Places to Visit in Austin, Texas ↠ Arbor Trail.

We love to take Atka on errands with us as often as possible. She loves the car and we like when we can avoid leaving her home alone in her crate...even though she loves it in there. We figured we'd check out Arbor Trail and then let Atka relax in the car while we knocked out a quick Costco and Whole Foods trip recently. It's a win/win for everyone. Happy/worn out dog and a pantry full of groceries. Everyone's happy...

This trail is really short and more like a neighborhood walk, so if you're looking for a real hike, this isn't for you. We liked getting a good walk in somewhere other than our usual routes and being right at the stores when we finished, so it worked for us on this particular day. I have a feeling we'll be doing this one often...

...also, notice the spray bottle picture. Everyone asks us if Atka gets hot or how we keep her cool in the warm Texas weather. Answer: a big jug of water that she chugs from her collapsible bowl and a spray bottle to keep her fur cool. This girl loooooves being outside and doesn't even notice the heat most of the time! Especially if she's playing with a friend.

If you live in Austin, what's your favorite dog-friendly trail? Let me know in the comments, we want to try them all!

♡ MALLORIE

Places to Visit ↠ Drive through Yukon Territory on the Alaska Highway.

Our drive through Yukon Territory was the best part of our drive from Juneau, Alaska to Austin, Texas. We had driven through the Yukon once before, on our way to Juneau from Anchorage, but that was a different direction and a different time of year. It was so peaceful driving in the winter, we were pretty much the only people out there and we saw the Northern Lights every night. Simply incredible.

We saw bison, wild horses, caribou, bald eagles, and a snowshoe hare on our drive. If you make a trip on the Alaska Highway you must order a copy of the current Milepost. It goes mile by mile and tells you everything to expect along the way, down to the very last detail. I want one for the whole US! It tells you when a sharp curve is coming up or when to look out for bison/caribou, it even tells you food/gas stops along the way and in some cases what they're known for (best burger, etc).

It was an amazing drive and just going through these pictures and writing about our trip has made me want to do it all over again. Next time I want to do it in the summer when everything is open. Was it long? Yes. But we love to road trip together and now we have another road trip buddy, Atka. She did such a great job in the car and started to realize if we slowed down under 60 mph, she could wait by the window for Dave to roll it down and she could get some fresh air. We can't wait to take her on more adventures!

Have any of you made the trip through Alaska Highway or is anyone planning one soon? Let me know in the comments, I want to hear all about it!

♡ MALLORIE