Accidental mileage

Bailey had us up before 6:00 a.m. on Sunday morning. After breakfast, ours and the dogs', I went back to bed and actually tried to nap. Della came to bed and snuggled with me. It was nice, but I don't think I got any real sleep. It was a beautiful day, sunny but cooler than recent days. I needed to hike but didn't feel up to a lot of dog wrangling, so I just took Bailey. 

I didn't have any real plans for the walk, not that I ever do. I just figured we'd go three or four miles if I could find trails that weren't overly muddy after yesterday's rain. After three miles I was feeling good so I just kept adding another mile. After four miles I was planning to stop at five, but that didn't bring me back to my starting point. I finally worked out a route that would put me back at the trailhead behind the library at six miles so I made that my goal and felt good about it.

I was nearing the library at about 5.8 miles and thought that I had judged the route just about perfectly to end at six miles. Then it dawned on me that I didn't start today's hike at the library as I had been doing lately. I had driven past there without really thinking and drove on up to the park and started the hike at the pole barn. I was over a mile from the pole barn so I knew this wasn't going to be a six mile hike. I briefly considered calling Clay to request an extraction, but then decided this was the universe telling me to just keep walking. 

Bailey was up for it, although even she was slowing down a bit, pulling less, and was looking for a drink of water. We made it back to the van at exactly eight miles. When we got home, Bailey had a long drink and was definitely ready to rest for a while, but the rest of the dogs needed to get out. I had left Paisley and Norman together in the dog yard with access to the pasture, so they had had plenty of outdoor time. I put Norman back in Daneland and brought out Maya, Della, Candace, Elvis, and Arlo for some pasture time. I left them on their own out there for a while because I was ready to sit and rest a bit inside with Bailey. 

I have asked Bailey to jump up and pose on so many benches and picnic tables that now she does it automatically whenever she sees one. 

Bird watching

I'm calling this Rin Tin Tin rock. It's a great boulder for a dog to climb up on and look out over the forest. It reminds me of what I think was the opening sequence of that old television show that is probably responsible for my love of shepherds. 

The accidentally eight mile route.

Candace out in the pasture after we got back home.

No Arlo, Maya doesn't want to play with you.

Arlo is supposed to be going home Monday morning.

Candace didn't want to play with him either.

Nor did Della.

 I would feel bad for him but I knew that Bailey had been playing with him in the morning.

We passed Rin Tin Tin rock twice today due to fact that I had forgotten where I had parked the van.