With another week of the three dog adventure and to beat the heat, McCormick’s Creek was our next stop. With it’s close proximity to our previous spot and the next spot following it made perfect sense. I’m happy we returned to this park, it is truly one of my favorite Indiana State Parks.
This time around the campground was busier, even through the week. When we first parked the rig, I noticed we had a neighbor to one side and across the way, both with dogs. Instantly, I thought this will be tough with three dogs. But as it turned out the three stooges behaved wonderfully.
I loved how our campsite backed up to a wooded area. It felt secluded and private despite being in a campground with neighbors nearby. While visiting this time around we spent every afternoon in the creek. It was a great way to let the dogs cool off and allow the humans to relax and watch as they romped and played in the water.
As soon as we parked the car they knew where we were going. And we had a system for getting everyone down to our spot. I would hold the dogs at the top while Shane hiked down the hill to scout out the area. We didn’t want our dogs to come barreling down the hill and surprise someone. And I wasn’t taking them down the steep incline on a leash. It worked wonderfully. Shane would yell back up, “all clear”. Then all three dogs would make a mad dash for the water. Each afternoon we had our favorite spot all to ourselves.
The weather was much better during our visit. With less humidity it was actually nice enough to sit outside and go for hikes. After looking at the map I realized there are a couple of trails we’ve never explored. One afternoon we set off to check out the first trail on my list. I was pleasantly surprised and wondered why we never hiked it before. Turns out there is an old farm site off this trail. We’ve been coming here for years and I never noticed it on the map. The trail itself is heavily wooded with a connecting trail that leads to the farm site.
The dogs and humans explored and took in what remained of the site. The foundation for the barn, a restored springhouse, and what’s left of the homesite. All the while thinking, could you imagine having this beautiful place in your backyard.
The stone pillars are all that remain of the barn.
The dogs were interested in the springhouse. The last photo shows all that is left of the homesite.
The next day we explored another new trail, one that meandered through the woods along with a small creek. Toward the end of the trail was an old fire tower. All of us, including the dogs started up the stairs to the top. Justice was the first to abandon the climb. Then Drax, I stopped about a third of the way up, my fear of heights kicking in. Josie continued on with Shane, until finally she decided, nope too high for me. Shane did make it to the top and was rewarded with fantastic views. Myself and the three dogs watched from the safety of the ground level.
While we had all three dogs I had the goal of lining them all up for a photo, preferably at McCormick’s Creek and in front of the RV. Shane laughed and said good luck making that happen. Armed with some treats, I grabbed my phone and got all three dogs to sit. While the anxiously awaited their treats I snapped a photo. Then just because I like to push the limits. I set them up again from a different angle and managed to get a second photo of all three dogs. Dog whisperer right here. 🙂
Wonder what they were all looking at in the bottom photo? And they managed to stay. What well behaved dogs!
Many thanks to this handy device. This is not an advertisement or affiliate thing. But I must pause for a moment to tell you about this handy device. It’s called the mini-Educator. The kids bought one for their 2 dogs and then gifted us with one as a “RV warming gift”. Because of this device we have 3 well behaved dogs. Many people have commented on how good they are. Basically the mini-Educator is a training/communication tool between humans and dogs. It has a vibrate setting and a variable shock setting.
Before you think, that’s cruel. Let me tell you I was against the idea of shock too. The dog wears a collar that is wirelessly attached to the above device. When you need to get their attention or correct them, you hit the vibrate button. If they do not respond to that you can use the shock button which is adjustable for each particular dog. To be fair we tried out the shock function on ourselves first. It’s truly not bad. All three dogs behave very well “off leash”, using this device. As a bonus, you are able to turn on a light on their collar when it gets dark. This is truly invaluable at a campsite. Their very own personal flashlight! Love this device. With this I was able to allow all three dogs off leash at the campsite and on trails. Note: for the most part we use the vibrate button.
A few more shots of the dogs having fun and finally passing out after a fun day playing.
A few more photos from this beautiful park.
Lastly, one night while staying at McCormick’s we met up with friends for pizza at one of our favorite local pizza joints. Tomato Pie in Paragon is a gem in small town nowhere. Unfortunately, I didn’t take any photos at dinner. But it was wonderful to see Jana after a year of not seeing her. Jana is one of the fellow dog walkers where I used to volunteer at the shelter. (I have missed you Jana and all of the dog walking gang!). Plus Corrine, where we moochdocked the previous week, joined us. And of course all 3 dogs were along for the ride. Another table was generous enough to share some bites of breadsticks with the pups.
We truly treasured our 5 days at McCormick’s, hiking, playing in the creek, enjoying beer and pizza with friends, and of course entertaining 3 well behaved dogs! I am going to miss those 2 when their parents get back.
My favorite photo, looks like a dog meeting at the campground. What could they be plotting?
Ralphie Rough Road 
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