June 30, 2019 – Heritage Farm Ice Cream and Restaurant – Massachusetts

Today Shadow, Wilma, and I Adventured to Heritage Farm Ice Cream and Restaurant in Lowell, Massachusetts. Heritage Farm has homemade ice cream, burgers, and sandwiches. It was established in 1976 by the current owners, however previous to that date it was an ice cream shop as well. Heritage Farms is known for sponsoring free entertainment, for their Classic Car show, and for being a contributing member of the community.

We had a refreshing Adventure to the Heritage Farm Ice Cream and Restaurant. I started the weekend feeling quite frustrated, again having car issues which forced me to cancel our weekend Adventures. However, I decided to risk a somewhat local stop providing some variety to our daily neighborhood walks and backyard fun.

We definitely appreciated our visit to Heritage Farms, which had a vintage, and patriotic vibe. I quickly ordered two dog ice creams, and decided on an orange sherbert cooler for me. Only one size available for my cooler creating an extra-large experience, but of course I did not have any problem sipping it down. The Farm was very quiet, so we were able to sit for a bit and enjoy our tasty treats. There was a cute little merry go around for the little ones, and some mechanical cars for riding. The “Farm” was nicely decorated, with white petunias, american flags, and colors preparing for this July 4th week. I would have preferred the “Farm” to be away from the main drag, however, a bit unrealistic in an urban setting like Lowell. A unique stop, and although the ice cream was quite pricey, the taste was well worth the cost. If we are ever in the area again, we might just visit have round to at Heritage Farm Ice Cream and Restaurant (Rating: Ice cream: 5, Outdoor Restaurant: 4, Location: 3).

Other Tidbits, Fun, and News

I am excited to let you know that I have added a White Mountain section to my Menu. This will include all of the White Mountains Adventures that we have had. Our Adventures to the White Mountains will also be in the New Hampshire section, and if they involve a waterfall they will also be included in the waterfall section. In addition, if one of my Weekly Video/Photo’s was from the White Mountains you will see them in this section as well.

We have had many Adventures to the White Mountains and this will help those looking to visit that area specifically to have lots of great dog friendly ideas! And if you are not a dog person you still can get many fantastic, and gorgeous ideas of one of the most amazing spots in New England!

So excited for this new feature! Enjoy!

Throwback Adventure – West Dummerston Covered Bridge – Vermont

I will have sections of my blog that I will title “Throwback Adventure”, and will plan on posting them every Thursday. These are journeys we have taken before I started the blog, but are well worth sharing. Many of these Throwback Adventures will include our Buster, who was known for his crazy tail, his happy howl, and his zest for life. We miss him dearly…he is forever in our hearts!

In August 2017 Shadow, Wilma, and I Adventured to the West Dummerston Covered Bridge in Dummerston, Vermont. The West Dummerston Covered Bridge was built in 1872, later being restored in 1998. It spans the West River and is the longest covered bridge in Vermont.

We had a fantastic Adventure to the West Dummerston Covered Bridge. Wilma had joined our lives just a month previous to this trip, and it was her first day exploring Vermont. We enjoyed the beach area below his scenic bridge, resting, digging, posing, and relaxing. Apparently I was more interested in taking selfies versus photographs of scenery, but you still get a picture of the West Dummerston Covered Bridge. Pleased to enjoy this location to ourselves we took our time taking in a lovely New England Bridge.

Weekly Video/Photo

If you regularly follow my blog, and the weekly/video photo I would recommend skipping on to paragraph three, specific to this week’s video/photo. I have decided to add a weekly video/photo section to my blog. This blog will display a video or photo, usually highlighting an Adventure, while I might also sneak in some that are humorous, adorable, or just other fun dog moments.

So if you have followed my blog from the beginning you will know that I adopted Shadow as a puppy, and about a year later adopted Buster as a puppy. We had many wonderful years together before experiencing the devastating loss of Buster at just seven. It took a long time for our hearts to heal, but almost a year later we welcomed little Wilma into our world.

Today’s feature is a photograph of Shadow and Wilma, I believe in the Fall of 2017, as Wilma is still a small puppy! This photograph was taken at one of my favorite local parks, which I have yet to blog about. I find it a perfect representation of our Adventures as both Shadow and Wilma are posing, somewhat synchronize, on a lovely bridge surrounded by the gorgeous Fall. Our absolute favorite time of year!

Glad to share this Weekly Photo today…

Fall

June 24, 2019 – White Mountains – New Hampshire

Today Shadow, Wilma, and I Adventured to the White Mountains in New Hampshire. The White Mountains cover one quarter of the state of New Hampshire, and actually run into a small part of Maine. The mountains are popular for hiking, skiing, and Fall foliage seekers.

So I usually do not post about locations I have blogged about previously, however I could not resist sharing today’s Adventure in the White Mountains, one of my absolute FAVORITE spots to explore. Today our Adventure involved locations we have ventured to before, including: The Basin, The Basin-Cascades Trail, the Pemi Trail, and Echo Lake. Although we have been to these spots previously they NEVER disappoint. From the fresh-clean-clear water, to the waterfalls, to the rushing Brook, to lakes surrounded by spectacular mountain views, it is a genuinely natural experience.

We began today’s Adventure noticing that one of the trails was closed, quite disappointing. We took the time to explore different paths, leading us in and out the gorgeous River and cascades. We walked around for awhile before finding a sandy spot to sit in the sun and relax. From there I figured I would try one more direction to locate the Basin-Cascade Trail, and I was thrilled to find a pathway to this Trail, one of my favorites. The Basin Cascades Trail, slowly ascends with lots of roots and mud along the path. Throughout this trail there are many spots to walk over to the Cascade Brook, whether it be an official waterfall, or just gorgeous water flowing with spectacular views. Many of the time you could choose to climb up the rocks along the water before veering back to the trail. We found a cave like area after walking through the water and hung out for awhile, just perfect.

There were lots of water features to explore along the way and we did our best to visit every one. My favorite one was Kinsman Falls, a taller falls then many of the others along this trail. We made a steep hike down to get a bit closer for of course some selfies, pictures, and rock climbing. Shadow seemed a bit disappointed that he could not climb up-high, but enjoyed some sips while I got a little closer with Wilma. Just a spectacular site. We cautiously climbed back up to the Trail above the falls before continuing along the trail. Much of our time today was spent on the Basin-Cascade Trail. So beautiful and peaceful.

After spending almost four hours at this first location we drove to Echo Lake to make sure Shadow could get in an official mountain-lake swim before heading back home.

Some of my most memorable moments of the day included: watching Shadow enjoy constant fresh water swims, hearing the sounds of rushing water, finding a little cave area to relax, walking through the rushing water to get to desired locations, and the visual beauty of these special locations. I continually am impressed at eleven-year-old Shadow’s endurance, and appreciated seeing my recent training work with two-year-old Wilma in action today. I cannot put into words what these two amazing pups mean to me! The best company I could ask for!

If you would like to read more about our past visits to Echo Lake (Fraconia Notch State Park) and The Basin please search for them in the “search box” for more information on this Adventure. (On a mobile phone you can find this at the very bottom of the page, and on the computer you can find it to the right of the blog.)

A beautiful Adventure today in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, not a doubt we will be back (Rating: 5).

Throwback Adventure – West Columbia Riverfront – South Carolina

In September 2012 Shadow, Buster, and I Adventured to the West Columbia Riverfront in Columbia, South Carolina. The West Columbia Riverfront Trail is a paved path along the Congaree River. It is approximately eight miles in length and is part of the Three River Greenway.

We had a beautiful Adventure to the West Columbia Riverfront Trail. It was really just a small part of our full Adventure as we were on our way to Massachusetts to relocate and start our lives as New Englanders. And although I grew up in Massachusetts, this was a completely new life for my boys who had been raised in tropical Tampa Florida. We had a spectacular journey to Massachusetts with the West Riverfront Trail being one of our early visits. I am not sure I was able to locate enough photographs, however feel I could capture a good summary of our hike. I remember loving this Trail location, along the River with gorgeous bridges, bright colored flowers, and a perfect trail to walk. We enjoyed a nice walk, and met several kind people along the way. I do not remember intricate details of this Adventure, yet remember recall enjoying the location, quite the scenic place to stretch our legs. If we are ever back in South Carolina we will have to Adventure again to the West Columbia Riverfront.

June 18, 2019 – Bear’s Den – Massachusetts

Yesterday Shadow, Wilma, and I Adventured to Bear’s Den in New Salem, Massachusetts. Bear’s Den includes a short trail to a scenic waterfall, a stream, a secluded gorge, and contains ruins of an old mill. The waterfall is a cascade falls, approximately twelve feet in height, and is sourced from the Swift River. The Reservation was given its’ name due to a black bear being shot on the property. Bear’s Den is owned and managed by the Trustees of Reservations.

We had a rainy Adventure to the Bear’s Den Reservation. We were quite thrilled to have a weekday Adventure as our three days off in the summer has begun! I expected the weather to become rainy, but we were determined to visit Bear’s Den, so we carried on! I was pleased to arrive at a small and empty parking lot. I had read there was hunting at this location so decided to adorn the pups in their bright orange armor! We headed down a green surrounded trail into the great outdoors. There was an informational kiosk a bit down the path with a map. Soon we heard the singing of the stream, and headed straight to the water. Shadow of course attempted a dip in the shallow water while Wilma found a fallen tree to climb, and a stick to chew. We took our time in this area walking around the shore, jumping on the rocks, and wandering around the mill remains.

The trails were not clear, however we followed the sounds and quickly located the waterfall from high above the gorge. We were pleased to find a path down to bottom of the gorge, and directly in front of the waterfall. The gorge area was spectacular, with caves in the rocks, lovely green, and the tall boulders surrounding us as we peered at the waterfall. The Falls had two main sections, separated by rocks in the middle. It was small, but yet just right. We relaxed for awhile taking in the scene. Both Shadow and Wilma spent some time sitting, while Wilma also enjoyed some rock jumps, and Shadow often could be found searching for the quickest path to the water. Wilma seemed a bit uneasy at times looking around cautiously, my mind repeatedly expecting a bear sighting Thankfully we did not see a bear!

Bear’s Den was a peaceful and special location. It was hard to capture the Falls in photographs, so I would encourage you to view the videos below. So glad we could Adventure to this location (Rating: 4).

Weekly Video/Photo

Today’s feature is a photograph of Buster and Shadow at Stanley Park, in Westfield Massachusetts. I love this photo of them standing synchronized in front of the covered bridge! We were quite impressed by the lovely Stanley Park, and had a wonderful visit. This photograph brings back lots of great memories of our Adventures with Shadow and Buster. We sure do miss our Buster!

If you want to read more about Stanley Park please search for Stanley Park in the “search box” for more information on this Adventure. (On a mobile phone you can find this at the very bottom of the page, and on the computer you can find it to the right of the blog.)

Enjoy!

June 15, 2019 – Swamp Meadow Bridge – Rhode Island

Yesterday Shadow, Wilma, My Mom, and I Adventured to Swamp Meadow Bridge in Foster, Rhode Island. Swamp Meadow Bridge crosses the Hemlock Brook, and is approximately thirty six feet in length. It is the only covered bridge on a public road in Rhode Island.

We had a fun Adventure to the Swamp Meadow Bridge. We found this bridge in the middle of a country road. Upon parking we could hear the babbling Hemlock Brook below. The bridge was simple, but yet appealing. There were diamond windows in the structure, highly placed. The location was bright green, with few other colors in site. We strolled through the bridge several times, pleased to find little traffic. It appeared that the more we wandered, the more I was drawn in by the charm of this little bridge. We were delighted to visit the Swamp Meadow covered bridge (Rating: 4)

June 15, 2019 – Yantic Falls – Connecticut

Today Shadow, Wilma, My Mom, and I Adventured to Yantic Falls in Norwich, Connecticut. Yantic Falls is approximately forty feet in height, and is sourced from the Yantic River. It falls from below a dam, and plunges into a gorge before entering the pool below. There is a walking bridge above the Falls. The Falls is famous for its’ history as a battleground of the Mohegan Indians back in the 1600s.

We had a spectacular Adventure to the Yantic Falls, our second stop on an afternoon of Adventures. I found myself quite frustrated as the Falls was very challenging to locate. However we persevered and eventually made it to this stunning Falls. Our journey began with a walk across the bridge above the Falls, viewing a train bridge to the right, and views of the dam and gorge to the left. We sauntered across the bridge, and down a small trail before climbing up to a small bridge above the railroad tracks. Finding ourselves on what appeared to be a private yard, we headed back across the walking bridge, taking in the sites and sounds of this spot.

After this little walk we headed over to the Falls, snapping many photos along the way. We soon found a trail that went down to the rocks, and into the gorge. Shadow continually hoped to dive into the water, but unfortunately there were no clear paths available for a swim. However, we enjoyed the view, and attempted many selfies before heading back up for yet another angle of the scenic falls. We relaxed a bit in the grass, while Shadow and Wilma ended our visit officially with some enthusiastic rolls. So glad we did not give up on finding this Yantic Falls, a beautiful waterfall (Rating: 4).