(Continued from Part I)

The grounds around our camping cabin were so dark and quiet that both Sid and I slept like rocks. Actually more like pug loaves. That is, until Sid’s internal clock kicked in and the thought of breakfast overtook his brain. I think he may have eaten breakfast at 5 am though it was too dark to tell. The sun hadn’t even thought about rising yet. After his breakfast and quick run into the cold pre-dawn morning for a bio break, he plunked right back onto my sleeping bag until the sun finally decided to show its bright face.

RISE AND SHINE, CAMPERS!

Sid was raring to go! We picked up my Mom at the Turkey Run Inn, and set a course for Trail 4. The weather was much warmer than the day before and the sun was shining brightly. It was certainly an ideal day to enjoy nature!

Trail 4 was not only very scenic and serene, but was also fairly easy on the legs. The end of Trail 4 connected up with a section of Trail 3 which is one of the most rugged trails at Turkey Run. Long sections of it wind through narrow canyons formed by the small but quick-moving creek below. It can be tricky navigating through the canyons and most first-timers end up half-soaked, caked in mud, and wondering if they are actually still on the trail. Sid didn’t seem to mind if he was on or off the trail, just as long as he was able to stroll through the water, and GET WET!

After a snack and a little relaxing, my Dad joined up with us and we headed to another trail – Trail 6. It also follows a creek, but the banks are much wider so it is a lot easier to navigate.

Even though the trails along along the banks were wide and flat, Sid spent most of his time hopping over logs, crawling on top of boulders, and wading right through the water.

And of course, he couldn’t resist one more pose on a rock! A true outdoorsman, I mean outdoorspug.

Then we hopped in the car for the trip back home. Sid was passed out (half-way out of his travel bag no less) the whole ride home. Guess all that fresh air and hiking wore him out.

We had so much fun at Turkey Run we’re going to go again in the Spring!

As I mentioned a week or so ago, Sid’s 10th Birthday fell on a weekend and I wanted to do something special with him to celebrate this momentous milestone. I rented a car, popped Sid into his carrier, loaded up our gear into the trunk, and cranked up some tunes as we peeled out of our alley and hit the highway.

“WOO HOO! ROAD TRIP!”

We set our course for Turkey Run State Park in Indiana. Even though he can’t read a map, Sid is still the best co-pilot ever.

My family has been coming to Turkey Run for many years, but this was Sid’s first time there. The Turkey Run Inn, where we usually stay, doesn’t allow dogs so we opted for a camping cabin at Up the Creek which is right up the road from the park. It was definitely on the rustic side but certainly a step up from a tent.

After we dropped off our gear at the cabin, we strolled over to the Inn to meet up with my parents who were joining us for the weekend.

Time to hit the trails! Turkey Run has the best trails (including the infamous “Trail 3”). The more rugged trails can get pretty challenging though they often end up being the most fun (or you end up soaked in water and lose a shoe in a mud pit – which has happened to us before!). Since this was Sid’s first time doing this sort of thing, we kept it simple the first day and began with one of the less-intense trails.

Even though the trail we were on wasn’t classified as “rugged”, there were still some challenging obstacles. Sid was very proud of himself for conquering this pile of boulders.

We took a little break near a small lake that looked especially mysterious due to the lighting and the cool moist air that made everything misty.

Sid was a little hiking machine! Look at him go!

We took another break at one of the covered bridges. There are tons of covered bridges all over the county and they have a festival every year devoted to all the covered bridges. Sid said he’d prefer a baby carrot festival.

And then some more hiking!

We ended our trek at the suspension bridge and Sid took a little dip in Sugar Creek to cool off (and to single-handedly ensure none of the pebbles beneath the water were treats in disguise).

After our hiking, we had some dinner back at the cabin and tried to start a fire in the firepit next to our cabin. Unfortunately my camping skills weren’t quite up to snuff and the campfire was a bust. Instead, we just chilled out in our cabin, listened to some music, and ate some snacks. Once it got really dark, we hit the hay to rest up for our next day!

To be continued in Part II…

Hiya Pug Slopers!

Sid here with you today to close out the week. Thank you so much for all the Birthday wishes! I hope every one of you was able to celebrate with me and have a baby carrot.

And SPEAKING OF BABY CARROTS, I’ve got a story for you.

So just the other day I got up to get a drink a water and when I came back to my bed, there was a package sitting there with my name on it!

It came all the way from the home of Donald and Daisy! I couldn’t contain my excitement so I started ripping open the package.

I could not believe what was inside. It sounded like this toy was designed specifically for me!

I asked my personal chef (a.k.a. Dad) to fill it up ASAP with some b.c.’s and seal it off with some peanut butter!

You can probably guess what happened next…

Thank you so much Donald and Daisy, and their parents, Tim and Christy! What a thoughtful Birthday present. I love it!

Today we are celebrating Sid’s 10th Birthday!!! As we mentioned in our last post, Sid and I went on a camping adventure over the weekend so we were on the road for his official Birthday on Sunday. We had a great time hiking and camping and will tell you all about just as soon as I sift through the few hundred photos we took! Since we were away from home I postponed the dispensing of Sid’s Birthday cake until today…so here it is in all it’s goopy, chewy, crunchy glory:

I packed it with Sid’s favorite ingredients: apples, peanut butter, clementine oranges, and (as many of you had predicted) baby carrots.

You should have heard the screeching going on while I was making the cake. At one point Sid slipped on his own drool.

OK Sid, this is it. Get Ready…Get Set…GO!!!

He went straight in for the apples – the peanut butter layers didn’t slow down his chewing one bit!

Now on to all the snacks dabbled along the perimeter!

And now to lick up any remnants! A pug leaves no trace behind.

Folks, that whole cake was gone in about 2 minutes. Based on the way he just burped in my face, I think he liked it!

Thank you all for the suggestions for Sid’s upcoming 10th Birthday! There will DEFINITELY be baby carrots involved, as many of you recommended. There are also a few surprises in store this month and the first one will be taking place this weekend (his actual Birthday is on Sunday the 4th).

I’ve been busy packing up the suitcase, backpack, and for this trip, some pug supplies and accessories.

Like most dogs, he seems to know that when the suitcase comes out, something is going on. He’s been by my side every moment and has been trotting from room to room attached to my ankles. Even though he has witnessed me packing up some of his t-shirts & bandanas, bags of his food, and his spare food and water bowls, I don’t think he understands yet that HE’S COMING WITH THIS TIME.

I think once I get his travel bag down he’ll put two and two together. This will be Sid’s first time camping! Well, technically we’re staying in a primitive camping cabin rather than a tent, but still it will be an adventure! We’ll be sure to take lots of photos and will provide a full report once we get back to civilization!

We hope you all have a wonderful weekend and be sure to snack on a b.c. or two on Sunday to celebrate with Sid!

Sid was having one of his usual lazy mornings, you know, just layin’ on the ol’ paw, so I thought I’d tell him some news that would perk up his ears.

Hey Sid, don’t you know that next weekend is your 10th Birthday?!

“Uh, SAY WHAT?! Are you serious!?”

Yep, it’s true. My little buddy is turning 10 next weekend so we expect to do a month of celebrating (my Birthday is also in October). I’ve got to start planning now! Any suggestions for activities or gifts for a pug that’s turning the big one-oh?

About a week ago, I rented a nice camera lens for the weekend (for the photo buffs out there, it was a Canon 50mm 1.2L). This is a really nice lens that I cannot really justify buying outright, but luckily there is a camera shop called Dodd Camera just a bike-ride away from Pug Slope HQ. They have tons of equipment that can be rented out and have really good rates for the weekends.

I headed out to Winnemac Park with Sid to try out the new lens. Sid seemed exceptionally excited about this particular photo shoot – probably because I actually remembered to bring some treats with me this time.

In the early Spring, the park district does a controlled burn of the prairie areas of Winnemac Park so back in April of this year the area on the far side of the fence looked totally barren. To see what I mean check out this post from April. Over the summer, though, the plants quickly return and grow at incredible rates. Soon the whole prairie area is filled with lush green leaves and lovely flowers that last all through the summer.

The plants are all native species, so the local pollinators are very attracted to them. There are often lots of bees collecting pollen and even monarch butterflies fluttering by!

Sid didn’t want any bees accidentally landing on him so he trotted over to one of the more open areas of the park near the weeping willow trees.

After a little stroll through the field he laid down near the far end of the park and made sure I delivered with the treats. He was being very photogenic so I complied.

I’m definitely excited to try out some other lenses from Dodd. Maybe next time I’ll try a fish-eye lens so I can show you guys some LARGER THAN LIFE close-ups of Sid’s pug mug?! I wonder if he’d approve…