Visit to East Harbor State Park

Today Isaac and I took a little day trip to East Harbor State Park, which is on Lake Erie.  It's about an hour and 40 minutes from where we live.  I'm sure Isaac would have had just as much fun at the state park that is five minutes from our home but I wanted to go somewhere different. 

Not only did I enjoy our 90-minute walk at the park, I enjoyed the drive there.  Most of the drive is through farmland.  I saw several farmers out in the fields on tractors or other equipment.  They must be less Christian up that way than in my part of the state, because around here, you never see farmers out in the fields on Sundays.  It was a pleasant drive and Isaac always loves to ride in the car.

I wanted to walk along the lake shore and we did that for a little while but not as much as I would have liked.  It's a big park and if we go there again, I think I'll drive around a bit more and try to find a better area where we can do that.  The part where we walked along the shore, it was very rocky and you couldn't get quite down to the water.  Isaac was certainly willing to try but I was pretty sure I'd end up falling on my ass on steep, slippery rocks, and even if I somehow managed not to fall, I'd probably never get back up to the roadway again.  Isaac was a bit disappointed that he didn't get to get in the lake.

A little further along was a beach area, with sand, where people are allowed to swim.  Pets are not permitted on the sandy beach, however.  I guess Isaac would be allowed if he was working, but he wasn't.  And if he was working and had on his service dog vest and everything, then he wouldn't be able to wade in the water along the shore, which is what he would have wanted to do, anyway.  But like I said, it's a large park and maybe there is an area further along that we didn't get to where he could wade. 

After walking along the lake shore for a little bit, we then walked on this trail through the marshland.  It was peaceful and pretty and fairly cool in the shade.  We saw a turtle sunning itself on a log and a big white bird - an egret, maybe?  Or a heron? - standing in the marsh.  There was on spot along that trail where there was a pond and Isaac was able to wade into it just a little, to cool off his feet and get a drink.  Apparently he was very thirsty because he gulped up quite a bit of pond water.

We were both hot and tired and thirsty when we got back to the car.  We both drank a lot of water. 

I didn't carry any water with us on our walk because I wasn't planning to walk far enough to need any.  I figure if I don't need to drink, Isaac is OK without drinking, too.  Now, if we are at the dog park and he is running around like a maniac and I am just standing still under a shade tree, that's different.  I always take water for him when we go to the dog park.  But if we are walking along at a leisurely pace, I figure he can go as long as I can without a drink.  Plus, he did get a drink in the pond, and I had figured he'd probably get a drink somewhere during our walk, out of the lake or something.  But the way he guzzled water when we got back to the car, he probably should have had a drink sooner.  I think next time we go on a walk like that, I will carry some water for both of us.

It might seem like a long way to drive to go for a 90-minute walk, but I'm really glad I decided to go.  I had a good time and Isaac did, too.  Of course, he would have a good time if I just took him out behind the McDonald's down the street from out house to sniff around the dumpster.  I would find that less-than-enjoyable myself, though. 

I don't really do many fun things these days, though.  Because the pain and fatigue of fibromyalgia, I often don't have the energy or I'm in too much pain.  And when I do feel OK, I always have so much stuff to do, like all the stuff I can't get done on the days I don't feel well.  It seems like there's never any free time to do fun stuff.  And then, there is a lack of money for recreational activities.

But state parks are free.  All it costs is gas money to get there.

And it was nice.  I'm glad I went.

Isaac was disappointed that he didn't get to swim in the lake, but he did get to roll in some goose poop, so he had a good time, too.