The A.W.E.S.O.M.E Awards – Denver, Colorado

April 11, 2012

Whether turning Eko into a Rhodesian Ridgebunny or racing each other through the fields, we had a great time in Denver. Denver combines all the best parts of the city and the outdoors into one of the most incredible dog-friendly destinations we have visited thus far. We would have needed months and months to visit all the places we wanted to see, but here are the most awesome stops from our week:

There were plenty of pet-friendly spots to scope out in Denver

A.W.E.S.O.M.E Dog Park – Cherry Creek and Chatfield Park – Eko and I did a two for one stop at these parks and recommend them both highly. Both parks have vast tracks of land, a pond for swimming, and a good crowd of friendly dogs.

A.W.E.S.O.M.E Time Travel Trip – Dino Ridge Trail – As someone who has seen the movie Jurassic Park at least 76 times, I feel that I am entirely qualified to say that Dino Ridge Trail is awesome. The trail is a fun, informative hike and your dog will definitely be whipped after making the trek.

A.W.E.S.O.M.E Indoor activity – Zoom Room – Bad weather is a dog owner’s worst enemy. Luckily for dog owners in Denver, Zoom Room has you covered. For $5 you can take your dog through their indoor agility course. Zoom Room keeps you dry and sane!

A.W.E.S.O.M.E Hotel – Hotel Monaco – At Hotel Monaco the staff would look at me with disappointment any time I walked through the lobby without Eko as if to ask me, “How could you deprive us of more time with the puppy!?” No pet fees, plenty of pet amenities, and best of all, $10 pet-sitting in case you need to duck out without your pup. Hotel Monaco is awesome!

Denver is an amazing city and it’s a trip that your dog would love to take with you. With so many great outdoor hikes and activities, it is the perfect city to have a pet.

Storm clouds are rolling in over Salt Like so we need to get a move on to Mill Creek Canyon. If any locals have any indoor pet-friendly destinations in the area, now is probably a good time to share them!

Dog Friendly Denver: Livin’ Large At The Hotel Monaco

April 8, 2012

We stayed a few days longer in Denver than we do at most stops and we couldn’t have asked for a better place to stay than downtown at The Hotel Monaco. The hotel has no pet fees and the staff goes all out to make your pup feel right at home.

Although they may not always get the spelling right, Hotel Monaco proudly welcomes all four legged guests.

The hotel also happens to have a mat stamped with Eko’s motto

And of course Eko had to say hello to the resident cow

Now, this may come as a shock, but sometimes I actually do go places without Eko. However, I feel bad leaving him in a hotel room by himself for an extended period of time, so I’ll usually only duck out for a short while. This past weekend some friends wanted me to come with them for a birthday party in Ft. Collins and initially I thought I was going to have to say no on account of Eko (unfortunately it wasn’t a dog-friendly birthday party). However, Hotel Monaco came to the rescue big time! For only $10/hr a hotel staff member will hang out with your dog, take him on walks and keep him company for as long as you need. So thanks to the Hotel Monaco I got to enjoy a nice afternoon with some (human) friends and Eko had a blast making some new friends of his own. I hear he was a big hit at the front desk.

All in all, I can’t imagine a better pet-friendly hotel in Denver than the Hotel Monaco.

Denver has definitely been one of our favorites stops on our journey, but it’s time to pack up and head west once again. See you in Salt Lake City!

Happy Easter!

April 7, 2012

Happy Easter to all from the world’s most famous Rhodesian Ridgebunny

The little guy loved his Easter presents

And his Easter present loved him too

Hope everyone enjoys the day!

Marking Our Territory Presents: The Race Of The Century

April 6, 2012

People sometimes ask me, “Will, do you ever get tired of going to the most awesome places with Eko every day?” The answer is obviously no, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like to spice things up every once in a while. Yesterday for example, I challenged Eko to a foot/paw race at the dog park. The stakes? Loser picks up tonight’s bar tab.

Luckily, I also happened to catch the event on video. Check it out:

Dog Friendly Denver: Room To Run

April 6, 2012

Thanks to a tip from one of our readers, Eko and I got to check out two great dog parks just a short ride from downtown Denver. Actually, calling these places dog parks is really selling them short. The off leash areas at both Cherry Creek Park and Chatfield Park are on absolutely massive tracks of land. Both feature wide open grassy areas, miles of trails and a place for your pup to take a dip. If you only have time for one, I would go for whichever one is closest to you, but if you want to visit both you only have to pay once ($11). The parks are more than worth the price of admission.

There was room to run for miles at both parks

Eko found plenty of friends to rumble with

Sometimes you get the stick, sometimes the stick gets you

“The dog parks are lovely, dark, and deep, but I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.”

Eko definitely ran miles and miles between the two parks yesterday. When he finally did sleep, he did it in style:

Having fun is tough work

I have a lot of good video from the park, so I will post some asap. In the meantime we’re looking to cram as much adventure in before we have to leave town, so let us know if you have a favorite spot nearby!

Dog Friendly Denver: Jurassic Park Edition

April 5, 2012

The easiest way to get me to go anywhere is to mention that dinosaurs are involved. So as soon as the weather broke Eko and I headed out to Dino Ridge Trail. I love dinosaurs and I love hiking, so Dino Ridge was the perfect place to spend the afternoon.

“Welcome to Jurassic Park!”

The resemblance is uncanny…

Eko demonstrated how he would have no problem taking on a stegosaurus if we encountered a live one on the trail

I used to think Eko had big paws, but he probably could have fit his entire body in one of these dino tracks

If you’re up for it, there is also a great hiking trail that runs through Dino Ridge

Eko taking in the view from the top

We didn’t see any live dinos on our trek, but we did have a great time exploring the area and checking out some fossils. After Dino Ridge, we headed over to the nearby Buffalo Bill Museum. Like Dino Ridge, dogs aren’t allowed in any of the buildings but they are welcome to explore the trails with you – which in my mind is obviously the best part.

Possibly the best photo from our entire trip

“Hey Will, I need another quarter.”

The views from both parks were amazing and I definitely recommend visiting both parks the same day. We’ve got another beautiful day to work with today and we just got a reader recommendation to check out Cherry Creek and Chatfield dog parks, so that’s where we’ll be headed. Come stop by if you’re in the area!

No Dinosaur Sightings…Yet

April 4, 2012

We are having a blast exploring Dinosaur Ridge. No sightings of any dinos yet, but we’re staying vigilant.

Dog Friendly Denver: A Room To Zoom

April 4, 2012

The existence of dog parks is the only reason I’m currently not in an insane asylum – though some will argue I should have been put in one long ago. If Eko doesn’t get a good run every few days his frantic pacing around the hotel room is unbearable. Dog parks aren’t somewhere you want to visit when it’s cold and snowing out, so that’s why I love places like Zoom Room where Eko gets to play and I get to keep feeling in my extremities.

The heated indoor park at Zoom Room includes a full range of agility equipment and Eko was eager to take full advantage of it.

“Come on man, just let me go play!”

Eko likes to visualize the jumps beforehand, he says it’s what the pros do

~~Houston~~ Denver, we have liftoff

While it looks like he’s hanging from invisible strings, Eko was actually mid-jump

All play and no work makes Eko a tired boy

Zoom Room was the perfect antidote to Eko’s cabin fever. It’s always great to have a place indoors for your dog to play and the $5 I spent for use of the open gym might just be the best $5 I spend all week. If you’re in Denver and the weather’s not cooperating, Zoom Room is definitely the place to tire your pup out before you hit the slopes.

On an unrelated note, I am of the firm belief that Eko is part dinosaur. The weather finally broke, so I am going to take Eko to visit some of his ancestors at Dinosaur Ridge. The park’s site mentions that there are tons of fossils, but the site doesn’t say either way whether they also breed living dinosaurs. I’m holding out hope, but I’ll let you know how it goes either way.

Dog Friendly Denver: Tour De Pet Store

April 3, 2012

As Eko reminded me yesterday, it’s never too cold to go to the pet store, so we spent the afternoon checking out three local shops – Chewy’s, The Wag Shop and Zen Dog. All three stores were great and Eko attempted to eat everything in every store, but each one had something unique to offer.

Chewy’s had the widest selection of treats and training toys

Eko read about the history of his clan at The Wag Shop. The store had the most products for larger breed dogs.

Zen promoted locally owned companies as well as high fashion. Unfortunately they didn’t have a tux in Eko’s size

There are a bunch of other pet stores in Denver that we didn’t get to visit, but three stores in a row was all the excitement Eko could handle

Yesterday was nice, but as usual, Eko is looking for some action. The snow nixed our plans for a hike, but luckily we found a place downtown where Eko can run wild. Zoom Room in Denver is a new facility which includes a big indoor dog park. It’s the perfect place to play on a day like this.

If you have any favorite dog-friendly places in the Denver area be sure to drop us a line – the weather should hopefully turn tomorrow and we are in town until Monday.

Winter Finally Caught Up

April 3, 2012

April Fools?

Sometimes before you go outside in sandals, it is a good idea to look out your window. Eko and I have dodged bad weather all throughout the trip, but this morning it appears that for the day at least, Winter finally nabbed us. While I wait for the frostbite to leave my toes I’ll put together a recap from yesterday and figure out where we’re headed today.