Barking Embarkers

What do you all think of long trips with your dog? I know sometimes dogs get a little antsy in the car; they might wine or stick their heads out the window. I know mine had a knack for vomiting everywhere as a puppy; but she stopped at about six months old. I also know mine points at every single deer, cat, raccoon, porcupine, dog, or bird as it moves by my car. Its quite helpful. Today I’ll share Chloe’s first long trip as I relocated from the Midwest to the East Coast: Minnesota to Maine.

If you’ve driven a semi truck, or an RV before you probably can understand the pains of towing for long periods of time. I have a problem with a lead foot, and typically the slow driving turns me a little bit bonkers. Chloe is actually very helpful with this, as she usually sticks her head right next to me when I start telling other drivers how to drive properly. Despite the frustration, and extremely long days of hauling, we absolutely loved this adventure. We took about two weeks to make our way out to Maine. This was a stressful time to leave Minnesota, as my grandpa was ill, and transitioned to hospice care. We knew he did not have much time left, and it was painful to drive away. I daresay, having to leave family all of the time is not easy. I love the adventure, and the sights and making new friends; but the sweetest homecomings are at the Cowboy Church, at my sibling’s houses or my parents’ home.

We began our adventure driving from Worthington, MN to make a pit-stop in door county Wisconsin, hoping to catch some fall colors- and we absolutely did! Up in Door County, there is a ton to see. Green Bay Wisconsin, the adorable towns with icecream shops and boat rides on the Great Lake. There is also a secret little county park called Cave Point County Park. There was plenty of room to park the camper, and also AMAZING waves! The waves were massive, incredible and this isn’t even the ocean! This little park was one of my favorite finds this trip. Chloe Rue isn’t a huge fan of water, but she did wonderfully! There were little holes in the ground that would hiss every time a wave hit the cliffs, and Chloe had the time of her life poking her nose into every single one and jumping away when the waves came.

The next drive was long, involving Chicago traffic. I swear, every single time I drive to an assignment, I end up going through Chicago. The bright side is we do have an adventure friend who lives in town. On this adventure, I was running behind schedule (as always- never book campgrounds in advance you guys) and needed to drive forever to arrive at the Dunes in Michigan. We spent the night there, and the next morning exploring. The dunes were incredible. Chloe had her first experience with sand and it was so funny. She started racing around, spinning, manically digging, and huffing everywhere. This is where she learned how much she loves to dig in sand.I had aspired to take Chloe on her first ATV excursion, but was so caught up hiking and running around in the dunes and at the beach, and we had to leave by noon! Therefore, Chloe has yet to experience and ATV ride. Honestly, I am not sure how she’d like it. Stay tuned for updates friends!

After our morning explorations, we drove to Cuyahoga National Park. I had planned to spend just one day there, but had not booked any other campgrounds (Best. Decision. Ever.) so decided to spend the time, absorb the gorgeous area and take two days to hike. I ran out of propane as the nights were starting to get chilly, and I was going without electricity (propane heat for the win). I stopped at a gas station to do the exchange, and thought everything was going normal and well. My campground was near a gorgeous lake, full of people on one of the last weekends of good weather. I pulled in to the campground, only to realize- my camper keys were gone! I looked everywhere, and realized I left them on the back of my truck after exchanging propane. Has anyone else here ever experienced a panic moment like this? Thankfully I had spare keys hiding in my truck (always prepare to forget, right?) and was able to unhook my camper from my truck, and do some scouting. I found them on the road (they made it so far! Almost a mile from the gas station!) and they’d been run over, repetitively. Everything was intact, except the keys to my apartment in Fargo. Not bad, considering they could have been lost forever.

Cuyahoga was beautiful; on the brink of a city which was kind of strange. There were hallows and rivers where the traffic noise was subdued, but most of the trail heads were near traffic. My favorite hikes were to blue hen falls, and buttermilk falls; which is the first time Chloe started playing in the water since I found her (proud mama right here).

After Cuyahoga adventures, we booked our campsite at a KOA near Niagara Falls that had a dog park! Our trek up north was pretty uneventful; more relaxing with less traffic. Niagara Falls was indescribable. We parked the camper at the KOA and explored that night, walking around the island trail, and watching the waters grow more and more hostile, until the massive, unbelievable fall. Chloe and I stayed until the fireworks. I didn’t really realize there were going to be fireworks, so these were both amazing, beautiful, and startling. Chloe handled it quite well actually. There are a lot of not-dog friendly things at the falls, that I wasn’t excited to do solo (Cave of the Winds for example); so we definitely have to go back.

From Niagara Falls, we went to upstate New York. Let me discuss Watkins Glen for you guys. This is the best kept secret in New York. It was one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. I was able to park my camper, and the walk was just a skip and a jump down the hill. This was my first experience walking Chloe somewhere that I didn’t realize was not dog friendly, until after we were done hiking. No one looked at us twice, and I could imagine how a busy time of year would be awful with dogs on the narrow trails. I also could imagine how the waterfalls could be stressful to dogs. So, probably don’t bring fido down to the gorge. If you do though, make sure to take a million photos.

As Chloe and I continued our way North, we began to slow things down. Hauling the camper is all good fun, but it does take time. We swooped up to Lake Placcid, New York to experience those fall colors. I found an impromptu family run campground along the border of New York and Vermont that was beautiful in the fall! Chloe and I saw the Olympic Ski Jumps in the Adirondack Mountains and climbed Mount Jo. We saw heart lake, which is supposed to be a true heart from the top; but clouds and trees blocked the view for us this day. Fall in the North East is iconic for a reason. The trees looked almost on fire with color, lighting up the mountains. Mount Jo was an easier hike than expected, so Chloe and I decided to order pizza and start a hike until the pizza was ready. It was a fun hike, absolutely deserted; and Chloe and I ran portions of it to let off some steam. This is the first time I let Chloe off leash on a hike, and she was spectacular. It may have been fatigue from the hike prior, or because she’s awesome, but she stayed close by the whole time. And then we had some pizza, and post-hike pizza is always a win.

Our last leg of the journey was through Vermont and the small coastal towns in Maine. We plugged along uneventfully, except for the gawking stares when driving through the winding, hilly roads of Vermont (that was the best). My favorite is when older men stare at me, wondering how on earth a little girl tows a 28 foot camper by herself in an unstoppable truck, and backs up without running into anything! Yup, this little girl is unstoppable, and all you ladies out there are too.

Finally we made it to Sagadahoc Bay Campground, on the north side of Portland. This was our temporary housing situation, until we found something closer to Portland, which is where my job would be. I wound up staying at Sagadahoc Bay until the very day they closed, because the little family run campground was inexpensive, with beautiful mud flats at low tide that were amazing to let Chloe run around on, and to explore myself; and they would catch Lobster for you. Yes. Fresh. Maine. Lobster. Not to mention, there is nothing quite like falling asleep to ocean waves outside your camper door. I met some awesome people here, mostly retired folk. I definitely plan to return.

Despite the moments of panic from lost keys, the travel weary soul by the end of the journey, and having to temporarily leave family behind, this adventure was amazing. The colors of the trees, the immensity of the waves, Chloe’s first experience with sand at the dunes in Michigan, finding the secret Watkins Glen and Cave Park. Some people say traveling solo is scary, or takes a lot of courage. Yes, it takes faith and trust in God for everything to hold together; but truly traveling alone is such a gift of peace. And when you have a dog- just an innocent, intelligent being that trusts you and loves you no matter what- it really makes it more enjoyable. I’m pretty sure anytime Chloe Rue finds sand to dig in, everything is more enjoyable- And sandy.

I invite you to share your favorite long journey, and/or if you had any especially amusing moments with your pets this week. Happy trails and Happy tails!