Adventure of the Traveling Wiener

Hello Everyone!

I am sorry it took me so long to post this, but it is kind of difficult without internet.  On our way from Montana to California we were able to stop at Craters of the Moon National Monument and it was awesome!!!  It was also very windy on the day we stopped by.  Jixer was not allowed on the trails, but he did come along anyways I just had to carry him in the new sling.  Needless to say the pictures of Jixer will be a little different in this post because taking pictures of a dog that is by your hip without being able to see the screen is a little difficult!

This on the first little trail my dad and I walked.  It tells you all about the park and the different types of lava flows.

It is nice having my dad around to take pictures of me and Jixer!

These are pieces from the wall of the volcano that broke away during an eruption.

The lava flow looks cool! I learned this type of lava flow is called 'pahoehoe'.

Jixer was enjoying just relaxing, being carried around, and taking in the sights.  

This tree is trippy because it looks like it is twisted over on itself.

The north side of the lava flow had cool vegetation.

Jixer liked the cool tree too!

Like I said, it was just a little windy!!! We almost fell down the mountain after a gust of wind caught me off guard!

My dad enjoyed the scenery too!

I love this place, and will definitely be going back to see more!

This is one of the 'caves' you can walk through...it is more of a tunnel.  Jixer did not come with us in the cave, but it is still worth talking about.  To get to the cave you walk down a paved trail, and a set of stairs brings you down into the cave, after that you are pretty much on your own.  There is a lot of climbing over huge piles of rocks, and it was so fun!

Here I am with my dad inside the cave.

Just to let you know, if you are only going to explore Indian Tunnel (the one we are in) you do not need to a flashlight.  The ranger said we would each need one, so my dad bought one at the visitors station at the park entrance and I had a headlamp in the car.  We did not use them at all!  There is skylights in that let plenty of natural light in, so save the $11!

My dad is climbing out of the hole at the end of the tunnel.  Again, this park is really fun to explore!

When you come out of Indian Tunnel there is no paved trail, and you get to rock jump following sticks in the lava flow, to get back to the trail.  Once more, this park is definitely worth the $8 charge to drive your personal vehicle in (that gets you in for a week too!)!!!

Jixer, dad and I had a great time on the road trip and the best part of it was our visit to the Craters of the Moon!  Definitely worth the time to get off of I-15 and explore for the day!!!

~Best Wishes~

Adventures of the Traveling Wiener

Jixer and I are finally on our way back home!!!  I am excited, and I think Jixer will enjoy having a backyard to play in, two big doggies to play with, and of course the beach.

On the first leg of our trip today, we drove down Pintler Loop  from Missoula to Butte and Jixer enjoyed walking in the river and sniffing around in the grass.

He was really enjoying this little stretch of the river.  He was making me nervous walking farther and farther into the water, but luckily he is a good listener and would come back when called!

Jixer found a small patch of grass on the shore of the river to chew on.  He is keeping an eye on me, keeping an eye on him!

Here we are cuddling with each other by the water.  Actually, Jixer was just getting me all wet!

Jixer pretending he is king of the world.  Really though, he is the king of my world!

A couple more miles down the road we stopped at a little recreation area by Georgetown Lake.

This is one of the my favorite places that I have visited in Montana.  It was my 4th time here, and Jixer's first.

He really enjoyed sniffing around in the grass.

And, sniffing around in the grass even more!  This little doggy would have stayed there all day, if we had the time to spend.  

Little Jixer also enjoyed spending time with his Papa.  It was Papa's first time driving Pintler Loop too.

We had a great first day on our way back to California.  I am excited for tomorrows adventure.  We are stopped in Idaho tonight and have a fun day planned tomorrow, so check back to see where Jixer travels to next!

~Best Wishes~

Adventures of the Traveling Wiener

Spring time is in full force here in Missoula, and it is lovely!

What do you do in Missoula on a Saturday morning during Spring/Summer?  Go to the farmers market of course!!!  Jixer and I walked downtown this morning and checked out all of the vendors.  I didn't actually get any produce today, but I did get a delicious iced coffee from the nicest couple imaginable.
I don't know about farmers markets in your area, but in Missoula, dogs are not allowed.  I think just because there are so many people and dogs would make it just that much harder to navigate.  However, I wasn't going to let that stop Jixer from enjoying the market.

I invested in this Outward Hound dog sling.  It is pretty awesome!  There is a clip in the front to clip the Jixer's collar and a clip on the top to keep him secure.  So far, he enjoys being carried around, and still gets lots of attention from people.  This sling allows him to go pretty much everywhere with me now.

On our way downtown, we met these two sweet boys that fell over themselves trying to get to Jixer and pet him.  They were so curious about him and asked many questions about what breed and how old he is.

The younger boy (right) said "I want to stop petting him, but I just can't. He makes you pet him with his cuteness!"  I could not help but giggle at how charming that statement is; especially coming from a little boy.  We ended up seeing the boys on our way back home and again they jumped their fence to pet him one more time.

On our way downtown, we stopped next to the river so Jixer can drink some water and get a few splashes in before he was put into the sling.  Normally, I would take him off of his leash so he can enjoy the water a little more, but they are becoming very strict about the leash laws.

Just because we only bought an iced coffee at the farmers market doesn't mean that we went without goodies.  In fact, we both enjoyed scrumptious treats from Bernice's Bakery!

If you are in Missoula for any length of time, Bernice's is a must see eat!  Deliciousness doesn't even begin to describe the goodies you will find.  I kept Jixer in his sling long enough to stop in here and get a cupcake for me and a dog treat for him (yes, they have homemade dog treats, and Jixer LOVES them!).

May is cupcake month at Bernice's, and this week they have an animal theme.

My choice of cupcake today is the Panda.  A chocolate cupcake with butter cream frosting and a hazelnut filling.  I absolutely adore all things hazelnut, and this cupcake is no exception.  On that note, if you do visit Bernice's and are lucky enough to have the chance to try a slice of their Hazelnut Latte cake...DO IT!!!

Jixer sat on the bench outside with me and munched on his doggy treat.  Easy to please this dog with 25 cents.  I usually buy five of these treats at time because then they are only a dollar, but we already had some at home.  Jixer always enjoys snacking on a Bernice's treat when we get home from our walks.

This is him earlier this week chowing down on a Bernice's treat at home.

While we are talking about Bernice's Bakery, I want to share some other treats I enjoyed earlier this week.

I went to the bakery Tuesday to meet up with a friend for breakfast.

Breakfast does not get much better than a cinnamon roll!

Of course, while I was there I had to buy a couple of cupcakes to take home.

This elephant cupcake was spectacular!  It is a white wine cupcake with butter cream frosting and raspberry filling....divine!

The peacock is also amazing!  Of course, you can't really go wrong with dark chocolate and butter cream.

Don't you worry if sweets are not your cup of tea, Bernice's has you covered.

This is the Rosemary and Olive Oil Bread.  Again, Bernice's does it best!

Ok, ok...back to Jixer's adventure today.

Jixer was not ready to leave the bakery...I think he just wanted another delicious treat!

On our way home, we met two adorable little girls that were selling pictures.  Luckily, I was actually caring cash (a very rare occurrence), and I was able to purchase one of their masterpieces.

Isn't is just beautiful!

I gave the girls a dollar and Isabella (left) said "They are only 50 cents, but you can give us a dollar if you want." The masterpiece I bought was colored by Lily (right).  They were both so cute and friendly!  We visited for a while and both girls were very happy to be able to give Jixer one of the training treats I keep in my pocket.

The round trip walk from our home to downtown is just under four miles, and this a long way for Jixer's little legs.  He was so tired when we arrived back home.

He laid down on the grass outside, and did not want to move!!!

Usually, all I have to do to make him walk the rest of the way home is tell him to go get a treat.  All that did today was make him open his eyes. HA!  I ended up carrying him up the stairs and back inside.

Jixer very much enjoyed his Saturday morning, and we hope you all did too!!!

~Best Wishes~

Adventures of the Traveling Wiener

Hello Everyone!

We finally decent weather here in Missoula today, and that was enough for Jixer and me to go on a little adventure.  It wasn't too far away!  We took a long round-a-bout walk to Franklin Park.

Along the way, we stopped to smell the flowers...or at least take pictures of them.  There are so many beautiful tulips blooming right now, and I absolutely LOVE it!  Of course they are my favorite flower.

Aren't tulips just fabulous?!?  These all came from the same yard.  It seems like every neighborhood has that one house in it that is just overflowing with beautiful flowers, and today Jixer and I found the one in our neighborhood.

This is my favorite tulip that we saw today.  Just this one petal had a splash of color.

Of course we came across other flowers too.

There are many homes in the area that have trees with beautiful pink blooms.

Pretty purple flowers!  I should really spend some time learning the different names of flowers...

Along the way Jixer was also being stalked by a kitty. It was pretty funny to be followed by this little guy.

Jixer wanted to stop and play, but this kitty looks like he can handle business and Jixer has never played with a kitty that has claws.  So we kept going about our business and eventually the kitty stopped following us.

At last, we made it to the park!  After Jixer decided that he wanted to play in the water, I took his leash off so he could have some fun and splash around.

He walked into the water, and came right back out.  I thought he was done, but he actually just felt like searching for a suitable stick.

Here is one of the sticks he found.

I tried to get him to jump off the little ledge and into the water by throwing a stick in, but he wasn't having it.

He just stood on the ledge and stared at the stick.

However, if I through the stick where he can walk in, then he would go and grab it.

After playing for a little while, he took a seat on the ledge and watched the Corgi that was in the yard across the creek.

Before leaving the park, I had to take his picture on one of the cool turtles that they have at one of the entrances.

This is what I like to call a tourist shot, but sometimes being a tourist is fun!

We had a long walk back home; although, we did take the direct route walking back.

Little Jixer is so tired!  I gave him a yogurt bone, but he did not even have the energy to chew on it.  He went straight to sleep, and stayed that way until he felt a disturbance in the force...aka Oswald sniffing his yogurt bone.  Even then, Jixer only got up long enough to hide the bone in the bathroom and come back to the couch for some more Zzzzzz's.

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend as much as we did.  Remember to stop and smell the flowers!

~Best Wishes~

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/3712258/chirpin-birdie?claim=6byq8r28umm">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>