http://www.michigan.org http://www.michigan.org/global/images/puremichiganlogo2.gif http://www.michigan.org Copyright © 2009 Michigan Economic Development Corporation. 300 N. Washington Sq., Lansing, MI 48913 Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:46:00 GMT 60 http://www.michigan.org/Experiences/Detail.aspx?ContentId=B5B9DB45-AF22-4E31-80FD-708E4C98C1BE http://www.michigan.org/Experiences/Detail.aspx?ContentId=B5B9DB45-AF22-4E31-80FD-708E4C98C1BE Nature’s Kennel in the U.P. We made our reservations for 3/3/08. We arrived at Nature’s Kennel on Tuesday at 9:00 and met Tasha (the owner), Bouie & Joe (our guides) and Art & Pat, fellow-mushers from Chicago. Bouie & Joe served us breakfast (banana pancakes, sausage, fruit & juice). We then bundled up in our gear and headed out to meet the dogs. Bouie, our 24-year old wild-eyed Southern guide, introduced us to our dogs and taught us the basics. My favorite dog was Honeycomb, a golden female who loved to shake and give warm, wet kisses. This was Bouie’s last tour for the season before heading to Texas to be with his girlfriend. He spends his summers as a tour guide on Caribbean sailing ships. He has a great respect and connection to Mother Nature, the dogs and the art of dog sledding. He said “I can’t even call this a job – with the great outdoors as my office and the dogs as my co-workers, it doesn’t get any better.” My motto for the adventure was “Be like Bouie”. After we spent time learning to harness the dogs, getting advice and taking a 2-mile trial run, we went back in for lunch (soup, sandwiches & warm cookies). We then made our “Hobo Packets” to take with us for dinner. These were meatballs, veggies, spices and sauces wrapped in aluminum foil. I found my hiking boots were not going to be warm enough, so Bouie found a pair of size 8 boots rated for -40 degrees. Bouie made the dog team lists and included Honeycomb as one of my leaders. We then bundled up, hitched the dogs and we were off. With Bouie leading the way, Brad and I set off for our 20 mile, three hour dog sledding adventure. With the sun streaming through the trees, we followed the trails through the woods to our camp. Even though it is very exhilarating, the sights and sounds of the trip were also very peaceful at the same time -- the gentle thuds of paws in the snow, the wisps of frozen dog breath wafting through the air and the crisp sound of the sleds gliding the trails. This was twice interrupted early on when I fell off the sled (sharp turns and bumpy moguls). But after learning to lower my sense of gravity, lean into the turns and heed Bouie’s encouraging advice, I could comfortably navigate the twists and turns of the trail. In no time we arrived at camp, bedded and fed the dogs, enjoyed a hot chocolate “Cuddler” and heated our “Hobo Packets” over the campfire. After eating, Tasha came out to the camp and joined us at the fire. We shared stories and laughs. At about 9:30 we found a bunk in the warmed tent and settled into our sleeping bags for the night. The next morning we had breakfast (hot oatmeal, corned beef hash, hot chocolate and coffee). We packed up camp, harnessed the dogs and made our trip back to base to more warm cookies. ]]> Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:32:02 GMT http://www.michigan.org/Experiences/Detail.aspx?ContentId=CDB5AEF5-0848-4129-9731-9B7033BC0F44 http://www.michigan.org/Experiences/Detail.aspx?ContentId=CDB5AEF5-0848-4129-9731-9B7033BC0F44 Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:33:01 GMT http://www.michigan.org/Experiences/Detail.aspx?ContentId=1AE26CB1-0B09-44AF-82AB-FA518F42B49F http://www.michigan.org/Experiences/Detail.aspx?ContentId=1AE26CB1-0B09-44AF-82AB-FA518F42B49F Mon, 10 Aug 2009 18:50:37 GMT http://www.michigan.org/Experiences/Detail.aspx?ContentId=ECBB1176-01E2-4107-B2E1-E1C9411820BE http://www.michigan.org/Experiences/Detail.aspx?ContentId=ECBB1176-01E2-4107-B2E1-E1C9411820BE Tue, 14 Jul 2009 19:10:03 GMT http://www.michigan.org/Experiences/Detail.aspx?ContentId=FFAE5556-9EB3-4A7B-A73B-420BD0914D0F http://www.michigan.org/Experiences/Detail.aspx?ContentId=FFAE5556-9EB3-4A7B-A73B-420BD0914D0F Tue, 14 Jul 2009 16:10:29 GMT http://www.michigan.org/Experiences/Detail.aspx?ContentId=B4C5D14E-DE89-438C-A252-5B251AA47FD7 http://www.michigan.org/Experiences/Detail.aspx?ContentId=B4C5D14E-DE89-438C-A252-5B251AA47FD7 Thu, 02 Jul 2009 01:35:04 GMT http://www.michigan.org/Experiences/Detail.aspx?ContentId=9E625071-3597-4964-B5A8-A39D57E73ED5 http://www.michigan.org/Experiences/Detail.aspx?ContentId=9E625071-3597-4964-B5A8-A39D57E73ED5 Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:33:02 GMT http://www.michigan.org/Experiences/Detail.aspx?ContentId=8691333C-03C4-420E-A3E4-C5CAA8D1E1B0 http://www.michigan.org/Experiences/Detail.aspx?ContentId=8691333C-03C4-420E-A3E4-C5CAA8D1E1B0 Thu, 18 Jun 2009 10:02:51 GMT http://www.michigan.org/Experiences/Detail.aspx?ContentId=E966B7FE-32CF-42C5-99BD-85D75FFC8A39 http://www.michigan.org/Experiences/Detail.aspx?ContentId=E966B7FE-32CF-42C5-99BD-85D75FFC8A39 Mon, 17 Nov 2008 19:29:00 GMT http://www.michigan.org/Experiences/Detail.aspx?ContentId=9F6BEE3E-DAA2-4D09-94CC-A4FC1E33B516 http://www.michigan.org/Experiences/Detail.aspx?ContentId=9F6BEE3E-DAA2-4D09-94CC-A4FC1E33B516 Tue, 19 Aug 2008 03:55:30 GMT http://www.michigan.org/Experiences/Detail.aspx?ContentId=C4BED64A-5EA5-436E-8DAC-18894C8267A4 http://www.michigan.org/Experiences/Detail.aspx?ContentId=C4BED64A-5EA5-436E-8DAC-18894C8267A4 Sun, 10 Aug 2008 02:07:00 GMT http://www.michigan.org/Experiences/Detail.aspx?ContentId=1FBC5049-A2D1-4A5E-80F6-A33D2F4A7F58 http://www.michigan.org/Experiences/Detail.aspx?ContentId=1FBC5049-A2D1-4A5E-80F6-A33D2F4A7F58 Tue, 27 May 2008 13:21:49 GMT http://www.michigan.org/Experiences/Detail.aspx?ContentId=093117DB-F76C-48A4-BDF9-7B885E7EE59D http://www.michigan.org/Experiences/Detail.aspx?ContentId=093117DB-F76C-48A4-BDF9-7B885E7EE59D Oscoda Michigan and ending at Empire, Michigan the writings are from the original cache logs. S 2S OSCODA While on a late night… (newly published cache by Rusty…must say( “Rusty does a great job”)…I noticed that it was12 midnight and Our 6th Anniversary ….Hubby asked “ what do you want for your Anniversary?”....for me a quick response…”Let’s GO S2S CACHING”… Oh my...whippity snip....bama, lama, ding, dong...Oh YEsssssssssssssss …He said Yessssssssssss …We get home, pack, run maps, print the cache series, load the GPS unit…We get very little if any sleep and we are Up and Off… ”blushing” …LOL… Whistling and yelling….Oscoda here we come...Arrive and look for cache….hummmm thought the cache would never be there….lol…fooled… hubby finds it exactly in the “never be there spot”…must say a really tricky hide….dropped Zodiac Cancer Coin…(?)... Do they have sewers up here?…saw a port'a potty…hmmmm…. Aww Shucks... lots of Huggies and Kisses and Pics… Information Office was closed and so we are on the run or I should say Drive to the next cache.... Oh forgot ....Took a pack of Cow Seeds( herd starter you know) from the cache.....upon arrival at city home...I planted the seed right side up...".didn't want cows to grow upside down," in warm flower bed in front of house and w/ any luck and patient's I will have my own Herd of milk cows...want the neighbors be shocked and surprised....lol and while watering them I mooooooo very softly... Followed directions on pkg....lol S2S RIVER ROAD Arrived at the second cache… what a beautiful area…very few horsy people but lots of horse biscuits on the trail…first encounter with the little black flies…”have spray will hunt” for cache and again hubby finds cache…L. our sig. cards and toys …T. nice sig. cards…I collect them …Drop Our first Green Jeep travel bug…took Secretariat Wannabe (Travel Bug Dog Tag)…signed log and moved on to next cache …excitement building. Thanks to the creators, basswoodbend, Dinoduo, dpbotkin and James and Sheryl for the Most Memorable Occasion S2S SOUTH BRANCH Arrive at 3 rd cache and crows are flying over head and screeching…thought to self …are we their next meal?…Very pleasant walk to the cache and the Knot is right on …again hubby finds cache and a chain mail VMan keychain that he had been searching for since the Metro event….water was beautiful…what a great Anniversary present....11 more on list.... out of here and to next cache. Thanks to the creators, basswoodbend, Dinoduo, dpbotkin and James and Sheryl for the Most Memorable Occasion S2S GABIONS Woooo…whooooo…..oops….$ 3.00 for park camp site…we not camping….oh what the hay…have cache fever so $$$ is no object….again hubby finds and believe me I am doing my share of looking and hunting and hunting and looking…guess he has the better GPS unit…lol…no one around…locate a very nice cache… well hidden….hubby takes gloves and pouch…felt that we should leave $$ and toys…what a great sig card find…. More collectables…love it …love it …love it…. Still loving the S2S cache Anniversary present. Nicest cache so far. Thanks to the creators, basswoodbend, Dinoduo, dpbotkin and James and Sheryl for the Most Memorable Occasion S2S MCKINLEY The dreaded power line trail…back woods and sand trails ….was as if we were on a sandy trail to kingdom come…ruff at times but have the greatest driver w/ me…so he says… he is a whizzzz at driving…and a few other things…like finding the cache again…. Lol …seemed it took forever to get to the cache… take stuff, leave stuff…get sig cards…love to collect sig cards…helps to know fellow cache’s just a little better ...oh! and all along the way, we haven’t forgotten to collect the codes...did I mention that at beginning of cache search the weather is a bit damp and chilly…Still loving it. Thanks to the creators, basswoodbend, Dinoduo, dpbotkin and James and Sheryl for the Most Memorable Occasion S2S LUZERNE Oh! Bother ….found it, found it…finally my first find…really nice hide and a great home for a little mouse to snuggle in…he wasn’t to eager to give up his warm spot…wasn’t frightened of him just a little startled at his appearance…getting to these caches is getting a bit more difficult…place for cache was very innovative. Thanks to the creators, basswoodbend, Dinoduo, dpbotkin and James and Sheryl for the Most Memorable Occasion S2S 4 MILE RD Again, I found this one… notice how I put the I found this one first…lol…we drove right up to it….sticks and stones …am amazed at such hiding places…easy one by far…took usual …left usual…Stopped for early supper…need fuel for long haul traveling…back in truck…they hide, we seek…this is like playing a kids game. Thanks to the creators, basswoodbend, Dinoduo, dpbotkin and James and Sheryl for the Most Memorable Occasion S2S GOOSE CREEK The first stage of this cache was very delightful and also a very clever idea… lol …nice hide…who’d thunked it …The Manistee River was beautiful and with luck we were on the right side of the river because we read the logs…captured what we needed and on to stage 2…Must say again” very clever hide.” Now…and I say now….stage 2 was a …don’t have nice words for this one… can u tell that we were exhausted and tired?...first we bushwhack across the woods to discover a road…a real road that we could have driven close to the cache…on way back to truck I’m mumbling under my breath…hate this.. will never do this again…why did I choose this for a Anniversary present?... when I could have had dinner and a piece of jewelry….hate the little flies and spray seems to do no good…plus side stepping the horse biscuits as we trek back to the truck and encounter mugglers (horsy ppl.) staring at us …wave and move on…get in truck and off to the road ...park and the real hunting begins…by now it is getting late…travel quite a ways into the woods…cords lead us to the spot and I mean the real spot…(didn’t know it at the time)…I want my own bed…lol…so like the never give up cache’s, we look here, look there, look every where and no cache…no cache …no cache…poor hubby as I am becoming a bit grumpy…night is falling and I say…”Lets give up”…my first time since caching…can’t believe I said that and more so, hubby agreed …so into town and at a crummy roach motel we spent the night…to return to site, again, TOMORROW…what a real cacher will do for a cache…LOL Morning has dawned and the dreaded tomorrow is here, so soon and we drive back to the nice road spot…(drive not walk) and up into the woods and at first glance and a poke… finds the dastardly cache…like a nano second to do this…this would make a preacher cuss….@#$%&***@%%&%##@%%&#@^^...&#@&*^%@%&@****... damn… if this isn’t my 100 find….calm myself…take deep breath and record the letter and #....took travel bug sunshine coin …and thought… nice day to finish the remainder of the caches. Thanks to the creators, basswoodbend, Dinoduo, dpbotkin and James and Sheryl for the Most Memorable Occasion S2S KALKASKA/RAPID RIVER After the 100th find and breakfast…we head out to number 9…feeling lousy… hubby finds the cache….great hide…I am so amazed at the thought, clue’s and time that is given to these caches…this one really pay’s attention to the clue…. Feeling better after a bit and take some pics. of area….we have good pics of the trip….back into the Spirit Of Caching….giggles and fun.... collected a large wooden coin….sig cards and put in sig cards, toys…this was such nice cache’s. Thanks to the creators, basswoodbend, Dinoduo, dpbotkin and James and Sheryl for the Most Memorable Occasion S2S SHECKS PLACE The dreaded Sheck’s place….I named it that after reading the logs and driving and driving on some trails that no man should drive…need a 4 wheeler not a straight 2…clue said Birch….should have replaced the R with a T …because it was definitely a B****…First, we were on the other side of the river with a great view…never knowing that the cords would point across the river…(those tricky cache hiders …lol… may the force be with you) …trek back to truck and wished it had been warm as I would have crossed the fast moving river to get to other side… off to the other side…more trekking…more trekking and the dreaded hill… Never have I been on such a steep hill as the big Sheck one…. Up and down was a bit frightful…full running river and one slip…. A splash…cold river bath…berrrr…no thanks…cache is a clever hide…pay attention to clue…all in all was a great cache find…am I sounding grumpy…nahhh….Love this….took nothing left sig. cards. Thanks to the creators, basswoodbend, Dinoduo, dpbotkin and James and Sheryl for the Most Memorable Occasion S2S LAKE DUBONNET Drove and drove through a rock and roll trail…bouncy, bouncy… thought we had tigger with us…arrived and lake was full of stumps and beaver dams…was beautiful to see…the cache is the best hide of all the trip…loved it…what is brusha, brusha?...if it is not a real brush… is it a beaver chew?... lol…nice cache…left usual things and again we have collected all the codes… eagerly awaiting the final cache. The cache is a blend of the environment….Oh and a dear almost took out the truck…It dashed in front of the truck… never ever have I seen something move so fast…lucky us. Thanks to the creators, basswoodbend, Dinoduo, dpbotkin and James and Sheryl for the Most Memorable Occasion S2S GAREY LAKE Easy drive to cache…but find wasn’t easy… 1st cache was on ground….get needed numbers and letters…replace cache and off into a prickly environment for 2nd part … good thing that we wore jeans…GPS led us to the spot… right on…scoop things and out of here….easy step at a time….sticky ….sticky….off to the best one of all…Empire Thanks to the creators, basswoodbend, Dinoduo, dpbotkin and James and Sheryl for the Most Memorable Occasion S2S EMPIRE Empire, Empire… not only the cache before the final find….excited …we drive up to the most beautiful body of water…Lake Michigan….no matter where one view’s Lake Michigan it is beautiful….some times roaring like a lion or quite as a new dawn….we find the slide…but the cache is allusive…I settle for the beach on the play side and hubby checks 2nd cedar….check, check, check,…I read logs and finally he yells ….found it….wonderful… we take some really kohl pics…get needed stuff.... on the drive to second stage… we encounter four beautiful dear …They hung around so we were able to get some great shots … getting late so we find the spot…hike into woods and make an easy find…. “Walla” the cache. Stayed to long at Lake Michigan so we decided to do final cache on Wednesday ….Drove to Traverse City… hooked up room at a nice Hotel …continental breakfast and all… Scrumptious, compared to the roach motel ….lol… Up early and off to what we thought would be the fastest find of the Series of Caches…NOT. Thanks to the creators, basswoodbend, Dinoduo, dpbotkin and James and Sheryl for the Most Memorable Occasion S2S HOPKINS CREEK When one thinks that caching is a breeze, along comes Number Fourteen….FINAL CACHE…should have read the logs and directions … Woo is US….Followed the waypoint coords and ended up on private property….slight rain shower….hmmmmm, Think, Think, Think .... should I stay in truck …nice big hole of water across the trail( the one that we shouldn't have been on), made for turning back…decided to find a new direction that took us down a trail and into the woods…no rain …lol….for time being…. wade into the tall ferns ….water up too***…well lets say “wet way up high” (still can’t stop laughing about this experience) and going to get wetter….no rain gear with us…it’s in the truck…nodda, nothing…just skin and regular clothing…Looking for cache …then a down pour came and you should have seen me hugging a tree…that didn't help …soaking wet….run for truck…and may I say “it was freezing rain.”…. decisions, decisions … follow cords back to, of all places…THE PRIVATE PROPERTY… not again … we dawn orange rain slickers…courtesy of Metro Park Event…Yahoo for Metro Event… Inter PRIVATE PROPWERY…around pines and find a big open field…grass going on forever….cache....what cache…maybe a hole in the ground….new rules are ... They don’t bury it anymore….wow!!!! ... frustration and fear of leaving with out the final stage…never … die first…Wow, didn’t know rain could be so cold when one is soaked all over…even shoes go slosh, slosh…let’s not name my temperament at this point…may be to strong for kids and most adults…lol…get in truck …hubby says “I didn’t come this far, not to find the cache and I am going to find this blankety-of- a-blank ...%#$@**%#$$&”… remember, this is the FINAL STAGE… (still laughing as of this writing)…we read the logs and directions, we realized our mistake…Corrected it and away we go…I’m skeptical as to finding the cache….Drive to location and walla…So... So...easy to find when one follows all codes and directions …lol …Do lube Job… ( “gottcha” )… Put Oil on Lock… pull Lock and the ordered shirts are our’s...nice cache Drive home in wet clothes. We had the best time of our live’s … would do it again in a spastic moment…We saw so much of Michigan ...Our thanks to all who provided us the opportunity to find these caches... and this will be a most memorable occasion that we shared together on our very special day. It is far the Best Anniversary present of all Times….Thanks Hubby….Love of My Life. Thanks to the creators, basswoodbend, Dinoduo, dpbotkin and James and Sheryl for the Most Memorable Occasion ]]> Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:59:47 GMT