Road Trip Status & Final Destination: Carmel, California.

Well everyone, we made it to Carmel! Actually, we got here on Sunday night but I needed a few days to recover before recounting our arrival. So now that I'm fully recovered, here we go...

It has been so nice here and we've all been enjoying the cool temperatures and beautiful scenery. Yesterday we went on a "hike" in Big Sur to see a waterfall. The reason I'm reluctant to call it a hike is because it was approximately a quarter of a mile and very easy, however it was in a book called, "Day Hikes Around Big Sur." So you can see why I'm confused...

Once we arrived at the trail head, we were disappointed to see a sign indicating that dogs were not allowed on the trail.

However, after much deliberation, we decided that the sign wasn't saying that all dogs were banned from the trail...only the dog depicted in the sign. So, after a close inspection of the sign, we determined that Sage looked nothing like the depicted dog. I'm still not sure why the trail doesn't allow these particular dogs on the trail, but I am glad that Sage was able to enjoy the trail with us because the view from the trail was pretty spectacular. 

Later that afternoon, Larkin and I went by my favorite store in all of Carmel...Diggidy Dog. OK, well maybe it's not my FAVORITE store, but it's pretty cute. The reason I really enjoy it so much is because they have the cutest dog collars I have ever seen. And since Sage is so stylish, I enjoy picking her out new, fun collars for the next year.

Here are the two I settled on after spending much too long browsing all the wonderfully colorful choices.

 I think they're pretty cute!

For those of you wondering, these collars are from Up Country and are not Sage's first. My little sister, Marie, got Sage her first Up Country dog collar for Christmas this year and it's held up pretty well!

My other purchase was this fun sticker. I have seen them around and think they are super cute.

That's all for now! "Wag More, Bark Less!"

Road Trip Status: Grand Canyon

Greetings, faithful followers! Larkin here once again. I apologize for my absence; it's tough traveling cross-country with a dog, you know. After getting off to a rocky (no pun intended) start this morning, we arrived at the Grand Canyon National Park. It seemed like everyone and their dog (again with the puns) wanted their picture made with the park sign, so when we finally made it to the front of the line, we had to make the most of it.

As always, we posed in a few different fashions while Sage waited patiently for us to get settled. I think the pictures turned out nicely. Sage is so consistent in her pictures; never a hair out of place or dog food in her teeth. Must be nice!

After we visited the sign, the real adventure began! We headed into the park and were amazed at what we saw before us. These pictures are representative of our meager attempt to capture the grandeur of the canyon itself.

However, Sage wasn't interested in sitting around and talking about how awesome it was, so we stopped to snap a few more photos! 

Sage is used to being the center of attention, but I must say she seemed pretty small comparatively speaking. But not to worry, she resumed her normal status as soon as we left the park. Goodbye for now, we're off to try and catch the sunset at the canyon. Hopefully the next time you hear from us we will have reached our final destination: California!

Road Trip Status: Sedona, AZ

Well everyone, we finally made it to Arizona! After spending a couple of days in Santa Fe, it was time to move on to another state. The drive through New Mexico was full of beautiful red rock formations! However, as we made our way through Arizona we discovered that Arizona had red rocks too. A lot of 'em! After crossing the state line, it was time for another picture. We wanted to try a hand stand picture after the success of our "jump" picture at the New Mexico-Texas state line, but I was a little nervous about Sage's ability to do one...but, one again, Sage proved me wrong! She even one up-ed me with a one-handed hand stand!

She also utilized the "Pet Exercise Area" to stretch her legs a little bit before getting in the car once again.

We made another stop at the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona to see what it had to offer. We all thought it was pretty neat. There were some really great views from the park's highest point where you could see for 120 miles all the way to Flagstaff! This picture of all three of us on top of the sign was pretty difficult to capture. I came away with some pretty nasty scratches...

After spending the night in Flagstaff, we left this morning for a quick one hour drive to Sedona. We were greeted by the 109 degree heat once we arrived! Our favorite part of the day was the Pink Jeep Tour through the beautiful sandstone.

There were some awesome views on the Broken Arrow tour. Sage could see for miles.

Sage even got a little adventurous and decided to show off her climbing skills. As she reenacted the scene from the Lion King, I snapped this picture. Don't worry, she was very careful!

We are headed to the Grand Canyon tomorrow. Stay tuned, there are be more great adventures ahead!

Road Trip Status: Santa Fe

Well, we've made it to New Mexico! Tonight is our second night in Santa Fe and it has been delightful. The weather has been so nice that we even wore long sleeves this morning! As we were driving into town, we saw a BIG sign for the Sage Inn. I thought it was so fun that there was something with Sage's name on it, that I just had to take a picture. I figured it was pretty rare. However as we walked around the town square, I began to notice something interesting...

Sage was everywhere! I thought it was so great that everyone in Santa Fe had been reading my blog and decided to dedicate their business to my Sage! However, after asking around I found out that it wasn't MY Sage that the shops and galleries were named after, it was a plant. Sage, the plant, happens to be pretty popular in these parts. However, I will choose to go on thinking that it is my Sage that inspires the popular name in Santa Fe.

I also thought I'd end this post with a dedication. San Retriever de Labrador, Patron Saint of Tennis Balls.

Off to Flagstaff tomorrow. Stay tuned

Road Trip Status: Amarillo

Hello readers, Larkin here! I will be filling in for Erin tonight as we have had a long and tiring day! Today was a fun day on the road complete with a few bizarre, yet intriguing sights. Oh, and did I mention Sage came along with us? The first stop we made was at the Cowboy Church, which Sage took a particular liking to. It must have been something about the 2-dimensional state that she shares with the cowboy and his horse that made her feel right at home!

After visiting the Cowboy Church, we all took cat naps (or should I say dog naps?) and ate a nice chicken dinner before heading out to our next destination: Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo, TX.

Erin and I had fun spray painting the cars and practicing our modeling poses while Sage stood atop a car and watched the people below.

We are now back at the hotel scrubbing the paint from our hands and preparing for tomorrow's trip to Santa Fe. I wonder what Sage will get herself into in New Mexico!

Sage in Hawaii

So, I'm a little late in posting about Hawaii seeing as I am now off on my next adventure. However, I will attempt to catch up on all that has been going on.

We all had a great time visiting the black sand beach at Waipi'o Valley on the big island of Hawaii. After a early start to the day doing homework (and a long drive) we made our way up see the volcano. Sage really enjoyed seeing where the lava took over the road. We were a little disappointed that there was no lava flow.

We had fun snorkeling and laying in the sun at the beautiful white sand beaches as well.

On our trip back from the beach one afternoon, we found a lava tube on the side of the highway. Lava tubes are are natural conduits through which lava travels beneath the surface of a lava flow. I snapped a couple of fun photos of John being silly at the entrance of a lava tube.

We ended the trip watching a beautiful sunset! Aloha.

While I was Away...

Sage has been having a blast while I've been gone. She has gotten to spend some time at the beach, play some quality Frisbee, and meet some new friends. My parents snapped some pictures of Sage last weekend and emailed them to me. My little sister made that sand masterpiece for Sage.