On the Road Again

We are only a couple of days into Adventure 2026, but the trip is already teaching us things we never expected. The driving has gone smoothly, the trailer is towing well, and we’ve reached each campground without incident. But as with any adventure, reality has a way of replacing assumptions.

The first lesson of a July departure from Florida is simple: it will be hot when you arrive at the campground. Walking the dogs became an exercise in finding the next patch of shade. We couldn’t spend much time outside.  There were beautiful dragonflies patrolling the lake, and under normal circumstances I would have spent an hour trying to capture them in slow motion. Instead, the heat convinced me that admiring them from the shade was enough.

On top of that, there were geese on the lake by our campsite and there was goose poop everywhere. Goose poop is apparently the canine equivalent of candy. Raven will reluctantly obey “leave it. Clover interprets “leave it” to mean “eat it as fast as you can”, before I can get it out of her mouth.

By our second campground, I was able to leave the trailer door open while the dogs watched the world go by without barking at everyone who walked past. That felt like a huge victory because a peaceful trip depends on good canine manners.

Before we left, I assumed backing into campsites would be the hardest part of traveling with the trailer. Surprisingly, it hasn’t been. Fuel stops have become our biggest logistical challenge.

We fueled at a Love’s the first day and we had to fuel at the car island where there was little room. There was a dog park that was in great shape. No poop! But, we couldn’t get the truck and trailer parked nearby. While Regis was fueling, I took the dogs to the park quickly and returned while he stayed at the pump. At the next Love’s, we had to give it up and go to the station across the street with more room at the pump and the abandoned building next to it gave us a place to park and let the dogs out.

Perhaps the biggest surprise has been realizing that I don’t want to do this alone. Before we left, I worried about backing the trailer or hooking everything up by myself. Those aren’t the hard parts. Managing two dogs while maneuvering a truck and trailer through crowded fuel stations is. Could I do it? Probably. Do I want to? No.

We haven’t made any final decisions, but this trip may convince us that once Adventure 2026 is over, it will be time to let the trailer go. Even writing those words makes me a little sad. We will see how it goes.

Road Trip Moments

1. Regis had a Jimmy Buffet station playing on pandora and I made a comment that I had not heard a Chris Stapleton song yet. Regis said there probably wouldn’t be on this station. I told him there wasn’t a station I have listened to, no matter the genre, that there isn’t a Chris Stapleton song. Immediately, and I mean immediately, Chris Stapleton’s Nashville, Tennessee came on. If it wasn’t so difficult to do, I would have run out to buy a lottery ticket. 
2. The second day I was not paying attention to the songs playing because I was reading about consciousness on my Kindle while Regis was driving. I heard the lyrics “How many times can one dog pee”. My ears perked up. I have had that sentiment many times in my life while walking my male dogs. The song was My Dog and Me by John Hiatt. Great lyrics. Apparently some part of my consciousness was attuned to anything related to dogs.

The most important thing. Regis started to say “Oh no” repeatedly sometime after we set up camp the first day. It was frightening because he wasn’t telling me the reason. I had to yell at him to stop and tell me what was wrong. He did not pack any shorts, short sleeved clothes, or underwear. He packed stuff for the cold but never packed clothes for warm weather in addition to not packing underwear. We stopped in Chattanooga to visit with Regis’ brother and disconnected the truck from the trailer so Regis could shop at the local WalMart. He came back complaining because they did not have many summer items and they were all extra-large and extra extra-large. Regis wears a medium. He mistakenly bought one large pair of shorts and I don’t think he could keep them on. There were no tank tops, so he’s upset. He warned me he may be buying tourist clothing along the way if it fits. That will be a first. So somewhere between Tennessee and the Pacific Northwest, don’t be surprised if you see Regis dressed like a souvenir shop mannequin. It certainly wasn’t part of the original packing plan.