3-Day Weekend!

I've been looking forward to this extra long Labor Day weekend... I hope that you have Monday off too and are able to relax and enjoy the last weekend of summer. It's great to get one extra day to do things that you don't have time to do during a normal 2-day weekend. This morning, instead of taking Tahoe and Ashley on our typical neighborhood walk, I surprised them with a car ride. Where did we go? Fountainhead Regional Park - Tahoe's favorite park!

Remnants of Hurricane Isaac were suppose to make their way through our area so we made our way to Fountainhead early to avoid the rain. It was warm and super humid - the humidity was 98%! The muggy heat did not stop Tahoe and Ashley from enjoying our jaunt on the trail.

Ashley was happy to be on the trail at Fountainhead

Although this pic is blurry, I can attest that Tahoe was also a happy pooch

Happy dogs at Mile Marker 1...

Still happy at Mile Marker 17!

O.k., I admit it. We did not walk 17+ miles. Mile Marker 1 is Mile Marker 17. The trail at Fountainhead is an out-and-back trail which roundtrip, totals 18 miles. So the Mile Marker post pictured above has a 1 MI on one side of it and 17 MI on the other side of it.

All in all, it was a nice little hike. I was glad to have the extra time to take Tahoe and Ashley out to a special trail.

A Day for Dogs

Today is National Dog Day - a day for appreciating man's best friend. Here are 50 ways to celebrate as recommended by the National Dog Day website.

How are we planning to celebrate? A walk, extra long bellyrubs, and a vanilla ice cream cone, of course. Tahoe and Ashley love vanilla ice cream cones!

If you come across a four-legged friend today, be sure to stop and give them some extra love and attention today. If you are lucky enough to have a four-legged friend in your family, be sure to dedicate some time today to give back to your dog for all of the unconditional love that your dog gives you.

Dog House

I'm in the "dog house." Tahoe and Ashley are not very happy with me. They have reminded me that this is their blog and as such, it should be about them and full of dog-related content. They won't even stop and pose for pictures during our walks until I update you on how they are so, here goes...

Tahoe is doing well. He slept, ate, took care of Brian, and kept Ashley in line while I was away. He acts like he didn't miss me while I was gone but I know better; his tail was extra wiggly when I arrived home from my trip.

Ashley is doing swimmingly. She slept, ate, coerced Brian for treats, and taunted Tahoe. She likes to think that she kept the "boys" in line while I was away.

Hopefully this post will get me out of the "dog house." (Between you and me, if I had to be in a dog house, I wouldn't mind being in one of these luxury dog houses.)

Tahoe and Ashley...

Refusing to stop and pose until I write about them

Colorado Rocky Mountains

Yesterday, I flew from Tucson, Arizona and landed in Denver, Colorado. I met up with my mum at the Denver Airport and we made our way to Estes Park, Co. Estes Park is a town that sits close to the entrance of the Rocky Mountain National Park. The elevation of Estes Park is 7,522 feet (2,293 meters). It's surrounded by mountains, aspen trees, pine trees, and lots of wildlife including grizzly bears (yikes!) and black bears, elk, moose, deer, and lots of other critters.

Estes Park, Colorado

The chipmunks love peanuts

Today we took a tram ride up Prospect Mountain. Prospect Mountain is approx. 8,880 feet high. We fed the chipmunks and birds peanuts at the top. We also did a hike around Lily Lake. Later, I was feeling a bit adventurous in the afternoon so I went running around Estes Lake (3.5mile loop)... I'm going to have to try it again tomorrow because I felt like I was running with half a lung! Must be the altitude.

Aerial tram ride up Prospect mountain

On the tram with mum

Bird in flight at the top

Lily Lake

The trout I caught was that big - catch & release policy so sorry, no pictures

A memorial to Enos Mills at the dog park in town

Adventures in SoCal

Babu and I have been quite busy the past few days. After our time in Los Angeles, we drove through Hollywood and Beverly Hills and made our way to the coast of California. Our trip took us to several beaches including Malibu, Santa Monica, Hermosa Beach, and Redondo Beach. We worked hard on our tans at each beach and soaked up plenty of sun while taking occasional dips in the cool ocean water. In Malibu, we even found time to visit the Adamson House, a beautiful Malibu home built in the Spanish style. We also spent two nights in a hotel near Redondo Beach which allowed me to take morning runs along the beach from Hermosa to Redondo.

After spending a few days touring a little bit of the coast and beaches, Babu and I headed back to Tucson. Of course, we couldn't resist taking a little detour at the Joshua Tree National Park. (We only spent a few hours at Joshua Tree but Babu is sure to visit it again soon and do more hiking there.)

Today, was my last full day in Tucson. Babu and I decided to spend the morning hiking in Sabino Canyon near Tucson. Temperatures in Tucson reached 113 degrees this afternoon. It was a hot day so we tried to stay cool by relaxing at the pool and visiting the gym.

 Below is a little photo montage of our travels from the past few days...

Hollywood

Did I mention that we also visited Universal Studios?

...And the Mission at San Juan Capistrano?

Malibu

Sorry Tahoe and Ashley, no dogs allowed on the Malibu Pier

The Adamson House

A bathtub built for dogs at the Adamson House... crazy Babu!

Posing by the beach

Joshua Tree National Park

Babu climbing rocks at Joshua Tree

Giving a Joshua tree some love

Tram ride up Sabino Canyon

Smelling a Creosote bush - nice!

LA & the Dodgers

Yesterday, Babu and I made our way from San Diego to Los Angeles, CA. On the way to LA we stopped at a really nice beach in Laguna, Crystal Cove State Park, to catch some sun, waves, and to do a little hiking. It was a warm, beautiful, and sunny day - a perfect day in California.

We arrived at our hotel in the late afternoon and began preparing for the big game - we had tickets to see the Dodgers v. Rockies at Dodger Stadium. We bothed donned our Dodger t-shirts, Babu put on his cap, and walked to the stadium. Just about everyone in attendance was for the home team - we were surrounded by Dodger blue. Our seats were just about on the field, right next to right outfield (and Ethier). Babu and I settled into our seats, Dodger dogs in hand, and enjoyed the (three hour) game. Of course, the Dodgers won, 6 to 4, just as Babu predicted.



In our seats at Dodger Stadium

Exploring San Diego

Yesterday, Babu and I drove to San Diego, CA from Tucson, AZ. We plan to be in San Diego for the next few days. Today we spent time exploring the area, driving, snorkeling at La Jolla Cove, and hiking at Torrey Pines State Reserve.

Warning sign outside my hotel room in San Diego?

Guam getting some love in La Jolla

Relaxing at Torrey Pines State Reserve beach

A view down the beach at Torrey Pines