RV travel with your pet

It’s the dog!!!

Yes. The RV emergency is the dog. But today, the phrase “it’s the dog” is a good thing.

We returned from an early mountaintop visit, where we must go for all things electronic to function, and Ken and I proceeded to load the RV for heading out. Now, our usual routine is for me to secure the inside while Ken secures the outside. This morning was no different but what was different was the smell in the bedroom.

It was faint but I thought, distinct. That electronic burning smell. It seemed to be getting stronger near the floor.

No alarm was sounding but knowing I had three fur babies to get to safety if there was a problem prompted me to insist on some action before there was a fire and we all burned to a crisp.

I made Ken aware of our impending death in my usual fashion. That is, to pound on the window nearest his head and scream there is a problem. Ken immediately came in and started trying to puzzle it out while I unloaded cat carriers and prepared to abandon ship. Thinking we could all die in a blaze at any moment, I made Ken shut down our electric.

With all in readiness to leave The Burrow behind, we tried, by process of elimination, to figure out what could be happening. We agreed there was an odd burning smell. And it was centrally located on the back floor. But what? We checked everything we could think of. The smell didn’t seem to be getting worse, but neither was it better.

We hunted. We looked. Ken checked things. We sniffed. And we couldn’t pin down a thing.

Should we stay or should we go now?

Ken convinced me, reluctantly, we should proceed with our preparation to roll out so I shooed the animals from the bedroom to finish locking it down in there. The smell seemed better. The electric was off which only confirmed my worst fear.

Imagine my surprise when, as I got to the front of the RV, the smell came back. Sniff, sniff. Sniff. I think it’s coming from the couch. Is it? Could it be? Huh?

Ken was consulted. Sniff, sniff. Yes I believe it is. It’s the freaking DOG.

Relief
Joey the yellow Labrador plays on CA beach
Joey on CA beach

After some discussion, we realized Joey had been running and playing for over an hour in a forest that had burned sometime in the past. His paws were where the burning smell came from. We confirmed that the inside of Armadillo (the Jeep) smelled the same, I was so relieved. The RV emergency was over.

So, happy, happy, we don’t lose our home in an electrical fire today. I’m thrilled to say, while patting the big, goofy lug,…….It’s the dog.

Joey the yellow Labrador at Fort Morgan, Alabama
Our boy Joey at Fort Morgan, Alabama

Always grateful. 👫

Sequoia National Forest Trail of 100 Giants

🎶🎶 On the road again
Goin’ places that I’ve never been
Seein’ things that I may never see again
And I can’t wait to get on the road again
Here we go, on the road again
Like a band of Gypsies we go down the highway
We’re the best of friends
Insisting that the world keep turnin’ our way 
And our way is on the road again
I just can’t wait to get on the road again
🎶🎶

Willie Nelson

It’s one of my favorite Willie Nelson songs and couldn’t be more appropriate to how we feel today. We are off again and our first stop is Sequoia National Forest and the Trail of 100 Giants.

Exhilarated to be Moving Again

June was a tough month for Ken and I. Our last post mentioned that we were sick and within a couple of days of that post Ken was hospitalized with pneumonia.

Being seriously ill in an unfamiliar city is a frightening situation to be in. We managed to get through it, through the one hundred thirteen degree tempertures, the lousy RV park that we were stuck in (oddly though, our next door neighbor was Robbie Knievel), our bikes being stolen and the inability to do very much while Ken recuperated.

It’s been eye opening and inspired a few RV projects (stay tuned for a YouTube project vlog). Now we’re moving again and ready for the joy of new experiences.

Sequoia National Forest
Giant Sequoia trees in a line on the Trail of 100 Giants
Giant Sequoia Trees
up the trunk of a large Sequoia tree

Before we begin the new, we are revisiting one of the best. We’re back in the Sierras, home to those beautiful giant sequoias. This time we are exploring the Sequoia National Forest and Trail Of 100 Giants where Joey was able to come along with us. The reward is that even on a holiday weekend the crowds were less and we could take a slower pace. Kern River Brewing Company was a delightful find for lunch where we had a great conversation with a young lady traveling in her van for four years. Oh, to be young again. It was a wonderful way to spend Ken’s birthday.

It was absolutely hilarious that we had to stop for cows among hairpin turns and drop-offs down the side of a mountain but the cows seemed non-plussed about it. Enjoy.


Always grateful.👫