Are We There Yet?

Are We There Yet?

Our latest adventure was driving from Northern California to Winnemucca Nevada to just about 1.5 hours Northeast of Boise Idaho. I estimated it would be 10-12 hours to reach our camping site in Idaho.

Traveling with dogs is similar to traveling with toddlers. It does take extra time and effort to prepare for the trip. Once you are packed and ready to go, there are still some extra considerations, you need to think about.

Like a toddler, your dogs are going to need “breaks” to burn off energy and have bathroom breaks. I usually plan to stop every 2 hours, while on the road. So, if you are like me and like to keep to a schedule, it’s important to build in the extra time, will take to make it to your destination for that day.

I use Google maps and try to locate local parks, gas stations, and rest stops. This allows me to plan ahead and know where I can schedule a stop.

I had to also deal with one of my dogs, who becomes car sick easily and is anxious. On our travel days, I will offer each of the dogs a very small amount of dog food and some water, before we leave. During the trip, it is distracting to have to deal with the 1 dog as he paces and pants continuously during the drive. I know there are meds, he could be given, but at the present time, I have chosen not to do this.

During our current trip, it required driving for about 2 hours across the high desert with no services available. I made sure to carry extra water and food, in case of a break down. I took advantage of making sure that my gas tank was full before entering the desert area.

After almost 6 hours on the road, it became necessary to stop for a long break. Like small children the dogs started to get cranky and were starting to nip at each other. I did not plan to have to stop for a good half hour, so it did put me behind schedule. However, the wellbeing of the dogs is more important than being on time. Which is why, I try to be flexible with an arrival time.

The delay in making an unscheduled stop caused me to hit the local commuter traffic, especially on a Friday afternoon. I initially had hope to make our goal time for our destination f before commuter time started. Unfortunately, between some road work being done and commuter traffic, it added almost an additional 1.5 hours to the trip. The lesson I learned that day- Bring your patience with you.

By the time we arrived at our final destination, the dogs were exhausted and so was I. The first thing I did was to let the dogs out and given them the opportunity to explore our camp site. After that, they were given their dinner and water. After their meal, they were ready for bed, and easily went into the van for the night.

I took advantage of the “alone time” to get the camp site ready for the next few days. It meant unpacking the van and getting the essentials set up. I normally would have all the equipment out within the first hour of arriving, but like the dogs, I was too tired.

So, after getting the cook stove out and preparing a light dinner, it was off to bed.

#trip #getaway #America