June 9th, 2011

Downtown Auburn Hills

It's been incredibly hot these past few days.  Too hot for walks.  Today was nearly perfect though.  The air began cooling off earlier in the day and by 6 PM the temps were in the 70's with a nice breeze.  It was overcast, but didn't look like it would start raining too soon.  Diesel and I had more than just exercise on the mind when we headed out today.  

Being Thursday, it meant the Auburn Hills Farmer's Market was going on downtown.  The farmer's market is along the same route we normally walk.  We headed out the door, down the street, and on to the CRT.  The trail was full of life today.  Lots of bikers, and the occasional runner/jogger.  There were plenty of birds as usual, and not too many bugs.  Once we were downtown, we headed over to the public parking area where the market was set up.

Being that it is still early June in Michigan, there's not too much produce out.  What there is a lot of is sweets!  The Cookie Lady was there as always and we made sure to stop by so she could meet Diesel, and get some of her famous cookies.  After taking a lap or two, enjoying the sounds of the one man band, and letting Diesel meet all of the new dog lovers, we made a stop at Duffy's tent and ordered a fresh of the grill hot dog and soda.  The guy even sneaked a hot dog out for Diesel too!  After a few bites we headed on down Grey Rd on our way back home.

Along the way, we ran into Connie and had a quick chat until the mosquito's drove us back down the path.  So long as you're moving they don't seem to bite.  Just before Adams Rd we stopped and Diesel met a 1 year old German Shepperd puppy out for a walk with its owner.  She was a cutie!  We made it back home without too much more effort.  And we were both ready to chill on the couch for a bit.

May 24th 2011

Yesterday turned out to be a really nice day.  The day was warm with a cooling breeze coming through in the evening.  After getting home from the gym, and one heck of a workout, Mikey and I had originally planned to go see a movie.  Mikey suggested instead that we take the dog for a walk, and postpone the movie to the next day, when there was a chance of rain. That sounded like a good idea to me. 

Our usual route

After Mikey finally got ready, the three of us headed out on Diesel and I's normal route.  We headed out of the house and down the street.  Just on the other side of Auburn, a quick movement caught Diesel and I's attention and we both stopped to have a stare-off with a groundhog.  He was no more than 6 feet away from us, the opening to his tunnel between him and us.  We waited for a while before the groundhog finally turned back the other way, ducked under the fence and found a new opening to crawl into. We continued on and caught the Clinton River Trail.  Walked the CRT west until we came to downtown Auburn Hills.  There we sat on a nice metal bench while we contemplated walking to a friends house or to the Twist 'n' Dip for some ice cream.  The sweet-tooth in us all won over and we stopped in for some flurries.  Diesel got his usual doggie dish, and like always he tried to swallow it all in one gulp!  After our ice cream was finished, we continued on the route walking down Grey, all the while Mikey quizzing me on the types of trees.  Along the route we identified various Maples, Oaks, Hickories, Poplars, and numerous others.  There a quite a few different tree types that grow around southeast Michigan.

Mikey and Diesel walking along Grey



As we neared home the sun began to set, and it was pretty evident we were all pretty beat.  Ice cream and a long walk sure do hit the spot.  Always nice having some peaceful time with the family in the evening.  Though I am still hoping to get to the theater tonight and see the new Pirates movie. :)

Our First Walk

I love spring! The weather in Michigan is just right for taking nice long walks after work without being too hot or too cold. And if you can plan them just right you can squeeze them in between rain showers.

Our walking route via Gmaps Pedometer

Today, Diesel and I completed our typical route. This route is roughly 2.8 miles, and takes about an hour for us to complete. It takes us through my neighborhood, onto the Clinton River Trail, into Downtown Auburn Hills, around through the Grey Rd subdivision.
 The weather today was pretty nice, sunny, few clouds, and around 54°.  It cooled down quite a bit on the way back, and I tried to stay in the sun as much as possible.

The Clinton River Trail just west of Adams

We didn't make any stops today, but we did see a rabbit and a black squirrel out today.  If I go at the right time, I have seen deer, partridge, rabbits, squirrels, fish, and some hawks, along with other birds.  We have also been lucky as to not have to deal with too many bugs, mosquitoes and nats can be quite annoying! There were quite a few people out enjoying the trail today as well.  Some runners, a few on bikes, and some dog-walkers like ourselves. 

One of the other things I love about spring time in Michigan are the colors!  The little green and red buds start to pop out onto the long, tall branches, and flowers begin to appear in the greening grass.  There were yellow forsythia, purple hyacinths, and red tulips! 

Some of the wonderful colors around town

There's not too much else to say about today's walk.  Mikey said he was going to join us but got caught up at his father's house longer than he had intended.  There will be plenty more chances for him this summer, as he has said he would like to walk with us more.  We also have a fancy new Subway downtown with a patio, it could be nice walking up for dinner some time. 

I will share more walks, and more photos next time.  Hope you enjoyed it!