Location: Armuchee, GA
Time - 9:33pm Eastern Daylight Time
Temperature: 62 degrees F
Conditions: Mostly clear, slight breeze
Forecast: Partly cloudy tonight and tomorrow with possible thunderstorms in the afternoon. Highs in the 80s, lows in the 60s
Scootering the 3-mile loop behind our house with Susan and Calypso
Well folks, I am officially back in the Southeast for a couple of months. The trip home was long but we went through some amazing country that I didn’t get to see on the way up. And I visited Iowa for the first time ever! My impression was that it was flat with a lot of big farms. Beautiful country and so different from the area of the Midwest where I have been staying.
Going back was going through a fast-forward Spring. I got to see all of the phases of Spring in just a couple of days! In Monticello leaves were just starting to pop out but by Kentucky they were in that fully-leafed out phase. The same is true here in Georgia. The leaves are about as big as they are going to get but they are still lush and don’t have that dusty look of true mid-Summer.
We went through some minor storms on the way back but fortunately missed the horrible tornadic (?) storms in Carbondale, Illinois because we stayed at a motel North of there the night they hit. But driving through the next day was like driving through a disaster zone. There were trees down for MILES. Yes, we are all VERY glad we didn’t stay in Carbondale that night.
A funny thing happened at a motel. I was walking Kippy (Calypso) and Susie (Susan, of course) when the people who were staying in the room above us came out to walk their dog…who was also a Siberian! He was red and white with blue eyes and was 15 years old according to the owners who said they had had him since he was a puppy. I have to say, he was in excellent shape for a 15-year-old! His owners are to be commended because they had obviously taken great care of their dog.
We stopped at the Land Between The Lakes on the Kentucky/Tennessee border because I wanted to exercise Calypso and Susan and the LBL has great trails for scootering. I felt kind of bad because I know a musher in the area and felt like I should have let him know I was coming through. But we really didn’t know when we would be coming through until the last minute and I didn’t want to call on that short notice. Sorry Jeff!
As it was, we didn’t get to go scootering at Land Between The Lakes anyway. We drove down a dirt road, trying to get to where everyone had camped for the 2007 Mush Between The Lakes fun run. There were major ruts in the road but we made our way through until we came to a creek crossing that would have been risky. So we turned around, went back up the rutted road and then pulled over. I decided I would go scootering here, heading in the opposite direction of the creek crossing.
I had Calypso and Susan out and all excited when I discovered that I’d lost part of the quick release that locks my front scooter tire in place. It was just one little screw cap but without it, my front scooter tire wouldn’t stay attached to the scooter. We searched for it but determined that it was probably lying in the middle of an interstate in Iowa or somewhere.
So we didn’t go scootering at LBL.
Calypso and Susan traveled very well together. On many occasions, Susan would fall asleep with her head on Calypso. Those two are such good companions and I think Calypso gave Susan moral support.
I am fortunate in that it has been unseasonably cool ever since I got back. We had temps in the 50s, which is pretty unusual for Northwest GA in May. But I am not, I repeat NOT complaining. It has made it easier for the huskies. Susan is starting to shed out and I expect Calypso to start any day. I really hope she does because she has a ridiculously thick coat. Sort of like a sheep.
Calypso has forgotten nothing about her Georgia home. She even remembers where her Precious Squeaky Ball used to be (on top of the cabinet in the hallway). I think she has mellowed though. She seems more relaxed in the house than she used to be.
The same cannot be said for Susan. She is not used to being inside at all and it is a big adjustment for her. She prefers the pen outside and has spent quite a bit of time out there. However, I am working to help Susie become more confident inside the house. We are making progress. Also, she is just a shy dog naturally. I wouldn’t have pegged her as shy at MCK but she is nervous around strangers and in strange places. Still she is a sweet dog and I love her. I think she loves me too - she certainly acts like it.
Tonight we went for a 3-mile scooter run on the ATV loop trail behind our house. It was much fun! However, three miles used to seem a lot longer! Heck, in Winters past running that loop was a Big Deal. And we would have NEVER run the entire thing in May.
But this is not Winters past.
I can definitely tell a difference running two dogs. Double the dog power! Susan is incredibly focused and keeps her line tight. I swear she even knows what “gee” and “haw” mean (not that we really use them on a loop trail). There were a couple of distractions - a turkey running around on the trail and some chipmonks chipping at us from the sidelines - but we did pretty well considering.
On the one hand I’m glad to be back in Georgia. I’m certainly enjoying being back and taking Susan on the trails Calypso and I used to run. And I have big plans for improving the Wolf Moon dogyard! On the other hand, it feels kind of weird being back in Armuchee. Everything is the same, yet nothing is.
Taking a break in a creek that runs across the 3-mile loop trail. Yes, I know my head is cut off in this picture.
