Typist: Bethany
The sleep at Lake Kegonsa State Park in Wisconsin was short but good. Unfortunately, upon morning greetings with the dogs, I found a lump on Brychwyn's head that was yet another attached (but dying) tick. I also noticed Wilhelm chewing at his foot and found an attached tick there too. Arg! We had finally crawled into the tent at midnight, after a brief walk just around our mowed campsite. I am doing my best to avoid and find ticks but I think I now understand why all of the dogs we have seen these last few days have been very short haired breeds like weimaraners and German short haired pinchers. I am determined to get the hang of this tick thing. This region is beautiful, lot's of dogs live and thrive here, I just need to get used to sharing the trails with these bugs and help the dogs healthily cope.
This forest in Wisconsin sounded like a jungle! There were so many singing birds and croaking frogs that I could not specifically identify any one call. It was just a wonderful symphony of North American forest sounds. Obviously, all of the commotion outside the tent, made the dogs want out into it as early as possible. I agreed and we pleasantly shared the entire hike with all the singing, early rising forest critters, passing only one person and his very short haired dog. I knew in my research, that there was a pet friendly beach on Lake Kegonsa. Because the Nomad who knows how to read often does not do so before her coffee, it took us a while to follow the signs to the pet friendly beach. A hike is a hike, though, no matter where it lands us and we had a lovely time.
The sleep at Lake Kegonsa State Park in Wisconsin was short but good. Unfortunately, upon morning greetings with the dogs, I found a lump on Brychwyn's head that was yet another attached (but dying) tick. I also noticed Wilhelm chewing at his foot and found an attached tick there too. Arg! We had finally crawled into the tent at midnight, after a brief walk just around our mowed campsite. I am doing my best to avoid and find ticks but I think I now understand why all of the dogs we have seen these last few days have been very short haired breeds like weimaraners and German short haired pinchers. I am determined to get the hang of this tick thing. This region is beautiful, lot's of dogs live and thrive here, I just need to get used to sharing the trails with these bugs and help the dogs healthily cope.
This forest in Wisconsin sounded like a jungle! There were so many singing birds and croaking frogs that I could not specifically identify any one call. It was just a wonderful symphony of North American forest sounds. Obviously, all of the commotion outside the tent, made the dogs want out into it as early as possible. I agreed and we pleasantly shared the entire hike with all the singing, early rising forest critters, passing only one person and his very short haired dog. I knew in my research, that there was a pet friendly beach on Lake Kegonsa. Because the Nomad who knows how to read often does not do so before her coffee, it took us a while to follow the signs to the pet friendly beach. A hike is a hike, though, no matter where it lands us and we had a lovely time.
Cascadian Nomads at our Lake Kegonsa State Park campsite, Wisconsin
Trail to Lake Kegonsa
Wisconsin's scenic mix of fields and deciduous forests
We found Lake Kegonsa but this is obviously the wrong beach for us
Finally on the pet trail at Lake Kegonsa State Park
Hooray for the pet beach! A great spot for sniffing, rolling and wrestling ('R' Blood on the tracks Boys aren't really swimmers but it would be good for that too!)
The dock on the pet beach at Lake Kegonsa State Park, Wisconsin
The pet friendly area of the park included a forest that wound through forest and field, with plenty of barbeque pits and picnic tables near the pet beach so families with pets (on leashes unless in the water) can spend the day at the lake. We only got a taste of the trail system at Lake Kegonsa State Park. All of the trails are pet friendly and it would have been nice to have had time to hike more but we had one more long day of driving ahead of us. Before we left, we had another tick search and I am pleased to report that we had no more attached ticks!
Day five drive from Kegonsa State Park, Wisconsin to Columbus, Ohio: 493 miles
We didn't get to see much of Illinois since it was hazy and there was a lot of construction along our route. I considered stopping at one of their interstate oasis's but it never looked like there was enough shaded parking for a van full of dogs to rest. We'll be back in Illinois on our return trip and plan to spend a bit more time in this state. So our next stop on our day five, four state tour was at a shady rest stop in a very green Indiana.
Indiana
One more state to visit today; on to Ohio!
We arrived in Columbus, Ohio just before sunset. This stop was not at a campground, but a visit with a friend. We walked around our friends neighborhood which was not as much physical exercise as we have been getting on evening park hikes, but it was a lot of mental stimulation. There were people and dogs and cars and so much to sniff and enjoy. After this walk, the dogs were content to play and wrestle a bit inside of a house and lay on the carpet and chew. It was nice for them to be safely un-crated and off-leash. After being on the road for five days and nights, staying in a tent, this visit was a nice change of pace for all of the Cascadian Nomads. Plus, we only have a short drive until we reach our destination in New York. So exciting!
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 in the road, it will be difficult for us to respond right away. Thanks for understanding and for coming along on this great adventure.
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