What did Delaware for Christmas?

Mr. Pickle had a wonderful Christmas with my pals Ryan and Alaina and their beautiful dog Cody on a trip east to the tiny state of Delaware from December 22-30. (A state he has never been.) They are ALL champion runners, and Mr. P was trying his best to keep up with those three. They are the fastest people I know. There were plenty of road stops, family times, running, chilling, snowball throwing, and doggy petting on this trip. Here we go:

Mr. Pickle rode in Ryan's hydration pack while running in White Clay Creek Park and Middle Run Valley Park. Mr. P's favorite part was the break they took on the Mountain Goat Trail when he looked out from the tree. Ryan reports that they ran 7 minutes per mile on trails! 

 

They saw an old fieldstone structure that Mr. Pickle was very interested in.What's inside, dude?

Playing dead?

Trails. To run. Or being carried in.

Pickle loves signs. He respects other trail users. 

Take it to the bridge, y'all.

On another day, Mr. P also went for a run with Ryan, Alaina, AND Cody! This time it snowed; the first snow of the season there. Mr. P was almost more excited than Cody to run in the snow. This time they ran 6.5 miles on the trails in White Clay Creek Park.

And... They're off. Hang on, Mr. P!

Mr. P joined Ryan's entire family for a trip to Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania. Such greens!! That waterfall sure was pretty.

Hey, symmetry.

Such a pretty greenhouse, so full! Mr. P could totally get lost in this place. Literally.

But not here! Mr. P enjoys the colors.

Oooooh magical. Mr. P is pretty entranced.

He was SO excited to see Thomas the Tank Engine! Chugga chugga woooo woooooooo!

Behind the scenes of Pickle photo action. There are TWO pickles! 

Mr. P and Alaina spy on a fancy dinner garden set-up.

How beautiful is this? Mr. P wondered if they were serving pickles at this function.

 

Christmas! Presents! Wrapping paper! Cody! Holy moly! 

Mr. P was quite amused and happy to join in on the holiday festivities with Ryan's clan. He helped open presents and joined in a family sing-a-long of The Twelve Days of Christmas. Ryan reports Mr. Pickle-face has perfect pitch. Who knew!

Ah, time to put the feet up and relax by a toasty fire. He enjoyed reading books at watching TV. Apparently his new favorite TV show is Homeland, and he really enjoy the book Sorta Like a Rockstar.

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What a fantastic trip! Mr. P was glad to be back in the running game, and glad to spend the holidays with a great family.  He was also THRILLED to have a week with Cody Bear and to visit at state he'd never been to before. 

Where are you taking him next?! He's ready for a beach. Actually, I am too,

Take a Hike!

We'll consider the hiking trip through Switzerland a warm-up trip for Mr. Pickle's hiking trip in New York. He joined Graham from September 3-14 to visit his family and to hike around the Adirondaks, and holy moly, the scenic views! They had a wonderful time.......

 Mr. Pickle's introduction to the Adk's - West Canada Creek and Fort Noble Mtn. (Nobleboro, NY - one of the many small settlements in the Adk's - just try to Google it!) in the southwestern part of the park. He was wondering what the log structures in the river were, so...

 They stopped at the Sacandaga River interpretive trail (Speculator, NY). Where they gathered lots of info on Adk flora & fauna, as well as descriptions of early logging operations, including log drives - check out those anchors!

The first hike, Blue Mtn. (elevation 3759', Blue Mtn. Lake, NY). Signing in at the trail register is a tradition, and a good idea... don't forget to sign out!

 Mr. Pickle at the summit benchmark! Quite a handsome hiker in that fancy hat!

Mr. P stayed safely in the pack on both fire towers. Safety first!

A nice woods walk into Palmer Pond (Chestertown, NY) with Sheila, Tom, and Bandit. Woof!

 The big one - Snowy Mtn. (3899', Indian Lake, NY). With Ralph and Graham's dad at the summit and fire tower. Winds were gusting 40-50mph at the top of the tower, enough to take your breath away.

 The reward - Mr. Pickle enjoys the wilderness view - mountains as far as the eye can see...

AMAZING!

Back at home (Warrensburg, NY) and helping with the chores. Mr. P helps put the horses in for the night - clockwise from upper left: Pepper, Treasure, Tammy, Roger. Can you find Mr. Pickle?

 Another nice woods walk, this time to Round Pond (Thurman, NY). Not really round, but a beautiful view! Mr. Pickle takes a siesta... he got to see and hear loons on this trip!

The final trip, one last ride with el Bandito! Such a nice furry friend to hang out with.

 Mr. Pickle checks out the cool rock formations at the Warren Co. nature & X-country ski trails along the Hudson River (Warrensburg, NY). 

He's just hanging out as he takes note of the detail in the rocks.

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Wow! What a beautiful trip. Graham was the perfect person to really get this pickle into the great outdoors.

Next up: Paris. Then more Michigan. Then....A trip with you! Where are you taking him? Let me know and I"ll put it on his itinerary. He's open!!