City dog in the Pines

[BEHR655]

I'd like to introduce you all to my dog Skyler. Sky is a city dog and I can't let him run anywhere around home. He will stay with me until there is a distraction. A distraction being ANYTHING that moves.
Today I took him to the Pines for the first time. He had a blast.
We went to Howardsville for a nice little hike around the area. I walked him on the leash out to the fields to make sure we would be alone out there and then released him when I found that we were. All was fine until we walked about 20 yards up the road and I stopped to take some photos of the big tree in the field. When I brought my camera down he was nowhere to be seen. Lost him already I thought. A short walk back down the road and I found that wussy city dog had run back to the car. Maybe it was too cold. We set out again and explored the fields a bit then headed into the woods. After the initial disappearance he never stray much more than 20 or 30 feet from me and usually stayed even closer than that. We hiked about maybe 1 or 2 miles and he loved every minute of it.
Here are some photos of the day.

I think I like this

This is about the furthest he ever went from me

Sky found an abandoned road

I got him into a little off trail hiking too

Will you please hurry up.

It was very cold and windy today. Have you ever seen white caps on a bog?

or breakers?

and yet this less than 20 feet away

FYI, Skyler is a 6 year old Australian Shepherd. His coat is short and not typical of the breed. Sky also needs to go on a diet.

Steve

 

[Teegate]

He looks like he is tired Just take him with you more in the pines and he will slim up.

A most interesting thread..thanks.

Guy

 

[Ben Ruset]

Wow. Laura and I brought our Australian Shepherd out to Howardsville two years ago. The last time I bought a dog out into the woods (my pug/shih-tzu mix) she got caught in a hunters snare and almost choked to death.

I keep thinking that I need to bring them out into the woods more.

 

[BEHR655]

Did I know you had an Aussie?????

Steve

 

[Ben Ruset]

Probably not. I didn't know that you had one.

Mine has the same length coat - just in brown and white, with a little bobbed tail.

 

[BEHR655]

We'll have to get them out together. Maybe Bob's dog Buddy could join us also.

Steve

 

[bobpbx]

Buddy would love a friend or two. He lives to chase deer. He'll leave me for 20 minutes at a time. He was shy about the woods first too. Now you can't keep him down on the farm. So, lets bring them out sometime, see what they do together.

 

[BEHR655]

Buddy would love a friend or two. He lives to chase deer. He'll leave me for 20 minutes at a time. He was shy about the woods first too. Now you can't keep him down on the farm. So, lets bring them out sometime, see what they do together.

Sounds good to me. My fat boy is out of shape so I wouldn't want it to be too long of a hike.

Steve

 

[ebsi2001]

Howardsville: Road Conditions and cranberries

Sky is a city dog and I can't let him run anywhere around home.

Today I took him to the Pines for the first time. He had a blast.
We went to Howardsville for a nice little hike around the area.

Sky also needs to go on a diet.

Steve

Steve,

It looks like both you and Sky had a great time!

Many thanks for the great photos of the roads around Howardsville: I was wondering, if I could drive to the area with a small SUV with AWD and an automatic transmission...?

Did you see any signs that would indicate that cranberries are still growing in those white--capped bogs?

ebsi

 

[BEHR655]

Steve,

It looks like both you and Sky had a great time!

Many thanks for the great photos of the roads around Howardsville: I was wondering, if I could drive to the area with a small SUV with AWD and an automatic transmission...?

Did you see any signs that would indicate that cranberries are still growing in those white--capped bogs?

ebsi

ebsi,
While it is possible to drive into Howardsville I do not think it is allowed so I won't tell you how. When I go there I just turn off of Rt72 onto Howardsville Rd. Drive up about 1.5 miles and you will see a large sandy area and a gated off road. Park there and walk in. This puts you at the bottom of the open area of Howardsville.
I'm sure you will find some cranberries in the old bogs. That is unless Onehand has been there. That area is really beautiful, the fields and old bogs and the woods behind it to the east. There is a lake to the north too. I haven't explored much south of where you enter but it is on my to do list.

Steve

Edit: I just re-read you post and want to point out that you would not find berries in the flooded bog but there are old bogs along side of the open fields that are not flooded. That is where you would find berries.

 

[ebsi2001]

Howardsville and memories of cranberries

ebsi,
While it is possible to drive into Howardsville I do not think it is allowed so I won't tell you how. When I go there I just turn off of Rt72 onto Howardsville Rd. Drive up about 1.5 miles and you will see a large sandy area and a gated off road. Park there and walk in. This puts you at the bottom of the open area of Howardsville.

Steve

Edit: I just re-read you post and want to point out that you would not find berries in the flooded bog but there are old bogs along side of the open fields that are not flooded. That is where you would find berries.

Dear Steve,

thanks for your reply. I wouldn't want to be a lawbreaker... Is it far from the gate to the open area of Howardsville? I am severely disabled, and cannot walk far... Going to Howardsville is not on my short list, and I'm not sure I have anything to gain by going there. ...just curious, I guess...

I note that one of your pictures shows an old road that is "being reclaimed by nature." Would it be possible to "map" that old road (and any others) using a GPS and some kind of software? Would it be possible to draw--in such a "mapped road" on an arial, topographic map?

When I was just a lad, my father used to take me in his Model A to the bogs near Stafford Forge after they had been flooded and "picked." We used to get two or three Acme bags full of berries, which we culled, washed, packaged and froze. In the summer months, we'd pick "huckleberries" on that piece of ground between the Parkway and the Forge --- and he'd pick fox grapes that grew along the edges of the bogs. We never went home with less than an Acme bag full of huckleberries. Back then, peaches cost a dollar or two for a "peach basket"--full...

When the farmers would plow, we always found arrowheads and pottery --- right close to the parkway...

Haven't been back there in almost 50 years...

Sky needs to "get out" more!

ebsi

 

[BEHR655]

ebsi,

If you park where I described earlier it is about 500' to the first clearing. Be careful not to miss this entrance as the next entrance would probably not passable by you. The overgrown road is marked by the black line and is approximate. Tick season is upon us so I'd be careful.

Steve

 

[ebsi2001]

Trip to Howardsville

ebsi,

If you park where I described earlier it is about 500' to the first clearing. Be careful not to miss this entrance as the next entrance would probably not passable by you. The overgrown road is marked by the black line and is approximate. Tick season is upon us so I'd be careful.

Steve

Many thanks for the map, Steve. A trip to Howardsville is not on my short list, so I doubt I shall get there this year. If so, it won't be until after the first hard frost --- probably... Also, I have yet to buy that SUV, so we shall see...

Thanks again, Steve.

Give Sky a scratch around the ears for me!

ebsi