On the Road Again!

Day-tripping season is here!! Dad chose today's adventure; an abandoned railroad track along the Beaver River in Blackwater, Ontario. Day-trips mean CRATE TIME for lil Sis Miz Becky lol!! You ask why the crate for Miz Becky? Well she likes to up chuck in the car! Before we retell our beaver hunt story with guard dogs in chase and me drooling over the smell of cooked chicken, let's dwell a moment on dogs that puke. [Read More...]

When I was 9 months old Mom and Dad got me a Look Out car seat, and I LOVE IT! I'm so interested in watching everything happening out the window. The car seat is so comfortable to snooze in too.

Becky is another story. Moving scenery is what makes her get nauseous and then vomit. So in the crate she must go lol!! Actually Becky is very afraid of the car now so the crate helps to make her feel safe. I shouldn't laugh. At one point it was pretty bad and she refused to pass parked cars on walks!! Get a grip girl!

 On short trips our Vet recommended one of the Bach flowers, Scleranthus or ginger. But for longer trips (more than 30 minutes in the car) she needs Gravol, a medicine that prevents motion sickness. Gravol is safe for your pet as well. If you live in the United States the main ingredient is Dimenhydrinate. We heard about a new pet specific product for car sickness that is non-drowsy by Pfizer called Cenenia (Becky does not get drowsy on Gravol either). There are also many natural remedies to stop her from getting nauseous and then vomiting.

OK Enough of puking pups - onward to beavers, guard dogs and chickens!!  Dad took this amazing photo last summer and Mom wanted to see where it was taken. Oh Mom, you should have clued in the river name Beaver River Trail meant.. ya lots of beavers! *snicker* Mom was also so not impressed with the STRONG oil smell from the coal black dirt. But then Mom got the *IT* shot of the day so she stopped whining, err I mean complaining err.. suggesting the trip location was not the brightest day-trip Dad has planned.

Ontario Trails reports

"This 17 km trail follows the original rail bed between Blackwater and Cannington. It is popular for horseback riding, cycling, skiing and walking. No motorized vehicles are allowed except snowmobiles."

What was that loud, smelling thing that kept zooming past us on this narrow railroad bed? No not the loose German Sheppard guard dog freaking Mom out - the dirt bike dude! Yeah guess someone forgot to tell the teens riding this trail about the no motorized vehicles allowed part! Actually they were very polite teens that were careful not to run us down. They waved a cheery hello as they passed and their bikes spit dirt into Mom's face *ROFL* But the scenery was beautiful! These next pictures, were taken only 5 feet away from the path; one on the left and the other directly across on the right! It was like walking down a lane way with a bit of heaven on either side.

 Well it was heaven till we hit the beaver pond shortly followed by the loose running German Sheppard *EEKS* I don't know how many beavers inhabit this trail but we easily counted 20 gnawed off stumps without moving an inch! We never saw any scary big teethed beavers but we did see a scary LOOSE German Sheppard! Mom is petrified of this breed. When she was little her sister was bitten by one, so if Mom sees a German Sheppard she turns white and runs. YUP that is what happened - she yelled at Dad that we were hightailing it off of that trail NOW.

Hang on, our day-trip adventure is far from over yet!! I still need to tell you about a building inspired by the Taj Mahal, Lucy Maud Montgomery's home and the BEST mouth watering chicken!!

Not far from the Beaver River Trail was a little town named Leaksdale in the Township of Uxbridge. While driving through we saw a sign showing tours in an old home once owed by Lucy Maud Montgomery who is most remembered for her series "Anne of Green Gables". Lucy moved to Leaskdale, Ontario in 1911 just after she married Rev. Ewan Macdonald. Together they lived in this house for the next 15 years. It was here Lucy wrote eleven of her twenty-two novels, including “Anne of the Island” and “Anne’s House of Dreams". For more information, visit the Lucy Maud Montgomery Society of Ontario.

Just down the road is the Foster Memorial inspired by the Taj Mahal and built in 1935 by Thomas Foster. This stunning building is listed as one of the "Top 100 Unusual Things to See in Ontario". We have a lot more information on this spectacular building and a few more photos on our photoblog Fetch Photos, so take a peek.

It had been a long day so Mom and Dad stopped off at a place they call the best ever chicken pit stop! Haugen's Chicken & Ribs BBQ. It's a cruel world when your Mom and Dad put freshly baked chicken only 2 feet from your face yet offer you NONE. COME ON PAWRENTS -  I'm strapped in! Chicken is my all time favourite. Mom used to give me fresh cooked chicken EVERY dinner on top of my kibble. DRATS she found out I am allergic to it. So unfair to bring that yummy food into the car. *Whimpers and Drools*.

~ Keep Sniffing, Love Kodee