Photo by MN
Tonks! Lichen, giant rocks, and there was birch. It was almost like being in Sweden!
The first time we went to Minnesota was in 2014 – with just Griffin and Blaze. Now I’ve made the trip many times, with many different dogs. The initial trip was very stressful – I was worried about getting there in time for our appointments and getting back in time for lessons.
But now we’ve gone enough times I’ve lost count and I do most of my packing in the hour before we leave. Now I love traveling with my dogs and I do a better job of giving us a little extra time to enjoy the trip.
My dogs are great at traveling. They sleep for most of the drive and are happy whether we get out at a rest stop, nature area, or parking lot. This makes it easy to take them on trips and we don’t need too much planning. I keep a dog food bin in the car (for treats during regular outings), water, dishes, clean up bags, toys, etc. For interstate travel I am sure to keep rabies tags in the car in case we’re asked per state regulations -but it’s never come up.
Viktor
We got to see our favorite rest stop in Wisconsin. This one has a “scenic view” trail. But then there’s a branch off that it’s an older trail that goes way up the hill. The mystery trail was closed due to rain. We thought about going around the block (and we may have on past trips…) but I’m too much of a rule follower, so Viktor just sat sadly by the sign.
Photo by MN
Megan and I took the ‘puppies’ hiking on Sunday. They haven’t had a lot of walking together in general because we are either in places where they can be off leash running or we’re in urban areas where I don’t feel safe walking multiple dogs at once (in case off leash dogs approach). The dogs did really well with the hike – they actually looked tired by the end.
One of the most surprising things to me in Wisconsin and Minnesota is that state parks charge an entry fee. We were able to park just outside of one and venture slightly into one – limited by dog physical abilities with Megan’s physically challenged Gabby. Griffin loved this walk – he wanted to peek through the railings at the river and was very hopeful about checking it out. He’s so curious about the places we go – even as an adult dog.
Griffin leaving WI