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

Hello Everyone!

Happy Wednesday!!! The weather has been so nice here the past few days with warm, mostly sunny conditions and even a few thunder storms, which I love!  I have been wanting to take Jixer up to the Idaho border so we can walk around in a new place, and that is exactly what we did today.  I expected that there would be some snow, but I was surprised about how much snow is up on Lolo Pass still.  It was averaging 4 feet high!!!  This meant there was not a lot of walking around to do since I don't have snow shoes or back country skis.

We met two nice elderly couples that were traveling together.  After smothering Jixer with attention and praise, they offered to take our picture.  I love talking to new people and Jixer is the best icebreaker anybody can ask for.  He is just so cute and lovable that everybody comes up to talk to us and pet him.

We still enjoyed our time up there!  Especially Jixer, he loved running around in the snow.

Today was the first time I have ever been with Jixer when there is this much snow.  When I first got him, he avoided snow patches.  Now, he was running through it like a happy puppy!

I brought him down off of the snow and he kept trying to climb back up!

The weirdest feeling for me was the fact that we are surrounded by snow, yet it was so warm.  I believe it was in the mid 70's when we were up there.  It is a trippy feeling to be able to make and throw snow balls when it is nice and warm out.

Jixer and I sat on a bench at the back of the lodge and relaxed for a bit.  Nothing has made me feel smaller than looking into the vast wilderness of Montana.  It will be something that I miss when I move to California.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures! I will blog tomorrow with some pictures of Jixer's first time at the ocean, from our visit to California a few weeks ago. I plan on making 'The Adventures of the Traveling Wiener' a semi-regular post....if nothing else, it gives me an excuse to do little road trips more often!

~Best Wishes~