Tuesday, July 18, 2017

7 States, 5 Motels, 2 Cars, and 1 U-Haul

   Our Weather Lab/Granddog Paisley has been patiently waiting to tell you about her big moving adventure. As you may know, she is our son (Dustin) and daughter-in-law’s (Jackie) Labrador Retriever as well as our grandbaby’s (Emery) best friend. Last year they left Louisiana for Washington State. Dustin wrote a guest post about it titled The Long Winding Road or How to Move Across the Country with Your Dog for me after that experience. A new job offer brought them back down south so my husband (Skipper) and I flew up there to help them move. It was another long and winding road but a lot of fun. I am going to interview Paisley so we can share our experience.
This is basically the way we traveled

Me: “Hey, Paisley! It is great to talk to you about something other than the weather. Are you ready to answer a few questions about your move?”
Paisley: “Hi Gram! I am happy to be with you today to share my story. It is nice of Bentley and Pierre to let me take over the blog today. Ask me anything and I’ll try my best to let our friends know what such a big move is like for a dog. It's a long way from Washington to Texas.”
Me: “Okay, when did you realize that something strange was happening?”
Paisley loved riding in the air conditioned U-Haul
Paisley: “It all started when I noticed a bunch of boxes coming into our apartment. Little by little things were put in the boxes, taped up and stacked. I remembered this same thing went on the last time we moved so I figured we were heading somewhere new.”
Me: “You seemed pretty chilled about everything that was going on until the couches got removed from the living room. That must have been when you knew for sure that you were in for a big change.”
Paisley: “Like I said, I went through this before so yes, I knew something was going on. When the couches disappear, it means that we are moving. I saw the ginormous U-Haul® parked out front and could smell all of our stuff was being put inside of it. I loved riding up front in the moving van with my dad the last time so I was pretty hyped. He piles bunches of pillows and blankets for me to sit on and it is a super comfy ride.”
We were a three vehicle caravan
Me: “Once everything was packed, I rode with your mom and the baby in her car while your Paw (Skipper) drove the other car. We were a mini caravan with the U-Haul leading the way.”
Paisley: “There was some breathtaking scenery and we had to stop a few times just to take in the beauty of this magnificent country. Of course, I used the stops as a chance to stretch my legs and leave pee-mail for other traveling dogs. That first day we drove from Washington to Pendleton, Oregon. Since we were on a mission and not a luxury vacation, we chose to stay at Motel 6® throughout the trip. Most of the rooms were nice but many of the hotels were under construction. They never charge for dogs so that was something that we considered before choosing a motel chain.”
Beauty from one end of the country to the other!
Me: “It is amazing how tired you can get just driving or in our case, riding all day. We woke up early the next day and hit the road again. I looked for our friends at the Idaho Pug Ranch when we drove through their state but didn’t see them. We traveled from Oregon to Nephi, Utah the second day.”
Paisley: “It was just outside of our Motel 6 in Nephi that we saw an actual cattle drive! I was so excited to see cowboys herding cows right across the main street. I wanted to get out and help them herd but Dad assured me that they had it under control.
   One of the weirdest things that we saw in Utah was prairie dogs that lived right beside the interstate. There was land everywhere and these little critters chose to dig their burrows on the shoulder of the highway. Apparently, they are thrill seekers but they were so cute!
The was always changing and never disappointed in its beauty
   We drove a long time through Utah and it is an incredible state. I will say that they had great rest areas and even supplied waste bags in their pet area. Sadly, I noticed many humans ignored the need to clean up after their dogs. That is something that is just gross and I will never understand it. I know the dogs were mortified that the people just left their poo on the ground.”
Hey, Dad! Do I need to go do some herding?
Me: “The prairie dogs were adorable! You always were such a good girl when you got out of the U-Haul. Of course, we always picked up after you. It is just the right thing to do and I wish more folks would act responsibly. Their laziness gives good dogs a bad reputation. I liked walking you around and letting you sniff new places.”
Paisley: “I enjoyed myself while Dad made sandwiches for y’all. I missed my Mom and baby sister so it was fun to get plenty of kisses when we stopped. We put a lot of miles in on that day too and ended up in Moriarty, New Mexico at our third pet-friendly Motel 6. New Mexico is another pretty state with some incredible land formations. Some of the areas looked like another planet!”
Me: “It really did look strange but super cool. I’ve never been to many of the states that we drove through so it was very exciting. I mainly loved spending time with Emery in the backseat. We watched the Bubble Guppies, Moana, and Tangled on her IPad. It sure made traveling with a one-year-old much easier. I was able to feed her while we drove so she was a happy little traveler. Honestly, I spent many hours just staring at how perfect she is and talking to my daughter-in-law. It was the best!”
Paisley: “She is definitely a keeper and we are best buddies. Anyway, back to the trip. From New Mexico, we hit Texas and if you have never traveled in Texas, there is a reason people say things are bigger there. It is an enormous state to travel from one end to the other. We were heading to the Houston area so we had to actually stay at two more Motel 6 locations to get to our new house!”
Me: “There were several big cities that we traveled through that scared me as I watched y’all maneuver in the 26’ U-Haul. Your dad did a wonderful job controlling that big truck in those narrow lanes. Did you ever get nervous?”
U-Haul makes for a sweet ride
Paisley: “As we say here in Texas, this wasn’t my first rodeo! I had complete faith in his driving. To tell you the truth, I slept a lot of the time. The air conditioning in the U-Haul was fantastic and it handled really well on the open road. By the time we hit Texas, he was a pro behind the wheel! It took us five days to travel from the top of the country to almost the bottom.”
Me: “It was quite an adventure! How do you like your new home?”
Paisley: “We are so happy to be settling into our new place. We have lots of room and a backyard that I can play in or just snooze in the sunshine. I wasn’t sure it was our place until my couch was brought inside. That is when I knew it was our home and as we all know, there’s no place like home.”
Pierre loves his PrideBites blanket Save 20% with code MKCLINTON
All good dogs deserve PrideBites!
Save 20% on your order with our PAWtner code: MKCLINTON



33 comments :

  1. Glad you were able to have a safe trip to your new home. Traveling is exhausting, but interesting too!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was wonderful to see so much of America. Now we need to visit the northern states. ☺

      Delete
  2. oh that was an interesting adventure... I love it to sit in the car, wish we would get such a long trip too :o) maybe then I will see the idaho pugs?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We would have loved to see the Idaho Pug Ranch and Murphy & Stanley as we passed through their states. Maybe we can visit again without having to move. LOL!

      Delete
  3. So much fun! That's what we want to do if mom drives us
    Lily & Edward

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mom is not such a great driver so we were glad that she sat in the back seat with Emery. BOL!

      Delete
  4. Replies
    1. It was so much fun and we are so happy to have them closer to us.

      Delete
  5. Oh Paisley what a pawesome adventure you had! You are truly a special woofie taking it all in stride the way you did! The photos are just great, and Emery? OMG what a doll-baby!!!! This was such a fun post and we are glad that everyone is settling in nicely! xoox DakotasDen

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! We had a great time and I loved riding next to my dad in the BIG truck!
      XXOO Paisley

      Delete
  6. What a long trip but a beautiful one! You sure saw some magnificent scenery, Paisley!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We really did see some breathtaking scenery. We are sharing more photos tomorrow.

      Delete
  7. We love road trips but don't get many opportunities. Thanks for taking us on yours.What a fun post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We are happy that you came along with us. We have more photos tomorrow so please stop back by. ☺

      Delete
  8. What an adventure you had! You should have told us you were driving through and we would have kept an eye out for you and waved as you passed by our town!

    Your Pals,

    Murphy & Stanley

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would have definitely howled at y'all if I had the chance! XXOO Paisley ♥

      Delete
  9. Replies
    1. Thank you, Kinley! Maybe we can get together one day. You know, a girls day out!

      Delete
  10. Wow, what an adventure. Ironic too because my daughter and her family just moved from Eugene, OR to Houston last week. Their trip was not nearly as trouble free as yours. Their SUV was totaled in Salt Lake City and they had to rent a mini-van to make it in record time to their new job (luckily no one was hurt). I think Paisley's family should write a book on how to successfully travel across the country and live to tell about it! Well done. Ear scratches for Paisley and a big digital gramma smooch for precious Emery.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is really ironic that they both moved to Houston at the same time! I am so sorry that they had trouble. Salt Lake City traffic was sooo scary! I'm thankful nobody was hurt. I'll deliver the ear scratches and kisses as soon as we see them again.

      Delete
  11. Such an amazing trip, Paisley. I'm so glad you got plenty of sleep along the way. You'll need it to discover all the new places, smells, and friends in your new home. P.S. I hope they unpacked the box with all of your toys in it first!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was most concerned about our couches but my toys made it in right after Emery's.

      Delete
  12. OMD...What a grand adventure you had Paisley...Isn't traveling on the open road with your peeps a blast??
    xoxo
    Jakey & Arty

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was such a wonderful time! You can see so much from a UHaul. LOL!

      Delete
  13. We are so glad you all had a safe trip, and you are settling into your new home, Paisley. That sounds like quite the adventure. When I've done a couple road trips, going through the big cities made me nervous too....I would have liked to just be napping like you at that point! LOL
    Jan, Wag 'n Woof Pets

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mom was glad to be in the backseat during the heavy traffic areas. She gets very nervous in bumper to bumper traffic!

      Delete
  14. Wow, that was quite the trip...and a great way to see the USA. Glad all went well, Paisley.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was a wonderful trip and the U.S.A. is gorgeous. ♥ Maybe next time we can visit more of the landmarks. ☺

      Delete
  15. What a great adventure! That U-Haul front seat looks mighty comfy! Enjoy settling in to your new home...

    Love and licks,
    Cupcake

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My Dad had my seat fixed up so comfy and cozy! It was a wag-nificent trip!

      Delete
  16. What an adventure!! Bet your glad to have them closer again

    ReplyDelete
  17. WOW! That was quite an adventure!! I hate driving at all any more, but especially in big-city traffic. Other drivers and 18-wheel trucks make me nervous. But, getting to see so much of this beautiful country of ours would make it all worthwhile for me.

    ReplyDelete
  18. OMG, I am so happy to learn that your family has moved closer to you!! You must be so thrilled Melissa! I am over the moon for all of you that they'll be SO much closer to you! I love that Emery and Paisley are such great friends, what a beautiful thing.
    Love & Biscuits,
    Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them

    ReplyDelete

I'd love to hear from you! Bark back!