Road-tripping with the dogs is one of my favorite activities. Whether it's a long journey or a short excursion, it allows us a chance to explore together through both my eyes and the dogs' eyes. Traveling with dogs can be challenging. But with forethought and a willingness to be flexible, it is thoroughly possible.
For this trip, we had a lot of packing to do. Driving across the country takes careful planning and preparation, especially when traveling in the middle of winter! My husband spent the last week scouring the weather reports across the country. The usually cold but snow-free southern route proved challenging this time. So we opted for the northern route, taking us through Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana.
Snuggled in the back seat, Maisie and Winston reclined on their blankets safely harnessed. We have two bolsters that fit in the footwells, so they have an extra foot of space to spread out. Suitcases, plants and overnight bags are tucked into the back of the SUV.
Traveling with dogs involves more than just harnesses and blankets. I have a travel bag just for the dogs that contains all their medicines, two collapsible food bowls, a metal water bowl, and loads of extra poop bags. Winston gets car sick, so we have Cerenia that is dispensed in the morning ninety minutes before we depart.
My husband and I have developed a system. He gets up earlier than I do, so he ‘fedicates’, feed and medicate, the dogs, then takes them out for their morning walk and potty time. I get up and pack my things, read through emails and a bit of the news or Facebook and then when he comes back in, we head to breakfast. After he showers and packs up, we load everyone and everything back into the SUV and depart for the next stop.
I was quite disappointed with the weather this winter. Part of the joy of driving is stopping to visit friends and see sights along the way. While the hubby was planning our route, I was contacting friends in Atlanta and Jackson, Mississippi arranging time to visit with both they and their dogs. We looked forward to visiting the Carter Center, since President Carter had just passed away and it seemed like a good thing to do.
Instead, we veered North and drove along Interstate 70 through parts of the country we knew very well. As the snow started to fall, we slowed down our speed and I turned on my Bonvoy app and searched for hotels in Dayton, Ohio.
When traveling with pets, it is essential to know where they are allowed to stay. Fortunately, many hotels now accommodate dogs. Many of them are along highways and several are very nice. After the Pandemic, dogs became common traveler companions.
This first night we stayed at the AC Hotel in Dayton. These hotels are super for people and pets because they have laminate floors rather than dirty carpets. No pee smells to linger on laminate. And laminate is much easier to search when looking for items left by the previous occupant. Looking for dropped pills, candy, and who knows what is the first priority when we enter every hotel room.
For dinner, we headed to a Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen in Centerville, OH. The restaurant was packed and we were fortunate to get a seat at the bar. Don’t ever hesitate to sit at the bar when you are traveling. You do not have to drink a cocktail to sit there, can usually find a seat when tables are crowded, and the best part is you get to chat with other people. On this night we sat next to a man who spent his entire life as a PE teacher. He had two more years to go, and was looking forward to retiring and starting a new career flipping houses.
I drank my tonic water and lime, caught up on what it is like to teach PE now and verified that they still require kids to show some sort of athletic ability, though not remotely what challenging as what I did as a child. I was pleased to hear they still do dodgeball, though with softer balls, and kickball.
When the food came, I settled in to the saltiest white fish I have ever had. I felt like I was eating part of a salt lick. The broccoli and rice were great but that fish made me swell up like a dead fish the next morning. Sometimes the conversation is better than the food on the road.
The next morning was cold and clear. We loaded everything up and headed to our next stop, Joplin, Missouri. The number of cars off the road, and the overturned tractor trailers we saw, made us both glad we stopped in Dayton for the night. Sometimes, making a planned destination isn't smart to do.
Joplin is a new town for us and the TownPlace Suites on South Arizona Avenue was a great choice. Clean inside and free of dog poop outside, the gal at the front desk greeted us with a warm smile and a friendly “hello”. We chose to book a room that included breakfast and I am glad that we did. The women in the breakfast area were cheery and welcoming and the food was way better than I expected. Incredibly fresh blueberries, blackberries and strawberries were in abundance. They had three made to order hot breakfast choices and I got their take on avocado toast. Again, it was a little salty but good sized and very tasty.
Years ago, I received a book called Road Side Attractions as a gift. I keep it tucked in the car and refer to it during our drives. Joplin and the surrounding area had two places for us to see. Praying Hands sculpture in Web City, MO and then a little farther along was the Golden Driller in Tulsa, OK.
Having just finished listening to The Women by Kristen Hannah, a book entirely about women who served in Vietnam, the Praying Hands sculpture almost seemed like a planned stop. The sculptor created this work of art in the 1970s as a reflection of how people felt about the Vietnam conflict. It stands aloft in a park where children and their parents were sledding and laughing, as a reminder of turbulent past times.
“Take this exit!” is something that my husband hears on road trips. I said this when we were near Tulsa because the 76 foot tall Golden Driller was another attraction for us to see. This massive yellow man stands tall next to an oil derrick and in front of an expo center. The parking lot was full of trucks and cars, and I could hear the sounds of revving engines inside. I looked up at the tall yellow man with the Tulsa belt buckle, took a couple pictures and hopped back into the car.
Our next stop was Amarillo, Texas. Amarillo is not one of my favorite towns because my dog Maisie got very ill here two years ago. It was our first trip across the country with the dogs and I chose hotels right next to the highway. When you choose hotels on the highway, you can get a lot of trash and junk on the ground. People don’t seem to care as much about cleanliness either, and this led to her eating something and then being sick for several months afterwards.
This time, I chose another hotel farther away from the highway, and it proved to be a much better experience. We drove for much longer than planned that day which meant there was no dinner for us when we arrived. The sunset we saw while driving filled me with peace, happiness, and wonder, so it was okay.
Next, we headed through New Mexico and on to our favorite stop of the trip, Flagstaff, Arizona. Before we got there though, I yelled again to pull off because right on the highway was the famous Cadillac Ranch. When they were initially set into the dry, Texas earth, they were pink.
Today, they are adorned with all kinds of vibrant colors, spray-painted by visitors from around the world. There are so many layers of paint that the weight of the paint, coupled with changing temperatures and freezing, periodically cause massive chunks of paint to fall off to the ground. Above are examples of the paint. The farthest photo to the right used to be a tire but now looks more like a macrame balloon.
While we were there, we met a couple from near Nice, France who were in their 70s. The woman gamely picked up a can of available spray paint and took aim at a tail fin while the husband took her photo. Only in America, and only in Texas. I am glad we pulled over and saw something that I had read about for years.
Needing a bite to eat in the middle of nowhere New Mexico, I consulted Yelp. We went for the second time to visit Chili Hills, a small establishment, where the waitress might wear her gun strapped to her hip, and the chef, who makes excellent chili, is covered in tattoos and wears a huge cowboy hat. We are in the West and they are proud of who they are. This is not a tourist destination and just like last year, we were an oddity in our ‘city clothes,’ and clearly city ways. But they were friendly and the food was beyond yummy.
We love Flagstaff and the Residence Inn, where we stay every year. How could we not adore a hotel with a huge statue of a Great Dane in the lobby? The dogs knew where they were, did their business immediately and settled in to a relaxing posture while we went to our favorite haunt for dinner and drinks.
Dark Sky Brewing and Pizzacletta pizza are two separate businesses housed within the brewery. You order beer from one person and pizza and salad from another. Oh how I love their light lemon dressing on the baby greens salad with fresh parmesan cheese and pine nuts. The pizza is Neapolitan style and they serve a 12” pie that serves two if you each get a salad.
On the beer side, Dark Sky has so many yummy beers to choose from. Hazy, double hazy, stout and lager to name a few.
There is something for everyone here. They have four and eight flight tastings if you are not sure what to get. They also serve Athletic NA beer too so during dry January I can always find something here. But really, the beer is incredibly good.
Added benefit for fans of the Grateful Dead, they have good live music and Grateful Dead symbols that dredge up nostalgia in me when I visit.
The breakfast at this Residence Inn isn’t as good as the one in Joplin but it is nothing to complain about. Staff is attentive, the coffee is fresh, and they offer all kinds of milk, including oat, almond and coconut milk. Both dogs knew this was the last overnight before they get to run free in their own home in California, so they happily hopped in the car and settled in for the last leg of the journey.
“Get off here!” I said, while looking at my road side attractions book. “We can take the dogs to London without leaving the U.S.!” The mayor of Lake Havasu bought the old London Bridge when it was torn down and auctioned off. The city dug a shallow body of water and reconstructed the bridge. Today, it is a tourist destination and looks a bit like a desert oasis after driving through miles of sand, scrub trees and tumble weed. Sadly, it is not a very dog friendly establishment to eat in, so we gave up on having a meal with the dogs and got back in the car.
After a couple more hours in the car, we pulled into Palm Desert and declared our trip ‘done and dusted.’ The car reflects the weather we went through and needs a thorough cleaning inside and out.
In several months we will repeat the trip East heading farther North this time. North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, who knows where we will end up? But, I know it will be fun and I know it will be full of adventures.
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