Weird Winter

This has been the strangest winter I can remember.  The weather has been relatively warm, and we haven't gotten much snow.  There have only been a few days that I have needed to get up early (ok, who am I kidding I never get up early) to clear the snow/ice from my car.  Most of the time I am lucky enough to check my phone for the temp, and run out in my jammies and get it started up so it has time to defrost before I get in. I think the worst of the weather was a few weeks ago, it was a bit slick on a Friday night when Mikey and I were driving home, and then that following Saturday morning I needed to fight some snow and ice on my car and on the streets.

And today was no exception.  When I got out of work today, the sun was out, it as about 39°, and the dog was extra wound up! Mikey has been taking him for walks during the day since he's been off work these past few weeks. Unfortunately though, Mikey took a little spill down the stairs the other day and rolled his ankle.  Seems someone was expecting an afternoon walk. And who could say no to that smiling puppy face? 

It was a nice enough day but it was still a little cool, and getting cooler as the afternoon progressed.  I wanted to make it a quick walk, but still get enough distance in to make Dieseldog happy.  Leash strapped on, DieselCam rolling, GPS in pocket tracking our distance and time, we were off. 

Yea, I took a picture of the rest stop.

Headed down our street towards the trail, down the trail and past the Mastodon Site.  There weren't a lot of people on the trail today, and it was a bit muddy in some places, but peaceful still. It was the first time I had been on that section of the trail since they built the new stand-alone restroom at Leach & Adams.  It was a nice improvement over the Porta-John that had been their previously.  
We headed down Leach and it was just a little ways up the street that we came across my friend Andrea as she was driving home. We stopped to chat for a moment, but didn't want to hold up traffic.  

We kept on going, without much else exciting happening. Just as we got close to home we came across a lady with her rottweiler. She introduced herself and her dog, I believe his name was Zeus.  We made small talk about the boys and agreed that we will probably see more of each other as the weather warmed. 
It wasn't a very eventful walk, but it was just the right thing for a sunny February day. We don't always get a chance to take the time out for ourselves or to appreciate the weather when its not quite perfect, but definitely better than the alternative.  I'm hoping Diesel and I can start getting a few more of these walks in.

Oh, and yes, we did try the DieselCam again but I still need to work on stabilizing it.   I get more shots of his neck fur then I do anything else. That and it clips to his collar fine, but his leash pulls his collar around and then you end up with the camera on its side, and that really makes for a dizzy replay.  I'll keep working on it and hopefully I will have a neat video for you this summer.

Mild Winter Day

I am one of those people who come November, I usually stop doing fun things outside.  I hate the cold.  My toes always get cold first and then I feel miserable. And I am not that big of a fan of snow either.  Snow always manages to find its ways onto my bare skin, ya know, either up my pant leg or down my cuffs.  However it does it, it does.  I am also one of those people that hates wearing coats.  I don't like being all bundled up in a restricting jacket, add gloves, a hat and a scarf and I feel like I am suffocating. These are the many excuses I have for why I don't take my poor Diesel dog out for walks in the Winter. I am going to try and work on that this year. There is no reason I can't take him for a quick walk every now and again.

Thankfully, Mother Nature gave us one of those weird, random breaks from the cold this week. Yesterday, I believe temps where as high as 56° here in Metro Detroit.  Which for January, is warm.  The sun was out all day, and melted away all of the remaining snow from the past weekend.  The sky was blue and there wasn't much of a breeze, it actually looked as if it was welcoming everyone out to enjoy it. 

As soon as I got home from work, I located the leash, and walked around out back to find my puppy.  Diesel was overly excited! He's not one of those dogs that jumps up on you usually,or on to the fence even. But boy oh boy, was he excited! He was going for a walk and he was happy! Once I was able to finally get him to back away from the gate so I could open it, I clipped onto him and we were off. 

Clinton River Trail 1/6/12

The road of course was a muddy mess, and Diesel nearly dragged me all the way down it. He was walking so fast, we actually passed another dog walker.  I had to convince him to slow down for the sake of my shins once we got to Auburn.  I was hoping the trail wouldn't be too muddy either, considering that it sits on top of an embankment from where the old train tracks ran.  And sure enough, as we reached the trail, we stopped and waited for two joggers to pass us by.  It was a good day to be outside.

I don't know if it was the weather, or just the excitement of being out on a walk, but it seemed like we couldn't walk 50 feet without having to stop so Diesel could investigate some smell he had found.  That dog had his nose to the ground almost the entire way down the trail.  At one point he had stopped so dead in his tracks I nearly fell over.  Sometimes having a leash that connects at your waist isn't a good thing.

Diesel stalking a squirrel

We walked the trail to downtown, and crossed Auburn on to Grey like we usually do.   There weren't too many people out on this stretch but we did pass one other dog walker along the way.  I actually expected to see quite a bit more. What we did see however, were squirrels.  Lots and lots of squirrels. And Diesel knew it too.  It was a welcomed break from all the sniffing, now he was searching the trees and yards with a keen eye, looking for his favorite little creatures, hoping I would let him off his leash for a good chase.

It started getting cooler once the sun started going down a bit more.  We continued down Adams and crossed back over into the neighborhood.  We met a man on a bicycle who had just moved into the area.  We chatted for a bit about the nice system of trails in the area and all of the good neighborhoods to cut through.  He said we really had a good town here.

And that was it for our first walk of the year.  Sure is nice to go out on a January day wearing just a fleece and a scarf. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate some more this winter and Diesel and I will be able to go out again like this. And like this I mean without feeling like my ears and nose are going to fall off, or having soaking wet pants from all the brown icky slush.  Oh what can I say, I am just not a fan of Old Man Winter.

A Warm October

It seems that for the past few years, it has been staying warmer come October.  At least it has here in Michigan.  For instance, this week we could see a high of 80° on Saturday. It has been sunny and nice out all week so far, which has been an amazing change from the cold and wet of the previous weeks.  

Just yesterday, when I got home from work, it was 70°, not a cloud in the sky and I just couldn't resist taking Diesel out for a walk.  And being that it was so nice, I decided to wing it and just walk for the pleasure of it with no real route in mind.  

Along the CRT - East of Adams Rd.

We had to start out on the Clinton River Trail like always, because I couldn't pass up the opportunity to escape from the asphalt and surround myself with the peacefulness of the trail.  As I was enjoying the many new fall colors to be seen, Diesel was busy searching the trees for squirrels.  The squirrels have been super busy lately, running in and out of the walnut trees, and barking at one another.  It didn't take long for him to spot a few black squirrels and we saw quite a few fox squirrels as well.  

Downtown Auburn Hills

Once downtown, I was happy to see that new flowers had been planted along the road way, really capturing the essence of autumn.  Downtown Auburn Hills sure has come a long way since I was a kid, but one thing I can count on is a quick soft serve cone at the Twist & Dip.  It may not be run by the same owners, or carry any fancy ice cream flavors, the Twist & Dip has always been a nice place to get a cold treat on a hot day.  Today wasn't exactly hot, but it sure was nice, and there aren't going to be many more days like this!  Diesel got his usual of a doggy dish; small bowl of vanilla with a doggy biscuit, and I just got a baby vanilla cone to satisfy the craving.  After all, we are out walking for our health.

And since our health is important, I thought maybe it would be a good idea to add a little to our route and see how a detour would be.  We first swung through Riverside Park, walking along the river bank.  One of my favorite places in Auburn Hills.  The park may be small, but it has a nice trail along the riverbank, a play area, a nice gazebo, a pavilion, and restrooms.  A great place to enjoy lunch, or an evening downtown.  They have hosted a few different events at the park, most recently the Clinton River Trail Fall Classic that I participated in, as well as an Annual Exchange in the spring, and concerts on Fridays during the summer. 

The Clinton River

Not ready to head home yet, I thought it would be nice for Diesel and I to head down Squirrel Rd, and make our way back to South Blvd, and then Adams going that route, I figured it would add at least a mile to our walk.  It's funny how the simplest things can have you reflecting back on fond memories.  And its not like I haven't been down these roads before, I have many times in fact, but there is just something about walking the sidewalks where I used to ride my bike as a kid, really can bring a smile to my face. Even after a not-so-good day of work. 

It started to cool down and Diesel and I made our way down South Blvd. and I was glad I had worn my hoodie.  Even though the temps have been nice during the day, as soon as the sun sets, you are reminded that it is October in Michigan.  One last picture I took along our walk really sums up what I love about this time of year.  And maybe it can be the motivation I need to hang the Halloween decorations. (Trust me, 80° this Saturday is not going to make it very easy.)  So I leave you with this, a beautiful shot from the corner of Adams & South Blvd. 

I just love the colors of the trees right now. :)

The Nose Knows - Diesel's Trip to the Dog Park

Today I had a day off from work and decided that since Diesel and I haven't been getting out for many walks lately, that I would take him to the dog park.

My friends recommended Orion Oaks Dog Park, in Orion Township.  At about 10ish or so this morning I packed some water, his portable dog dish, and grabbed his leash.  We headed north and checked into the park at around 10:15 or so.  It's a $5 fee for a daily pass to the park, annual passes are also available for $30.  Orion Oaks is an Oakland County park so if you buy the annual pass it will also grant you access to Addison Oaks, Groveland Oaks, Highland Oaks, Independence Oaks, Lyon Oaks, and Rose Oaks.  

Orion Oaks has 24 fenced in acres set up with different zones.  There is a small dog area and then an area for dogs over 25 lbs.  Diesel and I headed into zone A and instantly met a 7 month old German Shepherd puppy.  We wandered off in search of the trails mentioned on the website.  More than anything Diesel was more preoccupied with sniffing everything he came across.  By the time we had reached the back of the park I am pretty sure he had marked every tree and waste can.  Benches are located in many of the more shaded areas, and waste cans with provided baggies can be found almost anywhere.  

Orion Oaks Dog Park

At the back of the park you can pass through the double gates and enter the Dog Dock area.  A slight ways down the trail and you come to a decently long dock that stretches into the lake.  The water is deep enough that the dogs can jump off the end.  Ramps on either side allow the dogs to climb back on to the dock with ease.  There is no swimming allowed for humans, but you can get pretty wet sitting on the end with your dog and the others that come up and shake off.  Diesel didn't go swimming today, as I did not bring a floaty for him to chase.  I wasn't sure how crowded the dock would be.  

Dog Dock @ Orion Oaks Dog Park

Diesel and I made our way back to the fenced in area and strolled around the trails for a bit.  They're not really secluded, and are quite short, but it was nice to have the shaded area as it was starting to warm up a bit faster than I had hoped.  Diesel isn't bad with other dogs, but he's much more interested in people.  Dogs would come up to him and they would circle around each other and sniff each other but he wasn't interested in playing much.  The one time he did seem kind of excited was for a guy that was walking by with a few dogs of his own.  


Diesel and I decided that since we had already bought the daily pass, we headed down the street to the main park and hit the trails.  At first looking at the map I figured we would do the 2.5 mile loop.  We started off in a nice meadow walking along a grass trail.  A lot of people ask me if I am afraid of walking alone, have you seen my 90 lb German Shepherd?  I have heard him get mean and protective once before when I had to stop and use a porta-john while on the trail.  I am not really afraid of much when he's around.  We made it to the 2nd trail maker, it was really starting to get warm and we had just walked up the largest, straight up hill.  We stopped to take a breather and get some water and that's when I decided that we were not as prepared as we should be.  


There were bugs everywhere! Deer flies were all over Diesel's ears, and I was being attacked from all sides.  The only cool thing was all of the butterflies and grasshoppers.  We were running low on water by the next trail marker and Diesel and I came to the same conclusion, let's get out of here! We started following the trail markers back to the parking lot and managed to make one wrong turn that thankfully wasn't too far out of the way.  Diesel and I were more than happy to be back in the car and back in the A/C as we headed home. 

Orion Oaks Trails

It wasn't the worst trip and I can't say that I hated any of it.  The dog park was okay, but a little bit too busy and too small for Diesel and I.  I am sure its better for those that live in apartments and don't have the room to let your dog go free.  And Diesel isn't a "social" dog so he really doesn't need to be around other dogs.  He's not bad with them but for the most part he just doesn't care. The rest of Orion Oaks was beautiful, I would like to go back again when we can be a little more prepared.  I think Mikey would even like scouting out trees to climb. 

Sunny & Breezy!

First, Diesel and I would like to thank the Rochester Patch website for featuring our blog occasionally.  I have been granted access to blog for the site, but I haven't yet decided if I should move over there or stay here.  I sort of like the control I have here, though it could open me up to a larger audience.

Today, Diesel and I had the most perfect weather for walking.  Partly cloudy with a fantastic breeze. Okay, maybe more windy than breezy, but it still felt great!  Temperatures were in the 70's which made it perfect for some shorts and a t-shirt.  Usually I don't go for walks much before 6 o'clock, but today I had an appointment at 7 I couldn't miss.  This meant getting out on the road at 5 and having to deal with the traffic. Yuck.  Thankfully the worst of it was crossing Auburn to get to the CRT after that we stayed on the trail for most of our walk.

View of downtown Auburn Hills facing West

After walking down the CRT, we cut through beautiful downtown Auburn Hills.  I love the way the streets are lined with the old fashioned light poles and flowers hang from baskets and are planted in stone gardens along the street. Add in the brick accents on the street and the new building fronts, downtown Auburn Hills is starting to look exceptionally nice.

Once we got back on the trail we continued west while enjoying the seclusion from the road.  We passed quite a few people and made some new friends as they stopped to pet Diesel.  He sure is a handsome dog and are frequently told so!


Unfortunate for us, I remembered to take a peek at the time and realized we had only a half hour to make it home and had already walked for an hour.  We got to stepping and raced home without taking too many unnecessary stops.  We were forced to take a short-cut and follow Auburn road home, but that wasn't to horrible as the traffic has started to mellow out by then.  Our complete walk took us an hour and a half and was almost 4 and half miles round trip.

Our walk today (image provided by Gmaps Pedometer)

And one last thing, I recently created a twitter account for the Diesel Stomping blog so that we can live tweet any pictures or events that may be happening while we are walking but before I have a chance to write.  Tweets will appear on the right-hand side of this page, or you can follow us by clicking here.