Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and change of plans lovers…Today we had an appointment scheduled with Dr. Leick for Daisy Lynn’s well baby visit.  I had a list of questions and I just wanted him to feel her bones!  hehehe

But when we got there, it was obvious he was very backed up with dogs that were more in an immediate need.  Grandma and I were willing to wait but we wanted to be considerate of the elders that were there and needed a more calm environment in the waiting room.  Daisy Lynn thought it was play time.  So we re-booked.  Daisy Lynn left some puppy energy behind to hopefully do her small part in the healing of others.

So we went with plan B – ROAD TRIP!  Dr. Leick is located on Route 27 which is a blast to travel.

We wanted to go all the way to the tip of Florida but we settled for Lexington, KY.  About 2 hours away.

Off we go!

And then we got lost!  Our GPS lady took us down the wrong road!

Why o why did I turn off of 27 and listen to that woman in the Garmen?  Where are we?

“Re-calculating, re-calculating…”

We loved getting lost down this lovely little lane.  It was so cool but Lexington was not in our plans today!

“Wake me up when we get home Mommy.”

Don’t worry darling Gerber Baby, we will make it to Lexington, KY and many, many other places…

More loving Puppy Energy and getting lost later…Cat, Daisy Lynn, (Chaps and Emma ATB) Loving Dr. Leick…

 

 

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and Secret Treasure Lovers….I call this little town a secret treasure.  Grandma, Chaps and I were on our way home from Carter Caves back a few weeks ago, just pushing down the road because I was sick as sick can be.  Out of the corner of my sick eye I saw this.

I knew it was a must to turn around and get back to that bridge for a gorgeous photo op.  I was soooo right.

It really was like entering a magic world.  Look at that little white church!

The Goddard White Covered Bridge  is the only surviving example of Ithiel Town Lattice design in Kentucky, with timbers joined by wooden pegs. Actual date of construction and the original builder are unknown, but the bridge can be traced back to the 1820’s. A favorite spot for photographers, the Goddard Bridge frames the Goddard United Methodist Church in the background. A historically accurate renovation was recently completed on this bridge and it is again open to both pedestrian and vehicle traffic.

I just could not believe that this little secret treasure town and spot is only an hour and a half away from our home.  We will certainly go back and hopefully visit this tiny town during the upcoming holiday season.  I bet it just sparkles.

If you walk past the little church, across some farm land is this barn.  Look at that stunning barn quilt.

So, our little side trip was one of the best moments of the bigger trip.  As we headed back to the car one more snap of the bridge…

There is a picnic table right here where I took this picture from.  Just so beautiful and serene.

More loving secret treasures along the way later…Cat, Chaps and Emma ATB laying under her own family quilt (aka gully)

 

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and Dog Friendly Vacation Spot Lovers…

I am now getting around to blogging about our overnight to:

Carter Caves KY State Resort Park. 

I also submitted my review to Tripadvisor and it was approved a few days ago.
Welcome to Carter Caves State Resort Park where your dogs are always welcome.  The first criteria for travel in my pack is, “are you dog friendly?”  The answer is a big yes for all of the Kentucky State Resort Parks.  Resort Parks means that there is a lodge in the park.  All of these Resorts Parks have at least 2 dog friendly rooms that tack on 27.00 dollars extra for clean up. We parked within 10 steps of our rooms.

I had the dog friendly room and it was spotless.  The floor was laminate and looked new.

My basset hound and I stayed in room 260.  I suggest you request this exact room.  It is on the ground level of course and there is a huge grassy area steps away from the door.

The Lodge even has doggie poop bags right out side of your door.  There a large bench to sit on as well.  My Mom had the room right next door.

Each room has a balcony that overlooks a mature forest area.  If there was a problem it was the balcony.  The barriers between the balconies did not come to the ground and with a dog like a basset hound, they could go right under it.  Not the best set up.  A leash would be a must for a low to the ground hound or a little dog.

Now a little bit about the park.  When entering Carter Caves make sure you are not in a hurry.  This drive leading into the park is absolutely beautiful.  There are dozens of little pull offs that over look a huge creek/stream.  The photo ops are endless.

If you plan ahead you can bring your lunch and have a picnic at one of the many tables that overlook the natural beauty of this area.  According to many KY State Park visitors this drive is one of the best in all of the KY State Parks.  I would have to agree.  We did not pick Carter Caves for the Caves.  My Mom and I had no intention of going anywhere there might be bats.  We go for the drives and the walks. There was also a really cute welcome center and gift shop.  This is where the cave tours start.  We also love the old time feel of the Lodges and the dining halls.  We had 2 meals in Tierney’s Cavern.  The menu was the same as other KY Resort Parks but the presentation was not as good.  The food was not hot and way, way over salted.  Our suggestion would be to ask the cook not to salt the food which we did and it was still too salty.  It was OK but nothing to buy a post card of the cave and write home about.

Chaps stayed in the room and laid by the door until my Mom and I got back.  He seemed fine.  I left the TV on for him and upon our return we all headed out for an evening walk around the area.  As we were heading out a group of 5 deer walked right in front of us.  They were not phased at all.

We always call it an early night with a glass of wine.  Bring your own because these KY State Resort Parks are dry.  We had full internet access with no problems at all.  There is cable TV in the rooms with about 15 channels.  We were going to explore more of the region the next morning but I got worse and we had to return home.  We will go back!  Again, we give Carter Caves KY State Resort Park 4 paws up.

More loving KY overnights later….Cat, Chaps and Emma ATB heading under any barrier she wants!

 

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and Secret Treasure Lovers…

Today we all set off on a mission to replace a beloved loved little Japanese Maple tree.  It was Chloe’s favorite tree and we lost it over the summer for reasons unknown.

We called around and found the perfect little tree.  It was out at a small country nursery.  50% off none the less!

The Mayor approved!

It was an absolutely perfect day and we ventured on to get lost on the back roads.  We had no idea where we were going but I saw a small sign that said,

ALEXANDERIA COMMUNITY PARK.

You would not have believed this park.  Just stunning.

That walking path, goes on for about a mile right around the fishing lake.  Just Beautiful…

There was even a bench for the perfect photo op!

It was just amazing to run across this secret treasure.  The Mayor was acting like a young pup and never stopped once.  He pulled us the entire way.  It was such a joy!

The trees are turning and the Mayor is loving this weather.

I will post a picture of Chloe’s new Japanese Maple tree soon.

Gawd she loved that tree.  She would tickle her back under it for hours.  I have a branch of it placed over her urn in my office.

More loving secret treasures later….Cat, Chaps and Emma ATB with our Chloe…

PS – here is Emma exploring Chloe’s tree a few years ago….

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and Riverwalk Lovers…

I have blogged about the Licking Riverside Historic District with the Mayor before but I have learned many, many times that there is always something new to explore even if you have been there before.  The Licking Riverwalk is in the Historic District of Covington, KY and if you are in this area you really should treat yourself to this wonderful experience.  If you live in this area, make no mistake about it – there is something different every time you visit.  This is a meandering stroll perfect for an afternoon outing.  The streets are tree lined and the sun streams though the leaves making it a perfect setting for professional photographers and bloggers a like.

Here we have old man river…(not Chaps, that guy reading the book;)

As we moved down the paver stone side street, under the shade trees, we came to the center of the statue park.  There is a large fountain and the Mayor had a large drink!

You may be wondering, what Chaps is looking at?  While we were in the center of the park we spotted 3 wedding photographers and 1 baby photographer.  All were coming to record the beauty of their event and the day.  I must say the Mayor looks quite fetching….I also love the park benches.

Here comes one of the brides!

The Mayor, being the dignitary he is, graciously moved from his resting post so the bride could move into position!  We hope her beautiful dress did not drag through the puddles we left behind;)

We offered the Mayor up as best man, but the bride was not amused.  She actually looked scared out of her mind.

Not done exploring the splendor we resting while soaking in the Roebling Suspension Bridge, prototype for the later Brooklyn Bridge.

If you visit walk the entire block and see the large mansions that line the streets.  I thought this was a nice shot of Chaps and his Grandma….

After we wrapped up our tour we headed home to our local pub and enjoyed some refreshments.  It worked out perfect because look where I parked.  I kept the car running with the AC on and the Mayor in the Basset Hauling Vehicle was never out of my sight.  Being the helicopter Mom I am, I even checked on him.

More loving wonderful late summer days later….Cat, Chaps and Emma ATB

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and Road Trip Lovers….

Today, we loaded up the basset hauling vehicle and went to a near by KY state park.  It is called Blue Lick Battlefield.  It was about an hour and a half away.  What a yawner!  We were not impressed. We will not go back.  I couldn’t even find a picture to day.  That has to be a first for me.

The ride was pretty and Chaps really enjoyed getting out.  We want to keep him doing things we always do which is taking road trips close to home.  We absolutely love visiting KY parks and we have a list of many more.  Not all of the parks are going to be bassetabulous but all of them are going to be fun because we are together…

Chaps could care less that we never found a Battlefield!

The best part of the trip was the laughter.  We had some really great laughs.

So, we got home right in time for dinner…

And a movie!

No battlefields here!

More loving road trips later…Cat, Chaps and Emma ATB

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and Sunday walkin’ lovers….

We had such a great walk today.  We had to find a place that was flat and shady for the comfort of the Mayor.  His elderly bones are now a consideration on every walk.  We have taken this walk before.  It is the Covington River Walk about 5 minutes from our home.

We all had a great time.  The kids were great and did not want to stop. We walked up this side street and around the corner.  The mansion across the street is FOR SALE!

Just a hound with a dream!!!

As we strolled down the tree line path admiring the homes and the landscaping,

we wound up at this park bench overlooking the mighty Ohio river.

This may have been the best part of the Mayor’s day.

The people at the next bench were eating lunch.

Mamma had a few treats to take the edge off.

More loving Sunday easy walkin’ later….Love, Cat, Chaps and Emma

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and Best Line of the Day Lovers…..LOL!

Well, today we took advantage of one of the picture perfect weather days of the year.  I would say today would have had to been in the top 5 of the year.  70 degrees, sunny with a touch of fall still in the air.  Just bassetabulous.  So, Grandma, the kids and I set out to our favorite park a few neighborhoods over.  It is called Devou Park and we have been there before.  This park is huge so there is always something different to do.

First we found a new picnic spot!  Just gorgeous.

This park is expansive and there are some really cool walking paths filled with good smells.

Before we headed out Grandma gave the kids a treat.

Then we set out on the walking path to one of the most breath taking views of Cincinnati, no not this view!  LOL

Look howl we are all walking in the same rhythm.  I just love this picture.  All of our left legs are kicked back.

There is a Pavilion at the top of the park that over looks the city. This is a huge place to get married and have parties.

The last time we were there it was crowded with kids, dogs and lots of people in general so we decided to come back and try for our money shots on the right day.

Well today was the right day.  Do you think this is the money shot?

Or is this the money shot?

This was just such a stellar photo op that I can’t decide and I guess I really don’t have to.

I took a zillion pictures and so did Grandma.

Someone actually walked buy us today and said, “Wow, those must be show hounds”!  Too funny.  Well, we all know the Mayor took a few turns in the ring.  Himz a Champion!  Shimlette’s a Champion eater!

Here is Grandma’s money shot.

All in all it was a Champion day!

Wow, this might be my favorite ever picture of the kids and I.  I might need to change all of my profile pictures on the internet.  hehehe

More showing off the hounds later…Love, Cat, Chaps and Emma

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and TripAdvisor Lovers….I don’t know about you but I don’t book a thing when I am traveling without checking my TripAdvisor.  What a wonderful resource.  I love rating and reviewing where we have been and I always review with my main objective…DOG FRIENDLY OR NOT?  I depend on these reviews and I read every one of the reviews about the Dupont Lodge in Cumberland Falls Resort State Park in Kentucky.

My review is very, very long winded but I wanted to cover it all!

I would have provided a link but TripAdvisor reviews all reviews before they post them. I will add a link when it is up on their site.

REVIEW

The Dupont Lodge is a dog lovers dream!  It is not often you can find a hotel with no restrictions on the number or weight of your dogs.  The Dupont Lodge welcomes all dogs regardless of size or weight.  I cannot stress howl rare that is.

The Dupont Lodge is a KY state run lodge nestled within 3 minutes of the magnificent Cumberland Falls which is also VERY DOG FRIENDLY.  This is a very old lodge and the rooms, hallways, and decor reflect it’s age.  Howl ever….The place is extremely clean and the beds are soft and the sheets are bright white.  It seemed to me that this place is really taken care of.  The Lodge has 2 dog friendly rooms out of 52.  My room 216, overlooked the patio and the stunning sunrises you are sure to see if you get up early.

In my opinion it was one of the best rooms in the place.  I was also told if both dog rooms are taken the staff will work to find you another one with the extra dog charges that come with traveling with hounds.  Speaking of the staff they are warm and very friendly.  So friendly that I think they found it hard to correct the guests with small children.  At one point a group with small kids over took the lobby right by my room and it sounded like I was in the middle of a prank gone wrong.  I cannot believe howl some parents let their kids run rough shot over them. Anyway, it is a noisy place and the doors slam hard but for the most part it all settled down after about 9:00ish.

While we are on the topic of noise….my AC sounded like I was back at GE aircraft engines in the test facility.  No kidding.  This thing will turn your room into a blast freezer in about 5 minutes.  So the good news is you don’t need it on very long.  It came in handy for my storm phobic hound because I just turned that sucker on and we couldn’t hear a bomb go off.  It also came in handy when the kids were torturing each other in the lobby.  So, all in all, it worked for us.

If you want your room cleaned by the maid staff you must inform them that the dogs are not in the room.  I am of the ilk that I just don’t want maid service at all.  I have them put on their sheet that my room requires and demands no one enter the room at all.  I hang my do not disturb sign up the entire time.  The only time my hounds were in the room alone was for meals which we ate at the Lodge.  The Riverview restaurant.  OK, here is where I disagree with almost every reviewer of this dining experience.  WE ABSOLUTELY LOVED THE FOOD!  All I can say is that maybe the Dupont read these reviews and did something about it.  The food was magnificent!  My only complaint is one that I have in every restaurant I go to.  TOO MUCH SALT.  But that is just me.  The food here was delicious.  The buffet looked wonderful but we always ordered off the menu.  I am a KY girl and I like me some hot browns!  Let me tell you what, the Riverview’s hot brown rivaled the Brown’s hot brown and gave it a run for it’s money.  (The Brown in Louisville invented the hot brown).  One big difference was the size!  The Riverview’s hot brown was twice the size and had that wonderful country ham included.  Oh, it was so good.

I saw a very popular dish at most tables and it was the black eyed peas with sweet corn bread.  Everyone was raving over it. I heard that the banana pudding is the favorite dessert. I saw that coming out of the kitchen by the tray fulls.  I am kicking myself for not trying it.   The breakfast was worth waking up for.  Again, we ordered from the menu but the buffet looked sooo good.  Just too much food and I know I would have over done it.  The wait staff was excellent and the view!  Howl did I leave the view for last?  The view is smack dab of the Cumberland River.

The only thing blocking the view are the families of racoons that come up to the windows and beg for that last bite.  Their eyes so pleading.  It is very cute.  The Dupont Lodge of Cumberland Falls made our mini leaf viewing trip a pleasure.  I would suggest, that if you have a choice, go during the week and not on the weekend.  I could tell from the parking lots that this is a big time attraction.  We checked in on a Monday and left on a Wednesday.  Cumberland Falls is most certainly a 2 day experience at the least.  A huge attraction is the Moon Bow.  A Moon rainbow that you can see during a clear night and a full moon.  If you want to see another one you must go to Zimbabwe Africa.  This rare phenomena did not really make a difference to us.  We usually don’t venture out after dark.  If you do want to see the Moon Bow check out the schedule on the Cumberland Falls website.

Check the sunrise weather before you go to bed to see if you will have a jaw dropping experience on the patio.  This is not to be missed.  The lodge was obviously designed around this experience back when these parks were being forged.  This lodge was built in 1933.  I have learned from researching other parks that the architects, designers and visionaries would camp for years or more in the area to find the exact spot to build a lodge such as the Dupont.  This proves true to form with the Dupont.  The lodge patio faces the east and is nestled between the Cumberland River and the two mountains that frame the sunrise.  The patio is a viewing area for the most magnificent show on earth.  Just breath taking.

The entire time we spent in this area we thought about the Native Americans that called this area home.  We could just picture their dwellings and their horses drinking from the cool pools at the base of the falls.  I pictured the families gathered around telling stories.  It was really very real.  I suggest you take your family and make your own stories.  There will be plenty.

Cat Rudert
TripAdvisor reviewer with you dog friendly destinations.

END OF REVIEW

More Dog friendly destinations later…..Love, Cat, Chaps and Emma

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and Dog Friendly State Park Lovers…OMDawg!  We are home now and I just cannot gush enough over Cumberland Falls State Resort Park in Kentucky.  I am just freaked out that we have never been to this phenomenal Kentucky State Park. It is only 4 hours from our home and that includes a stop for lunch and a long potty walk.  So, really if you drove straight through only about 3 hours from near Cincinnati, OH.

Internationally famous for its MOONBOW, a rainbow that shows up during a full moon in the correct weather conditions, you can only find another one of this kind in Zimbabwe, Africa.

You can park, walk and see the falls in a matter of minutes.

We did not visit during a MOONBOW but we did see a rainbow!

See it?  YES!

OK, check this picture out….

It was so loud we could hardly hear each other!

It was really crazy howl you got to this area.  You had to walk over a huge rock slab with all kinds of bumps and lumps.  We keep the kids in this area….

You can see the lay out from this picture….

Get this, there is a huge walking path all around the falls for flat walkers like us or you can do serious top level hikes up and down the cliffs.  It is so cool. We saw them in full gear.

We stayed on the flat paths!

Does The Mayor looked freaked out?  Click the picture and read the sign!  WTHeck?  Are you even kidding us?

Dog Slaughter Falls?

Wonder what the lore is behind that name? Hopefully it is just a lore!

The path was wide and the smells were out of this world!

This path lead us to this view!

We had so much fun.  The weather was perfect…..

Until we got home and the Mayor heard one rumble.  Thank Dawg it was only one rumble.  Himz still talked his Mom unto sleeping in the bed.

I hate putting the kids in a real bed because they might jump off.  The Mayor wasn’t going anywhere but the problem becomes getting him off.  I just stacked up the dog beds and basically let him crawl off.  We all slept like the huge bolders that had fallen off of the cliffs eons ago that lay in the river bed.

Emma got up early at 5:00am scratching on the door.  I was so proud of her!   I jumped out of bed, threw my hoodie on with the hood in the front.  It looked like I had a pink goiter on my neck.  My hair looking like I had a side 80s pony tail and rushed that little girl out.  Chaps was SO not moving so I made a run for it.  Our girl just made it out the door!  What a a smart girl.

As we came back in the Mayor opened one eye half way.  I tucked Shimlette back in to her nest.

I could not go back to sleep thinking about that KY breakfast that awaited us.  I could smell the coffee wafting though the air.  I just knew they were cooking up the county ham and the fluffy biscuits.  We always had a floor to ceiling window table overlooking the river.

The Riverview Restaurant was fantastic.

Gosh I miss the falls…..

More Loving road trips later….Cat, Chaps and Emma

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