I haven’t taken many week-long vacations in my life; actually, after this week is all said and done, I’ve taken exactly two – the first being last August to Portland, Oregon.
I decided on a trip to Portland after reading a self-help book/memoir by influencer Conor Franta who described Portland as his “happy place.” At the time, I needed an escape to a “happy place” so I chose Conor’s. What I realized more than anything on that trip is that my true happy place isn’t really a physical place, but instead a place where I am surrounded by the things that make me feel truly happy. For me, that is Caesar and Jeter, so this year I stayed home, and focused my vacation on them.
This week I spent extra time each morning with Jeter. He is the dog that sleeps in bed every night because, while he is a giant, he aims to take up as little space as possible, where as Caesar is a bed-hog with ants in his pants.
Many days I took Caesar to new trails and paths. We began our trip in Columbus which you can read about below. On Monday, we went to Fort Wayne at Kreager Park to the Maumee Pathway where we took a different route than we have in the past. It led us to several neat bridges. It’s easy to get lost (in a serene way) in a trail like that. While you’re technically in a “big” city, it feels like you’re in the middle of nowhere. It was very peaceful.
On Tuesday, Caesar and I went to downtown Fort Wayne. We started at the new Promenade Park that had just opened a few days prior. The park brings attention to the St. Marys River which runs through the city. The park is also attached to many of the River Greenway trails so it would be easy to start from there and take a walk to just about anywhere in Fort Wayne. We, however, went further downtown to hunt down city murals.
While downtown, we stoped at the city visitor’s center which I highly suggest if you’re like me and forgot your map. There are several neat maps pin-pointing where the pubic art is located. Also, the visitor’s center is dog-friendly which allowed Caesar and I to get some air condition and cool down before going back out. Plus, they had a dog water bowl outside which was certainly an added bonus since Caesar drinks so much.
That evening, Jeter and I took a little stroll outside. The nice thing about Jeter is that he does very well off-leash. He obeys me really well and never strays too far. Since we live in the middle of no where I feel comfortable letting him off-leash when I’m around since no one will be walking their dogs past our house.
Wednesday I gave Caesar a walking break. He’s getting older and just doesn’t go as fast. I don’t like overworking him so he took a rest day. We were back at it Thursday, though, as we set off for Decatur.
Decatur was having a ton of events downtown, so it was kind of neat to take him out and let him socialize. We did our usual trail at the Kekionga Pathway near Dollar General but ended up walking through downtown. Decatur is one of my favorite little cities; it has so much to offer and is very friendly and clean. I really enjoy looking at people’s well-kept homes.
Friday, as the week was wrapping up, I focused the day on Jeter. Jeter is a low-drive dog and it takes him a lot less to tire out. We ventured to the Van Wert Bike Trail in the evening and only did two miles, but it was enough to wear him out. Jeter is a puller, but by the end of the walk he was walking at a lot more “normal” pace. After our walk, I took him to get a pup-cup at Sycamore Ice Cream. Once home, he was more than ready for a nap.
I’ve made an observation this week while taking Caesar and Jeter places: people are a lot kinder to you when you have a dog in your company. All types of people have stopped to talk to me this week. People smile at Caesar and then look up to smile at me and say “hi!” I’ve been on lots of hikes and walks alone or with other humans and people just aren’t nearly as friendly when you don’t have your dog. People like dogs. They make our lives happier and they bring joy. My favorite part about dogs is that they constantly give and are always up for an adventure without a single complaint.
Of course, I did a lot of other stuff during the week that didn’t involve the dogs, but after last year’s vacation, I knew I wanted to focus on spending time with them this year.
Maybe most people won’t understand this, but humans drain me. After I’m around people for too long (even my favorite people), I feel physically and mentally exhausted. The older I get, the less I want to interact with others. That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy people, I really do! But I enjoy passing conversations and I enjoy the elongated company of my dogs more. Personally, more than anything, I’d rather go to a woods and listen to the leaves rustling, branches creaking, and mysterious birds making a call, rather than listen to people talk. Don’t get me wrong though, I don’t want to do it all alone (and with most humans I do feel very alone), but that’s where Caesar and Jeter come in. I never feel alone when I’m with them.