Finally I Get My Say again!

We’re back!

Good lord, I needed to get out of that contraption! I get to see Grandma, Macy, Madeleine and Max and Elle very often now. I am now in a different place and unsure how I feel about this place though it has some familiar smells, but I am still on a leash, with her telling me to ‘go potty’ I also had to go to some classes, still skeptical about what the hell is going on!

I didn’t stay anywhere with cats again, that’s probably a good thing. I got to meet two more pups, MJ and Bradley, they were quite a bit smaller than me, and not too playful, but they were nice and shared their space with me! We still did a lot of the same, driving, stopping, walking and ‘go potty’ Lambert, UGHHH, I will when I have the perfect spot! And sometimes I had my own bed and we had company too! That was one of my favorite things! I was still told every time we made it to another state; ‘Lambert, we’re in Minnesota now’! You know what… I don’t actually care where we are, just get me out of this van!

Visitors!!

Though I am not a huge VAN FAN, I like being outside all the time. I AM a dog! And I got to see Maddy again and Piper, though neither brought their dogs..why?? Madeleine still tried to make me go in the water, NO THANK YOU!, but she let me sleep with her when we had two beds, that was nice. Also we did a lot more hiking when we had visitors and when we had two beds I got to spend a lot of time sleeping, in a bed, by myself, during the day, it was so LOVELY!

Thankfully Piper did not try to make me swim nor did she pick me up all the time, like Maddy does, so that was great! It felt like we did a LOT of driving when she was traveling with us. Though that means I got to lay in my bed, without any contraptions on me, so that’s a plus! I did smash Piper a few nights when we were sleeping, but I don’t think she minded!

And Visiting!

All of the house visits were amazing! My favorite toys are still the chew toy and little dino from Tamber..thank you! I loved all your couches, beds and pets! When I got to sleep somewhere other than the van I was VERY happy! I also visited more breweries and wineries and got to play in a MASSIVE dog park in Minnesota. It was so big, when I ran to play, they couldn’t even see me, I was very sneaky!

The Details!

I visited 38 states, which apparently is a lot. Unfortunately I don’t have a count on how many dogs I got to meet, but likely close to 38! I went to many restaurants and ate a lot of chicken and a few hamburgers, which was another one of my favorite things to do. My least favorite was when we were on another contraption that went on the water, actually puked on one… sorry, not sorry! It was too fast and choppy! And I wasn’t the only one, some humans got sick too! (Though not mine.)

So here it is, the list, the map and more….

• The states – Two we drove through and didn’t sleep in… Vermont and Iowa!
  • Oregon 
  • California 
  • Nevada
  • Utah
  • Arizona 
  • Colorado 
  • New Mexico 
  • Texas
  • Louisiana 
  • Mississippi
  • Alabama 
  • Georgia
  • South Carolina 
  • North Carolina 
  • Tennessee 
  • Kentucky 
  • Ohio
  • West Virginia
  • Virginia
  • Maryland
  • Pennsylvania
  • New Jersey
  • New York
  • Massachusetts
  • Vermont
  • New Hampshire
  • Maine
  • Michigan
  • Indiana
  • Illinois
  • Wisconsin
  • Iowa
  • Minnesota
  • North Dakota
  • South Dakota
  • Wyoming
  • Idaho
  • Washington

The MAP

• 24 National Parks, Monuments, Sites, Recreation Areas & Seashores
  • Acadia National Park
  • Cape Cod National Seashore
  • Gettysburg National Military Park
  • Shenandoah National Park
  • Blue Ridge Parkway
  • Congaree National Park
  • Fort Moultrie National Park & Monument
  • Great Smokey Mountains National Park
  • Indian Dune National Lakeshore
  • Cuyahoga Valley National PArk
  • Theodore Roosevelt National Park
  • Badlands National Park
  • Mount Rushmore National Memorial
  • Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park
  • Curecanti National Recreation Area
  • Great Sand Dunes National Park & Reserve
  • Mese Verde National Park
  • Petroglyph National Monument
  • Arches National Park
  • Canyonlands National Park
  • Capitol Reef National Park
  • Lassen Volcanic National Park
  • Muir Woods National Monument
  • Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
  • Yosemite National Park
  • Crater Lake National Park
  • Devils Tower National Monument
  • *There may be more that she forgot to keep track of…
• USA State by State (Christmas gift from Max and Elle- to mom, not me…) Another book that she looked at ALL the time… Some of the highlights by state!
  • Oregon – Hanging out in Portland; Roadtripping Along the Columbia River Gorge & Oregon Wine Country
  • California – Tiago Pass Road, California wine
  • New Mexico – Santa Fe Art Galleries, Albuquerque
  • Idaho – Nampa, Idaho wine
  • Colorado – Red Rocks Amphitheater, Sampling Craft Brews, Breckenridge
  • North Dakota – Worlds Largest Buffalo (actually it’s a Bison)
  • South Dakota – Needles Highway, Vast Views & Big Skies at Custer State Park, Crazy Horse Memorial, Deadwood
  • Minnesota. -Duluth, Lake Superior
  • Illinois – Admiring the Chicago Skyline (It was pretty smokey from the wild fires, but I guess we saw it!)
  • Michigan – Lake Michigan, Craft Beer
  • Ohio – Lake Erie, Hocking Hills
  • Maine – Portland, Feasting on Lobster, Cadillac Mountain, Windjamming in Penobscot Bay, Maple Syrup & Blueberries (Geez, not together I hope. I did have some Blueberry Pancakes, YUM!)
  • New Hampshire – Portsmouth
  • Massachusetts – Boston
  • NewYork – Catskills, Finger Lakes Wine, Feeling the Mist of Niagara Falls,
  • Pennsylvania – Pennsylvania Country: Lancaster County, The Poconos
  • West Virginia – Appalachian Trail, Blackwater Falls State Park, Pepperoni Rolls
  • Virginia – Blue Ridge Parkway, Winchester
  • Kentucky – Lexington
  • Tennessee – Cades Cove, Dollywood (Just a drive by!) , ‘Best Souvenirs’ – Traditional crafts Wooden Cornbread Spatula
  • Louisiana – “Soaking up New Orleans Music Heritage: Bourbon Street, Frenchmen Street, The Spotted Cat Music Club, City Park, Audubon Park, Beignets at Cafe Du Monde, Po’Boys
  • North Carolina – Asheville, Biltmore Estates, Newfound Gap Road, Craft Brews
  • South Carolina – The Battery, Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Rainbow Row
  • Georgia – Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah, To-Go Cocktails

Wrapping up!

WOW, looking at this list, that is not close to everything we actually did, I realized we were busy! Sometimes it seemed so boring, and many of these things did not appeal to me. I did get my way 90% of the time, especially when it was just she and I, it’s the look. You know, the sad puppy dog eyes, works all. the time! There were lots of walks, lots of ‘ go potties’, lots of dog playing, treats, good food, squirrel and rabbit chasing too! My food consumption got better, it had to, with all the walking, I got hungry! I still NEVER slept when she was driving, and I mean to this day! I will NEVER sleep in a car, on a boat or in a van; not while it’s moving anyway!

Not much of my daily life changed. We hiked and drove, and thankfully we had a few more home stays and some where we didn’t stay with people. In these situations I usually had my own bed, but I still jumped to hers to sleep, which I think she liked. We spent most nights in the ‘contraption’, which is home now; I guess. It’s not too bad, cozy and comfy most of the time.

I keep eavesdropping and it sounds like this weird life is not going to be forever. Hope to see you all soon, when I am not living in a van!