2,114 miles
Apr 23 – Riding
(virtually) around the town of McMillan, I see a long- abandoned school, a bar,
3 churches, some comfortable houses, and this building which claims to be a restaurant
that serves famous cinnamon rolls.
Outside of
town, I made a marvelous discovery! Nature's
Kennel Sled Dog Racing & Adventures is a tourist business operated by a
couple of experienced dogsled mushers. They
offer winter adventures for children and adults who want to try riding a
dogsled or driving their own dog team. Guides
are experienced in mushing, customer service, and dog care.
In
collaboration with Chamberlin's Old Forest Inn in nearby Curtis, they offer a
luxurious Eat, Sleep and Ride packages for people who want to enjoy comfortable
lodging & fine dining combined with a full or half-day dog sled
adventure.
On their
Beginner Overnight Adventure, guests will learn to drive and care for their own
dog team and spend a night in a heated winter tent.
This year,
Nature’s Kennel introduced a Winter Photography Workshop and Dog Sledding
Adventure. What a great combination of
experiences! The adventure includes
lodging at Chamberlin’s Old Forest Inn, a half-day of learning to drive a dog
team, snow shoeing at Tahquamenon Falls State Park, a guided trip to the ice
caves in Munising, and personalized photography instruction throughout the
entire trip from award-winning U.P. nature photographer, Shawn Malone. Shawn helps guests develop their photography
skills in many different environments, from the fast action of sled dogs to the
serene nature of Tahquamenon Falls and the majestic frozen waterfalls & ice
caves in the Pictured Rocks area of Lake Superior. Weather permitting, the excursion also
includes night sky photography instruction.
 |
| autumn training for sled dogs |
The owners
of Nature’s Kennel are proud to say that all of their 160 sled dogs are part of
their family. They have won numerous “humanitarian”
awards in races for their outstanding dog care.
(Apparently, working the dogs strenuously & not caring for them
adequately has been a problem in the mushing community, so awarding these “humanitarian
awards” has focused attention on the issue in a positive way.) Their dogs are well known not only for their
excellent race history and pedigrees, but also for their outstanding
personalities. All of their dogs are
extremely well socialized and get to visit with hundreds of adults and children
each year.
Each winter,
Nature's Kennel employs guides from around the world who help train the dogs,
lead sled dog tours, and provide individualized attention to the dogs on their
assigned teams.
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