Doggone Trekking
Returning home
A recent subset of stays had us traveling to Louisiana then back home to Santa Monica. A week into our trip we found out our dog Minny was at the end of her life. In total we were on the road for ~two and a half months. We acclimated to not having Minny with us. We missed her every day but road life often makes us numb to situations not in our immediate field of vision.
Getting home not having Minny with us really hit hard. All the routines we do at home, had a new feeling of loss. Unpacking the trailer without her oversight was hard, walking our neighborhood routes. All the things we did with her were fresh as we landed into our “home routine”.
Doowee was also showing signs of loneliness, he was moaping around looking for Minny. Smelling all the things that still had her scent. Doowee was also noticeable depressed, he was in a funk, not having his daily routine with his missing best friend.
About a week after Minny passed, we started looking for another dog. Donna was in contact with all the rescue organizations we engage with. None had a older female. Donna stated widening her search and found a female in Oklahoma. We started a conversation with the rescue who had her, after initial contact, Donna and I discussed and we committed to picking her up.
The Trek
We wanted to get to Oklahoma as quickly as possible so we plotted ~3 days of travel.
What we planed
Our original plan was Santa Monica->Flagstaff->New Mexico->Okalahoma.
What we accomplished.
| Starting City | Ending City | Miles Traveled | Travel Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Monica, California | Needles, California | 182 | 3 Hours 12 mins |
| Needles, California | Albuquerque, New Mexico | 512 | 8 Hours 35 mins |
| Albuquerque, New Mexico | Guymon, Oklahoma | 356 | 6 hours |
Leaving Santa Monica
We decided to make the Trek to Oklahoma on Monday, we had originally wanted to leave on Thursday. We had a couple of obligations that held us at home until Saturday. Like always we were packing and prepping until we were ready to get on the road. We left Santa Monica around 2100.
Needles to New Mexico
Leaving Needles was uneventful, easy in and out, The drive day ahead was going to be long. We stopped in flagstaff for lunch at Dark Sky brewing. The beer and food were tasty, Doowee was able to join us and it was a welcome way to break up the day. Needles was a good stopping point as Donna and I were both exhausted. We grabbed a spot at the KOA, caught a few hours of sleep, a bike ride and hit the road again.
Albuquerque to Guymon
We stayed at a casino/RV resort. The resort had many amenities, I like the facility and initially thought Donna and I would be able to play some Craps. We learned that New Mexico casinos have table games. We were both exhausted, we did not visit the casino until the next morning. We had breakfast and walked the gambling floor. The Craps tables would not open until 1300, we missed our chance.
Acquiring a new dog
We acquired the dog, we didn’t know what to call her, she was formally known as Pepper. After meeting her we knew she needed a new name. The new dog loves to ride in the car, she is a excellent traveler. She immediately liked Doowee and vice versa. Both dogs had a few walks together and we were on the road the next day.
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