Milestone Bog Days 1 & 2

On our third and fourth days in Nantucket, we harnessed the dogs into their WalkyDog bike attachments and took them out to Milestone Bog.

As it turned out, there's actually a much faster and easier way to get to Milestone Bog than biking to the long-way-around entrance that we took on those two trips, but I didn't realize that at the time. So we went the long way, and Dog Mob got to meet a hilarious little dog who was also biking with its person, but via bike-drawn baby stroller instead of running on its own four feet. (To be fair, it's unlikely that a small dog could have kept up on the Milestone Bike Path for long. Our guys are pretty big and always got completely pooped in less than a mile on the bike path.)

And then we arrived, and it was hiking time!

...and also mosquito time. The pesky little bloodsuckers were out something fierce on that trip, so we quickly aborted the hike and vowed to return the next day with bug spray. Which we did.

Pongu off leash, taunting Crookytail who is still on leash and therefore unable to do more than stick his head through the fence and look on sadly as Pongu sticks his tongue out and rolls gleefully in the grass:

On the trail:

The Serengeti and Tom Nevers Beach

On the first day in Nantucket, we went out to the "Serengeti," which I chose for our initial walk because Crookytail had been struggling with some recall and dog bullying issues. This particular walk doesn't see a lot of canine traffic and has relatively little wildlife, so I figured it would be a safe re-introduction to off-leash hiking with Crooky.

It was a pleasant, short walk. We'd barely done a mile and a half or so, maaaybe two miles, before Crookytail pooped out. He's so out of shape, poor guy. Because of the aforementioned dog bullying issues, he hasn't been to the dog park much recently, and because he's washed out of all our dog sports I haven't kept up with his physical conditioning, and boy howdy did that ever show.

Pongu had no such problems. He's in considerably better shape, since he's actively in competition, and the walk was quite easy for him.

 

(Pongu's in a Down-Stay for that one, but Crooky is just flopped out on his own, too tired to keep going.)

As soon as we got home, Dog Mob went to their self-appointed sleeping places in the cottage and fell over.

The next day, we went to Tom Nevers Beach. Crookytail chased (and ate) some sand hoppers, Pongu did some cliff climbing and dug a HUGE hole next to my backpack when I asked him to remember where I'd left it, and it was good times for all.

Dog Mob Returns to Nantucket

The merry crew of miscreants is back in Nantucket for two brief weeks of summer fun. Since not much else is likely to be going on with us for a bit, now we will begin the Our Vacation Slideshow episodes of this blog.

One major improvement on this year's trip over last year's is that Dog Mob has gotten a few more trips under their (nonexistent) belts and so they're much better behaved and -- bonus! -- easier to pose for pictures. Not that either of these things was particularly difficult the first time around, honestly, but now it's downright easy.

So here they are loading up in the parking garage one bright early morning in Philly:

Crookytail hears "Sloop John B" come on the radio. This song opens all playlists for major vacation trips. I would be surprised if Crooky actually recognizes it yet -- he hasn't been on that many trips -- but it could just be he's a Beach Boys fan. Or he likes car rides. Who knows.

Dog Mob awaits their lunch of chicken nuggets outside the Hyannis Port KFC. (I feel obliged to mention for the record that I do not regularly feed my crew junk food... but I do let them indulge on semi-annual road trips and sometimes when Pongu wins big things. Before this, I think the last time they'd gotten fast food was on the drive back from my parents' place in Alabama at Christmas.)

On the ferry. I couldn't keep Crooky from partly blocking the aisle, which kept me self-conscious throughout the ride, but other than that Dog Mob was very well-behaved. Quiet, (reasonably) unobtrusive, never budged when people walked past or over them. Crooky even made friends with a nice family behind us. They'd left their own dog behind on vacation and the kids missed her, so they really enjoyed getting to pet and cuddle Crookytail on the ferry.

Pongu made no friends but at least he didn't freak out at anyone, which I will count as a win for him.

And then, at last, we arrived in Nantucket. Tired and stressy as they were, Dog Mob humored their crazy person for a posed picture on a side street. I love the hydrangeas that bloom on every street here. Nantucket is a paradise for flowers of all sorts.

Of course, being on vacation doesn't mean Pongu is exempt from staying in competition shape! I brought along our practice stuff and he will keep practicing as much as I can manage.

And that was our first day on this trip.