Amsterdam

 So, it was time to leave Morocco and after all the drama on the tour with the people on it, I was actually really happy to go. My flight to Amsterdam went well and I had a planned overnight in Amsterdam and was excited for a room to myself and to visit a city I have been to before. When we landed I immediately took myself to the train station and into the city. I didn't do anything special, just walked around and enjoyed the city and the Christmas lights. I then had a wonderful chicken burger, fries and beer before heading to the hotel for a relaxing night of BBC TV and a very comfortable bed.

I had expected to fly home on a direct flight. So, to the airport I went and waited at the gate only for it to be cancelled. Then 4 plus hours waiting to figure out how to get home and then get vouchers for a night's stay. It was a really depressing day and I just wanted to go home. I did take myself into the city though for a visit to MOCO the modern art museum and although it isn't usually my thing it really did cheer me up. The colors the style was all so interesting.

After some drama about which gate, the flight really did take off and I finally got to go home to the dogs.  After this rough trip I am not sure when I will travel internationally again.

Marakech - Mostly just a train ride.

 The main thing from this day was an over 7 hour training ride through Morocco in the hotest train car I have ever been in. It said there was air conditioning but I didn't feel any at all. It was a miserable way to spend the day. 

By the time we got to the city there wasn't time to do anything on our own other then just join the walking tour through the medina. The guide was wonderful but the day had been so rough I didn't feel really into walking and not getting to see anything on our own. 

Ended the tour with dinner together paid for by Intrepid because people had complained about the tour experience. The food was good but it felt really like forced togetherness.

Fes

 Fes was all about the old medina and shopping. This felt like the most tourist heavy stop. We practically ran through the medina then stopped to shop and repeat. The best part of the day was having dinner with friends at a pizza place and going out to the bar. Not sure that I need to visit Fes again.

Volubilis and Meknes

 The next morning we headed to the Volubilis Roman ruins which were close to Moulay Idrisis which is why we stayed there. It felt like all the other roman ruins I have visit around the world so there was something peaceful about it. This didn't feel like culture shock it just felt like stepping back in time. What this one had that the others I have visited didn't is a triumphant arch which showed how respected of a place it was in the Roman empire. Oh and lost of mosaics.

After the ruins we visited Meknes, once again on a walking tour. The part that was most interesting here was all the mosaics where Moulay Idris and his family were buried. Would have loved a little more time here to explore but it is what it is.

Moulay Idriss

A totally different vibe in this city. Smaller, older and of a different size. The B and B we stayed in was also rather unique but the food they cooked was amazing.

Chefchaouen

I truly loved the blue city I can see why do many visit. The dogs are nice the city is painted in shared of blue to help so algea growth and learning about how the community supports each other was amazing.

Tangier

We did a tour in a van spotting for groceries for a picnic in a park. Visiting where the Mediterranean sea and Atlantic ocean meet and a couple of other historic buildings. In our free time Candy and I made our way to Cafe Hafa. It was way farther then we should have gone but it was beautiful and the mint tea was amazing. Sweet and very hot. I could have day there for hours. Instead we got lost in the medina and were late to our van.

Casablanca finally

I didn't get to Casablanca on time my flight out of Paris was cancelled at the very last moment so I ended up staying there and finally got to Casablanca at about 5pm today then had a transportation mix up but am finally with my tour. I didn't get to see much of the city ok any of the city. However I did have a nice dinner of lamb couscous and got to know most of the people in the group. Tomorrow off to Tangiers and and Chefchoen (blue city).

Paris airport layover

Happy for a break between flights. Absolutely nothing wrong with my flight to Paris other then the kid in front of me having his seat all the way back for 9 or of the 10 hours. I watched 4 movies and took a little nap. Now hanging out at the Paris airport. There is snow on the ground outside and it feels so cold inside I wish I had another jacket. 

I did take a nap by a cat sculpture which was strangely comfy. 

I also devoured a seed covered baguette with smoked salmon, cream cheese and cucumber. Looking forward to getting to somewhere warm.

Away I Go!

The day has finally come and I am sitting at the airport right now. First stop will be Paris with about a 6 hour layover and then on to Casablanca, Morocco.

Morocco for my birthday

 So, last year on my birthday I booked a trip to Morocco because I was feeling down. Over the last year I was really not sure if it was the right choice to make with all the dog sports I have done this year. Well, I finally decided to go and have put all the pieces together for the trip.

November 21

Flight out DELTA 8402* Departs 1:35pm for Paris

November 22

Land in Paris 8:15am

DELTA 8223 departs 3:10pm

Arrives Casablanca 6:15pm

Hotel in Casablanca

November 23

Urban Adventure: Casablanca The Medina and Beyond Tour: https://www.urbanadventures.com/en/casablanca/casablanca-the-medina-and-beyond 

Starts at 9am in front of Rick’s Cafe from the movie Casablanca (well a recreation)

Tour ends at 1pm in the center of town

Tour meeting at 6pm at the hotel for the main part of my trip.

https://www.intrepidtravel.com/us/morocco/north-morocco-adventure-149853/tripnotes 

November 24

Tangier and Chefchaouen

November 25

Chefchaouen

November 26

Moulay Idriss 

Homestay

November 27

Volubilis

Meknes - camel burger

Fes

November 28

Fes

Shopping

November 29

Marrakech

November 30

Fly home - DELTA 7510 Departs 11:45am Marrakech

Arrives Amsterdam 3:40pm

Overnight hotel in Amsterdam and a good meal. (I have explored Amsterdam on a previous trip so good food is all I am looking for).

December 1

Fly home DELTA 143 Departs Amsterdam at 10:15am

Arrives Seattle at 11:50am

Day 17 - Finally home

 Wow, what a trip. This last day was hard. We were so close to home but it seemed to take forever. The scenery was beautiful of course especially when we stopped overlooking Prosser but we all just wanted to get home.

It felt great when we finally did and I could unpack some and see Blake again. It was a wonderful trip overall and I am so lucky to have gotten to make the journey and to play with my best boys at CPE Nationals and all along the journey.

Day 15 -16 - Heading North and West

 It was sadly time to leave the beautiful Moab, Utah but excited to head home.

The best stop was in Murray, Utah at a lovely park with so many pretty irises in bloom throughout.

The landscape was pretty on the driving days and Twin Falls, Idaho and Pendleton, Oregon were great stops on the trip. Especially Pendleton as it was great walking and exploring weather and the town is so unique.

Day 13 - Driving Colorado and Utah

 We arrived in Denver and didn't feel like exploring much in the evening but I had done some research so before driving to Moab, Utah since it was a shorter drive day went to explore the Rocky Mountain Arsenal and it was exactly what we all needed. A nice walk for Trapper who needs the movement and prairie dogs to stare at for the first time for Sparky. Oh and bunnies we all love bunnies and birds. 

The drive through Colorado and into Utah was beautiful with mountains, and flats and we had a great time. I was happy to get to Moab, Utah though and to our adorable vintage Apache Motel. It is such a beautiful spot and the dogs and I settled in for a day of vacation.

Day 11-12 - Driving IL-Colorado

The packing part was a little tricky getting everything back into the car topper and figuring out what made sense inside the car. It was hard to leave the home away from home of the Airbnb as well but the time had come. The first day was a long stormy drive from Springfield, IL across Missouri and to Kansas. I had driven part of this route on the way to IL, so I knew that stops and services were limited so I was prepared with lunch from the grocery store and a couple of must stop ideas. We had a couple of stops at the beginning that allowed for the dogs to run and roll which really carried through the rest of the day. Then there was the stop in Quiltown - Hamilton, Missouri. It was so cute and it was fun browsing the quilt shop.

Ended the day crossing the river into Kansas and enjoying BBQ in Kansas. 

The second day was driving across Kansas and to Denver Colorado. This was the longest driving day for the way home. It was so very windy. Apparently we were between some tornadoes and we were also close to some thunderstorms as well. The best part of the drive was stopping at this amazing souvenir shop with Wizard of Oz statues outside of it. Shopping was fun for sure, and it was a break from driving in the wind. Oh and the visitor center in Colby, Kansas was adorable.

 

Day 14 - Moab, Utah

We had a great day in Moab, Utah today. We started with a walk with the dogs at Mill Creek and since we were the only ones there they got to run around a bit. 

Then we went to Arches National Park. I was there as a kid but I didn't remember all of it and it was so much more meaningful this time I think. The dogs couldn't leave the parking lot but I kept them cool while I did the shortish trips to see things. 

Came back and had a nap then went to Moab Brewery for beer and so much good food. Then came back and took the dogs for a walk from Lion's Park to give them some activity. Stopped and visited some shops and picked up stickers, soap and a hat for my dad.

Tomorrow we continue the drive home and we'll spend the night in Twin Falls, ID.

CPE Agility Nationals Day 3

CPE Agility Nationals Day 3. Trapper was the very best boy and we had a perfect day. It was incredibly hot today getting up to over 90 degrees. Our first run was a tricky colors that required lots of control and he ran it perfectly. Next was standard and he was a little stressed on that run for some reason but we pulled it off with a Q. It took a long time to cool him off. We were in the very last group for Snooker and it was hot but the course was so much fun. A great way to end our nationals experience tomorrow we start our way home. Trapper won Agility High in Trial Standard for enthusiast level C 20 inch. 

Colors - https://youtu.be/fuAmO5rimT0 

Standard - https://youtu.be/ypkXpWLQAzg 

Snooker - https://youtu.be/eNMs9iGZ_rY

CPE Agility Nationals Day 2

We had a rough day today. Trapper and I were not in sync in our first run which was jackpot. Trapper didn't like my opening plan and decided to get creative (1 point short), and with my GoPro battery not charging I was thrown off a little, at the gamble he did the tunnel, wall jump and got on the teeter but he hopped off the side towards me, I should have sent him to the final jump but he was moving back to me and I didn't so handling error for me oops. Wildcard was in a ring we hadn't been too and it was hot by then over 80 with high humidity. He did everything in that Wildcard run but he dropped a bar on the panel, oops NQ. He was hot and weird after his run and I was hot and annoyed so not our best moments sigh. By Standard we were ready to run and we were in sync not super fast but we ran clean and I was so happy that we had a great run to end our day. My GoPro failed us on the video boo. We were all hot and I wanted to get back to the AC so I put them in the car and left the car running with the AC on while I went to get our Q ribbon. Turns out he was listed as a dropped bar which I knew he didn't have. I was frustrated and it turns out another lady had the same issue so I decided to take it to the score room who took it to the judge who didn't remember me and declined my request. As I was leaving I ran into Susan who had seen our run and the judge put her hand up in the dropped bar position after we were through the tire that didn't move and we were going into the gate box so she really meant to give a thumbs up. I went back to the score keeper and she fixed it for me. I am so happy that I fought it and that Susan saw it! 

Wildcard - https://youtu.be/ukGWpavwSy8

CPE Agility Nationals Day 1

CPE Agility Nationals Day 1. Trapper was the very best boy. We started off with Standard which I already posted about and he did a great job he paused in the weaves but didn't pop out and was slow on the teeter but he wasn't running in any pain and was happy to play. Our next run was FullHouse and he was ready to go! He did what I asked and we got our points and got out. Jumpers was my favorite course though, it was hot by then but he ran extremely smooth and quite fast, it was a joy to run with him. Excited to play with him again and so happy that he is running better then he has in a long time. 

Standard - https://youtu.be/xhFC7ycOV18 

 Full House - https://youtu.be/-LAlauhb0yE 

 Jumpers - https://youtu.be/30X7pYK0F9U

CPE Speedway Nationals Day 2

Speedway Nationals is officially done. Sparky  did so much better then I thought in the environment. He may not have been super speedy on every run but he completed them and he liked it best running his two rounds in each game back to back. I am glad we got to play. Tomorrow the attention turns to Trapper and agility and Sparky gets to be his best cheerleader self.

It isn't letting me upload videos on the phone app so I will try my computer tomorrow.

CPE Speedway Nationals Day 1

Phew what a great day, exhausting but great. Sparky completed all 6 games plus two "drag race" (FastCAT). People that don't know Sparky just called him chill but he struggled with the environment and being able to see all the dogs. He made some mistakes in his runs but I am super proud of him. He did it and he was really happy in the waiting moments and after playing the games. Leanne McKillip made it and she even released him in drag race and he just loves that game so much and Janet Mudge decorated and made our stall look so good I will take a picture of it tomorrow. Trapper got more comfortable in the environment and we finally found the perfect disc playing spot for his rewards and had to try it out. We are loving our little Airbnb yard and the big comfy couches.