Ike's Wedding - Grand Rapids

Tiffany and I rode back to Grand Rapids with Greg on Melanie for Ike and Carrie's wedding at the Amway. We had such an awesome time. Grand Rapids is as good as ever and seems to be so resilient to changes in our economy. There were new buildings, stores, and restaurants everywhere.

The wedding was beautiful and we got a chance to hook up with some very good friends. Here are a few pictures.

My Grandma and Lake Michigan - Feb 09

We went up to Michigan for a wedding and made some time to see my Grandma. We meet my Mom and Dad and ate in downtown Grand Haven. We had a great meal and then some dessert. We also went for a ride to the Lake. I hopped out and took some beach pictures. We had great fun with Grandma and Mom and Dad. These trips sure make us miss home!

DuPont - Dog Hike

Yesterday we all went on a short day hike with the pups. Our neighbor Alice and Tallulah (dog), Liz and Jeremiah and Marshall (dog) and Tiff and I and Olive (dog) all went. We went to Dupont and hiked to three waterfalls. We all had a good time and the dogs got a chance to get out and to go for a little swim. It was a beautiful day.

Green River Gorge - Hiking with Vizslas

Tiffany and I decided to do a day hike on Valentine's Day in the Green River Gorge area. We packed up and headed out with Olive in the back of the truck. As we pulled into the trail access another couple was unloading their Vizsla!

Of course we talked for awhile. Steve and Stacy were going on the same hike so we decided to just go together. Their eight year old Vizsla, Darwin, had a new pack too. We hiked to the Putnam Trail head just before the Narrows which has world-class white water.

The dogs played great and Steve and Stacy were a lot of fun. They even let us tie Olive to Darwin so that she could learn to hike without a leash. She did really well. If she pulled too hard or ran too far ahead, Darwin would dig-in and hold her. It was hilarious.

Animals

I wanted to post up some pictures of Olive and Royal since they are growing so fast. There is also a picture of the neighbors dog Brownie who we all love. The last two pictures are of Olive's famous smile.

Tricky Situation - Hurricane Creek Jan 08

We went for a day trip to Hurricane Creek near the Tennessee border on Saturday. We rode with Meredith and Chad (Range Rover Classic), Jason and Cindy (Discovery I) and their kids and dogs in toe. It was a beautiful day for a ride and we had planned on going to see the Elk herd at the reserve.

All was fine until Jason, coming down from a big hill climb, got turned sideways when his rear-end came around. The terrain has become very slippery and water logged lately and the grade was just too much. The extra weight from the truck spun the rear around and the truck leaned over and almost rolled down the hill.

Now, the pictures never do it justice, but hopefully you can get an idea. We anchored the rear shackle to a tree at an angle and winched the truck back the other direction, straightening it out. We did this until the Land Rover was straightened out and then we inched her forward 3/4 of the way down the hill until his gearing allowed for a full descent.

It took a total of almost two hours. It was great though, it is what it is all about....going into wilderness to explore you potentially could encounter all sorts of situations. The enjoyment comes from the technical aspect of it. The idea is that with knowledge, preparation, and the right equipment, we can all have a fun time and return home safely.

Melanie's Birthday in Pittsboro

We went to visit Greg and Melanie for the weekend. It was Melanie's birthday and we had a ton of fun. They are coming along nicely on their house and Melanie is getting a lot of work done. I hope that you are reading this Greg, because you need to step up brother! LOL!

They took us to the Carolina Brewing Company which is always a favorite. For Melanie's birthday dinner we went to Todd's cabin and he treated everyone to his Guacamole and excellent chicken wings. We are a great time and it is always fun to visit.

We also got to meet their new dog Lucy. Next we go I'll get some dog pictures. Greg finally gave in with some brilliant convincing from Melanie and Tiffany. Which mostly consisted of threats. Thanks for having us over and Happy Birthday Melanie!