Shed construction move along doggies!

Ya I had to nip some butts to get them going,, but things are finally moving along on this shed construction. If it takes any longer there could be snow falling! Of course I do love snow :-).

I brought in the wood.

Summer is shedding time for trail dogs.

Everyone knows that trails dogs love to shed in the summer. Right now, I'm in the spirit of the season because I'm building a storage shed for Keweenaw Nordic Ski Club. It's the least I could do, since they take care of my favorite dog-friendly trails - Maasto Hiihto and Churning Rapids.

Yeah, this looks good.

Supervising is hard work! So I had to nap on the way home.....

Ball throwing: it's not just for kids!

Just the other day I bumped into the most friendly neighbor ever, Joe. He threw the ball for me many times, and I brought it back faithfully.

I'm ready!

The wind up gets me going.

That blur is me. I'm so fast.  You can see the ball in flight at the top center.

And just like that...it's back...

When will YOU come over to throw the ball for me???

Home sweet home

After our ride in Hayward, the pack stopped for lunch then set up camp at our favorite place in WI, Namekagon Camp Ground. I stayed there to guard the camper while the rest of the pack went for one more ride at Rock Lake, outside of Cable. That trail has no water for a trail dog to cool off in, so I wasn't too concerned about staying at camp.

Prior to swat-a-thon

What we hoped would be a relaxing evening at camp proved to be a swat-a-thon. The nasty mosquitoes were even harassing me! The rest of the pack donned long sleeves and pants plus bug nets. They were whining about how hot they were. I swam a few times so I was cool enough.

Peak swat-a-thon. You can see me rubbing my nose in the dirt to remove mosquitoes.

The next morning, we contemplated riding then either camping one more night or coming home after the ride, but in the end we were all so tired of getting bit up that we decided to break camp and head home. We took our lunch break at "O.J.'s Rest Stop", located on M-45 near the Ontanogon River. This was O.J.'s favorite place to stretch his legs on car trips with the pack.

O.J.   1989 - 2005

After lunch, it was just a short drive more and we were HOME! Wow is it nice to be back home.  I simply relaxed in the tall grass (It seems that it's been  warm and wet and here lately) and monitored the yard - a very important job.

Guess it's back to Keweenaw Trail Adventures for a while!

The pack was treated to a pleasant evening at a camp ground near Earl, WI, not too far from the CAMBA trails system (Chequamegon Area Mountain Bike Association). Someone had started a fire, so we sat around to eat peanuts and the pack had a beer and swatted mosquitoes. Summer has arrived!

Monday morning we were pleased that the rain had held off and the bugs had left, making for a pleasant breakfast and camp break-down. After the short drive to Hayward we arrived at the Fish Hatchery trail head and headed out for a steamy warm ride.

Ahhh! Refreshing.

The trilliums are coming out.

Luckily for me I cooled off in Mosquito Brook several times!

Life on the Aronson ranch.

On Friday, the excitement of ranching continued. Aronson's had a missing bull, and a mystery bull had also appeared with their cows. To top it off, one of their alfalfa fields had been accidentally sprayed with herbicide by a crop duster - whoops! Anyway, everyone was busy: Arly took charge of installing a new screen door on the house while I kept an eye on things. Sandy, Lynn, Ty, the folks, and border collies Mac and Jake headed out for a cattle drive which was to result in getting their bull into a trailer to bring back home.

My working cousins Mac & Jake.

Yee Haw! Cattle drive.

Catch and release?

Herb was guiding border collies Mac and Jake via 4-wheeler, Lynn was on her new mare, Charmaign provided lots of whoops and hollers, Ty flanked the herd on the right (out of this photo) with the pickup while Sandy filmed the drive.

That evening we all relaxed and grilled out at Lynn's place in Pukwana. I got to play with 4-leggeds Lexi and Heidi, and I especially had fun fetching over and over again for Hayes and Levi.

Where did that frisbee go??

Relaxing on top of Levi. He didn't mind, and I love kids!!

 The next evening the whole gang headed up to the Rinehart's ranch near Highmore. Arly's sister and Bro-in-law were having a party to celebrate the completion of a much needed new shop. Besides family and friends, most of Highmore must have showed up! We were treated to a fantastic pot-luck supper that kept growing as folks arrived, plus live music. There was dancing which was not caught on film. :(

Shop dance!

Sunday we bade everyone good-bye for now and hit the road for the north woods of WI. For the first time since we left WI, we were able to camp out!

Who turned on the heat??

Thursday the pack was amazed to feel the intense heat of the summer sun when they walked out of the cool of Kent's home. Wouldn't ya know, just on the day we can finally go for a ride on M Hill in Rapid City!

Rock-reinforced corner

The "M" of M Hill.

We had a great ride here despite the heat. It was fun to finally experience these trails built to IMBA standards over the past few years.

Luckily for me, the Rapid Creek at the bottom of the hill was rushing along, and I was able to cool off at the end of the ride. Snow dogs appreciate a little coolness!



After a stop for lunch, the pack headed further east to Chamberlain, S.D. where Arly's folks live. No, we did not stop at Wall Drug despite all the enticing billboards along the highway.

Being at the Aronson's farm is always an adventure for a trail dog; today was no exception. The 2 leggeds were talking about skunks lurking around the farm, and sure enough my new-found 4 legged pal Lexi soon located one. Next, Grandma grabbed her gun from the closet and made quick work of the skunk.

Who was that, Annie Oakley?

One less skunk living under the shed. Oh, but the stink!

Back in the Black Hills

The pack shared breakfast with Curt and Linda and bade those fine folks in Sheridan good-bye as they headed off to work (over-rated!) and we hopped back into the Bread Box to make our way east to the Black Hills. We took the scenic route to Gillette, WY and when near town viewed several coal mines at work.

BIG truck: (haul capacity may be 300 tons?)

Coal heading for the silos seen in the background. The silos then load into trains.

Retired bucket at the viewing area.

After driving around Gillette and then having lunch, we proceeded towards the Black Hills. Arly and Sandy remembered fondly how they had meet on a bike ride near Spearfish, just a few (19?) years ago. Soon the pack met up with our old ski buddy, Kent. Now that Kent has retired he's got lots more time for trail grooming, so he and Arly chewed the fat about that and rides. Later we all headed to the Centennial Trail for a great little hike in the woods.

Our turn around point on the Centennial Trail.

Old shelter, formerly used for logger's records.

Pole-aided stream crossing. No wet feet (wimps!)

We cooked supper and visited until late. Tomorrow, biking!

Wild West Adventures in Sheridan, Wy.

Wednesday morning the pack left Billings at a leisurely vacationing pace to head east and south to Sheridan, WY. We were pleased to find a robust, beautiful community at the edge of the Big Horn Mts. Downtown had many pieces of very nice artwork...

Even the trail dog appreciates art.

We met 2 legged friends Curt and Linda for lunch at a quaint local eating establishment. After a nice meal and visit, Curt gave us directions and a map for a hike up the Tongue River Canyon.

We made our way to the trail head and proceeded up the trail which followed the river, leading us up and up. This river gorge was spectacular, with towering rock above and rushing water below. This hike may have been the most breathtakingly beautiful we've ever been on.

After the hike, the pack headed back to Sheridan, then to Curt and Linda's where we got to meet many friendly 4-leggeds (although I wasn't quite sure about the cat!). We all had a great evening sharing good food and good company. Of course this included seeing the grooming sleds Curt had stored in his shed. Yes, we got to meet yet another groomer/skier!

Next stop - the Black Hills of South Dakota, specifically Sturgis, to visit another groomer/skier friend.