Dog Park Closed! But Cinnamon Doesn't Mind

Here's the bridge leading to the trails

Yesterday we headed out to the Lucky Dog Park in Brush Prairie. I've been neglected lately so it's about time we got back into a routine. AND ABOUT TIME I GOT TO HAVE FUN! As we headed down the country road, I got really excited.

And then I saw the sign, "Dog Park Closed for Renovation!" Oh no! I remembered that this would happen eventually. But I guess eventually had arrived. Lucky Dog Park was closed. We went down to the park and it was filled with construction vehicles. No dogs in sight. I was so disappointed.

But just then my owner had an idea. Maybe we could visit the little garden down the road for a quick walk. Well, that was OK for a consolation prize, I guess.

So we went into the parking lot by the public school offices and parked (no one was there on Saturday) and started walking toward the Wildlife Botanical Gardens. But then we spied a little bridge toward the back of the parking lot (to the left of the building) and decided to explore.

I found an educational tree

A trail headed into a beautiful woods with large trees, ferns, budding mushrooms and lots of smells to sniff. Some of the trees had labels on them. This was an educational woods. We explored the trail and noticed greenhouses, sheds and an amphitheater. Just think, if it hadn't been for the closure of my dog park, I would have never found this great little place.

We kept going and came upon a pond. I looked more closely at the reeds and the water and SCARED SOME DUCKS AND FROGS. I swear, there were over a dozen frogs that jumped into the water when they saw me coming along to sniff them. Scaring frogs is fun!

After that excitement, we continued on the trail back into the woods. The trails went for a long distance. They were in back of the farms we usually see on the road to the dog park. We even smelled the cows at the dairy farm. Phew!

Here's where I scared the frogs!

So as the rains started to head our way, we turned around and headed back. I enjoyed exploring the woods, sniffing some strange smells and learning more about trees and the habitat there. I think I'll go back again!

The educational site includes 80 acres of trails, gardens, orchard, berry garden, creek, ponds, meadows, greenhouses, arboretum, amphitheater, NatureScaping Wildlife Botanical Gardens, and Compost Demonstration site. Trails may be used after school during daylight hours.  (and, I found, on weekends) They ask you leave no trace of your visit and they provide doggie cleanup bags at the entrance.  They ask that you keep all pets on a leash and pick up after them. 

 

Here's the back of the farms. This is where I smelled the cows. Yuck!

Love, Cinnamon the Explorer