Adventures with Frankie
Frankie is a Bernese Mountain Dog, born in November, 2018
Follow our summer roadtrip journey across the United States
Pets are family, so it only makes sense to want to bring them on vacation. Many national park sites offer designated trails and campgrounds that are dog-friendly. Not everywhere is safe or legal to bring them, however, and some parks are completely off-limits to dogs. To protect wildlife, habitats and your dog, it’s important to plan your trip in advance and follow National Park Service rules, including always packing out waste and keeping dogs on leashes no longer than 6 feet. Before you go, be sure to check out this map and find out where your dog can and cannot go. It is also a good idea to know your dog’s physical limits and always make sure you have enough water. It is easy for dogs to get dehydrated on trails, especially on hot summer days. If you follow these simple rules, you and your furry friend can enjoy some of the greatest places America has to offer! Click Here to Learn More!
Devil's Lake State Park
Day One: From Chicago to Devil's Lake State Park in Wisconsin. Met up with @shivface22 for a 5 mile hike on East Bluff Trail. Frankie was such a trooper! Lots of water breaks but we made it.
Pipestone National Monument
Day Two: Part one; Drove from Lakeville, Minnesota to Pipestone National Monument.
Badlands National Park
Day Two: Part two; From Pipestone, Minnesota to Rapid City, South Dakota. We stopped at the Corn Palace, Badlands National Park, and obligatory stop at Wall Drug. My family visited this area when I was about 10 years old. Crazy storm as we drove into Rapid City. Huge chunks of hail covered the ground when we arrived at the hotel.
Custer State Park
Day Three: Rapid City, SD to Boulder, CO. We visited Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse and Custer State Park. We were lucky enough to see herds of American Bison and Burros (and their babies!). Enjoyed a picnic by a creek in the Blue Bell area of the park before heading south to Colorado!
Arapaho National Forest
Day Four: Amazing day in Colorado with Josah and Josh! We hiked Monarch Lake Trail in Arapaho National Forest, saw a MOOSE, had a bomb Buffalo Chicken Sandwich at a RESTAURANT!!!! Enjoyed some beers at Hideaway Park and ended the evening around a fire, playing games and making s’mores.
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
Day Five: Fraser, CO to Colorado Springs, CO. We started the day with a yummy breakfast (thanks @josahc) and a little hike in the Fraser Experimental Forest then headed down to The Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. Had a little picnic and climbed some dunes! It was so windy, the sand felt like thousands of needles pelting into my skin the entire time we were out on the dunes. Frankie was covered in sand but had so much fun running around the dunes and the wind in his fur. We journeyed back up to Colorado Springs for the evening. Curfews still in place in Colorado Springs, so we had a quiet evening in. I’m afraid my breaks need to be replaced after driving through the mountains. Appointment to have the car looked at this morning. Wish us luck.
Garden of the Gods
Day Six: Colorado Springs, CO to Wichita, KS. Started the day off by getting our breaks fixed. The break pads were metal on metal on the front tires. Rotors, calipers, break pads and tie rods needed to be replaced. 😬 I felt so much better once that was fixed! We checked out a highly reccommended brewpub Cerberus Brewing Co. The Elysium Hazy IPA was super refreshing and paired that with the Colorado Lamb Sliders. Met some friendly ladies and chatted about our adventures. Kelsey ended up buying us a Crowler of the Elysium to take home with us. ☺️ After lunch we ventured to The Garden Of the Gods, a beautiful Public Park in Colorado Springs. Grabbed a 4 shot iced latte and hit the road to Wichita. 7 hour drive through Kansas.
Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve
Day Seven: Wichita, KS to Kansas City, MO. Started the day with a little hike through a wildlife preserve in Wichita. On the way to Kansas City, we checked out Cottonwood Falls and found a waterfall, snake and Bambi. Continued on to Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. It was so hot and Frankie was not down for a long walk. Chugged water then finished our day at Bar K in Kansas City. Thank for recommendation @nealthea This place was magical. A dog friendly bar/restaurant/dog park. They have team members called dogtenders who will keep an eye on your pups so you can socialize and enjoy your time there too.
Ozark National Forest
Day Eight: Kansas City, MO to Batesville, AR. Drove down to the Ozark National Forest and hiked two trails, Lost Valley to Eden Falls and Whitaker’s Point. It was a relatively cooler day that started off overcast then ended with a beautiful, clear, blue sky. At Lost Valley we found a waterfall. This area reminded me of starved rock. We continued our adventure to find Whitaker’s Point. This trail was REMOTE. Google maps guided us to the bumpiest gravel, 14 mile “road.” I was so nervous the car was going to breakdown up there but we made it! We met a friend, @littlebaker_mai, to hike with us out to Whitaker Point. As we got back to the car the sun was setting. A three and a half hour drive out of the hills to our hotel, we finally made it and crashed hard.
Shawnee National Forest
Day Nine: Batesville, AR to St. Louis, MO. We found our adventure buddies in Shawnee National Forest!!!! Hiked Bell Smith Springs, Cave-in-Rock, Rim Rock and Garden of the Gods. Ended the day with a iced latte, dessert and hammock session. Heading back to Chicago today. What an amazing adventure.
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