Valley of the dog

A post by Jayda. Woof.

I love not having a proper job and just being able to nap all day, but things can get a touch monotonous for my furry taste. So when ma and pa had a day off work, I yipped and yowled about going into the wilds so I could chase birds and get some sun.

Acquiescing to my demands, ma and pa took me to Prokopské údolí (Prokop Valley), a nature reserve located in the southwest corner of Prague full of flora, fauna and limestone. It was our first time there, and we kicked ourselves for not coming sooner because, man, was it grrrrgeous!

It took about 40 minutes by tram and bus to get there, and the first thing we saw was this viaduct, which I promptly peed on. Ma searched it on the internet and found out it was built in 1872 to transport coal and wood to the city of Prague, but now it's mostly used in the Summer months for a tourist train line named "Prague Semmering" because its beauty is like that of the more famous Semmering railway in Austria. 

Next stop was Prokopské jezírko (pond), made in 1905 from limestone quarrying. Since it's not that far from Prague's Barrandov film studios, the mini-lake is shown in a number of films and TV show. I think I'm pretty enough to be in films, too, FYI.

Oooh - and then we happened upon my favorite, a spot that seemed to be a petting zoo of some sort. So I bade hello to my beastie friends-in-arms.

The nature trail through the valley was very pleasant, and I walked longer than I normally do before petering out and making dad carry me. We hit a cafe in the woods just in time, because my paws were getting tired. Several attempts at taking a family selfie were made but it didn't quite work because I kept swivelling my noggin to see everything.

After refreshment, we just wandered along. This area was mined for limestone, and a number of prehistoric fossils have been found here. I dug a little in one spot but didn't unearth anything special. 

Finally, just outside of the park, we sat down for some Czech food at Černý Kohout (The Black Rooster). I got a little nibble of pork here and there but really could have used my own plate and let ma and pa know that. 

We caught a tram and my shaggy self passed out in ma's lap as we journeyed back home. Zzzzzzzz.

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A doggone good hike

A post by Jayda. Woof.

Mom and I went for a two-day hike in the Czech Křivoklátsko woods all by ourselves, since dad is out of town on a cookery course. We had everything packed up before going, from rain gear to my doggie treats to a special turistické map mom got at the Neo Luxor bookstore on Wenceslas Square. I just had to get my fuzzy behind up early enough to catch the right bus.

Yeah, that's right. I'm in a puppy bjorn. Got a problem with it?

Day 1 

KM hiked: A measly 4
Missed buses: 1
People met who spoke English: 0
Maps lost: 0

We rode into the town of Rakovník and had plans to switch to another bus... but we missed it; mom had us standing on the wrong side of the rode when it whizzed by. And there wasn't another one to our intended trail-head village for 4 hours! Doggonit! I was pawing at mom to share the hard-boiled egg she was peeling in frustration when an old man hollered at us in Czech from behind a fence. He'd been locked a decaying old track-and-field-complex near the bus-stop, and said something about a "klíč". Mom knew that meant "key," so she ran into the building adjacent to the track and found a lady who could let him out. He was laden in photography equipment and took mom's and my picture; I gave him my best bow-wow.

At least Rakovnik was pretty

With grey clouds looming, mom made the executive decision to walk to the local train station and catch the next carriage to Křivoklát, where we'd booked a pension for the night. So... the first part of our hike was gone to the dogs. We considered getting off early at this station to get at least somewhat of a hike...

It's pronounced MYEH-stetch-koh

...but decided against it as it had begun to sprinkle.  Safely in Křivoklát, the walk from the train station into town was pleasant but wet.

With the rain falling abundantly at this point, we nestled into a restaurant. Mom read and drank grog and planned a more local hike for the afternoon, and I dozed on the bench next to her. The waitress loved me and kept clutching me to her cleavage. 

Waiting for the rain to subside

A grey day

When the rain lessened to a drizzle, we did a mini-hike around the town environs and up to the local castle. 

Oh, the things you find in the woods

Křivoklát Castle

Mom noticed how it was a sort of crossroads for a number of hiking trails; she said she'd like to explore the area a bit more in the future.

So many places for me to mark my territory

Back down in town, we checked into our cozy little pension, which had a castle view!  

And then we went out for a big schnitzel at the local pub and mom got asked on a date by a local yokel. She replied, "Můj manžel bude mít zmatek" and the whole pub erupted in laughter. (Translation: "My husband would have confusion.")

Carbing up

Day 2

KM hiked: 12
Missed buses: 0
People met who spoke English: 0
Maps lost: 1

Now THIS was a proper hiking day. For mom, anyhow; my little legs tired fast and mom had to carry me most of the way. And the first 4km was straight uphill! 

We wound our way south through the village of Roztoky, with some neat garden patches...

So that's where they grow all of the horseradish  

...and into the woods.

Paradise

Pink-tongued happiness!

It was quite mucky in spots

Someone made a house my size!

If only mom could have read the Czech interpretive signs

On the last 4 km of the hike, we passed a village and a couple of developmentally disabled adults ran over to us so they could pet my cute noggin. Then some Ukrainian construction workers joined and insisted that they give mom and me a lift to our goal town because they couldn't understand why on Earth we'd choose to walk so far. But we persevered. Mom discovered she'd dropped the map somewhere on the trail, but we followed the trail markings and were fine.

Bless these markers!

We reached Novy Jachmov about an hour before our bus left. I made some chicken friends there. 

#chickensoup

We caught a bus to Beroun, and then a train to Prague. Despite a couple of mishaps, I give the hike two paws up!

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Fish.

BW likes to fish. And when we go home in the summer, the men in his family travel to Wisconsin to spend a weekend on a big boat, fishing their hearts out.

Unfortunately, it was a bum year; these are the only fish they caught:

BW also tried fishing in North Dakota. Not even a bite.

Stupid fish.

In an effort to fill BW's fish-less life, I did a simple Google search: "Fishing in the Czech Republic".

I had no idea!

There are fisheries, guided tours, fly-fishing, youtube videos, stocked ponds, competitions, equipment for hire... there's even a Czech Anglers' Union. We don't have poles or tackle here, so the possibility of renting them for a day is a welcome find.

This article from expats.cz has a lot of info on where to go (though it's from 2011).

In February, we spent a few days in the Vysočina Region of the Czech Republic and ate at an excellent freshwater fish restaurant called Malostránský Pivovar, in the town of Velké Meziříčí.

Hopefully, thanks to Google, before long BW will be able to catch his own fish for dinner in the Czech Republic!

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The museum that dad built

Childhood was interesting. I had things like orphaned baby owls and moose as pets. We ate roadkill. Drunk men called our house at 1 a.m. wanting to settle bets over wildlife knowledge. I learned how to identify ducks and cross a barbed-wire fence holding a 12-gauge shotgun.

If you haven't guessed it by now, my dad is a retired North Dakota game warden. While working, he had one of the biggest coverage areas of any warden in the United States. And, man, did he work long hours; he is the epitome of a passionate conservationist - and a great dad.

Hit a deer on the road? He cleaned it up, hoisting a couple hundred pounds into his pickup.
Needed hunters' education? He patiently taught you, making classes fun with pelts and jokes.
Had a wildlife question? He answered hundreds, no, thousands, of phone calls every time of day.
Poached out of season? He nabbed you, in his gentle and courteous way.
Got in an accident? He responded, helping on the road until an ambulance arrived.
Required animal test samples? He got them, often storing things like deer brain in our freezer.
Felt down-and-out? He listened; he helped; he gave the shirt off his back to anyone who needed it.
Wanted a museum built? He raised the money, even procuring exhibits for the darn thing.

A museum?!

Yep - dad was instrumental in getting the North American Game Warden Museum to come to fruition. Isn't it regal? It opened in the International Peace Gardens (on the U.S./Canadian border) in 2005 but this was my first time seeing it; it was one of the few things I wanted to do on our trip home to the U.S.

From the museum's web site:

"With human populations exploding, our planet is becoming crowded, polluted, more civilized, less wild, how can natural gifts be preserved for future generations? 

WHO'S PROTECTING THE GREAT OUTDOORS?

On the front line of natural resource protection, often working alone, routinely facing dangerous situations are GAME WARDENS. Risking and sometimes sacrificing their lives for conservation, they are NORTH AMERICAN HEROES.

Our project, the North American Game Warden Museum, has two missions: 

- to HONOR these heroes and 

- to EDUCATE the public about their work and the natural resources they protect." 

It was closed the day we arrived, but dad, being an honorary lifetime member, got access. The place was all ours, and it's fascinating.

Inside, there's an extensive collection of confiscated animals and skins, as well as educational exhibits, an assemblage of official badges and pins, a reading nook, art made by game wardens, a conference room and child-friendly activities.

The museum is hoping to expand; this is evident in the storage space, which has a slew of in-progress projects.

I found a photo of Claude Dallas, the infamous mountain man who murdered two game wardens in cold blood in 1982 in Idaho. Apparently, he was released after 22 years for good behavior (although he escaped from prison and was on the lam for a year).

Outside, there are somber memorial markers for the men and women who passed away in the line of duty, organized state-by-state.

You can also purchase a memorial paver; these are displayed in long rows around the whole museum.

Here's dad's!

If you go, drive straight north of Dunseith, North Dakota, until you hit the Canadian border or straight south of Boisssevain, Manitoba, until you hit the American border.

Days and Hours of Operation :

• May (weekends only) 11 am - 4 pm
• June 1st - September 3   11 am - 5 pm
• September 4th - September 16   11 am - 4 pm
• Winter hours by appointment only in coordination with the

         International Peace Garden.

(Linking up for Travel Tuesday.)

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