Typist: Bethany
We woke to a much dryer Warren Dunes State Park on the Eastern shores of Lake Michigan last Tuesday morning. Since being rained out of setting up the tent the night before, I liked not having to take the time to take down and load up our camp and enjoyed having time to do some dog grooming. 'R' Blood on the Tracks Boys probably disagree, but as soon as they were tidied up, we headed off to explore more of this large, dog friendly Michigan State Park.

The next part of our day was very special. We drove around Lake Michigan and met our friend Sugar the Golden Retriever for a personal tour of her neighborhood park. For those of you who have never met her and have only seen pictures, she really does smile like that all the time! Brychwyn and Huxley were very ramped up after our morning drive, so they were pretty high energy (which is a nice way of saying they were barky, jumpy and snappy) when we met up with mellow Sugar, but she was very kind to them anyways. After strolling around as a pack for a while, Brychwyn ended up giving her some very sweet kisses. Wilhelm was star struck and, while trying to play it cool, it was obvious he has a little crush on this smiling golden girl.

Sugar's park is wonderful! She showed us the stairs she runs to stay fit, her beach and the grass field she runs in. There were lot's of kids to watch, big trees to sniff and squirrels and birds the boys wished they could chase/herd. I so enjoyed that we woke up on the East side of Lake Michigan and now got to enjoy the West side. Such an adventure!

After this very exciting morning and afternoon around Lake Michigan, the beauty of driving over and along the Mississippi river to Wildcat Den State Park in Iowa was met with drowsy excitement. Since we were all pretty sleepy, I got the tent up right away. We then had a moonlit stroll around the campground, appreciating perhaps our last chance to chase a few lightning bugs, and headed off to bed. It will be good for us to be well rested for exploring this Iowa State Park and visiting the Mississippi river in the morning, especially before it is too warm for Cascadians to hike (which we have learned is over 75 degrees and any humidity.)

Typist: Bethany
Last week, 'R' Blood on the Tracks Boys and I bade farewell to a warm, sunny Monday in Western New York to begin our journey back to Cascadia. There was a lot of running, playing, chewing and a hike around the pond at my aunt's house, before we loaded up and drove all day to the shores of Lake Michigan. We arrived at Warren Dunes State Park near Sawyer, Michigan in the early evening. Since the dogs had patiently spent the whole day in the car, we parked in our campsite and headed to the dunes.

The trail from the campground to the dunes, the Mt. Randal trail, first goes past a huge dune called Tower Hill, which we, of course, decided to climb. Well, we tried to climb it. Between the very loose sand of the dune and the humidity that we Cascadians are not at all used to, we got about 3/4 of the way up, panted a lot (yes, all of us panted a lot) then we ran/slid down.

We followed the Mt. Randall Trail for what felt like forever (in the humidity that we are not used to) through what seemed like a tropical jungle (not just because of the humidity but because of the amazing trees and vines growing on the dunes.) When we finally caught sight of Lake Michigan, we sped up, quickly hiking out of the humid forest and onto the breezy, sunset lit beach.

With a lovely sunset, dramatic lightning strikes over the lake and a whole huge, dog friendly beach all to ourselves, we stayed until it was almost dark. I love storm watching and always feel so lucky to have dogs that don't mind the crackle of lightning or the boom of thunder. Since I had not planned on such a long excursion, I did not bring a torch, so we walked back to the campsite on the road. Those dark clouds that had made for an awesome sunset and some great storm watching, began to dump rain on us about half way back to the campground. As we trudged on through the down pour, I thought, "I have not yet set up the tent... If it stops raining long enough for me to set up the tent, it is a very small tent to share with three sandy and now very wet dogs... How do I make it work for us to sleep in the van and will the dogs mind more crate time?" Well, they answered my questions by happily hopping up into their crates and beginning to snore as soon as they finished their dinners while I sat in the drivers seat wondering if the rain would let up. I took their cue, grabbed a blanket, leaned the seat back and joined them in soggy slumber.

Typist: Bethany
Yesterday, the Cascadian Nomads completed a long drive East across the country from Seattle, Washington to Buffalo, New York. Some of the legs of this drive involved over eight hours in the car. So how do three very active dogs get enough exercise on such a journey?

The day before we left, the dogs had a long walk through a busy pedestrian neighborhood and a play date. I wanted to make sure they had plenty of mental and physical stimulation before our first 8 hour driving day. To beat Seattle traffic, we left the city very early, before breakfast and only took time to potty. So about 2 hours into the drive, we stopped for breakfast and some light exercise* (about a 20-30 minute walk through a busy pedestrian area.) We stopped again about four hours later for another 30 minute jaunt. This stop included some jogging and wrestling. When we arrived at our destination, we immediately went on a brisk 20 minute hike. The dogs were then tied at the campsite where they could see and sniff while camp was set-up. The day included one last 60 minute evening hike.

This first day on the road was ideal. Our plan, while traveling, is to go on at least a 60 minute hike in the morning before hitting the road, stop at least once for about 30 minutes of mental and physical stimulation and do another minimum 60 minute hike in the evening. But when traveling, as most travelers know, things don't always go as planned. So when fit dog time has to be cut short, you can still make the most of what little time you've got. Pick places to stop with a lot of new and exciting things to sniff. Unfortunately, these are usually not rest stops. If a rest stop is your only fit dog time option, make the most of it by walking briskly or jogging. Have some wrestle time, a tug or do some training practice. Saying hello to people you meet on your journey is also great mental and, obviously, social stimulation for a fit dog.

Even on non-ideal travel days, we made time for at least one long (about 60 minutes) or intense cardio traveling fit dog exercise session and one short fit dog excursion (at least 20 minutes.) One thing we have definitely discovered out here on the road is you get the most out of your traveling fit dog time with a good location. Beaches, be they at rivers or lakes, have definitely been our favorite places to sniff and play. Doing a hill climb in on your hike or adding in some jogging gets everyone's heart rate up and helps to wear out fit dogs for the remainder of a long drive.

Like all travel and exercise with your dog, you reap the benefits too! You will feel better and be more alert as you travel when you have exercised with your dog. And, what we think is the best part of all, you will see some new and amazing places you might not of had you left your dog at home. Safe travels, fit dogs!

*Heavy exercise after meals can contribute to bloat in some dogs. None of the Cascadian Nomads canines are prone to car sickness, but if your dog is, plan meals while traveling accordingly.
Always check with your veterinarian before traveling with your dog and before beginning or changing your dogs exercise routine.

Typist: Bethany
The Cascadian Nomads got a good nights sleep in Columbus, Ohio and headed out for the last leg of our trip to Buffalo, New York. It was warm and humid in Columbus but as we headed towards Lake Erie, temperatures dropped and the wind whipped off the lake. This was the first day of the trip I noticed all of the dogs thoroughly enjoying sniffing the breeze blowing in the car windows. 

I was tempted many times to stop especially when we caught sight of Lake Erie. There was no way to tell where the lake ended and the sky began. We will be back to the lake during our stay in New York, so we went on. What finally stopped us was when we crossed the border from Pennsylvania into New York. Not only was this a milestone worthy of a photograph, but we made with some friends as we walked.

We arrived at my aunt and uncle's house outside of Buffalo just before sunset. There was wrestling and playing and lot's of boisterous hello's. All of the Cascadian Nomads were proud to have made it all the way across the nation. Now we'll relax, visit with family and enjoy a bit of time in this lovely region. We hope you'll check in often for more stories of our adventures outside of Cascadia and join us for our return trip West in a couple of weeks.

Please forgive any & all rough spots in this post as it has been done on mobile from the road! We will be reading and enjoying your comments but, due to being on the road, it will be difficult for us to respond right away. Thanks for understanding and for coming along on this great adventure.