Category Archives: dogs

Road Trip Like Duncan (and Charlie)

I likes me some road trips. Shocker, I know. And of course, dogs make everything better in my opinion, so road tripping with Charlie is pretty awesome indeed! Since 2017, I’ve taken four major road trips, totaling over 22,000 miles (36,800 km). Three of those were with Charlie. I think by now I’ve got a good handle on the tools needed for a great road trip, so I thought I’d share some of those. I’ll say up front that none of these are affiliate links; I’m not making any money off of these, they’re just things I found incredibly useful.

Websites and Apps

Trip Planning

Furkot is always my first stop when planning a road trip. I just use the mapping and timing functions, but there’s a lot of other functions for finding points of interest, lodging, food, etc. The interface is a bit fiddly, but once you get the hang of it it’s not too bad. I especially like that, once you nail down your final route, you can tell where you will be at what time. That’s useful for planning stops, meals, etc. (Despite the name, there is no connection to furry fandom that I am aware of!)

Tripit is extremely for gathering all of your travel documentation in one place, like hotel reservations, event tickets, etc. I tend to dump everything in there and then forget it during the trip, but it’s nice to know that if you need that info it’s available at your fingertips.

AirBnb isn’t for everyone, and it takes a lot of time to read through the listings and find the perfect rental. I’ve found that it’s great for finding dog-friendly lodging in the places that I like to be. I’ve stayed at 12 different AirBnbs over the years and have had pretty good luck overall.

Google Keep is a simple and free notetaking app that I use for things like grocery lists and to-do lists, was well as jotting down info for reference that I don’t want to lose. I like it because I can enter info on the web and it’s available on any device. The checklist function (and being able to cross things off once checked) is very helpful, and it’s why I use it to create my packing lists.

Once we’re on the road

iExit is pretty handy. With location services, it detects what highway your are on and what direction you are traveling. It then lists upcoming exits, along with food, gas, and lodging (you can configure what categories it shows). I believe it’s tied in with Yelp so it has links to reviews as well. This has been really handy when I’ve been in the middle of nowhere and looking for a bite to eat or how far it is to the next rest area. (Available on iOS and Android)

Gasbuddy is invaluable for finding the closest gas stations and the prices at each one. The info is maybe 80-90% accurate since it is user-generated, but it’s better than nothing. It can be used either on the web or their app. I prefer the web because it sucks somewhat less personal data!

Handy items to pack

OK, now we’re on the road. Sometimes I will drive several days back to back with an overnight stop between. At this point I have a routine: I drop my bag on the bed, set up my CPAP, put out my toiletries, and set up my chargers.

For a toiletry bag, I’ve been very happy with my LL Bean toiletry organizer that I bought in 2017. I’ve taken it on dozens of trips, not just road trips but also to Alaska and Europe. It holds just what I need and a bit more, and it’s been quite rugged.

I cannot recommend having a multi-outlet charger highly enough. I’m using this one these days that has two 100W USB-C outlets, one 20W USC-B, and one 18W USB-A. This is perfect for charging my iPhone, iPad, Airpods, and Apple Watch all at the same time. It’s damn handy to have one thing to plug in that covers everything.

The BERGENES phone stand from Ikea is a crazy simple thing that I came across at an AirBnb I stayed at in Albuquerque. It’s great because I never rely on hotel clocks, but I can set my iPhone in there (even in its case!) and see the time (and notifications, if I want). Not bad for something that’s only $3!

I bought this headlamp to have at home for walking the dogs in the dark, but realized it’s a great thing to carry while traveling too. It’s handy to have just in case something goes wrong with the car in the dark or wherever I’m staying loses power. I carry it and a set of rechargable batteries and charger so it’s always ready when I need it.

The last two items are things that I just keep in the car unless needed.

A plastic milk crate is very handy to help corral small items in one place as you’re driving. I keep mine in the footwell of the passenger seat when on a trip, and I usually keep some snacks there, a roll of paper towel and carpet cleaner (just in case), my commuter coffee cup, and a few other items.

I started carrying 25-foot extension cord and outlet strip after one too many nights at a hotel where the closest outlet was across the room. Even if I just want to plug in my CPAP and charger, is it too much to ask to have an outlet by the bed? Apparently so!

Finally, not an item but an idea: I realized that the best approach on road trips is to have a big suitcase for all of your clothes but also a smaller bag for one or two nights, so you don’t have to carry everything everywhere you go. Dirty clothes go back into the suitcase (I usually segregate from clean clothes with plastic bags), and when I get somewhere that there are laundry facilities I just pull out the whole suitcase and I’m good to go.

Traveling with Charlie

Road tripping with a dog brings some special considerations . These items are great not just for road trips but for everyday use as well.

Let’s start with the basics: A great dog leash. This double-handle 4-foot leash is outstanding because it not only provides greater control when I need it (perfect for city situations, or going to the vet) but also the D-ring at the top handle is perfect for hanging some useful accessories.

One of those accessories is a poop bag dispenser. I like this one, but there’s plenty of options. I also recommend these bags. Buying in bulk isn’t too expensive, and these have worked well over the last 8 years.

The other fantastic accessory is something that is simple and cheap, but so great to have: A poop bag holder. The rubber connector to the leash eventually gives out after about a year but at $2 each, who cares? These things are a godsend on dog walks, particularly with two dogs.

Let’s focus more on the travel aspects now.

First and foremost, GET A HARNESS. A dog musher I respect a lot had a very sobering thought: What do you call an unsecured dog in a car accident? A projectile. That’s bad for your dog and it’s bad for you. I’ve seen a couple of harness that  pass safety tests, but the one that I like is the Kurgo True-Fit harness. It has a heavy-duty carabiner that attaches to the seat belts and keeps the dog in one place and secure.

Speaking of carabiners, I recommend picking up a couple of lighter-weight ones and carrying them with your leash. If you need to secure your dog while you’re out, you can either use the carabiner to clip the leash to a railing or something, or if nothing of an appropriate diameter is available you can loop the leash around a post and secure it to itself with the carabiner.

Water is always super-important when on a trip. There are lots of fancy watering systems that you can buy, but I keep it simple. I have a foldable fabric water bowl that is no longer available, but any collapsible bowl will do. For carrying water, I just go to the grocery store and buy a 1-gallon jug of drinking water. I buy bottles that come with a handle so you can roll up the water bowl and tuck it through the handle (or clip a carabiner to the handle) for easy carrying. Refill the bottles from the tap as often as you like! The only downside is that eventually the water bottle handles break, but they’re good for at least 4-6 months in my experience.

Now you know how to travel like Charlie and me. I hope this is helpful, and that you get to go and enjoy your own travels as well!

Postcard from Columbus

takaza and I are halfway through a lovely weekend in Columbus, Ohio, staying with fordshepherd and kai_darkwolf. We were able to scoot out of Chicago earlier than expected, at about 11 AM on Friday. Traffic was surprisingly light and we made it to Columbus in less than seven hours. Because we are horrible guests, we surprised Ford and Jack with a call saying we would be earlier than expected, but they handled it with aplomb. After some pleasant chatting and a tour of their lovely house. It reminds me of how much I really loved my bungalow in Joliet, subsiding foundation, collapsed sewer tile, and all. For dinner we went to the Elevator Brewing and Draught Haus. The food was quite tasty, though the beer was somewhat lacking. The company more than made up for that, though. And yes, visiting their place reminds me that we need a dog(s), since I’m really enjoying being around Nathan, Pete, and the visiting Jazz.

Yesterday we had a somewhat early start as we met up with Rob and Dean (alas, I can’t recall Rob’s furry handle, but Dean is SeetherWolf) at the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) and an entertaining tour of the CSI exhibit (“Darn, I left my syrup of ipecac at home!”). After wandering around a bit we adjourned for a tasty lunch at Ted’s Montana Grill where we amused our waitron muchly with silliness. The evening brought a great party with about 15 people, some truly amazing marinated and grilled pork tenderloins, and lots of beer. Life was good. I was amused to hear that Dan knows Dean from about ten years ago (and hey steviemaxwell – Dean says hi!). Furry fandom is indeed a small town. It was great to see some familiar faces (Alaskanwolf, kwik, truegrave9) and make some new friends.

As for today? Probably a lot more laid back. We’ll seek some lunch eventually, maybe meet up with Kwik, and there were rumors of going to see a movie. Maybe. Who knows? We’re having a blast, that’s all that matters. I’m keeping an ongoing gallery of the weekend, sure to be updated more as the weekend goes on.

On a more serious note, I’m keeping an eye on Hurricane Gustav. Even though my links to New Orleans are somewhat tenuous (a year and a half at Tulane University over twenty years ago), I still have wonderful memories of my time there. Genet, I’m keeping your family in my thoughts and I’m hoping everyone rides out the storm OK. The same goes for everyone who has those they hold dear who are in the storm’s path. After the terrible events of three years ago, I dearly hope that there were some good lessons learned and that those will be well-applied over the coming days.

California Birthday Trip: Days 3 & The End

The last day’s pictures are here.

Monday was The Big Day, my birthday. Honestly, I couldn’t think of anything we could do to top the two days prior, but I was looking forward to seeing what was in store. The day’s plans were a mystery to me, (except for dinner), so I had no idea what to expect.

The first stop of the day had us up and out of the house by 9 AM. Following a 45-minute drive to Santa Rosa (and a little bit of confusion in directions), we arrived at our next stop, one that was a genuine surprise to me: The national headquarters of Canine Companions for Independence. linnaeus‘ mother has raised several puppies for CCI, so when he found out we would be nearby, he suggested a tour there. Really, this was a most amazing and humbling experience, and I am so glad that we went there.

CCI trains and provides assistance dogs to disabled children and adults, all at no charge. They use black labs and golden retrievers exclusively, and the level of care and training that goes into each dog is simply astonishing. We got to take a tour of their grounds and offices, and see how they train the dogs after the puppy raisers initial training, lasting
6-8 months. This is followed by 6-9 months of training at the CCI facility before the dogs are paired with a client, either as a service or companion team (opening doors, picking up dropped items, etc.), a hearing team (alerting the client of a ringing telephone, etc.), or a facility team (therapy dogs). I was extremely impressed with the facility and with the friendly people who worked and volunteered there.
After the tour it was back to Napa. We grabbed a tasty lunch at a local burger joint then it was on to the next surprise: a day spa! It was quite delightful: I got a 75-minute massage followed by a pedicure; takaza got a facial, roho and genet each got pedicures and Lydia also got a manicure. Even Paul, who got pulled away by work for a few hours, was able to get a nice paraffin hand treatment. My massage was divine, and when Paul rejoined us he brought a bottle of wine for everyone to enjoy as well. Our manicurist, Babs, was delightful and we had a lot of fun bantering and hanging out.

After everyone was properly relaxed and such, we stopped by Oxbow Market to search for some good local olive oil. We found a couple bottles that were quite delicious. We also stopped by a very nice wine and cheese bar and had a couple pints of beer, which were quite tasty. We were quite amused to chat with the bartender there and find that she was from the south side of Chicago.

We ended the day with dinner at Bouchon Bistro. My food was quite outstanding: I started with an appetizer of cassoulet with duck confit and garlic sausage, followed by the Gigot d’Agneau (roasted leg of lamb served with flageolet beans and a thyme jus) and for dessert a delicious creme caramel. Brendan’s boudin blanc was excellent, and the desserts, especially Dan’s dark chocolate mousse and Lydia’s blood orange pot de creme, were outstanding. Unfortunately, the service was only mediocre (long waits, confused orders), and Dan and Lydia’s steak frites were quite lacking for the cost. Still, it was a great experience and I am glad we went. It was a wonderful way to finish off my birthday.

Alas, all good things must come to an end. Yesterday (Tuesday) we packed everything up early, leaving the house at 7 AM, and drove down to San Francisco International (by way of the San Mateo Bridge, on Babs’ advice, which I’m sure saved us some headaches). We made it there in plenty of time, though our flight turned out to be two hours late departing (one hour of that spent sitting on the tarmac). We got into O’Hare at about 7 PM, and picked up our luggage just in time to miss the Metra train home. Rather than waiting the 90 minutes until the next train, we opted to catch a cab, and I’m glad we did. We saw Brendan and Lydia off at about 9:30 PM, and got to bed at 11 PM.

So here I am, back at work, and quite exhausted. I’m told we have one more experience this evening, courtesy of a certain panda. That should be quite fun as well!