Off Leash Ticket

I received a courtesy notice for my off leash arrest on Ring Mountain. The bail due amount is $173.00...OUCH. That really seems a little steep to me. Did I mention no one was out there on the trail, except for me, Turbie, Remo, and the ranger! Did I also mention my dogs are under voice command! Did I also mention the dogs were standing 1 foot away from me when I got stopped by the ranger and the dog leashes were around my neck. I definitely need to be more careful when I'm out there poaching trails.

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Vizslas Only

On Sunday, there's a Vizsla walk at Pt. Pinole. I've done this walk a few times and it's a great time for everyone. We are usually out there for a few hours running the dogs along the trails and through the woods, and we always make a stop for some swim time in the bay. The "trail leader" Kay always gives each dog a well deserved biscuit at the end of the walk. I really enjoy this day, because it's a wonderful way to socialize your dogs with other dogs.

Here's a few photos from todays outing. cm.

Briones Regional Park

Unfortunately, I forgot my camera on today's mountain bike ride. I met up with another Vizsla owner Rod and his 2 dogs Chloe & Bailey. We had a great time riding the trails in this area. There's really a lot more to check out. I just looked at the trail map when I got home and the trail network is amazing. I may go back there in a couple days for another ride. The other bonus was a couple nice ponds to cool off the dogs. Lastly, it's LEGAL to ride your bikes on the trails with the dogs off leash!

I'll take some photos on my next ride in this area...stay tuned.

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Ring Mountain

Ring Mountain is in Tiburon and it has panoramic views of Mt. Tam, Goldengate Bridge, Richmond Bridge, and the Bay Bridge. I love going hiking here, but during the summer months I stayed away due to the foxtail season.

It was a hot one out there this morning and there's not much for shade, there's also not much for water. Most of the streams are dried up, except for one waterhole I found...luckily I brought water along and we were good to go for a couple hours. I love this place in the spring, because the fields are green and wide open, and the dogs really like running in this area. Not sure if I would recommend this place during Indian Summer.

As we were almost finished with our hike, I was coming off a rocky trail onto a fire road and I had the bad luck to run into a ranger with the dogs off leash...busted. That was my first encounter with a ranger, so I consider myself lucky up to this point. I don't really have a problem with the ticket, because I think about all the trails I have poached over the years on my mountain bike and with the dogs off leash. Once in a while you have to pay the price. C'mon a Vizsla on leash in wide open space...impossible. :)

You know it's been a good hike, when you have tired pups when you get home.

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Heading to Oregon

Part 1 -
We're leaving tomorrow at the crack of dawn for Bend and then eventually on to Hood River. Both of these places bring back fond memories of our bike racing days, but the road bikes will be staying home. We will be traveling with our red waggers and the mountain bikes. We intend to do a lot of hiking and riding in both areas. with the dogs in tow.

Part 2 -
It was all good in Oregon. We took the dogs on their first mountain bike ride and it went really well. They absolutely loved running behind the bikes. We spent a lot of time hiking and riding in the Bend & Hood River area. It was all good except for our last day, the temperature dropped to 40 degrees and rainy. We still did a good ride, but cut it a bit short. In Hood River, I met every Vizsla owner in town. One of the Vizslas we met, was 10 week old Stella, that was from the same breeder as my Turbie & Remo...it's a small world and somehow they were all related.

Now, I'm trying to figure out some dog mountain bike loops in Marin. It could be a bit tricky with all of the "trail laws" in place, but if we're fast & stealth I can already think of a few places.

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Pt. Pinole

There's a Vizsla walk every Sunday at Pt. Pinole. I wanted to join the group yesterday, but due to a last minute change in plans, I ended up doing a hike in Marin. Brian and I decided to check out Pt. Pinole today and it was a lot of fun. We spent a couple hours checking out the trails. There are quite a few areas that have good access to the water. I'm looking forward to going back there again to hook up with the Vizsla group and to do some more exploring.

Here's some pictures I took from my bb. cm.

Fun in Tahoe

We went to Tahoe for a long weekend. We spent a couple nights at The Cedar House Sport Hotel. I highly recommend this hotel, because it's pet friendly and a really cool "green property" to check out. We spent a couple days hiking in the Tahoe area and then we headed over to Nevada to spend a couple nights with our friends, Doug & Carol, and their 2 boxers, Dylan & Dharma. I highly recommend the hike to Miess Lake and Immigrant Lake. The wild flowers are still in bloom, great views,and there are plenty of water stops in route. On the California side we did a hike to 5 lakes and Tahoe Rim trail. 5 Lakes was nice, but who let the bus out...too many people and horses. We found out the Tahoe Rim trail is a bit more fun on the mountain bike. This is the first time we hiked on the trail and it was a lot of fun, but we went on an even day along with all of the mountain bikes. We spent a lot of time moving off the trail, to let a bike go by.

Enjoy the pictures. cm.