(note: this is the seventh part of a series about Tucker’s road trip to Wyoming this past summer. To read it in its entirety, scroll down to the September 6, 2013 post: Part One, and continue upwards)
On the road again, Goin’ places that I’ve never been.
Seein’ things that I may never see again; And I can’t wait to get on the road again. ~Willie Nelson
All good things must come to an end, which meant that it was time to head for home. Of course, I had no real conception of this; all I knew was that we left home awhile back, and now we were here at OBC. Dogs live in the present. For all I knew, this was where we would live forever!
There was much going up and down the stairs early that morning, hauling all our stuff out and loading it into our car. Mom made sure my bowls, toys, food and snacks were there, and off we went. Good-bye, Old Baldy Club!
Once again, I sat up in the back seat and looked out the window, but soon lost interest. I think I was getting used to what Mom calls a “road trip”, which means that you get in the car and stay there for a very long time. Just like when we drove up to OBC, we’d stop along the way and stretch our legs at gas stations.
It was about lunchtime by the time we reached Denver, so when my Dad stopped for gas, they made sandwiches, and gave me a bite of cheese. Best ever snack! I love road trips.
After that, my mom drove and got stuck in a big traffic jam on I-25 south of Denver. She gamely plodded along, convinced that next time we should try an alternate route, when all of a sudden, it became clear why there was so much traffic! There was a Renaissance Festival in Larkspur, CO, and everybody was exiting there. But not us! We zoomed on past, and were glad to be making tracks towards Amarillo.
Woo hoo! She was going 80 mph. But then came the dreaded Raton Pass, and she slowed down there, so I wouldn’t get flung hither and yon.
Texas, Our Texas! all hail the mighty State! We were back in the great state of Texas and back to Central Daylight Time. Onwards we drove towards Amarillo. It rained on us along this isolated stretch of highway; the countryside was verdant and lush, such a treat for the eyes to see green everywhere that had previously been dried up and brown in recent years.
(note: this is my mom talking; I wouldn’t have any frame of reference about anything but the here and now- because this was only the second time I’d driven through this particular stretch of highway!)
Amarillo by evening! We stopped at a midrise Drury Inn along I-40; it was “dog friendly” so there were lots of dogs staying there with us! By this time, I was an elevator expert, so going up to the fourth floor was no biggie, except when I had to go outside at 3:33 am, and my dad had to take me… sorry, Dad!
On the road again in the morning, heading for home! We made good time and even stopped for a picnic lunch (at a roadside park that had no bossy monitors who wouldn’t allow a dog to sit at a table!) outside Wichita Falls. I love picnics, and once again, I got a bite of cheese. YUM!
Heading into the home stretch on I-45, making good time, aiming to be home by 6 pm, when all of a sudden, our faithful eleven year old, Donnie Ray started chiming alerts; all was not well, and we had to pull over and stop. I’m a dog, and I don’t know much about cars except that you ride in them to go places. Dad said that the coolant gauge indicated that it was overheated, and when you’re in Texas in August, well, that’s a good reason to pull over.
Thank goodness for AAA, and thank goodness this happened somewhere between Madisonville and Huntsville and not up in the desolate Texas panhandle, hundreds of miles from home! Dad parked under a tree, where we had shade from the sun. Mom spread out a beach towel for us to sit on as we waited for the tow truck. I had water to drink, and we were safe.
Then I got to ride in a tow truck! I sat on my mom’s lap in the front seat, and the driver took us all the way home (112 miles, with the first 100 miles being free of charge. Mom is promoting AAA here; I wouldn’t have any idea about stuff like that). All I know is that I was so tired and I slept just about the entire way home, because I was safe in my mom’s lap.
We were all so glad to finally be home! But Mom wasn’t so excited to break out with poison ivy the next day. Yes, that tree by the highway was full of it and it was all in the grass, too. It got in my fur, and I rubbed it off on her as I sat in her lap. Oh well. She got over it after a trip to her dermatologist.
So now I’m an experienced road warrior! I loved my trip, and can’t wait to do it again next summer. To all people who may be thinking about taking a trip with your dog, my mom says do it! Yes, you will have an extra layer of responsibility, but the bonus is all the new friends you will meet, both human and canine. See you at OBC next summer!
Happy trails to you…
churchlady blog 
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