Double Trouble

That do be the name of the park we went to, fur real!

We akshually went to two parks today - Jake's Branch County Park and Double Trouble State Park.  They be naybors and we wanted to hike from one to the udder and back.  There did be some complikashuns with that plan but I tell you about that later, k? (And it do be thusly as I woz fulfilling my dooties as Secretary of Parks and Recreashuns fur Blogville, why I nefur made it to Bunny and Pip's Banquet.)

So we hiked...

...and checked pee-mail...

...and hiked from Jake's Branch Park into Double Trouble Park...

Then, rememmer how I is always finding old cars in the woods?  You will nefur beleef wot I found today.  A BOAT!

And not just one boat, oh, no, coz we do be at Double Trouble I founded TWO boats!

Ya think mebbe I could has founded one or both of these long lost boats?

We nefur gotted all the way to the beginning of Double Trouble park coz of this:

Yuppers, the water flooded rite ofur where we had to walk and we had to turn around but mebbe that be how the boats gotted here coz they do need waters, no?

We did find one trail in the woods where we could get ofur the waters.  See the waters at the bottom of the pikshure? I woz half way across when I snapped that shot.  I just walked thru, not a problem fur me, but mom woz able to get ofur on logs without getting her feets wet.  Wot a shame I did not catch a shot of that graceful akshun.

But then the trail ended and did not go anywheres so we had to go back.  We had parked rite by the nature center wot has an observashun deck 5 stories up.  

I most certainly did not want to go up there on skeery steps even if'n the steps woz inside, well that meaned I woz not allowed anyways, so mom let me wate in the car.

Mom taked a pikshure of me in the car from up on the observashun deck:

See me biggified in the car watching mom way up there?

And I wated...

and wated...

and wated.  (See where I got the corner of the observashun deck in my pikshure on the left side?  But I missed getting mom in it, dang!)

Mom sayed this is wot the Noo Joisey Pine Barrens do look like from up there and I be happy to take her werd fur it.

So then we drived ofur to the beginning of Double Trouble park where we had wanted to end up and hiked from there.  I would love to show you pikshures of that part of it but not only did the battery in my Shawnee Cam die, the battery in mom's camera died, too.  All we has is this one pikshure of the reservoir.

That will teach mom not to recharge her battery coz she thinks is has enuff juice and to furget the spare.  But we did hike 11 miles so we did get our mileage in fur the week.

The Second Annual Spectacular-Tongue-tacular Contest!

So my furriend Anna is hasing the Second Annual Spectacular-Tongue-tacular Contest!

This do be the most eggsiting contesty! All you has to do is post a pikshure of your tong and put a commenty that you has done so on Anna's bloggie here.  Then there be a random drawing fur the winner!

So fur my contesty entry I could not decide which one so I gibs two but they can count as one entry. I swear I is not trying to stuff the ballot box.

Unnerneath - takened by the Shawnee Dam

I can tutch the top of my nose.

Valley Forge, PA

So we spent all day Saturday in contemplashuns ofur where to hike on Sunday.  Monday wot be a howliday woz not going to be any good coz the wevver peeples do be forecasting rains.  (It do, howefur, be snowing on today, Monday, the howliday.)  So anyhoo, we finally sayed "DOH! It be the Presidents' Birfdays weekend, let's go to Valley Forge in Pencilvania fur President George's birfday celebrashuns!"  The way the hiking trails is layed out there, we could not come up with one 10 mile hike so we had to do one hike, drive to anudder place to do a second hike wot happens to be where I did my furstest efur hike when I woz a yungun.  But due to mom saying "Let's go see where this trail goes...", a cuppull of times we ended up hiking 12.5 miles.

It do be a furry dog furrendly place and we did see lots of dogs throughout the day.

The Friends of Valley Forge Park even put a water bowl fur dogs out.  I do bring my own but how nice fur the dog wot furgotted theirs!

So we started out at the old Valley Forge Train Station

Train Station a la Shawnee Cam

Around the corner from there do be Washington's Headquarters where President George stayed.  Be there anybody home?

Pritty kewl digs George had there.  The soldiers had to stay in cabins.  We had furry nice cabins when we stayed in Furginia.  I wonner if'n the soldiers had cabins like that.  Not bad from the outside...

My Cabin at Shenandoah River State Park in Furginia

Soldier Cabin at Valley Forge

Oh. My. Doggie.  As my furrend Yoda would say, these soldier cabins do not be fit fur public consumpshun.

A Soldier Cabin from the Shawnee Cam

Me and the  Birfday Boy!

OK, so on with our hike now.  We started on the Horse-Shoe Trail wot is a long distance trail that goes for a gabillion miles all the way ofur to the Appalachian Trail!

Shawnee Cam:  Info Board at Horse-Shoe Trail

The Horse-Shoe Trail taked us up Mount Misery (this do be the second Mount Misery I has been to this month) and we founded some old ruins:

Then all the way to the top of Mount Misery:

And down the udder side of Mount Misery to an old covered bridge wot woz builded in 1865:

Then through the valley along a creek:

Then we climbed up Mount Joy where we found a nice break spot with a view:

And there be some historical cannons and stuffs:

Shawnee Cam: Anudder Hiker on Mount Joy

So we headed back to the car and drived around to Pawling Farm on the udder side of the big Schulykill River where I had done my furry furst hike almost 10 years ago!  Mom taked me hiking with a group wot hiked with their dogs and we still has pikshures from one time in 2006 when Dixie went with us.  Here be some of them:

Now check out this last one - mom tried to take anudder pikshure in about the same place yesterday and I put that one rite below it.

2006

2011

Oh doggie did we has a blast on those hikes.  But the laydee wot organized them has not done it in years and we rilly miss that hiking group.

So anyways, we hiked along the Schuylkill River:

And just a little bit on the Schuylkill River Trail wot is a paved trail fur bicycles but dogs is allowed too, just no cars:

Then back along the river I did look across and see that train station from earlier in the hike.

So that be it.  We has funs doing the Presidents' birfday celebrashuns!

And this one be fur you, Norwood - SMOOCH!