Linda and Regis travel...

I took the dogs to the groomer to get cleaned up in preparation for attending a birthday celebration for Jason, our son. They came home frisky. Their coats are beautiful. Their black hair shines. Following is a minute video of them playing after they came home. Nothing that interesting, except their coats are lovely.

My contribution to the celebration was the dessert. I opted to bake a rum cake that I last made for Regis’ 21st birthday. While making the glaze, I noticed clumps and wondered what chemical reaction was going on with the butter, sugar, and water. It turns out, I melted the spoon. Fortunately, I had enough rum to try again. There are now two things I do not have to pack: the spoon and the strainer.

Clover has been so good lately that I let my guard down. I let the dogs run free at the large property where Jason’s celebration took place. The dogs had a great time and listened well. They did not take off and came when called. I took them to the dog park today, planning to not go in if there were too many dogs. If there were, I was going to walk the dogs through the fields instead. When I arrived, there was no one there. It was 25 degrees when I woke up this morning. Perhaps the cold chased everyone away. The dogs had a great time and particularly loved the frozen puddles. As we were leaving, I did not put Clover’s leash on her to get to the car. I usually leash her but do not have to leash Raven. He will not leave her. When she exited the dog park, she turned right (the car was left) and took off at high speed with Raven following her. Although I called and whistled, it was clear she was on a mission of adventure and was not going to pay attention to me. I knew I could not chase them and had to hope they would return on their own, but I was concerned about how far they were venturing. Then I noticed a man with a German Shepherd at the edge of the parking lot not far from the collies. He whistled to them and they immediately came. I was able to approach and the two dogs came to me. The man told me that if his dog was off leash, the dog would have taken off with the collies. When will I learn to not trust Clover? She lures me in with good behavior and then Bam! She is not like my last five dogs and I have to get with the program.

This particularly concerns me because I am planning the cross country trip from Washington to Florida with the two dogs by myself in the Jeep during winter. We are leaving in 2 1/2 weeks. I have a couple routes planned depending on the weather. The shortest and preferred route will take us through Snoqualmie Pass. This would be ideal because after the movers load everything on February 15, the dogs and I can spend the night in Seattle with Jason and Dan and get a good start the next morning. I have that entire route planned knowing where dog runs are located and towns with lots of pet friendly hotels. The dogs will need more exercise than I can provide walking them, so I need to find safe places for them to run. When we came this way last March with Dart, he could barely walk, so exercise was not a priority.

Snoqualmie Pass is often unpassable. We had to avoid it when we came to Washington last spring because it was a mess and the Tesla did not have the appropriate tires. We came down the Columbia River Gorge but still had to go through mountains in Oregon. They are not as bad as Snoqualmie Pass, but they have their weather issues.

Whether I do Snoqualmie Pass or the Gorge, I still have to go through those Oregon mountains. If they are an issue, I will have to go down the coast into California until I hit warmer weather and then turn east. It is a lot longer, but could be the best option.

When I cannot sleep, I lay awake thinking about all the things I should be prepared for to make this trip. I usually travel with Regis and he is my personal MacGyver. He can figure just about anything out. Sometimes I am helpful and even occasionally find solutions before him, but there is no question he would eventually get the solution but not me. Because I have two dogs who are not yet ready to get their Canine Good Citizen Certificates, especially Clover, I am a little concerned about traveling in winter. Otherwise, I would not not be concerned.

I plan to have warm weather clothes for me no matter what we encounter so I can be outside with them easily. I will have all their food and carry jugs of water. I will have snacks for me. I will have jumper cables, a blanket, a pan and brush (which comes in handy to dig out of snow), and ropes that I can use to tether the dogs if needed. As I put my list together, with only so much room in the car, I would love feedback from you about anything you think I should be sure to include. Regis’ first response to that question is an ice scraper. Got it. I had to use it today to scrape the INSIDE of the windshield. I have never had to do that before, so I do not understand what’s up with that.

I am in a position to be flexible on the way back and can settle with the dogs somewhere if the weather requires it. If I am in trouble, our furniture will likely encounter the same setbacks. If not, Regis is at the other end to accept the furniture if I do not arrive in time. I do not expect that, but it could happen. Regis has some stuff on the boat he can bring to the house in case I arrive with the dogs before the furniture. That is the most likely scenario. Because it is winter and stopping to see the sights along the way is not going to be possible, it is more likely I will arrive before the furniture. We will make it work.