space. Champ found a gap to the water but did not go in – thankfully, because the water looked nasty and like algae might be there. We ran around, practicing steady and get back and lie down as well as just playing. Champ made for the water again and I said no, bringing him to my bag and giving him water there. Then I sat down for lunch while Champ got some snacks and explored the grass. Post lunch we played again, and then I took a short reading break. Headed back to the car – on the way I saw signs for potential toxic algae and swimmer’s itch, so very glad we didn’t let Champ in the water.

Next stop, Elk Island. I stopped in at the visitor center, where they gave me a map of hikes. I also asked for recommendations, and mentioned having Champ. Toxic algae possible in the main lake, and most of the other bodies of water – sad. Avoid all water. We took the lady’s recs, starting with driving the bison loop (no bison spotted), and then hiking #5 on the map – a little two-mile loop. The hike was good – scenic, easy trail. Lakes/marsh, grass, some boardwalks. 

Post hike, we went to the campground. Registration desk was still open, and plenty of spots in the RV overflow camping (not the main loop), so we picked one and settled in. About 7pm by now. Pulled out the soccer ball for a minute. A little rain, so we hung out in the van. Rain stopped, we went on a short walk to the lake. Getting back, 8:30pm, I pulled out the materials for dinner, and was just about to start the water when… more rain! Champ got a little damp because we didn’t immediately get in the car, it was fun. I did put dinner on hold, started it up when the rain died out. The usual. Note – the antibiotics for Champ are “force fed”, and then he gets treats.

I stayed up late on my phone, and it was interesting. Champ had gotten off the bed and ready for sleep, like usual, but just after I’d turned over to go to bed at 11:30, something freaked him out and he sat up, looking out the window. Then he got back on my bed, I assume for a better view. Plenty of wildlife could be in the area, and some RVs a little a way had dogs, but no idea what caused this. Didn’t last too long, I kicked him off the bed again and we went to sleep.

Another relaxed morning. I was up 7-7:30, Champ was happy to sleep in, so I just stayed in the van and made some plans. A little after 9am, I called the vet in Jasper. Standing on a picnic table because they couldn’t hear me well initially… service issues. One hour time zone difference, so 10am for them. Vet said they could get Champ in at 11:45, we might have to wait a little because they’ll be squeezing him in. Should be a 1.5 hour drive. Okay let’s go quick! I got enough service to look at directions, and ETA was 12:00pm… Longer than 1.5 hour drive. Called back and verified that was okay, get ready, throw breakfast together, and off we go. No stopping in Mount Robson area for a hike, sad. Hit construction traffic, which caused delays, but arrived about 12:10.

Jasper Vet Clinic was great. It’s in a converted house. Champ is always nervous at them. Did our paperwork and talked with the other people in the waiting area a little. One pup was there for nail clipping, normally done at home but needs two people and the wife was way on work. Let into the waiting room pretty quickly, had an entry door from the lobby and another door on to the vet only area. Convenient! Champ went right up on the scale and I learned he is 55lbs (25kg) – exactly where we like to be, in shape and less bad on the arthritis. 60lbs is healthy, but not sporting weight.

Vet came in and I showed her where I had found issues. Initially she proposed antibiotics for two days and then surgery if it isn’t better, but I asked a few questions and said I wouldn’t be there Wednesday – can find another vet for part two if it makes sense, but what is the benefit of waiting? Concluded not much benefit if there is actually stuff in there, and then relooked at the issues. Champ stayed more still this time, so she got a better view and we’d definitely need to come back anyway. So, sedate and pull the grass awns out today. Apparently the second dog they’d had in for that reason in the day. Vet said we might need a blood test because he’s 11, I pulled up the results from May. She had a few more questions and concerns about potential kidney issues (does he drink lots of water, yes… but always has). How much food had he eaten today (luckily most of his food eating is in the evening). I signed to say resuscitation if necessary was okay (vet says… in those situations we don’t want to have to call you to get permission), which was a little nerve-racking. Even though unlikely. She also quoted me about $700 estimated, official number would be known after. Then… I left Champ there and headed off.

Drove to the main part of town to explore. Parked, and did a lap looking for restaurants. Called Robin and talked (and worried) a bit. Went to a local gifts store, got an animal scat identification pamphlet and some post cards. On the way out talked with the register lady, mentioned the vet – high praise from her, especially about Janet (who is the owner? Unknown). Went to a restaurant and asked the waiter for suggestions, ended up with the ramen. Tasted pretty good, but the smell of the chicken and waffles at the next table over was pretty enticing too. I’d brought my laptop to do some writing but… that didn’t happen. Then I moved on and found a bar, got a cider. “No Boats On Sunday” – good, but not go out of my way for. Partway through the vet called and said everything went well, Champ woke up quickly from sedation, and he’d be ready in 30 minutes. Set a timer on my watch and hung out a bit longer before ditching the second half of the cider and driving back. Whoops – in my nerves I had forgotten to pay for parking, but it did not turn into an issue.

Still got to the vet 5 minutes early. After a few, Champ came looking from the opposite side room – yay!! We went into the room, Champ not caring in his post sedation state about being in the vet anymore. Eyes were all goopy – lube they put in, expected. Vet said he did well, they got 15 out total from skin and hair (so not all extractions). He woke up quickly from the sedation. Couldn’t guarantee they got everything because he has so much fur… reasonable. Every spot I’d found, and any others they found, they got a seed out of, so that was good. She had 5 days of antibiotics (give one every 12 hours), and a pain med. Asked if he was on any pain meds already, I said the as needed NSAID. Vet decided skip the pain meds then, I could do the NSAID if he needed it. Check him over and make sure the blood spots I’d seen before disappeared and didn’t get infected, otherwise he’d be tired today, mostly good tomorrow, and back to normal in two days. Give him more frequent smaller meals to keep something in the stomach. At the desk, cost ended up being only $480 – Canadian, so even cheaper. Nice when the quote is way over. So much cheaper than it would have been in Philly, and half of it was exam fee + new client + day hospitalization.

Back to Jasper area, obviously Champ deserved ice cream. Parked in a 15 minute spot, because we weren’t staying long. Champ was prancing along very happy. Lots of stop and sniff. At the shop he stayed outside and was calm like normal. I got myself chocolate chip cookie dough and him a pup cup. Brought it out and… he didn’t want the pup cup. They had some special thing for dogs, I tasted it and the texture wasn’t ice cream, plus not much flavor. I guess it was the healthy stuff… We shared mine, which Champ thought was much better. Back at the car I gave him the pup cup again and he did eventually finish it – good enough to eat even if it doesn’t taste great. Finished off with some of mine so he had a good quality last bite.

We drove on towards Edmonton. I stopped a few times for views, but no hiking. Champ did not seem tired… he was pretty much awake the whole time. Around 6:30pm we stopped for a hike. As we were getting out of the car a pup came running up and tried to say hello to Champ, and he was not having it. More growling than usual, starting from further away. Guess the meds have an impact there! The dog was not taking cues, so I was holding onto Champ who wanted to snap at the pup. The running lady got her dog away and apologized (I said no worries, just he was high from surgery so didn’t know what the would be). Started the hike. Ended up doing 3.5 miles. Champ got in some serious mud, but rinsed it off towards the end when we were along a river. Definitely not tired… Some nice flowers, paths were well marked. Saw very few other people. Pretty dusty. Swamp areas had boardwalks which Champ mostly paid attention to, but not entirely. Overall, good choice.

Found a free campsite (via freecampsites.net) which was along a river. Driving along dirt. We found a nice spot, no one else there, a little away from the bridge. Could have gone further but the car had taken enough abuse. I got my binoculars out after seeing an eagle, maybe two but didn’t get a good look at the second. A heron as well, and of course many seagulls. A little while later a sprinter van came in, two guys. They asked if it was okay to join, I said absolutely! I checked they were okay with dogs, and let Champ go say hello. Joined them, and one guy (names forgotten, Gary and Doug? Maybe) got three beers out and asked if I wanted one. Sure, why not – light and drinkable. We talked, watching birds – herons landing on trees. A couple times it was “there’s the eagle!” but each time was actually a heron. Two herons were perched on neighboring trees, and then a third came in and kicked one out, taking the perch. Mean!

Champ started barking randomly – like there were swallows, except I could not see any swallows or birds in the direction he was barking. Guessing the post-sedation effect. He also wanted attention, so I ran around with him a bit. We talked about places to visit, vans, etc. The two guys were heading to the Yukon, and had a tour or akin up there. Wrapped up pretty late, after 9pm. I dealt with food, and then we got in the van and prepped for bed. Watched the sunset, which had some epic colors.

Wake up in the morning feeling pretty good. Lounged around a while, and decided that instead of exploring Mount Robson, we were going to take a rest day. I had some things to do for the herding association, and we needed to do some dog grooming. Champ was not having the day – between hiking, soccer, and getting in to camp late, guess he was tired! Stayed in bed clear past 10:15. I was awake much earlier than that, but got out of the van sometime after 9:00. Walked over to the neighbors with wandering dogs that they kept calling back and checked in that dogs would be okay if they met in the woods. Maybe? We’ll avoid their area (no problem, natural for Champ), and stay calm if the labs came our way. Didn’t end up being a problem. Chatted for a bit, then went to make breakfast. Champ got out of the car for treats and yogurt. Then we went and played a bit. He enjoys having a body of water next to us to take breaks in.

I pulled the yoga mat out, and a bunch of treats. Found a few more grass awns embedded in his skin, some of which I could pull out. I found what looked like a spot with blood under the skin, but no visible seed – I think it was all the way in. Also two tracks that I could reach the seeds, maybe if I had tweezers. Reached out to Carolyn, who advised what I was expecting: time to go to a vet. Don’t want these to get deeper or get infected.

Around 11, Robin called and we chatted. Gave Champ a break. I started trying to download the spreadsheet for the herding trial results that I have a program written to accumulate and make into a final document. It took twenty minutes – had to find the right spot. Champ explored while this was going on. Once the download was done, I focused on Champ for a bit, doing some tricks and then kicking the ball around when he indicated that was what he wanted.

Take two on grass seeds – grabbed Champ’s comb & conditioner. We did some regular grooming first, especially in the back, to hopefully make investigation for seeds/awns easier. Hit Champ’s limit, aka he got up off the mat and lay down in the border of the woods. Looked up vets, and Jasper (1.75 hours) seemed like the closest one open on Monday – tomorrow. Would call them in the morning. The closer vet was an offshoot of Jasper, where they sent a person out on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so that wasn’t going to work.

Read, lazed, and did very little writing. A true rest day. Dunked my head in the creek. About 3:15pm I got back to the herding trial project, and it took just a couple minutes to go from spreadsheet to document. One change required in the program to incorporate geese (new livestock for us), and one change in the spreadsheet to normalize a column. Run, and done! Got a new spreadsheet from Tina with the Sunday trial, and spent 15 minutes trying to download that. A couple minutes again (same changes), and then 10 minutes trying to send the documents. Voila.

Dad called and we talked for a bit. Champ and I playing around. Take three on grass seed investigation, I found another potential issue I couldn’t resolve under his butt fur. Then we went into the creek, exploring a little outcropping. While exploring, a woman and her daughter came in and took the campground we’d entered the water through – and I’d left my phone at. They found the phone and were looking at it, happy when I claimed it and that someone hadn’t left it. Turns out, Susan and her daughter lived five minutes away, and the soccer ball was theirs. Left behind from camping last week. The girl started kicking the ball for Champ, happy puppy, while Susan and I talked. Susan was originally from Maryland. She and her husband had done a cross country bike tour with their two year old son about 13 years ago. Some guy had recommended going to Prince Rupert, which is when they passed through the area and loved it. Eventually, a few years later, they moved to McBride.

Prince Rupert island is apparently beautiful – similar direction as Hyder. The first 5 hours of the drive wouldn’t be very exciting, but the last 5 should be gorgeous. I seriously considered going that way – except for the vet issue, which was taking me two hours the wrong direction. Guess I’ll have to come back.

While Susan was setting up and her daughter was still playing with Champ (on and off as he took water breaks), I lay on the mat and thought about doing an ab workout. I got some crunches in and then Champ came over to help, and I gave up. Motivation was lacking. Talked with the daughter for a bit while she pet Champ, learning about the various sports she did (mountain biking was top) and what was available at the schools (not much, track – and in high school, volleyball). Her parents owned a bakery and she loved to bake. Would have tried to stop in except they were clearly closed Monday.

They left to drop the car off and bike back, and Champ and I went to the van where I made dinner. We did some tricks on the mat (like chin on the ground), so his mat experience for the day wouldn’t be all bad. Also worked on extending “wait” to eat something – I double use the word, whoops – to try and have something on his paw. That might be a little too close for his current level. I did a tiny bit of writing. Then headed to the van and hunkered down for the night. A very relaxing day.

A bit tired, expected. Woke up around 7, and stayed in the car for pets and writing a bit. Was thinking about getting up for real around 8/8:30, when it started raining! What! So long since real rain. Not that it lasted very long, maybe 10-15 minutes. However, long enough to convince me to start a new section – and not get up until 9. Once awake, pretty quick on bathroom/breakfast/lets go. Driving out past registration, I asked the man if he had any hike suggestions. Yes! He gave me the “day hike” guide to Jasper, and suggested Sulfur Skyline. I was already in the Miette section of Jasper (it is divided into 5 sections), so it was basically go to the end of the road – maybe 30 minutes – and get to the hot springs. There is a hike, he said 3-4 hours, 500 meters elevation (1600 feet), worth all the views you get. Why not try it.

Some really nice views on the way to the hike too – I stopped for one. We got to the parking lot, and quite a few people. There were pools, I assume fueled by the hot springs. I also assumed not usable by dogs. Would have been a nice post hike activity though. Starting up the trail I was a little worried it would be gravel the whole way, but changed over to less meticulously maintained pretty quickly. Still very well used and, other than the uphill grade, easy hiking. Champ and I were booking it. He took a couple breaks in the streams. We passed a bunch of people – some with dogs, some without. Some we talked with, others we didn’t. I had Champ on leash for the most part, except when we passed some people with a dog off leash. It was humid – another thing I hadn’t felt in a while. My glasses were fogging up (why did I wear glasses on a hike? Lesson still not learned).

As we came out of the woods, it started getting a little steeper. There was an open area with a good view that a couple were stopped at. Champ really wanted to go say hello, so I asked if it would be okay and they were very pro. We talked with them for a little bit, and I got Champ some water. Then up the final stretch – steeper and gravelly rock that made it a bit slippery. The off-leash dog had (briefly) caught up with us, and I decided off leash in this section was safer. Champ was booking it, so I was booking it. Two ladies commented on how quick he was and that I needed to catch up, and we laughed about it. Then we attained the top – back on leash.

The views were worth it. 360 degree view, everything was beautiful. Wow. We walked around, took some pictures. A lady offered to take a picture of the two of us, so got those. Seriously, great views. Stopped to eat some snacks, and also do some social catch-up (phone service! First time since before the campground). Then… back down we go. It was a little over an hour to the top, plus hang out time. The way down was pretty quick. I had Champ off leash more (on when passing people or dogs, and at the end). We found our water sources, and did some jogging. Passed a person with a dog that we had seen on the way up, and stopped to talk while the dogs sniffed around. The lady said her dog couldn’t do that pace Champ kept up, they’d make it but needed a lot of breaks. Impressed that Champ is 11 (her pup was 10). Her pup was also small legs and not as built for the fast hiking.

Kept the booking it pace and got to the bottom. Loaded up into the car, and started driving out – then stopped and decided to get ice cream at the shop. I wanted full food, but it was a little confusing and I just got the strawberry frozen yogurt in the end. Delicious. Really good. Champ got some too. While I was inside Champ got all the compliments about how pretty and well-behaved he was waiting outside the door.

Done with the ice cream, back on the road. Not sure where I wanted to go. My end plan was to head west towards Mount Robson to find a camping spot, which meant I would pass Maligne Lake area of Jasper, another of the five areas. Or I could go for Valley of the 5 lakes. Both drives were in the same direction, so I started off. Fairly quickly, ran into stopped traffic… goats! In the middle of the highway. The cars could get around them, but were stopping for pictures. I opted to pull off into a parking lot, and watched for a bit. They meandered and eventually started trotting down the highway, clearly not worried these cars would hit them. Fun sighting, and the first of many on the day.

I turned down the road to Maligne Lake, and soon saw a person looking to hitchhike. Pulled over, and the guy – Jake? – got in. He just needed a ride back to his car, which was at the main parking lot for hiking on the road. A tendon in his knee was acting up, so wasn’t going to be able to hike back. Not as interesting conversation as the Alabama hitchhiker. Champ had minimal reaction to him. Guessing, I’d say he was somewhere in his 20’s, but my age estimates are terrible. Must have injured his knee at some point. Benefit: we got to his car (big ford truck), and I took his parking spot in the crowded parking lot. Amusing – after a short look at the signs and a snack break, I realized my plan had been go to the end of the lake road, rather than this stop. Which turned out to be a much longer drive.

On the drive, people were pulled over looking at… a moose! I didn’t get out of the car, but did pull aside for a minute to look. Eventually achieved the parking lot, about 4:15. Made myself a wrap, packed snacks for Champ, and we started on a hike/walk. We did the Moose pond trail. I quite enjoyed it. First we pulled off on Maligne Lake for a secluded lunch. There was an option to just keep going forever (well, a really long while) on a trail that two guys coming out said “had a lot of roots” – big fan. But, already 4:30, so I kept to the shorter route. Where the lake as many humans and human things visible, the pond was secluded and quiet and very much nature. The walk was calming.

Popping out the other side, we went for the long drive back to Jasper. Very nice views of mountains as you drove. A bunch of people pulled over again, lets see… a bear with two cubs! They were down a hill and far enough away it was comfortable for both sides. Just grazing contentedly. The next stop was for an eagle’s nest. An actual pullout here, tour buses were stopping. The area the eagle was in was now restricted – they’d tried nesting previous years, but until the restrictions had failed due to the stress of humans. Now, success! I saw the two juveniles, not the parents. One was just poking its head out; the other was standing tall and preening on the side of the nest. A guy who primarily spoke French had a nice camera focused on it, and showed some of the detail. I pulled out my binoculars and watched for a while. Also lent them out to a lady. The guy and I chatted a bit, he’d seen a parent the previous day watching the nest from a different tree. No guesses as to if the kids were male or female based on the feather pattern. Final animal sighting (again people pulled over) – elk with big rack of antlers. It must have been closer to the road someone first saw it. Good way to round out the day.

Back in internet range, I scouted out a good looking camp site. About two hours away, a little further than desired. Beaver Creek Rec area, near McBride. Very pretty area, Mount Robson, I just powered through. Stopped at the visitor center to get gas, and the pump was turned off for the night. Not a lot of gas places on route, but I didn’t really want to detour. Got to the location and headed up a dirt road for a while, eventually realizing… this was not it. The map had led me astray, I was one intersection off. Also I was getting worried about low gas. Turned around, popped out, and kept going to McBride, where I topped up. No more gas worries. Added 15 minutes, oh well. Turned around, took the other road by the creek, and this was definitely correct. Found the camping area – pit toilet, picnic tables and fire pits, and free. Maintained by locals. Right on the creek, nice area. I got a secluded spot for the van and parked, already 9pm. Still very sunny. Service was sketchy – I was on the phone with Robert, and it made a difference if my phone was in my pocket or not for if he could hear me. Champ found a soccer ball someone had left behind, so we played while I talked. Eventually hung up and made dinner (couldn’t do both because the car in the trees had no service). I did some grass seed removal on Champ – still, from the other day. I found one nasty one that the seed had mostly embedded in his skin. Pulling it out left a bigger hole, because of the harpoon shape. Needed to do a lot of checking, these did not look good. Went to bed around 11.

I did not get out of the car until after 9am, maybe 9:30. I woke up 7 to 7:30, and spent the time reading a book and pulling grass harpoons out of Champ’s fur. He seemed happy for the attention (mostly petting), and I was feeling quite relaxed. I went and used the bathroom, and then came back and encouraged Champ out for a walk. We found a little trail, and slowly wandered for 20-30 minutes. Back to the site at 10:30, and I made oatmeal for breakfast (since I was out of yogurt). Car was ready to go, I made a list of things to do in case my phone screen died. Get various sets of directions (including to a phone store) on my computer while I had known internet, etc. I have the map of Alberta & BC from Neil, so that is a good backup. Hotspot wasn’t working well at the campsite, so figured I’d do it in Banff when I got groceries.

On the way out, I stopped at the water refill station, and filled up my water tank. Always nice to know I have 20 gallons of water in the back in case I break down in no-man’s land. After it was filled, into town and hit the IGA. Re-upped my fruit and hummus wrap supplies, plus yogurt. Realized that I’d left the old yogurt container in the fridge, meaning to give it to Champ to lick clean, but had forgotten. Now’s a good time! Happy puppy. Spent some time in the parking lots getting pictures of maps and directions, including a map of free camping spots in the surrounding Jasper area. Also Robert’s recommended list of stops on Icefield Parkway. Then we headed off!

Right before getting to Icefield Parkway (aka the road to Jasper) I realized I’d forgotten to fill the gas tank. I mapped to one behind me, at Lake Louise. Then while turning around, accidentally got on the highway in the wrong direction again, adding 15-20 minutes of driving. Whoops. Made it to Yoho National Park though! Anyway, went back to Lake Louise area and got gas, then headed to Jasper and all the natural wonders on the way. Which, I’m going to list. A couple notes: most of this drive was without cell service (expected). The icefield center did have service, and getting to Jasper. Also – over the course of the drive, so much beauty. Driving past lakes, along a river, the mountains so numerous you have many different levels of blue shifted mountains in the distance. Very beautiful drive.

Crowfoot glacier: just a view point. Pretty, and looks like it is crow’s foot (aka any birds three toed foot). If rushed, could skip – plenty of other glacier.

Bow lake: excellent stop. We first stopped at a parking along the road type place, but soon realized there was an actual drive in. Almost skipped that, because I thought it was just to a hotel or akin. However! There was a ~4.5k one way, 150m elevation walk to the base of the waterfall, which you could see across the lake. Despite today being a rest day, decided to go for it. Only 5-6 miles, not bad. We started out very slow. Champ was sniffing everything and plodding along. Then he noticed a swallow, and everything sped up! A little bit of noise, but no incessant barking. I had treats to help with that. The hike then turned beautiful – the first part was all along the lake. Less people the further you go. Next was a small section in the woods, with neat tree roots about, as you followed the stream leading to the lake from the waterfall. There was one annoying stairs section – semi-steep but very slippery gravel/sand. The steps were higher than I like for Champ. He made it though. We soon passed a dog that really wanted to say “hi”. I wasn’t sure it would work, so we didn’t initially. Then I figured why not, but Champ had a look that I took as uncomfortable so we backed up and carried on. Into a rocky and wet section, following the stream but the stream overflows a bit and you need to do some rock hopping. The rocks got a bit bigger, not ideal for Champ again, but he was careful. I let him off leash for a few crossings, and when we passed another dog who was off leash. I prefer both off or both on leash if we’re passing. No issues there. The waterfall came into view, and it was awesome!! The big turn it took up high, and the way it came over the rocks. We got pretty close, and I made Champ pose for some pictures. Then I left Champ and did a rock scramble he wasn’t comfortable with, and enjoyed a slightly closer view. Time to turn around, picked Champ up and we headed back. A little bit of jogging interspersed, but mostly walking. Some off leash, especially on the downhill stairs section. I slipped several times, mostly non-issue but one I caught myself on my hand and it shock-waved into my arm for a few minutes. Back at the lake, I went in the water. Champ did too, but he’d been doing that the whole trail, per usual… Just feet. Cold, but not a bad temperature, until I walked into a stream feeding the lake, which was absolutely freezing. While I was putting my shoes back on, Champ made a verbal but short-lived bid for the swallows again. Then we wandered back to the car. 6.5 miles, 2h20.

Peyto lake: a 600m long, 60m elevation hike to a lookout point. The elevation was very quick – an alternate less steep route was available, but I eschewed that. Definitely had me breathing though. Nice view of a lake and mountains around it. I got a good panorama. Then we went back down, partly running. Thankfully Champ didn’t poop, because I had left my bag and hence all poop bags in the car. On both the way up and down, Champ went sniffing in an area near the parking lot – and at least one time, I think both, found a bone. I saw it the second time, because he’d cracked it in half and I could see the marrow on the piece he (temporarily) dropped. Hopefully it was delicious!

Waterfowl lakes: skipped. Looked cool and very big from the road.

Mistaya canyon: Took a ten minute nap here. Another 500m long, 35m negative elevation. Really, not an easy day. Plus all the getting in and out of the car for Champ. We passed some girl guides on the way down. The carving the river has done to make this canyon is amazing. The viewpoint you get from the bridge, and then from the (no fence, walk at your own risk) rocks is great. I brought a sandwich on this – “lunch”, except after 5pm…

Weeping wall: missed? Not sure where this was, and the “w” on my phone is nigh impossible to get so I didn’t map to it.

Bridal veil falls: missed? Or saw and listed in the next item.

Big hill and big bend viewpoint: think I got this, accidentally. Could see a waterfall from it, and where we’d come from. The shape of the rock (aka mountain) looking back was neat.

Athabasca glacier: We walked as close as we were supposed to, paying attention to the signs saying ice walks on the glacier are guided tours only. Due to hidden gaps. I don’t need Champ falling in a gap. Disappointing not to walk on the glacier itself though, or get close enough to touch. The signs were educational, and made the experience.

Columbia icefield Skywalk - icefield center: skipped. Not sure what the skywalk is, but I saw a bus dropping people off and assume it is relate.

Tangle creek falls: really neat! A whole bunch of little waterfalls combine into a big one, right on the side of the road.

Sunwapta falls: Very short walk to the falls. You can go right up to them at one place, and then there is a bridge crossing over as well. Not too busy. Enjoyed this stop.

Goats and glacier lookout: neat lookout. Did not see any goats. I think this would be a great in the morning.

Athabasca falls: really cool. The carving that the river has done, and the view points on both sides of the river they have, make this a neat stop. You can get close enough to be in major spray. There was also a double rainbow from the spray alone. I would have spent more time here if it wasn’t already 8:45pm, there were fewer people (very busy!), and if I hadn’t left Champ in the car so he didn’t add another jump in/out to his tired limbs. Some couple had a cat – not on leash. Initially the lady was holding it, but on my way back she had it on the ground. The cat didn’t seem to want to move, until she ran behind it chasing it. Then the cat veered a little in front of me and off path, as she was saying “not that way! Not that way!”. She ran in front of it to stop it. Reminded me of herding… also why put the cat through this pain? Clearly not having fun. I saw the guy carrying the cat up a minute later.

Valley of the 5 lakes: skipped. This looks like a 4km hike is necessary to be worthwhile. Consider coming back tomorrow.

Ending of the drive was not good. I did see a big deer – nice. However, close to camp I went to make a pass – which at the time couldn’t see any cars coming the other way, dotted line, etc. A car then came into view coming at me. I committed to accelerating past – and then my car stopped accelerating. Despite being higher speed, the transmission went into limp mode and actually down-shifted. It was a very dangerous situation, and no one was happy about it. However – we all survived, and I have learned that I cannot trust my car to accelerate in that type of situation. Of course, I’m a bit on edge so I probably won’t do any passing for a few days. I pulled over at the next place I could, because (a) my car was in limp mode and (b) I needed to get off the road for a minute. In summary: I made a bad pass, nearly caused an accident, but we are all okay.

Then I got back on the road. Champ was smiling at me, which is a nice. Made it to the campground. Still a bit on the adrenaline, so the very normal lady at the entrance taking my registration was a bit jarring. She greeted me in English and French, which I enjoyed. Fire ban, but butane stove is allowed. They have “lots of bears”, so the staff will literally take things they see left out that might attract a bear. Everything must be inside the vehicle (no problem for me). Also, since bears are strong and can lower windows… my windows will all be closed tonight. Not great for ventilation, but at least I charged the fan!

At the campsite, started making a very late dinner (10:15). Sun just went down, but dusk isn’t until almost 10:45 or something way late. No service here. Eating and writing, then bed. Looking back at the photos for the enjoyable part of the day helped settle me. I decided to open the rear windows (that aren’t up/down), to get a little air in.

Dave had made the bus reservations the night before. Champ and I lazed in bed for a while – I was a bit tired from staying up late and waking up early to the sun. So much sun. Bus left from Lake Louise Inn at 10:15, so plan was pick Dave up at 9. This plan failed – my laidback morning turned into procrastination and not noticing the time. Didn’t even get breakfast in, and was at the registration desk at 8:55. Tried to check-in, which took a minute because the guy was on the phone. Very nice guy though, and reminded me about bear safety, that the firewood was free, etc. I met Dave at the IGA (grocery store) 9:12. While he was inside I made a yogurt bowl for me, and then started chopping veggies for my lunch. Dave came out, I wrapped up, and we headed off. ETA 10am, which is when they suggested arriving to have time to park. No stops! I still wanted to make lunch.

Arriving at Lake Louise Inn, asked the guy where we should park, and he said best bet was side of the road. Maybe a block or two down, found a nice (free) spot. Got my pack together, Dave did the same, and started making food. Dave went to check us in. I ran out of time, and put my hummus wrap internals minus the hummus in a container, wrap separate in the bag. Closed up and checked my phone, Dave had sent they were getting ready to load (10:12). Champ and I ran over, and were fine. Onto the bus no problem, Champ and I got the front seat and Dave sat somewhere behind us.

Bus ride was a little bumpy and not Champ’s favorite, especially being unable to see out. I picked out more of the nasty grass seeds (grass awns), which I’d been doing on the hike the day before too, and before bed. So many. Also did some NYT puzzles, until service ran out. 30 minute ride. At the lake, very picturesque. There is a pile of boulders you can climb up for a nicer view, we did not. After a brief stop at the lake, we found the trail and headed off. I was pretty bad about staying with Dave once we hit the switchbacks, partly because it is hard to pass people with a dog and there were some big groups. Talked to a guide with one of the groups about whether to head to Sentinel pass, or the lake Dave had mapped because that was in the link I sent. Sounds like, almost everyone goes towards Sentinel pass, which also has a lake before the pass part. Champ kept looking back for Dave after we passed the big group, wanting to keep us together. Rejoined when Dave got beyond them. No water for Champ to play in on the switchbacks, but just before I was going to give Champ some of my water, we popped out onto a stream with a meadow.

Took a short break there, mountains in view. This was Valley of the Ten Peaks, and you could see why. The meadow was beautiful. We kept going, and eventually achieved the lake – more of a pond, really. Great views, and you could see the path to get to Sentinel pass in the gravel up beyond the lake. Dave opted to skip this, but was okay with Champ and I diverging. We had a total of 6 hours to get back to the bus, and time was looking plenty. First we stopped for a snack. Champ also got in the icy lake, literally lying down on top of a slab of ice. There was a marmot wandering about, and I wanted to get a look. We came up behind a rock so Champ wouldn’t scare it off – and it just approached us! Way closer than expected. Clearly people feed this animal. It ran off, not too hurried – I think it never noticed the dog.

Up to the pass, there were some slippery gravel sections and snow parts, but not bad overall. I took Champ off leash for some of the sketchier parts so we wouldn’t injure each other. Only took 25 minutes, which was surprising with the elevation and length. At the pass, wow. What views. Looking back was the best view, with the water below and mountain peaks beyond. Quite a few people eating lunch up there, and Champ was very popular. Someone offered to take our picture. I talked a while, and also was offered some chocolate. Delicious. Some people had descended from above, and had hiked to the top of Temple mountain above us! We had done 2000 feet of elevation, and it was another 3000 feet to the top. They had left at 4am, apparently. Complete with crampons, ice axes, and climbing helmets. No actual climbing they said. Cool!

Champ and I headed back down. At first he was on leash, but the downhill pull was uncomfortable so instead we went off leash and often him just behind me. Champ did a great job staying behind me and not interfering. On the easy sections we ran, and on the snowy and steep gravel sections Champ went ahead and waited while slow Faith made her way. When we made it to the bottom, Champ went in the stream water and the lake again. By the lake, I got to talking with a couple from somewhere in NE US. They asked if we were the ones running down the trail, ha. Yep! Very impressed by Champ.

Continuing on, a bit behind with all the talking, we jogged most of the way down to Dave’s location – by that first creek in the meadow. Inconvenient to have the normal leash instead of the running leash. A little longer than Dave had expected of us, about 1h15. Which, actually would have been the right time if Champ and I were normal pace and not stopping to talk much. Evened out. Plenty of time left to get to the bus so… Dave suggested we take the lake trail too. Why not! Very little extra elevation. This trail started out woods and then changed to all gravel, no sun protection. Champ and I got pretty far out ahead for a while on the gravel part. Eventually, we decided it was a good end point. Looked unlikely to get down to the lake. The lake itself was beautiful – so clear, you could see the snow that was partially under water. We took a water break, and then headed back. This part, stuck much closer to Dave! Champ was a bit tired (kind of maybe), which helped. After the gravel (and a couple snow crossings), forest taking over and all down hill from here. Timing was looking good. Achieved the lake, and I walked in to cool my legs off – left hamstring had been a little noisy towards the end. As Dave noted, I did too many extra options. I said it was the day before extra that sent me over, not Sentinel pass. I did not stay in the lake long – my legs could have, but my feet were limiting factor with the cold. Waded out, counted to twenty, got out. Lost Dave – turns out he went to the gift shop – but headed to the bus stop about 10 minutes early, knowing we’d meet there.

Back on the bus, Champ slept the whole way this time. To the car, back to Banff. Since we were earlier, parking on the street wasn’t free, but it was at the train station. Walked in, and decided to go to the pizza place. They had a wait, so we wandered. Found the ice cream shop Dave wanted, so we’d know for after dinner. Walked into a dog store that was next to it. Walked out with some new treats, and realized I’d missed a text five minutes past about our seat. Responded to the latest one, and to the pizza place!

The pizza was very good. The cider I got, disappointing. Even without me having found a top tier cider the night before, this cider was not great. No flavor, no substance. Oh well. Champ ate dinner and then was passed out as Dave and I finished. Service was off – the guy forgot to take our food order initially, and then came back and asked us if he’d taken it already or not. They did bring Champ a bowl immediately though. A girl who was obsessed with dogs sat next to us, so Champ did say hello to her. Mostly looking for food though.

Post dinner we got in line for ice cream. That is when the swallows started, and Champ let out some barks. Some people walking by thought Champ was barking at them, but I pointed at the swallows and they smiled. Then we got down to the business of distracting, so he’d be quieter. I told Dave my order and got out of line, walking to the next door. Lady came out and said Champ was allowed in the store – I initially said we knew, thinking it was the dog store, but then I realized it was the ice cream place and said thank you! Champ and I rejoined Dave, and went in. After getting our ice cream, went and said thanks to the lady again, as I gave Champ some ice cream – made her smile. We found a spot on some rocks outside and ate.

9pm by now, so walked to the train station – lots of sniff breaks and pee breaks on the way. Drove Dave back and said goodbye – he was leaving on a bus at 8:30am, so not going to see him. Then Champ and I went back to the campsite. Except I didn't put directions in and missed a turn, ending up at a lake I had never passed before. Clearly a recreation area. Took a quick pic and turned around, take two. Made it this time. I made a little fire, log cabin style. Nice to prove to myself I can. One match. Didn’t build it up into anything big, so it went out after 20-30 minutes. Bed time!

Good moo-rning! Woke up to cows in the campsite at 6am. Went back to sleep for a bit, and the next time I woke up there was a large cow right next to the car. Champ was alert much quicker than usual in the morning, sitting up and staring worriedly out the window. We waited in the car a bit while the cows passed through, and then I got out and made breakfast. Cows are loud, heard them mooing in the “distance”. Champ and I took a quick walk around, and then we headed out. Goal: Banff by 2:30, when Dave was supposed to be getting in. I had a hike noted, Wilmer Wetlands, and added it on the map. Fun aside: turning on the car, I realized the car clock was different from my phone clock. Part of the reason I had trouble falling asleep early! Time change that I hadn’t realized, so when I looked at my phone and saw 11:30pm, it was body clock 10:30pm! Also explains why the sun was up so much later (partly – also being further North helped).

En route, the mountains and lakes just got more and more beautiful. I pulled over at a view point. Not a great view, until I realized there was a trail up a hill. The trail had fantastic views of the valley and mountains, and kept going to… a rest stop with picnic tables. Weird to have the two pull-outs right next to each other.

Took one wrong turn which added some time, but otherwise got to the hike. Marsh, lake, with mountains in the distance. Lots of birds – and I remembered my binoculars this time! Saw a beautiful angle of a heron taking flight. A few diving birds – one may have been a grebe, but I couldn’t see it well. I’m classifying based on how it would dive for long periods and pop up in a new location. There was also a black and white duck, and a diving bird with a black head and a white cheek that might not have been duck.

Champ found some entries into the water, I stopped repeatedly for pictures and binocular bird viewing. It switched from good path among dry grass and gravel to an area with more shade protection and a little marsh. Mostly kept my feet dry. Back to a grassy section where the path wasn’t wide, and that is when I realized… disaster. Champ was covered in grass things that curled off his fur. I picked up a couple too, and they were very stabby. Looked like little harpoons. We immediately turned around and headed back for the safe zones, but it was too late. Champ was covered in hundreds of them.

On the way back, I saw a turtle in the marshy area. Otherwise, we mostly went straight. Sun and heat was picking up, and I was cutting it close on time with the accidental detour earlier and excessive bird watching. At the car I spent over ten minutes pulling grass seeds out of Champ, and clearly did not get them all. I’d need to come back again, Champ was not happy about the grooming and that it was so hot.

This time, on to Banff for real. Very few stops beyond getting a 3 day park pass as we entered the national park. There were tempting side of the road stops, but I only took one riverside one. I was definitely going to be late, eta 2:50pm. Not too bad though. I could take the stops I wanted later.

Got into the little town of Banff and found the hostel Dave was staying at. Called Dave, no answer. He called back quickly though, and said he saw my car. Less than 2 minutes waiting, and he’d just arrived before me – excellent timing! We decided to go try for Lake Louise, which was backtracking a little for me, so maybe some of those missed stops too. Under an hour drive, and signs everywhere saying “Lake Louise parking full”. It was not even close to full at 4pm on a weekday, many open spots… Though it did cost about $36 to park for the day. They are making bank on that parking lot.

We walked down to Lake Louise itself – so many people. You can go canoeing on the lake, and some people were in the water. We set off towards the Plain of Six Glaciers path, which had a tea house and was supposed to be about 6km one way. I’ve been hiking a lot of recent, and am not used to hiking with people… whoops. Champ and I would get ahead quite often. The first part was along the lake, moving into the murkier stream into the lake (complete with boardwalk), and then it transitioned to forest. The hiking was pretty nice, some elevation. Views of the mountains all along. The forest got pretty short, and became more gravel.  A few snow melt waterfalls. There was a horse path as well, which overlapped a bit and had crossing points when they diverged. We stuck to the hiking trail, though once I was tempted and Dave corrected my path.

Approaching the tea house was neat – there was water covering the path, but it looked like intentionally placed stones to make the path. There was enough above water to walk without getting your feet wet. The tea house was off in the woods a bit, I wanted to keep going to the view point. Dave opted out, and Champ and I headed off for the last kilometer. This started out with a little snow, and then because pretty much all gravel. I let Champ off leash because it was uncomfortable to be attached. We achieved the end (I think), where the glacier entering the valley is visible. I was turned around when I heard a big sound, and looking out witnessed a (far away) avalanche – cool! We turned back, pretty quick going. Dave was waiting just past the snow – we’d arrived just before 6pm, and the tea house apparently closed just before then. Sad. Kept walking, there were two guys ahead of us. Champ and I passed them at one point, but stopped to wait for Dave and they passed us back. The stop was perfect timing, another (far away still) avalanche went off, and it was framed by the bushes in front of us. This one lasted a long time. At this point, because of my add-on, we were definitely missing the 7pm end of parking listed on the ticket – but also pretty hopeful that was just when they stopped having paid parking.

You would have thought Champ was getting tired, but then the ground squirrels started appearing, and his energy level spiked. Hard to catch them on leash. They make these squeaks which tells Champ where to find them. A little ways into the forest, less ground squirrels, and the two guys coming walking quickly around a corner and tell us – grizzly bear! On the path just ahead. I went the extra 5 ft to the corner to look, leaving Champ behind with Dave. Traded places for a second, and got the bear spray out. Handed that off to Dave, so I didn’t need to deal with bear spray and a dog. The guys also had one bear spray out, ready, and safety pin removed. It was a good ways back to the long trail by the second tea house, which could avoid the bear. No one seemed interested in adding 1.5-2 hours to the hike. Dave was making loud conversation (supposed to). Champ seemed ignorant – of course we had prevented him from getting as close. No need to see how Champ will react to a bear here. The guys decided to go down a side path, see if it went around all the way, and give the bear the option to pass us, since it seemed like that was the way it was going. Not sure that was the smartest decision we did (Dave commented later about being uncomfortable going onto a dead end path more into the woods), but – it worked well enough. We could see the bear through the woods, were further away from it, and by some water which Champ liked. The bear turned and went into the woods, disappearing.

Back to the main path, we progressed – I spotted the bear above us, maybe 100 feet away in the woods, watching. No problems though. Champ continued on in either ignorance or lack of caring, giving no signs that he noticed the bear. The four of us walked together for a while, conversing. Apparently the two guys worked at Lake Louise, one for a year now and the other for a month. The here-a-month guy had never had a bear sighting before, and here-a-year it was only his second. Very uncommon. We were only half a mile or so past the lake, on the main very well used trail – so it was surprising. Also told about the two women and their dog camping who died from a bear attack the year before (I think).

The guys got a bit ahead of us, and warned a couple of hikers going that way about the bear, up until we hit Lake Louise itself. Dave and I overheard a couple with a baby discussing how far to go a little later, and let them know about the bear sighting. Sounds like they would turn around at the end of the lake – no need to take risks with an infant. The runner with headphones went unwarned, but did have bear spray prominently on her vest. 

Back at the main part of the lake, I waded into the water, and then we headed back to the car, about 7:40pm. No extra stops on the way back, we did discuss trying to get to Moraine Lake the next morning for a hike Robert had recommended. Hard to get there because the parking lot was closed to cars, and not many of the buses took dogs. I found one bus line you could buy a seat for a dog on. We didn’t book it yet. Back at Banff we decided to go out for food. Got free post 8pm parking, and walked around a bit.  There is a pedestrian and bus only zone in the middle of Banff, quite nice. Found a good looking pizza place – which denied us. They stop seating outdoors at 8:30pm, because patios had to be clear by 10pm. Suggested our best bet was Eddie’s, a burger bar type place across the street. They sat us quickly. Took a minute to get our order. I prepped Champ’s food. Ordered a Core Values cider and a burger with sweet potato fries. The cider was – excellent. Really, top class. Dave tried it and agreed. Sadly, Core Values is located in Canmore, near Calgary, and does not have a wide distribution. But if you’re in the area, highly recommend – the feel of the drink was substantial, flavor excellent. This was their “Mac” cider, macintosh forward.

Towards the end of our meal, our neighbors switched, and I had missed the opportunity for Champ to pick up the bacon on the ground under the table. As the new neighbors sat down I asked if they minded, and they found it quite cute. Champ was happy, because bacon. Of course. The ground was cleaner too! Post meal verdict: I was happy, the cider really made it. The service was a bit slow at the start, and Dave’s burger was messed up so he had to wait a few minutes. Overall good.

Went to get ice cream – fail. Place was closed. Back to the car, drop Dave off, and I headed to my campground. I got there about 10:50, and there were people in registration, but the blinds were down. The signs were easy to follow, and we found our spot and parked for the night. Hit the bathroom and off to sleep.

Get out before the heat! This morning Champ and I walked (and jogged) down to the close park again. Early on, saw a marmot! For sure, have picture proof. This time, instead of following the creek after we passed the road, we took the bridge across the Spokane river, and walked on the paths along the river. Passed a couple fishermen, as well as some little areas that were calm waters. Looked like intentional building of rock piles out into the water to create them (there is a word for these… I can’t recall it). Champ did his usual wading routine. At some point I decided to turn around. Two ladies were walking behind us, and we passed them on the way back. They asked me how far the trail went – no clue! Just that it kept going past where I turned around. Probably a while, if I was guessing – Neil might know. The Centennial trail goes a long ways, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the trails right on the river are similarly long.

Back at Neil’s, I put in a last minute load of laundry. Leave with a clean slate, never know when the next laundry will be! We ate breakfast and sat outside a bit. Neil had an appointment at 10:30, so Champ and I hung around until a little after 10. Cleaned up and loaded the van, didn’t forget the laundry, and chatted. Then it was time, and off we go! Destination: Banff. Not expecting to get there today, but general direction. I found a potential trail area in Idaho, on a river Neil’s friend had hiked along. Didn’t get the low down on where she actually hiked, but figured we’d find something. I called Holly, and asked if she’d seen the rose garden in Portland (since she loves roses). Answer – of course! Holly has 4 or 5 different types of roses, including the ?original? style 5 petal rose. Just like the ones Annie and I saw in the wild in Truckee! Our initial confusion on if it was a rose because the flower looked different would not have caught Holly.

A little less than 3 hours driving, we were on a dirt road going along the edge of a lake. Didn’t look like good hiking, but lots of day lake goers. Found a spot to stop, one other person there. She thought I was one of her friends who was coming at first. Nope! Also warned us that if we were staying, there was going to be a big group including a dog soon. No problem, we were staying just long enough for Champ to wade (he decided not to) and me to get a picture (I did wade). Back in the car, and on we go. I found a trail that looked nice on AllTrails, along a creek/river. It might even have been the one Neil’s friend did, who knows.

Arriving at the trail head (again a dirt road), we were the only ones. I got a small pack together, and off Champ and I went. Started in a field but quickly transitioned to woods, mostly following water. Some of it was trail type path, some looked like maintenance vehicles could go down. We went out on a dock, and Champ waded in a side creek we crossed. Hot day – thankfully not as hot as in Spokane, I think mid to high 80’s where we were vs the 100+ we’d left. Mostly wooded also helped. At some point the trail turned off the river, and I decided to turn back instead of completing the fully suggested trail – the rest didn’t look as interesting on the map. What a move! On the way back, swimming across the far side of the river, I had my first bear sighting! Black bear. Champ didn’t really notice, the bear was fairly far away. At first I thought there was a chance it was a dog – instinct said bear, but just a bit of its face and ears were above water so there wasn’t a ton to go on. Definitely a bear though, as it got out. I took some pictures and videos, and regretted leaving my binoculars in the car. Next time! Made the hike a true winner.

Post hike, decided to cross into Canada before looking for a campsite. Was about 4pm. Some nice river crossing, and I stopped at one to make a hummus wrap. Had some phone conversations with the parents, just in case I had issues with my phone in Canada. Turns out – Verizon actually messaged me about entering Canada and how it was included in my phone plan when I was still 10 miles out from the border. Fail! Also immediately lost service following that message… Oh well. Achieved the border at 5:45, and was quickly across. Asked for my passport, asked about weapons (I said I had bear spray if that counts – it didn’t), and didn’t ask for anything about Champ. Very quick. Once I crossed, my phone started working again too! Odd.

Next stop was in Cranbrook. There was a marsh/lake area that looked pretty, and the mountain views were stunning. Wow. Beautiful. We got out and walked around a bit. I made Champ stop so I could look at some birds. We went out on a dock. Got to a boring bit and turned back. Went out on the dock again, and Champ was looking over the edge. Really interested in the dragonflies. Reached a paw out and suddenly he was in the (gross, muddy looking) water! Whoops! Definitely took him by surprise. Champ scrambled up onto a grass area, and then took a second before trying to get back to the dock. The attempt looked awkward, so I stepped in and helped out a little.

Back towards the car I tried to use the bathroom, but it was locked! So sad. We also spotted some rodents, probably ground squirrels, zipping about. Champ said, why can’t I chase them? Mapped to a bank and got some local cash out. I always like to have cash, just in case. Especially in backwoods areas, you never know when someone only takes card or (ex in Tasmania at a cheese making farm) the power is down and cards aren’t usable. Then I found a free campsite by online search -> freecampsites.net. On a lake, about 30 minutes drive. Continued beautiful mountain view drive too!

Arrived at the lake site, and it was very dusty and a bit hot – but otherwise great. Found out very quickly that we were sharing the campground with a lot of big cows. Right off the road – would not want to hit one of those, car would be trashed. Lots of people, but after stopping for a quick wade, we found a spot a little off the lake but still in sight. Free campground, community upkeep – complete with pit toilets. The on-the-lake neighbors I had left, might have only been there for the day. I considered taking their spot, but had already gotten the stove out and it seemed like a hassle. Just started cooking instead. My usual dinner, pasta with cheese and meatballs on a bed of green. Easy. Got the mosquito nets up, and setup the thermacell in the car – here be bugs! New neighbors came in, and their kid came running up and asked if there were any other kids at my campsite. Bold move, must make new friends easily. Doubt that is something I would have done at that age, being a bit shy and all. Anyway, told him no – I just had a dog with me – but I’d seen another kid with a baseball bat up the hill a bit. The kid had a dog of his own, so wanted to say “hi” to Champ – but Champ was not in. He actually growled from far away, then relaxed when he got closer – similar to the backpackers. I think the kid’s hoodie may have thrown Champ off and it took a minute to realize the kid was human. Who knows. Anyway, they got close, but didn’t actually greet. Talked for another minute about the boy’s poodle, and then he ran up to go find the baseball bat wielding other kid, yelling down to his parents about where he was going. Not sure they heard him, but oh well.

Champ and I went down closer to the lake, and I found a rock to sit on. Cows were visible on the side of the lake a bit around it, other campers, and a beautiful sunset. I took way too many pictures of that sunset. I brought my computer with me and did a little writing. Champ wandered, sniffing cow poop and other things. Luckily didn’t roll in any of it. Still a little hot, and the sun was up so late! We went back to the camp site. I was not as tired as I’d expect, and stayed up reading a bit. It was light practically to 11. When I finally put the book down, about 11:30, I had trouble falling asleep, not succeeding until sometime after midnight. Irritating. Maybe because of the heat. Fan was on but targeting Champ – I should probably get a second fan.

Woke in the morning and opened the door at… 4:30am? So the breeze could come through. Neil got the other door just after I think and set the fan going. Helps keep the condo cool longer! Then I went back to sleep. Maybe 6:50, Champ and I hopped in the car and drove to Palisades Park, ten minutes away. In search of Indian Creek falls, which I saw a nice picture of. We mostly ran through the park, Champ off leash, seeing no one else. Weekday morning advantage! It took just a few minutes to find the top of the “waterfall”, which you really couldn’t see anything. A short jog later, we got to the bottom – it was pretty, I’d call it a small flow. The setup and the greenery felt a bit mystical. We carried on, going around most of the park. A lot of it was tall grass fields, especially on the other side of the creek. Mostly woods on the side we started on. Crossed the creek a couple times, Champ taking advantage and cooling off. Repeated some trail as well. We came up on a rocky area which led to the actual bridge to cross the creek. Close to the end of the run, we went up along a road – saw one person with a dog! Put Champ on leash, but never interacted because they were going the other way and we headed back into the woods. Total of four miles.

Back at the house, Neil was chatting with his neighbor on the back porch. I grabbed some breakfast (Neil pointed me to the English muffins and cereal, plus I had my yogurt) and joined them. Had a lovely chat, only briefly interrupted by the gardeners mowing and blowing the mini lawn. Champ stayed responsibly in Neil’s part of the space, with a couple reminders at the edges. Neil was feeling better, so we went into town to walk along Centennial Trail, a nice walk along/above the Spokane river. Biking it looks really nice too, and apparently you can follow it all the way to Idaho if you’re a committed biker. Or walker I suppose.

We wandered a bit down the trail, there was a bird in a nest on a post – turkey vulture, we believe. Especially on the way back, it started getting quite hot in the sun. Amazing the difference between shade and sun. Champ sniffed things, and we tried staying out of the way of bikers. One biker stopped and said hello to Neil, and they had a brief chat. Fun to randomly run into people you know! Post hike we looked for a spot to have a drink and maybe a pastry. The crepe place was sadly closed Mondays, and the place next to it was a Redbull café – not really our scene. We walked a few blocks and found a coffee shop combo running store. I ordered while Neil waited outside with Champ in the shady seating area. Hot chocolate and chocolate chip cookie for me, iced tea with a squeeze of lemon for Neil. Then we had a really pleasant time conversing for a while, Champ just chilling asleep on the sidewalk. The drinks were both good. The cookie was not. I didn’t even finish it. Oh well.

Walked back to the car, and I had a ticket! Neil said he’d cover it, took it off and opened the dash - $0, just a warning for parking facing the wrong direction for the side of the street. Thanks for paying it Neil ;). Drove back to the house, before noon. Neil was reading a book about congress back in the 1800s, and how completely at odds the parties were – more animosity than there is today. I was typing, reading, mapping. We were both sharing fun tidbits. Pretty early afternoon, before it got even hotter, we ran off to Walmart for some supplies. Quick trip, but the difference in cold Walmart and burning up outside was stark on exit.

Made a lunch wrap (just for myself today). A bit of car organization. Short nap. Around 6 or so, Neil made orange chicken, rice, and Brussel sprouts. Lovely dinner, inside this time (did I mention it was so hot outside??). We were contemplating a post dinner swim, but after a full day Neil decided to opt out. I went out, only to find the pool was closed! So sad. Maintenance issue, pool people coming to fix it in the morning. So, instead Champ and I went on a walk. We found the really close “dog park” – an open piece of property that has a for sale sign on it, but is setup and used as a dog park in the meantime. Champ and I ran around there, until Champ fell in a giant hole. He came up with half his face covered in dirt, and I was a little worried. It looked like a major face plant and trip. Champ immediately went for the exit, he was done. I wiped his face off a bit, make sure he could see. We kept walking on, instead of heading directly back. I texted Neil because I needed to tell someone. Verified Champ was okay.

Walking, we ran into some off leash dogs. I took Champ off while we passed them, just in case. Saw a few other off leash walkers while in Spokane, a little unexpected. One dog that was on a porch I thought was off leash, right after the previous encounter, but once it started lunging for Champ became clear the dog was on leash, just couldn’t see it. Turned around, and on the way back stopped at said bar. I got something I could share with Champ (chips and salsa, fries weren’t on the menu) and a cider. We had a nice little interlude, and left about 10:15. Didn’t finish the cider, felt full and tired. Back at Neil’s, he had waited up for me! Since I had texted about Champ’s incident. Very nice, and good to come back to. Neil knew the bar I went to, “The Elk”. Neighborhood staple, turns out. Off to bed.

Since we were on the street in the morning, I was a little more careful with sitting up and being seen. Slight fear of getting in trouble, even though it was unlikely and I could easily move into the community parking lot on request. AKA – any time someone walked by I’d make sure I was lying down. Not that, pre-7am, many people walked by. Kind of a fun game.

Champ and I went for a walk around 7, which turned into some jogging. A park right by where we were staying was easily accessed, and after a hill to get down to the creek we were along water. We followed this trail across a road and into more park, staying on the creek even though we could switch to the river. Probably did 2-3 miles total. On the way back, we saw a woodchuck sized animal – Neil said it was probably a marmot. Champ called off it easily and did not give chase.

Back at Neil’s about 7:50, I took a quick shower and then we left Champ behind and headed for breakfast. Cute spot next to a grocery store, very well decorated. Neil goes often enough he knows the owner, a nice lady that briefly stopped at our table. I had huevos rancheros, and Neil ordered a side of bacon to bring back to Champ. I tried some of the bacon – good quality and delicious. We talked about my trip, Neil’s life, my future thoughts, … Lots of good topics. After breakfast, we hit up the grocery and both got some supplies, then went back to Neil’s. It was still cool enough to sit outside in the shade, so we did. I went and moved my car, and we got the cot out of storage and set it up. Did some computer work, and in the afternoon, I took an hour nap.

I made wraps for lunch for both of us – it was way too hot to go outside, although I considered the pool. Didn’t happen, chilling won the day. I started planning some time in Canada, and deciding if I wanted to go to Hyder, Alaska - so I could hit all 50 states in one year. Robert and I had talked on the phone about it. Main Alaska was a 40 hour extra drive - each way. Hyder, a small town, would only be 10 hours extra leaving from Jasper (each way). Neil pulled out a map of Alberta and British Columbia. Love a good physical map! It also has campground symbols all over it, very useful - especially if my phone decides to kick the bucket.

About 7pm had dinner – Neil made bratwurst on his air fryer. Went to the entry side patio and ate outside, pleasant enough in the shade. After, Champ and I went for a walk. Initially we headed towards the city looking for a dog park, but we turned around and went to the park via the road route. Found the dog park there – it was big! Multiple acres, and a wooded area as well as the open part. Very dusty. Champ played with me, but he also played with some of the dogs. I chatted with some regulars for a while. The walk ended up being longer than intended, closing in on bedtime when we got back. Saw a family of 3 raccoons! Champ wanted to go after them, but that request was denied. Robin called, and we all talked on speakerphone for a while, before heading to sleep.

I intended to get out by 9 or 10am this morning and start my drive to Spokane… but major changes! Champ and I started out with a jog to the dog park. At the park, we played our usual tricks. I decided to go see Green Lake this time, since it was so close. Once we got there, Champ said I think we should run. Then we kept running… the whole 3 mile loop around the lake, stopping only to check if there was toxic algae in the lake yet (no) and for Champ to wade in the water a few times. The lake trail was pretty busy, a lot of walkers and runners. Saw a couple people swimming. No bikers, which I thought was odd, since the path was labeled for bikes. Maybe the terrible traffic put the bikers off. In the second half there was an actual swimming area, and I briefly entertained walking in to cool like legs off, like we used to at the end of runs at cross country camp. More to run though, skipped.

After the loop we ran back through the park, and in one grassy area there were three off leash dogs, including a puppy (less than a year, but mostly grown). They were approaching Champ, so I took Champ off leash. No problems on initial greetings. We stopped for a bit, talking with the owners – one couple with two of the dogs, and a lady with the third. Champ went and rolled in the grass, away from the other dogs, and idiot pup came and jumped on him while his stomach was in the air. Champ flipped over so fast, growling and snapping. Pup backed off. He followed the pup another 10 feet and growled and snapped again, to emphasize his anger. Note – snapping is no contact, it is a level up from growling to express displeasure or say go away. The pup’s owner said, “He probably needed that”, so no concerns on that front. We talked a little more and then Champ and I jogged off.

Walked the last few blocks for a cool down. Probably did 5 miles, way more and longer than intended. By now it was already after 9. Carolyn had sent notes on the herding trial schedule, so I called her and made some of those changes. Had a little breakfast. Dave and Becky were up, chatted. Was getting ready to leave and my phone screen flipped out. I hadn’t been sure if it had flickered a few days before, but this time – it flickered between working and black, eventually just going black. Guess I’m going to the phone store again!

On the way to the store the phone screen came back alive. Flickered a couple times and then settled in to on. Definitely a connection issue. At the store – the part they’d ordered for the back had been delayed to arrive Monday. Oh well. The guy was otherwise very helpful – he said the issue felt like a loose connection, not the screen itself, so he was going to open it up and see if there was anything obvious. Should take 30 minutes. Nice! I moved my car to a spot I didn’t need to pay for, and went to the farmer’s market that was two blocks down. Got some veggies and a sheep feta. There was a group of people at the entryway trying to convince people on communism. My opinion – communism would be great in a world filled with perfect people. That is not a thing, though, and I sincerely doubt these people have a good plan for implementation and sustainability.

Got back to the store a little after noon, and my helper walked in a few minutes later with lunch, must have seen me, and right back out with my phone. He said the main bracket for the cable popped out when he opened the phone, so probably was that. If not, go find a store, and they can call him with any questions or look at his notes in the system. Free, due to warranty from the original fix.

By now it was 12:30 and I was hungry for lunch, so called Dave and Becky to see if they wanted to go for food before I headed out. We hit a burger and shake joint. I did not finish my burger or shake, so packed the burger for leftovers. Then, time to head out! About 2pm. First target, take the prettier road to Leavenworth, and then Frenchman’s Coulee. As we got out of the city and into the nice area, there were a few pullovers that looked busy and like they had hikes, but we missed or skipped them. Following a river for a while, I did want to stop – eventually did a side of the road spot with two cars. We walked the very short distance to the river, and enjoyed the water (Champ) and view (Faith) for a couple minutes. Back to the car, continue on. Saw a parking lot and took it, was for Deception Falls. This had a little walking loop, which was very nice. The woods were beautiful, and the falls were cool – deception because of a right angle turn the water took. I got some good Champ photos, and he received many compliments.

Arriving at Leavenworth, it was pretty cool to see the old style lettering everywhere. As I’d been told, even the Starbucks had a custom sign to fit in with the German town theme. We parked, but before paying I realized the pavement was hot and decided it was not worth stopping for dinner. Already late anyway. So hopped back in the car, maneuvered through the traffic, and kept going to Frenchman’s Coulee. I was talking on the phone (headset) and didn’t realize my map turned off, so… missed the final exit for Frenchman’s Coulee by one. Added 20 minutes to my drive, bummer. However! It did add a beautiful view stop, looking over the river. Signs at the stop describing how old the different layers of rocks were and the history of the land.

Frenchman’s Coulee is a neat set of rock columns. We drove around a minute to make sure we were stopping at a good spot, and then got out and walked. Considered camping overnight, since it was already close to 8pm and we were parked in a camping lot. Decided not to. We went on a short walk, up to the coulees and then past. I was wearing sandals, which was not ideal. Oh well. Let Champ off leash briefly in the slippery slope area. Talked to the only two climbers still at the rocks on our way out. Very cool that many of the columns are setup for rock climbing. Then headed out. One brief rest stop to make food, but otherwise straight to Spokane. Open fields as the sun came down, pretty.

At Uncle Neil’s house, we parked and walked to his place. Hung out for a little while, used the bathroom, and then went back to the car. Moved it to a darker spot, and went to sleep. In the car, easier – Neil was getting over a cold, didn’t need to worry about bringing things in, and it was good temps for the night.

I slept a solid six hours before my body said “up!” at 6am. With the lack of light in the room, I was temporarily tricked into thinking it was the middle of the night, and that my body was going back to waking up for the bathroom during the night, like pre-travel times. Nope! Just normal wake up time. I went back to sleep, and got up for real about 7:15. Needed to move my car, which was parked in a pay spot starting at 8am (free on the holiday). Champ and I went out and walked around, scouting out locations. Scouted one spot, but it was gone by the time I went to move the car. Found another spot a few blocks away, two hours. Then we went wandering! Caroline was sleeping, so figured we’d do a nice walk. Passed a coffee shop and stopped for hot chocolate and a croissant. They encouraged bringing Champ in, and had a water bowl inside plus some treats. Happy dog.

Continuing on we achieved Volunteer Park. Nice park with some big grass spaces, and a few other dogs off leash. I took Champ off and we did various exercises and running around. We even found a little puddle for him to lie down in and get muddy! Caroline messaged that she was awake, and we said we’d be 45 minutes or so. Played a little longer, and then made our way back.

In the building and upstairs, we decided to try for Mount Bagel. Caroline had heard of them before but never made it. Instagram showed they had not yet run out of bagels, and it was close to 10. My car time was running out anyway, so we all walked to the car and drove over. They still had bagels! But no plain or salt left. I got two sesame (one for Dave) and an everything, as well as cream cheese. We drove back to Caroline’s, finding a very convenient parking spot right up the block, and went inside. Looks like Matt had also gone out and gotten some pastries. Settled in for breakfast – I toasted one half of the bagel, just to compare which way I liked better. Conclusion: toasted and untoasted are both good. The bagels were delicious. Best in Seattle? Don’t know, I haven’t tried enough. I’ll assume yes.

Chatting for a bit, we decided to go on a walk, but some urgent work messages came in for Caroline. While she dealt with that (including finding a printer, for which I was helpful! The library in Seattle got hacked and won’t have a printer until mid-July or something like that, makes it more complex), I settled in to catch up on some writing. This failed, and I mostly read instead. Oh well!

When Caroline wrapped up, we chatted for a while, but the park plans were nixed. I had dinner plans at Dave, plus I wanted to hit the farmer’s market. My parking meter was coming up shortly, so when the alarm went off Champ and I grabbed all our stuff and drove over to the farmer’s market close to Green Lake area. The parking situation was not great, but we found a spot a few blocks away. The market was pretty small – I did get some sausage, ground beef, a meat pastry (ate there), a strawberry popsicle (delicious, ate there), and some fruit. The parking lot was too hot for Champ’s feet, so we were running from shady spot to shady spot.

Dave’s house. Free, all day parking – convenient. Not right in front of Dave’s this time, but half a block. Brought my stuff in, Dave was about done with work. We lounged around for a bit, and Becky came in. Becky was convinced to come walk with me and Champ to grab some more stuff. Discussed dinner details, and we needed more supplies. Becky and I went on another walk! To the grocery store. Champ got stuck outside when I decided to go in. Picked up some corn on top of the original list. Got back, and needed to thaw the meat I got at the market – whoops. Worked out anyway, I had gotten the final lists for the herding trial and needed to make the schedule. That took about an hour, and soon after we prepped and brought stuff to the roof deck to do some grilling.

Well, Dave did the grilling. He also provided a cider, which was not great (he was trying to get rid of it). Pretty flavorless. The views were excellent – you could see Mt. Rainier, along with some other mountains. The food turned out great, coming out in courses. First the sausage, then the burgers, then the salmon. Somewhere in the middle, cucumbers and corn. Rolled the corn in butter first, of course. I had brought Champ’s food up, and topped it with meat so he’d eat some of it. We stayed up there for a while, watching the sunset and go into dusk. When we went in, Champ got to lick some of the plates and was again a happy puppy. We went out for a last walk, and I did a little more work before heading to sleep.

Champ apparently likes getting up early more in houses than he does in cars? Or my more spacious movements trigger him in some way. Either way, we got up around 7:30 and walk/ran to the dog park. No one was there, despite it being close to 8am and the day looking to be warm. We ran around, practiced some steady and lie down and get back. Overall fun times. Got back to Dave’s around 9. I ate my leftovers for breakfast. Putzed around the house for a bit, and then Dave and I decided to drive for bagels. Mt. Bagel is supposedly the best bagels in town. By the time we got there a little after 11, they were sold out for the day. Sad. We redirected to another place. I wasn’t sure if Champ was allowed in or not, and no one to easily ask – but coffee/pastry type place and Seattle, so we tried. Someone came over and asked if Champ was a service dog/for him to be left outside – no problem! Might be the first time that’s happened to us, normally I find someone and ask before bringing Champ in so there is rarely opportunity. Took Champ outside, came back in, and ordered a salmon bagel sandwich. We walked to a nearby park, found a bench, and ate there. Champ wandered around smelling things, and got a little food from me.

At the house, we hung around. I did some games on my phone. Becky joined us, and I convinced her to do crosswords – chromecast to get it on the TV so everyone could see. Dave helped despite complaints about some of the clues, coming up with some answers from nowhere. One of clues he gave credit to for being clever. Becky had a bunch of contributions, and together we finished a Monday and a Tuesday before quitting.

I packed up my stuff, and around 6 headed to Caroline’s. Brought my stuff in, we were planning to sleep there. Talked with her and Matt. Soon after more of her crew showed up, and we all chatted for a bit. Discussing food, maybe going for burritos? But someone had brought makings for chili dogs! Two of us hung out on the couch chatting, making sure we stayed out of the way of the crew making dinner. Everything was vegan except optional cheese. Not my favorite dinner, but all okay and Champ approved of it.

For dessert, we went for a walk to Salt and Straw. The line was pretty short, which is rare. I got some salted maple something flavor, and chocolate. The special flavor was fantastic. Very, very good ice cream. Highly recommend. We ate it on the way to the park. Some other dogs were off leash, we did not follow suit. Hit up the swings – I didn’t, because was holding Champ. The swinging motion got him hyped up! I think he wanted to circle the people, like he does in tennis. Instead, I took him off leash and ran around, playing with steady and leg weaves and whatever else seemed fun.

On return, I convinced everyone to play Space Team – haven’t played in forever! A great phone game, where everyone has a different screen with actions they can do, and an action that needs to happen. The action that needs to happen may or may not be on their own phone, so there is a lot of yelling to communicate to everyone else what to do, and listening in the cacophony for actions you need to execute. Group actions include shaking your phone to avoid asteroids, and flipping it over to avoid wormholes. We did pretty well.

Headed up to the deck about 10:10 to watch the fireworks. More of Caroline’s friends joined, and there was popcorn. Pretty good viewing from here! Definitely some non-official fireworks illegally set off, too. You could also see the light reflecting from the fireworks on several buildings, which was neat. However, about 5 minutes, I was all set. Too tired to be worried about it. Champ was his usual uncaring about fireworks self. Did care about the treats I had.

Post fireworks, Champ and I went outside for a last bathroom option and to grab something from the car. Stayed up until about 11:30 chatting. Dog training came up, you know I’m always good for that. At last, bed time. Very dark room, air mattress. A little warm so turned the fan on.

I woke up early and tried going back to sleep for a bit. Champ was pretty lively about getting up, so we went for a walk around the neighborhood. On the way back, I was aiming for a pastry place, but stopped at the grocery store instead. Bought a little yogurt and an okay breakfast sandwich. Dave and Caroline were both working during the day, so my plan was to do some catchup on writing and anything else I needed a computer for.

Dave was awake, and we talked for a bit before he started working. Then I disappeared upstairs, and did some (but not much) writing. I also wasted time calling Amazon trying to get the air conditioner return fixed. The lady was supposed to send me a UPS tracking number so I could see why it was scheduled for July 14th instead of an earlier date, but I never got an email from them. Dave and I went for lunch around the corner. They had their own cider, though were mainly a brewery, so I tried it. Decent. Great service. A little too hot in the sun as time went on.

Back at the house, I looked at the entries for the herding trial coming up July 12th to July 14th. First trial at Raspberry Ridge (sheep farm in PA) that Champ and I have missed since we started doing trials in October 2022! Started laundry, talked on the phone for a bit, and took a nap. Champ and I drove to the local phone store to see about getting the back replaced, aka the glass over the camera. The full back glass was going to be $225, but potentially I could do just the camera glass for $70. Part wasn’t in though, should get in Friday or Saturday. On the way back, we stopped at a dog park. It was pretty shaded, in the woods – by Green Lake. I liked the use of space, and it being on a hill. Champ and I played, and Champ also played with some other dogs (one in particular, mostly – and it turned into humping attempts, so we interfered). From there, we headed back to Dave’s house. Tried a new video game, called something like “goat jumper”. Basically, you were a goat and ran around destroying things and doing tricks to get point, adding powerups on occasion. Ridiculous but entertaining for a short time. Dave and I went to get food at a small Mexican place. Champ was welcome inside, though we ended up outside. So much food, I got a to go box. Tasted delicious. About 6:15 headed to meet up with Caroline at a birthday party in Discovery Park.

Cool park, nice woodsy area that leads out to an overview of the mountains. There was one other dog, Simmon, and about ten people. Meet Caroline’s friends, learn the connections, food, talk, play with Champ a bit, Champ played with Simmon (so cute!). Very welcoming group, I had a good time. Drank one cider, can’t remember what it was called – but very drinkable for an 8.5%. Dangerous. Every time a new person came, we’d blow on noisemakers. Cake came out, and the topper was a powered rotating flower with candles on it – looked really neat! It was requested that I take the picture (of course!), and I had Champ sit so he’d be in the picture too. I had ice cream on my plate, and had already given a spoonful to Champ. Putting the plate on the ground for taking the picture, no problem. But a few pictures in, I said something like “Let’s go!”, and Champ bolted for the plate on that cue. Pretty funny! Teach me to use common words as commands.

At one point, a running group came by, and Champ wanted to join them. He listened well though and stayed with us. Towards the end, someone proposed saying things about the birthday girl – I kept it superficial because I’d just met her, and was on the spot. Soon after, about 10pm, we headed out and I went back to Dave’s. It was too late to go dancing for me, I was crashing quickly. At Dave’s I wound down a bit (read a book) and went to sleep.

Really, other than worries about people noticing be and getting unhappy, that was a solid sleeping spot. Not too much light, pretty quiet, flat, right next to the grass, good temperatures. Kathryn started work at 7am and had a meeting at 8am, so my plan was head out before 8. Champ was a big no on getting out of the car, although he was happy to take my bed. I went up to the house alone, and Kathryn let me in. She had been pulled into an unexpected meeting with her boss. I got some extra commentary and context when she muted herself, which was amusing. About 7:40 asked if she wanted to see Champ before we left, and went to go get him. He was… having none of it still. So, I drove him up to the front door. Kathryn pet him through the window, and then we said goodbye.

Target: Multnomah Falls. We were driving, and along the Columbia River it was beautiful. So stunning. Too bad there is a highway on either side, but you can mostly ignore that. We got onto the “Old Highway” a little earlier than suggested, and couldn’t see the river as well – but had great tree arches over the road. Passed a parking lot that said something about shuttles, which I assumed Champ couldn’t take. & a second one. The third lot, at the falls, was full. I talked to the guy – he said the shuttles allow dogs, so go back or get a permit and park at the highway parking lot. The second parking lot was free (unlike 1st and 3rd). It also had a trail to a different waterfall and then circled up and around to Multnomah falls. Winner! Champ and I started up, turning around almost immediately when he pooped early. Didn’t want to carry the bag for the whole hike. Beautiful scenery the whole time – hiking mostly along the creek, water falls, a view or two. It was cold enough I started with an extra layer and my warmer hat, though they didn’t last too long. Partway up a guy coming down asked how far we were going. Had a badge on, I think he was a forest volunteer. I said we were planning to do the circle – and he said we wouldn’t be able to, landslides, would be obvious when the trail was impassable. But that it was worth it up to that point. We kept going! Passed an outlook that I figured we’d hit on the way back down. The water flow and greenery was a place where faeries might live. I think we got to the “landslide”, but it was easily passable. After this we decided to turn left for the Vista trail – a little less direct, but why not. Also maybe that wasn’t the landslide the guy talked about, and it was further on the main trail?

The vista trail was less used, a little more overgrown. Some nice flowers. We got to the vista and wow! What a view of the river. Settled in for little breakfast, sitting with the view. I scattered treats about for Champ, who I’d taken off leash a little after we hit the vista portion. Two hikers came in behind us while we were sitting. I warned them I had a dog, since they couldn’t see. They asked if it was friendly, I said yes, just letting you know about him. I packed up a bit and moved out of the way so they could get the really good view. The two ladies had already done the waterfalls, but come back up specifically to see what they were missing at the vista. They didn’t stay more than a quick viewing. Champ and I sat back down for a short while, and then continued on. When we got back to the main trail, ran into a few people, though not many. It was pretty open woods area.

Traffic started picking up as we got to the downhill portion, finding a small waterfall. Soon after that, traveling along the river and beautiful sights, we got to the top of Multnomah Falls, where there was a big group. Champ had already been in the water a few times, but after I got some pictures we went over and he waded in again. Continuing down the hill, I was very entertained by the signs they had telling you “9 out of 11 switchbacks”.

When Multnomah Falls initially came into view… WOW. Amazing. What a view. I went to take a picture, and someone offered to take it for me – so I got a pretty good Faith and Champ photo. He even looked at the camera. From there, the views kept getting better. We did a mini photo shoot on a bench (and then someone else took a picture for us there, too). The further down you got, to a certain point – more and more waterfall coming into view. Another stop for a family who wanted to say “Hi” to Champ, and the dad wants to get a border collie sometime soon. The son wants a border collie or a chihuahua, but the latter was vetoed.

Eventually we achieved the bottom. Much busier. There is a shop and such, which we skipped. There is a walking trail along the path of the road, which we took to get back to the parking lot.

Side – a couple we passed that had been going up, passed us coming back down. I commented “that was quick”, they had a tubing trip they had to get back for. Keep that in mind! Should go tubing in the area!

Back in the car, we headed towards Sandy River Delta. Made one stop for a view on the way, otherwise straight through. We got there, and it was an all off leash allowed park. Champ and I got on the paths. Very dusty. I aimed us for the sandy river. When we got there, one other dog and two people – one with the dog, one looking for pretty rocks (I talked to her a little). It was cool – the river was very shallow, so Champ could actually walk pretty far in. Which also meant, he could chase swallows very far in. Champ started continuously barking and chasing swallows, running through the water. Ignoring anything I said, or partially listening to me but then getting distracted when a swallow swooped in. Champ kept getting further away, as that was where the swallows led him. Chasing swallows through the water meant Champ stayed cool and could drink water as needed, breaks unnecessary. I walked in (shoes on) after him. Turns out the ground was very nice sand, so should have taken the sneakers off – but I hadn’t wanted to be hindered if I needed to run and it was rocky. Eventually, after many moons (I mean minutes), I got Champ closer. Literally by hiding, waiting, waiting, waiting, checking on him, re-hiding, success! Lost him again! Successful come from close by! Then I just let him chase swallows in a limited area, cutting him off if he tried to go past my invisible mental line and redirecting him to swallows behind him. This went well, and I was happy because the chasing included listening.

Evil (sensible) Faith cut the swallow chasing off, so Champ wouldn’t hurt himself. Plus we’d done a lot the day before, so today was supposed to be a sore day with less walking… missed that boat. We headed back, seeing some other dogs on the way. Into the car, and on to Seattle! Later than anticipated, 6pm ETA.

In Seattle, paid $7 to park for 1.5 hours in Capitol Hill. Boo. Went and met up with Caroline (yay!!). Champ got introduced to Matt, to make sure he was comfortable with the dog. Success. Then Caroline and I headed to dinner. Mexican – carne asada tacos were meh. Meat too cooked and flavoring totally dependent on the sauce. The starter they brought out first though was great! Conversation was also good. Caroline needed to head out to a class at 7:15, and I’d timed my parking accordingly. So after dinner I showed off my car to her, and then I went to meet up with Dave… at his ultimate frisbee game! I even got to play a few points (did not impact the game). One person on the team makes up the cheers – it was amazing. A whole song, lyrics rewritten extremely well. It was fun to play a bit, and afterwards the team went out to a bar. No outside space, but it was late so Champ stayed in the car and I didn’t need to worry about overheating. I got more food (the tacos were small), a burger with fries and a cider. The menu just said “Cider” and did not list the type. I don’t remember how good it was – I think not something I’d go out of my way for, but drinkable.

During dinner, discussed Banff a bit, and was told Jasper was worth visiting – less popular and nicer. Sounds good to me! Various other discussions, including about dogs and hiking. Probably left about 10? Headed back to Dave’s house, where I went to the wrong block of the street (it was offset, in my defense!) and couldn’t find his house initially. Figured it out... Brought some stuff in, left Champ, went back out and moved the car and got the rest of the stuff. Dave and I caught up and talked Banff a bit (since he was going to meet me there, potentially) while setting up the converted couch bed. An “uncomfortable couch, but a good bed” – I didn’t test the couch, but the bed was solid. Used the a/c to cool the room down initially (worked so quickly!), and then opened the windows. Stayed up a little longer to shut down the entries for the herding trial in PA (update the website). I had some trouble sleeping because some homeless people were outside shouting for a while (homeless is an assumption here), and with the window open the sound came through. Not bad though.

Woke up and Champ was meeehhh sleep more please. So I stayed cozy and did puzzles on my phone. Headed up a little after 7am. Talked to Kathryn for a short bit, and then Champ and I drove off to try for a hike. We had directions in, and ended up avoiding the highway for some beautiful backroads. Ended up exactly where Kate had suggested parking, semi-accidentally, and it was perfect. Hopped on the trails, not quite all Wildwood. There was a whole spattering of them. We did the Redwood side trail, and got to an overlook for redwood trees. Soon after found Wildwood, and meant to go “up” to Pittock mansion first, and then end at the rose garden – but not looking at the map, I went turned the other direction. For note, this was mostly running. Champ off leash a decent amount of the time, very few other people.

Once I realized we were headed toward the rose garden instead of Pittock, no worries. Carried on. There was a really cool tree (pictured), and the whole trail was beautiful. Nearing the official garden areas we leashed up. At the tennis courts, we stopped running and walked. It was really cool! Roses were planted all around the courts. Champ was more interested in the tennis itself, of course. Then we went down into the gardens themselves. They had “fragrant” labels on some of the rows – some fragrances I liked, some I did not. Roald Dahl might have been my favorite, because… that is the sign I have a picture of.

Exiting the garden, took a water break – no creeks for Champ to jump in, the main flaw of this trail. Briefly left my phone on the picnic table, but realized within 20 feet. Carry on running! This time we mostly stayed on wildwood trail, until we achieved Pittock Mansion. More people were on the trail, so more on leash time. Champ was clearly getting tired as we neared the top, and so was I. Happily, Pittock had a water bowl for dogs! We stopped and walked in the area, and went to see the views. More roses in the gardens, very nice.

Started back up running as we headed thankfully downhill. Not all, but at least most of it. We switched over to White Pine trail for the final section, a little variety on the way back. Champ found a mud pit that was close enough to a creek when you are 4+ miles into a run, and lay down in it… yay... It was warming up, but we were close. About 5 miles total run by the time our tired selves got back to the car.

Time to get some chores done! I headed to get an oil change. Smart that you drive up and there is an open area under the car people work in, instead of having to raise the car or lie down underneath it. Also got a radiator fluid top up. Then I pulled into a parking spot and talked to Robert for an hour, before going on to the car wash. For some reason, car washes seem to fail on the back side of the van. Very annoying. But much cleaner, and after waiting for a vacuum spot, getting a broken vacuum, and switching to a better spot – the interior also looked much better. I dumped some but not all of the trash I had accumulated.

Basically went back to the oil change place for a poke bowl lunch. Took it to go, and then went back to Kathryn’s. Taking my food, snacks for Champ, and water – we walked down the path by the parking spot looking for a place to sit and eat. First pond was a bit sunny, but we got to a nice wooded spot with a pond in front of us, just off the path. I let Champ wander a bit, and ate. He came back shortly looking for food, which – I provided. Getting tired, headed back towards the car. Kathryn texted she’d be back about 3:30, and that if I went a little past where we’d stopped for lunch on that trail, I’d find a park. First, though – rest. Went in the car and took a short nap. Also talked to a lady who parked and got out with her dog, coming back from the woods within just a few minutes. She was just letting the dog (doodle with a green Hawaiian tee on) pee there, after a trip. Had recommendations for me though! Go to “the gorge”, even if the main waterfall is too crowded there were trails all back there good for hiking. Also she recommended Sandy River Delta, great for dogs running around. I noted these down.

Grabbed my computer and training treats, and we headed to find the park Kathryn told us about. It was maybe a minute beyond our lunch spot. Just a green field, some trees in one corner, and a playground. Did some running around with Champ, and scattered treats for him, before trying to write a bit. Didn’t do a great job on the writing, but got a little bit in. Kathryn joined when after she got back, and we chatted and played with Champ for a while.

Got back to the house about 5:40 and were discussing dinner, when Kathryn recalled that the first Monday of the month was free pizza at running club, and also shoe demos! Starting at 6pm. I was mostly ready, since I hadn’t showered yet from the morning run, just changed shirts and found new socks. Kathryn changed and we went to my car and drove, arriving close to timely. Good enough, since we got the shoe demo, were in the picture, and had time to vote on pizza choices. I was a little behind getting ready, so when the 3 mile run began I still had a quick car stop to make, and setting up my running pack with water in case Champ needed it. We didn’t stay behind long though, between a red light and Champ’s competitiveness we went right to the front. Champ was high pitch excited barking with the people were running next to and ahead of us, so … in the front or sad ear drums. I wasn’t sure of the route, so we checked in with the leaders a few times. I tried to stop and let Champ have water, but his interest level was low and dropped to zero once someone passed us. Around mile 2-2.5, a creek looked accessible! I let Champ off to go enjoy, and he came out very happy. Off again at very fast, since a couple people including Kate had passed and Champ was on it.

Got back to the running store, average about 8:15 minutes per mile “moving time”, according to Strava. Turns out one guy was far ahead of us, enough we never spotted him (thank goodness, didn’t need to attempt any faster). Pizza hadn’t arrived yet. I traded out my shoes, and chatted with various people. Discovered Kate does triathlons, which is awesome. I really need to try one someday. Maybe practice my swimming and speed biking a bit.

Pizza, talking, more pizza, picture with pizza, Champ eating food – I brought his real food out and put a meatball on it when we ate, so he’d have some healthy stuff on top of the pizza scraps. Well behaved cute fast running dog, popular as always. Someone came up to me talking about his dog, who I think was also a border collie? Or maybe an Aussie that looked like Champ. We drove back, Kate running back (had also run too). I parked, and Kathryn waited while I grabbed changes of clothes and everything I would need for a final house trip before bed. Champ came with and hung out on the porch while I showered. Kate had some stuff to do, but Kathryn and I chatted and played a few rounds of bananagrams before turning in for the night.

I was the only car in the mini lot this time, so no side protection with the windows partly down. But we still had no issues.