Dog friendly hikes and exploring, mostly around New England. Our Adventures includes: waterfalls, the beach, conservation land, lighthouses, state parks, the woods, the mountains, statues, and castles.
Today Wilma, Gus, and I Adventured to the Harbor Connector Path, and some additional sections of the multi-use trail system in Salem, Massachusetts. The Harbor Connector Path is the location of the temporary “Sculpture Garden”.
We had a sunny Adventure to the Harbor Connector Path. Today I decided to do some local walks and exploring with this pathway being the only new location of the day. I accidentally found it and thought it looked like an interesting place to take a stroll. The path went along the water, marsh, through a park, and even by a beach. I was especially drawn to this walkway by the sculptures, such a fun feature. The trail was reasonably busy with runners, walkers, bikers, and dog walkers. It was a beautiful Fall day with the sun out and shining. So glad we could check out this Trail Network in Salem today (this blog will not be rated).
If you follow my blog regularly please skip down to paragraph three…
I have decided to make some changes to my Throwback section. This is partly because I have had the blog for about three years and each week I have posted an Adventure from before I started the blog. This has become more challenging between finding old photographs, and identifying the location. Although I will still be adding some here and and there I thought I would also use the Throwback Adventure to share past Adventures I have posted. I have new followers, and of course not every follower has been able to view all blogs. This Throwback blog will also allow me an opportunity to share special memories of my boys, Shadow and Buster who have passed. They began my life of wonderful adventures with my rescues, and will be furever in our hearts!!
Today’s Adventure is from three years ago at Winter Island Park in Salem, Massachusetts. I took this Adventure with Shadow and Wilma. We enjoyed playing on the beach, posing with the holiday decorations, wandering the trails, and exploring the Fort. Looking at this old blog I had a flashback of how Wilma always used to get down low waiting for Shadow to return if he was in the water or far away…always ready to pounce and play. Special memories of this pair! I will have to return to Winter Island at some point in the future. Below you will see two photo highlights, and you can also click below to see the full original blog.
On Thursday Wilma, Gus, and I Adventured to Devil’s Hopyard State Park in East Haddam, Connecticut. Devil’s Hopyard State Park is a 1,000-acre park that includes: hiking trails, a covered bridge, camping, picnic areas, and Chapman Falls. There are endless tales about the title of this park, but none have been verified.
We had a refreshing Adventure to Devil’s Hopyard State Park, one of our several Adventures of the day. I had been there once many years ago with Shadow and Wilma but have had difficulty gathering photographs from that day. I was pleased to arrive to find few visitors and off we went. We first arrived at Chapman Falls, just gorgeous. I do not recall it being so large and flowing, so I was quite pleased to see this lovely, roaring site. We enjoyed the area for some time before heading down the trail. From there we explored the pond, covered bridge, and various trails in the park. I was surprised to see some pleasant colors leftover from Fall. It was a perfect Autumn Day for a hike. So glad I could return to Devil’s Hopyard State Park and Chapman Falls today (Rating: 4).
If you follow my blog regularly please skip down to paragraph three…
I have decided to make some changes to my Throwback section. This is partly because I have had the blog for about three years and each week I have posted an Adventure from before I started the blog. This has become more challenging between finding old photographs, and identifying the location. Although I will still be adding some here and and there I thought I would also use the Throwback Adventure to share past Adventures I have posted. I have new followers, and of course not every follower has been able to view all blogs. This Throwback blog will also allow me an opportunity to share special memories of my boys, Shadow and Buster who have passed. They began my life of wonderful adventures with my rescues, and will be furever in our hearts!!
Today’s Adventure is a Throwback Adventure of a Throwback Adventure (haha) as Shadow, Buster and I Adventured to Philippe Park before I started this blog. This Adventure took place in Safety Harbor, Florida back in 2010 when we resided in Tampa. I remember loving this Adventure, exploring, sinking in mud, and posing for Christmas photos! I have attached two photographs below, and will also list the link if you want to see and read more about this sunny Adventure.
If you follow my blog regularly please skip down to paragraph three…
The weekly Video/Photo section highlights an Adventure, while I might also sneak in some that are humorous, adorable, or just other fun dog moments. If you have followed my blog from the beginning you 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 after his passing we welcomed little Wilma into our world. We were devastated to loose Shadow on April 3, 2020. These two precious boys boys will be furever in our hearts! We were recently thrilled to add another amazing rescue, Gus, to our home on June 28, 2021! This Weekly Video/Photo section will allow me to share photos from all four of my rescues, whether it be a precious memory, or a current moment.
Today’s photograph is another photograph from our recent trip to Camden, Maine. I had not blogged about it as I had somewhat recently, but still took many photographs in this gorgeous little town. This photograph highlights the coastal beauty of Camden, as they pose by the sea. Here they are Wilma and Gus:
I have been fighting with my computer and memory card as photographs from this Adventure have not been recovered, but sadly I have realized that they cannot be recovered. I am lucky that I did get some photographs and videos from this Adventure so decided it was time to post from what it is available. So here we go….
On September 21, 2021 Gus and I Adventured to Mount Watatic in Ashburnham, Massachusetts. Mount Watatic is a 1832 foot mountain, and one of the most visited mountains in central Massachusetts. The hike to the summit is approximately 2.2 miles round trip.
We had a wonderful Adventure to Mount Watatic. I have been looking forward to attempting another mountain and today was the day. I knew the dog scene would be unpredictable so Wilma headed off to Grandma and Grandpa’s spa for some extra love and relaxation.
Upon arrival to Mount Watatic we found the parking lot right off of route 119, brown signs marking that we were in the correct location for this parking area. Although we did not arrive until 8am I was quite pleased to find only two cars in the parking lot. We headed down the trail, soon arriving at some wooden boards over the water. It took just a short time until Gus fell in, although not at all deep, a bit unexpected for this ground loving boy. However he did not seem phased and continued walking down the boards and checked out the view of the water to the right. The rising sun was streaming through the trees, just lovely.
We then headed into the woods and not too far in we had a choice to turn right or go straight. I decided to head right as I had read something about the yellow markers, which we continued to follow to the summit. The trail was not too difficult although there were several times I did need to stop when the trail ascended somewhat steeply. However Gus, did not have any issues with this new terrain, as I expected. We walked and walked enjoying the trail almost completely to ourselves.
It did not take long to reach the top and we were sure of this destination by locating a stone indicating we had reached the summit. The peak was pretty, with a variety of greenery and yellow flowers, although the views far from impressive. I thankfully had read in the reviews to make sure you visited the second peak, and although for some reason it took me some time to find the trail to this location, we did arrive. The views from the second peak were definitely impressive. We were lucky to have a day off on a gorgeous almost Fall day, the sky blue and clear. We walked around checking out the panorama before finding a little corner to sit for a snack. The sun was out, and the temperature perfect. I probably could have sat that for hours but yet I am definitely am an “on the go” kind of gal, never preferring to sit for too long.
We found a sign for a different trail on the way back down, and by this time there were more people and dogs. Gus seemed a bit nervous about other visitors and dogs, likely because big sister Wilma was not by his side. There were lots of green ferns on this trail, although maybe I just did not notice them on the way up. It really was a wonderful hike, a perfect time of day with the sun streaming through the trees. So glad we could hike Mount Watatic today (Rating: 4).
If you follow my blog regularly please skip down to paragraph three…
The weekly Video/Photo section highlights an Adventure, while I might also sneak in some that are humorous, adorable, or just other fun dog moments. If you have followed my blog from the beginning you 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 after his passing we welcomed little Wilma into our world. We were devastated to loose Shadow on April 3, 2020. These two precious boys boys will be furever in our hearts! We were recently thrilled to add another amazing rescue, Gus, to our home on June 28, 2021! This Weekly Video/Photo section will allow me to share photos from all four of my rescues, whether it be a precious memory, or a current moment.
Today’s photograph is one of Wilma and Gus in Camden, Maine from this weekend. I did not blog about Camden this weekend as I have blogged about it somewhat recently. However I always love exploring Camden and took too many photographs of the pups in this beautiful town. Here they are posing grandly:
Today Wilma, Gus, and I Adventured to Belfast, Maine. Belfast is a mid-coastal town, also situated at the mouth of the Passagassawakeag River. Belfast is known for the: arts, music, shops, and restaurants. It is a popular tourist destination.
We had a blue-sky filled Adventure to Belfast, Maine. A friend of mine told me about this town and being nearby on our weekend away today was the day to check it out. I was thrilled to see the bright blue sky and clouds as again the weather forecast was incorrect. We started our visit with a walk along the Harborwalk. It was just beautiful, the boats reflecting perfectly in the water. The “walk” went through the Shipyard revealing a variety of lovely boats and unique equipment. From there we wandered into the town. We found shops, restaurants, decorations, artwork, and beautifully painted crosswalks. The town was on a slight hill giving views of the water in some locations. The downtown area was small but yet we did our best not to miss an inch. So glad we could Adventure to the town of Belfast today! (Rating: This blog will not be rated).
Yesterday Wilma, Gus, and I Adventured to Acadia National Park in Maine. Acadia National Park is a Park in Northeastern Maine that encompasses half of Mount Desert Island, and also is situated on the Schoodic Peninsula and Isle au Haut. It is 47,000 acres and popular for fall foliage seekers, winter skiing, spring fishing and hiking.
We had a gorgeous Adventure to Acadia National Park. I was thrilled that the weathermen predicted the weather incorrectly, so although some of the day was dark and cloudy there was hardly a drop of rain. On our Adventure our stops included: Cadillac Mountain, Jordan Pond, the Ocean Path, Otter Cliffs, and Sand Beach. We spent over five hours walking, and also explored every little area we could find. It was a beautiful day, and much warmer then expected. Acadia National Park is definitely one, if not the most beautiful spots in New England. I look forward to our next visit (Rating: 5).
Today Wilma, Gus, and I Adventured to Albacore Park in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Albacore Park is home to the USS Albacore Submarine. The Albacore is a historic naval submarine has become a model for current submarines. The USS Albacore is now a museum, and the Park also has a gift shop and memorial garden. As you may suspect dogs are allowed on the grounds but not in the Submarine.
We had a unique Adventure to Albacore Park arriving right when darkness was setting in. I was impressed at the grand size of the USS Albacore. We walked around the USS Albacore several times, and wandered the small grounds. It was a little hard to capture fully in a photograph, but I did my best to photograph this massive structure. I debated posting this blog but really a fun location that I wanted to share. Glad to find this the USS Albacore Submarine on the way to our weekend destination (This blog will not be rated).
The Adventures of Shadow and Wilma 