Adventure (Sans Dog) Tuesday: Split Rock Lighthouse State Park

Hello, World!

Well, today, I hate to say it, but....

Bosses ditched me for this trip. :(  You know why?  I wasn't even born yet!

The "morning coffee" spot!

This was Bosses' camping trip from Labor Day weekend, 2013.  I was merely a breeder dog, still in Momma's tummy.  Bosses went up there and camped in the campground right down the hill from the famous lighthouse there.  This place is a little less than an hour up Scenic Highway 61 from Duluth, MN.  It's right along Lake Superior, and Bosses gotta say: it's one of their favorite state parks so far.  I really wish I were with the Bosses for this trip, but alas, there was no physical way that I could be there.  However, Bosses DID say that I did really well in the tent last time and will *maybe* take me there next time! :)

Look at the fog coming off the lake.

So....this is what I have to look forward to:

Beautiful morning out at the "coffee spot"

This campground is all either cart-in/backpack-in/kayak-in campsites.  Bosses like these campsites, because there are no loud motors from either cars or RV's.  It's a little ways off the path from the parking lot, so it's desolate, quiet, and sooooo scenic.  Bosses had to cart their stuff in about 100 feet or so to get to their campsite.  So....not terrible.

View from the campsite in the morning.

The campsites themselves are very spaced apart, which is also nice.  They were at a different campsite for a night on the way to Duluth, and you could practically reach outside of the tent and touch the other campsite's fire ring.  Well, not quite that close, but Mom unzipped the side of her tent, got out, and BAM there was the neighbor like right there, and he waved and said "good morning" while making his coffee.  Definitely not something they're used to!  But....Mom/Dad are friendly people so they made small talk.  Anywho, I digress.  Desolate campsites!

Hot coffee and eggs are ALWAYS on the menu when we camp- even I get a nibble most times!

Mom, Dad, and I all manage to fit in this 2-person "extra-long" backpacking tent.  Impressive, eh?

Waking up to serene and stunning nature was really easy for them here.  While it was brisk in the mornings in September there, they could walk to the rocky shoreline and have their morning coffee.  It was about 50 feet away, and there was a nice log to sit on.  Is there possibly a better place to sit and enjoy a morning?!  Bosses don't think so.

The log the Bosses sat on at their "coffee spot"

There were tons of hiking opportunities, which Mom says I would absolutely love!!!  The trails were lined with fresh, wild raspberries, so getting a snack on the trail was as easy as plucking them off the plants.  Beautiful overlooks, a lighthouse you can tour (no dogs allowed inside though, grrr), a little market on the weekends at the lighthouse where you can buy local things, and even access to the Superior Hiking Trail, if Mom remembers correctly.  It was splendid.

Split Rock Lighthouse.

Really loud horns up at the lighthouse.  Wooooo wooooo!

So, when are we going to take a trip there?! Mom says next year when the weather is nice, they'll book a spot.  Mom says they already have a site booked for us for Labor Day weekend - the best cart-in site at Tettegouche State Park (coming to a blog near you very soon).  So, this park is going to be in our near future! :) It's dog-friendly.  2 paws and 2 thumbs up! :)

View from the lighthouse.

Lake Superior was surprisingly calm when Bosses went up there.

It's a long way down if you somehow fall over the super tall fence!

View from the hiking trail along the lake.  How gorgeous is this?!

View from the lake.  It was beautiful! (The water's chilly, though.  Tons of dogs are usually out here!)

Beautiful day for a hike.  I should've grown up quicker so I could've come along!

Beautiful hiking trail lined with birch trees.

Mom and Dad are those little shadows!  What a nice beach to play fetch on.  Next time!!!

Look at all those trees.

Little creeks flow everywhere along the hiking trail.

Settlers once used this place as a gathering place, and built this cool fireplace!

The beauty of fall up on the North Shore is unsurpassable.  It takes our breath away every time! <3

This post is part of the Adventure Dog blog hop, hosted by DOGthusiast and Tiffany's Diamond Dogs every Tuesday.

#AdventureDogChat Tuesday: Cascade River State Park

Heya, Fans!

Welcome to my second Adventure Dog Blog Hop post!  I'm so glad you liked my first one, and I hope to do plenty more where it came from.  Bosses and I practically live outside whenever possible, and it usually involves exploring and adventuring in the great outdoors.   Well, enough with my blabbering, onto some sweet pictures and details!

Our little tent for the three of us :)

My first weekend adventure was in June 2014.  We went Up North the Friday night after work, and set up our camp.  I was pretty excited!

Gorgeous wooded trails we hiked on.  Look at all those sticks! ;-)

The first night, Bosses and I slept in the tent.  Little did we know that a thunderstorm would roll in around 4am.  I wasn't a huge fan of the heavy rain, nor the flashes and cracks of lightning/thunder, so I panicked.  I started pawing at the screen, and poked a little hole in it.  Oops.  Boss fixed it, though.  Whew.

Wouldn't that be a nice spot to sit and relax for a while?

It was VERY foggy when we were up there.  No one out on Superior today!

The next morning, we got up, had our breakfast and coffee over the camping stove, and then decided what to do.  The weather was nasty- 50 degrees predicted as the high temp, with VERY dense fog.  We held off our morning hike for the afternoon, and drove the 15-20 minutes into Grand Marais, Minnesota. *We usually never leave the campsite, but Big Boss had never been to Grand Marais before, so we left.*

Big Boss and I going on a walk along Lake Superior- we looked for the perfect skipping rocks for him!

In Grand Marais, there was a wooden canoe festival, along with a little farmer's market.  We walked around the town, skipped some rocks into the lake, shopped, ate pizza at Sven & Ole's, and took our time.  There was still heavy fog in Grand Marais, but at least we were enjoying ourselves.  We had our fill of Grand Marais, so we packed in the car and headed back to our campsite after the lunch hour.

Hiking and looking at Lake Superior.

Whew! I LOVE HIKING!!!!!

This was our overlook spot.

Once we got back, we strapped our hiking boots on (I don't have hiking boots....) and went on our afternoon hike.  It was soooo muddy.  I loved it, but Bosses never like all the things that I like.  So, we sloshed our way up a trail which fed into the Superior Hiking Trail.  We went onto that, and got to the overlook of a "mountain" (which for Minnesota, looks like a mountain).  We got there, and it was so foggy, we couldn't see anything. :-(  So much for a scenic overlook!  Drat!  The other scenery we saw made up for it in the "gorgeous factor".  Very pretty.

Bosses loved looking at the cascades.

We crossed this bridge.  And promptly jumped in the creek.  And by we, I meant me. :)

YESSSS! FREE TO JUMP IN THE WATER! Shoveling it onto shore is my specialty!

We went back to our campsite, had dinner, a nice campfire, and went to bed; this time, I got the "presidential suite", aka the car.  It was a nice night to sleep there! We went on one more hike in the morning, and then packed up the campsite and went home.  It was pretty fun in all!  Bosses and I recommend Cascade River State Park.  It was secluded, quiet, and had many trails and activities to keep you busy during the day!  4 thumbs and 4 paws up! :)

We love visiting the North Shore for great camping and hiking!

This post is part of the Adventure Dog blog hop, hosted by DOGthusiast and Tiffany's Diamond Dogs every Tuesday.

My FIRST Adventure Dog Blog Hop Post! #AdventureDogChat

Good Morning, Fans!

I just HAVE to tell you about my outdoorsy adventure this past weekend.  I had SOOO much fun.  Life is always an adventure!

We left for our campsite on Friday afternoon after the Bosses came back from work.  All they said was "ready to GO?" and BAM! I was ready to go.  I love the word "GO".  Makes my floppy ears get so perky.

The three amigos, at it again!

Willie and I sitting by the water spigot.  Naturally. :)

So, we got in the car, and as much as I love the phrase "CAR RIDE", I really don't enjoy the whole process of the car ride itself.  It makes me all...drooly.  It also makes the Bosses so...whiny.  I digress.

Sitting pretty for T-R-E-A-T-S!

We got there, and it was a HUGE campsite.  One of the campsite Bosses reserved the group campsite, which was for 55 people!  Well, between furry friends and Bosses, we only had about 12.  But, more room to sprawl out!  And play, of course!

The other two dogs with us napped most of the time.

We got to have dinner and a bonfire on Friday night with Bosses and pups.  Lots of food, lots of fire, and lots of hands to pet me.  Yay.  However, once we packed up our s'mores materials and headed to the tent, a huge thunderstorm rolled in and lasted from 11:00pm until about 3:30am.  I was pretty scared- but Small Boss hugged and petted me most of the time, telling me I was a "good girl" for laying down and staying calm.  Whew, I did it!

I'm SMOTHERED in mud. I love it!

On Saturday morning, we had breakfast, some water, Bosses ate some of their food, and we went out for a day of adventure in the state park.  They called this place "Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park", which is located in Southeastern Minnesota, near the Minnesota/Iowa border.  There was a HUGE cave at the park, but they didn't let dogs in, so we didn't go.  Instead, we went on an afternoon hike out to a scenic overlook.  Little did we know what was in store for us- it was primarily a horse trail.  Most of you do not know that my Big Boss is deathly allergic to horses.  Do not fret- I barked the horses away.  No, they didn't just trot past me- I definitely drove them away with my barking.  Or at least just keep telling me that.

Jax and I LOVE licking Big Boss's hands- so tasty!

I love to hike, and Bosses say that I do all the work since I love to pull the entire way.  I sure pulled!  I even pulled Small Boss down a rock hill, which resulted in her falling on her tush and breaking her camera lens.  She should be less clumsy, really!  All I wanted to do was stick my paws in the creek 15 feet ahead!  Geesh, Bosses.

I walked across this bridge.  And got in the water, duh!

I love jumping in the river!  Or just water in general.

I did so many fun things on Saturday that I HAD to take a nap.  I may be an energetic, adolescent puppy, but there is nothing more refreshing than a nap.  We had more dinner, but thank goodness we ate early- another dark cloud moved in, more severe than the previous night.  We had to run to a more established shelter in the park and wait it out for a few hours.  Bosses said they had no idea how bad it was going to get, since they didn't have cell phone or radio signal in the forest.  Thank goodness the weather let up.  We also met some kind neighborly folk who also seeked refuge in the shelter.  They liked to pet me, so I was pretty happy.

Sunday, we mainly rested.  Bosses didn't sleep much this weekend due to all the storms, and I was pretty tired from playing and worrying about storms as well, so we slept a lot.  We woke up, and took our time building a fire, making breakfast, and all the fun things that happen in the morning hours when camping.  The puppy friends and I managed to get lots of running out by chasing fetched balls and using the perimeter of the field as a "race track".  It was fun!  And boy, can a Golden/Whippet/etc. mix and a Sheltie puppy run WAY faster than me.......yikes.  After we packed up our sopping wet tent and things, we hopped in the car to head home.  Whew!  What a weekend!

Pretty fall Sumac in our campsite.

Willie will do anything for Bosses' treats!

Pretty trees we saw on our hike.  Yay for fall!

Bosses woke me up and told me I was home.  I sauntered into the house, found my favorite carpet spot in the hallway and plopped down for the night.  It's tough being a puppy!  But I love the adventure so much, the multi-day nap to recover is sooo worth it.

Woof-da!  Giving a big smile at the top!

Boss saw this on our hike.  So pretty.

I'm so glad that I have had the opportunity to do my first blog hop today- with the Adventure Dog Blog hosts, DOGthusiast and Tiffany's Diamond Dogs!  So, thank you all!  I hope you loved hearing about my weekend outdoor adventure, and trust me, this isn't the last outdoor adventure you'll hear about from me!

The overlook into the river valley is just gorgeous.

This post is part of the Adventure Dog blog hop, hosted by DOGthusiast and Tiffany's Diamond Dogs every Tuesday.