The Joys of Having Pets

"Wilderness is not defined by the absence of certain activities, but rather by the presence of certain unique and invaluable characteristics."--Nick Rahall


My once 8lb little ball of fluff has now become a 53lb giant ball of fluff and energy. He is probably the best dog imaginable, which I know anyone with a dog who is reading this will instantly disagree because they have the best dog, but let's agree to disagree :)    Atlas is my best friend, partner in crime, fluffy child, and can be annoying while at the same time being as cute as possible, which is an accomplishment in itself.

Atlas usually needs to burn off a lot of energy and LOVES walkies. He was practically born for walkies. We go for walks in a nearby neighborhood about 5 days a week depending on weather. For him, the colder the weather the better...for me? Not so much, but I do it anyway. I bundle myself up so I end up looking like that poor, unfortunate child from "A Christmas Story" who couldn't put his hands by his side because of the billions of layers he was forced to wear in the snow.

Today we went for a walk right as it started to flurry. There was a winter storm warning, so I wanted to get the walk out of the way before we couldn't drive safely anymore. Atlas was trotting along being ridiculously cute and well-behaved while enjoying the weather immensely. I was bundled up and enjoying the snow that we had FINALLY gotten. For about a week now, there has been a flattened, desiccated, (obviously) dead squirrel carcass sitting in the middle of the sidewalk where we pass by. Atlas knows the command "leave it" and whenever I see it I always make sure to tell him that and he usually, keyword there, USUALLY leaves it alone.

Today? Not so.

Today, I saw "Atlas. Leave it." What does he do? He pretends he can't hear me, walks up to it, and grabs it by what I can only imagine was a leg...Everything after this happened so fast that I'll just give you a play by play.

Me: Atlas NO.

Atlas: Screw you mom. This is delicious. Can't you smell this beautiful aroma?

Me: DROP IT

Atlas: What mom? I couldn't hear you? Yum yum yum

Me: Atlas no. Drop it right now.. don't you dare...

Atlas just gives me this look that can only be described as "hmm... I wonder what would happen if I shook this with all the energy I have right now. Mom would really like that"

Me: EWWW NO. Please for the love of everything just drop it.

Atlas: Okay I'll drop it... AS I SHAKE IT VIOLENTLY. HAHAHAHA

At this point he finally listens and I get exactly what I asked for in the form of a disgusting, partially rotted, road killed squirrel carcass flying at my face at full speed while it was simultaneously exploding fur ALL OVER THE PLACE.

If I hadn't been paying attention and ducked at the last second like a super awesome ninja with moves straight out of The Matrix I would have gotten a face full of dead squirrel. Thanks Atlas...


It's days like these that make me wonder how I got through life without things like this happening on a daily basis. With Atlas, things like this happen ALL THE TIME. Oddly enough, I couldn't imagine my life without it.

On a MUCH cuter note...Later that day we decided to cut our cats' nails. We could tell wherever they both were in the house by the clicking noises their nails made on the floors so we decided it was time to break out the clippers. We have one cat, Boo Boo,  (no we didn't name him that god awful name) who HATES having his nails cut with a fiery passion that could only come from the 7th circle of hell. We have to wrap him in a blanket or as we like to call it  "A Purrito" so we don't get disemboweled, bitten, scratched, etc. All went pretty well after much screaming on his part. This entire time Atlas was by his side with his nose right up against Boo Boo like he was comforting him. Once we released him from the purrito Atlas chased him down and laid down next to him.

That's not even the cutest part. Our other cat, Natasha, is much better about getting her pedicure so we don't have to wrap her up. She grumbles, but she's all talk. Boo Boo is a newer addition to the fur family, so Atlas is much more attached to Natasha. Will was cutting her nails, and I was holding her in my arms while we sat on the bed. Atlas jumped on the bed next to us and would cry at us every time she meowed. Once we let her go she jumped down and tried to fix the hair that had gotten all crazy. Atlas went in to the other room and started bringing her his toys to cheer her up. He would follow her around and make sure he was in between her and us for a little while to make sure he protected her.

My dog can be the most annoying thing on the face of the planet one minute and then do something so sweet the next. Needless to say, this guy has stolen my heart. I have, by far, the best dog in the universe.



"As one who has often felt this need, and who has found refreshment in wild places, I attest to the recreational value of the wilderness."--George Aiken

Virginia Safari Park

"If we kill off the wild, then we are killing a part of our souls."--Jane Goodall

Ever been to a drive-thru zoo? We have! My boyfriend and I drove from Virginia Beach to West Virginia for a good friend's wedding. On the way back we saw a sign on the highway that said "Virginia Safari Park". After a brief look on our phones to figure out just what the heck it was we decided we absolutely had to make a detour!

The VA Safari Park is exactly what it sounds like. It's an out of this world drive through zoo with tons of exotic animals, and many no one has probably ever heard of much less seen up close. The best part? We were given a bucket of feed and were told we could feed any animals we wanted, but we had to stay in our cars. Driving through a zoo at our leisure with animals surrounding our car sounded amazing by itself, but getting to touch them and feed them!? Even better.

They had TONS of watusi (an African cow) with enormous horns, llamas were scattered everywhere, water buffalo, wildebeest, emus, ostrich, zebras, shaggy cows, camels, bison, and elk! That's not even all of the species. They were scattered throughout the park with lots of free roaming areas and obviously they didn't have a shortage of food!

We drove along with our windows down and we were nothing short of bombarded by beautiful, awkward, and just plain cute and odd animals. The second we stopped for the first time sever wildebeest flocked to Will's window and stuck their heads in our car demanding food. Several bison visited me on my side.


Several animals knew just the right place to stand so they could maximize the amount of food they received instead of having to share it. We encountered the smallest long haired cow we'd ever seen near a clearing in the trees just patiently waiting for someone to drive by. The second we stopped it would meander up to our car and look up at you trying to convince you to feed it. That guy had adorable begging down to an art.

About halfway along our journey we came to a road block. Apparently an ostrich got disgruntled when a car didn't have any food for it. It was prancing around the field in an angry fashion and decided it would take out its anger on several other cars. Luckily the animals are closely monitored, as well as the people driving in the park to insure safety for everyone, human or not. One of the workers had the lovely job of shooing the ostrich away from the cars. It was quite the spectacle to watch!

As our journey slowly came to an end we came upon another road block. This time two different watusi families were trolling the exit hoping to get whatever was leftover from peoples' buckets of feed. They walked casually up to each car in front of us and stuck their heads right in the cars from both sides if the windows were open! They knew how to get what they wanted! Plus when a gigantic cow with horns spanning 8 feet stick its face in your car you listen. Two cows had finished with the car in front of us and wandered over to my car and repeated the process.

This is such a fun detour on our otherwise uneventful 6 hour drive home that we still talk about it over a  year later. The area is known for hiking and of course the famous natural bridge along a hiking trail and the infamous skyline drive. If the hiking along isn't enough to convince everyone you know to head out there, then the safari park should seal the deal!

"Travel is the only thing you can buy that makes you richer."--

Alaska Part 5-Chena Hot Springs

"One thorn of experience is worth a whole wilderness of warning."--James Russell Lowell



Chena Hot Springs is a warm oasis in a very cold Alaskan wilderness. Mid way through my trip with my best friend in Alaska we decided to spend the day exploring museums and spend the afternoon at the hot springs thawing ourselves out.

Chena Hot Springs is located about an hour outside of Fairbanks, AK. There is a very expensive resort attached to it, but it's not the typical resort. They grow their own food in greenhouses and even use geothermal energy to power their buildings, or at least some of them. They even have an ice museum! They sponsor activities that change with the season such as dog sledding, aurora sighting trips, glacier tours, horseback riding, etc.

The indoor swimming pool area and hot tubs are the first stop before the hot springs and the only way to access the outdoor hot springs. The pool area itself is a bit old, but in good condition. It's not an upscale pool by any means, but it's fun! he corridor leading outside is unheated and picturesquely covered in frost, ice, and snow. It was quite pretty besides the fact it was -20F outside and we were in only swimming outfits... after much cursing, running, trying not to trip and fall, and more exclaiming about freezing to death we ran right in to the hot springs!

There a ramp that gradually goes deeper along with a railing. Whatever you do don't touch the railing! I got my hand stuck for half a second and immediately thought of "A Christmas Story" and thought I would have to have my hand pried off. Luckily that didn't happen.

We went to the springs in mid-afternoon, but most people go at night so they can float in the hot water and watch the Aurora Borealis. We enjoyed flopping around and swimming in very very hot, but comfortable water. It was such a surreal experience to be outside in mid winter in Alaska of all places and actually be warm. The contrast in temperatures was so great and there was so much steam that I could barely see anything around me in a few places.


Make sure you bring lots of water! The elements in the water can make you dehydrated and light headed as an effect, so bring and drink lots! Don't wear any jewelry either as it might get tarnished. We stayed in for about 2 hours and enjoyed being warm for the first time in days. It was a really fun experience and would definitely be a phenomenal place to watch the northern lights.



We didn't stay to eat at the resort restaurant because of the prices, but if you have the means I'd give it a go! It definitely smelled delicious! Everything about the resort was very overpriced in my opinion with the exception of the activities and the hot springs. Definitely don't miss taking a dip in the hot springs, especially if you visit Alaska in the dead of winter!










"Wilderness is not a luxury, but a necessity of the human spirit."--Edward Abbey

Alaska Part 4--Fountainhead Antique Auto Museum

"It is not ignorance, but knowledge which is the mother of wonder."--Joseph Wood Crutch

I know most of you are thinking "Oh noooo. Not another car museum story! All car museums are boring unless you're really in to cars!" Think again my friends! While I was in Alaska a few weeks ago my friend Sarah and I had a spontaneous day trip to the museum. Neither of us are car enthusiasts by any means, but we do love older cars and cars that are a bit different from the norm.

That is EXACTLY what this museum was like. Each car in there had something unique about it either in appearance or something innovative and different for its time. Accompanying each car were outfits showcasing the fashion of the decade/year the car was from. I'd never seen this done before and thought it added a very nice touch, especially for women who were dragged in by their significant others. They would at least enjoy looking at odd cars and really gorgeous antique clothing.

Each car had a plaque next to it describing just what was unique and especially interesting about each car, which was extremely helpful for non car enthusiasts like myself! Not only did they have cars, but they also had antique snowmobiles and bicycles. They even had a car you could sit in and take pictures with. Next to that was also clothing you could try on from the different decades represented by the antique cars.




Several of my favorites were cars that had umbrellas instead of roofs, fringe lined roofs, all wooden bicycles, the first steam powered car, very old electric cars, and of course the very first snowmobile. We spent a surprisingly long time in there, about 2.5 hours. There was so much variety that we didn't pass up looking at a single car. The shapes and sizes of cars today have become so streamlined and no car is really all that different from the next. However, this museum had such a crazy amount of variety that I had no idea cars were so different even from one model to the next. Antique cars were truly a work of art. I genuinely wish that there was so much variety today. You can really tell how much fun the engineers had designing these cars.



There's no doubt in my mind how the Fountain Head Antique Auto Museum become the number one attraction in Fairbanks according to yelp. The variety and quality of the cars and antique clothing was nothing short of astonishing. The museum was very fairly priced and the staff were extremely knowledgeable and you could really tell that they cared about their work. While you peruse the museum you can even see through the gigantic windows into the shop where they work on restoring the antique cars. Definitely don't miss out on this, even if you aren't a huge fan of cars. This place will give you a very pleasant surprise.

"It's no wonder that truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction has to make sense."--Mark Twain