Dog Friendly Road Trip Tips and Information

Going on a road trip with your dog is definitely an awesome and unforgettable memory. Gretel and I just finished up a nine-day, almost 4,000 mile road trip with some friends. We had a lot of adventures and made a lot of memories. Some of the adventure was unplanned, but because we were prepared, we felt like there wasn't anything we couldn't handle. To make sure the trip with your furry … [Read more...]

I take Chester and Gretel with me in the car a lot. In 10 days Gretel and I are driving from Seattle to Salt Lake City for the Outdoor Retailer Show. What if I got in a car accident? The dog's safety is always on my mind when we take long road trips but, really, it should be every day. The fact is, 52% of reported crashes occur five miles or less from home and a whopping 77% occur fifteen miles … [Read more...]

My favorite way of traveling with Chester and Gretel is road trips. We, of course, like a road trip to lead to trails where we can hike or lake where we can paddleboard but it doesn't always have to. Sometimes the journey is the destination. It can rain a lot in the spring and fall in Seattle so a road trip is a good option for us when we feel the urge to explore but the weather is yucky. Road … [Read more...]

After taking it easy for a few days in Aspen and Leadville (Part III of our trip), Chester and Gretel had adjusted the altitude. However, I was still feeling a bit ill. I was doing all of the right things - resting and drinking water like a fish - and even tried getting some oxygen in a can like a friend suggested. I wasn't sure we were going to be able to attempt hiking Mt. Elbert with the way … [Read more...]

In Part II of our road trip adventure, we left you at the Mountain Goat Lodge with a beautiful sunset and two exhausted weenies (you can read Part II here). The next morning we left for Leadville to hike Mt. Sherman. According to 14ers.com, Mt Sherman was one of the "easier" 14ers - mountains with a peak elevation of over 14,000 feet. Somewhere I got the idea that this mountain was easier than … [Read more...]

It's hard to believe it's been almost a month since our trip to Colorado. My, how time flies. This is part 2 of our trip (you can see part 1 here). When I last left you, we had gone for a hike, visited a friend in Denver, and were on our way south to Buena Vista (pronounced by locals as Be-YOU-na-vista, to our bewilderment). We got as far as Kenosha pass and pulled over to camp in the car for … [Read more...]

A few weeks ago we embarked on a 10-day road trip to Colorado with Chester and Gretel. Our ultimate goal was to spend a couple of days in Leadville, CO and hike Mt. Elbert - the highest 14er in Colorado. But first we had to get there. We set off with a general plan but tried to keep it spontaneous. The unknown adventure is one of the best parts about a road trip. We headed east from … [Read more...]

I love road trips. I like the sense of freedom it gives me because, although I usually have a pretty set schedule, it makes me feel like I can go where I want when I want. I also love that I can take both Chester and Gretel with me. They love riding in the car and I love looking over to see them sleeping or looking out of the window. I also like road trips because I am cheap. Well, at least I … [Read more...]

I have a problem. I was sent some snowshoes to test for Backpacker Magazine but we don't have much snow in the mountains this year. I don't remember a when we have had such low snow levels. I literally have to hunt the stuff so I can get my testing miles in. I had been itching to stay in the Rolling Huts near Winthrop, Wash for a couple of years now. The Huts are these cool metal "tiny … [Read more...]

This past weekend we took a road trip across the Canadian border to Squamish, BC. This was our 4th trip across the border with Chester and Gretel and we had a really easy time crossing again. We drove up there so Doggy Daddy and his friends could ride in a mountain bike race. While the boys were racing, I played tourist with Chester and Gretel. We wandered around town and found our way … [Read more...]

Earlier this month we took a road trip to dog-friendly Bend, Oregon for our 1-year Anniversary. For once we were packed and all ready to go 3 or 4 days before our scheduled bug-out day. If you ever think that time goes too fast, try packing for a trip you are super excited about a few days before and then waiting. Slooooooow doesn't begin to describe the feeling. We decided to leave a day early … [Read more...]

This last weekend we decided to escape all the rain and gloom and head east of the mountains to the sunshine. We headed over to Eastern Washington to visit my friend in the desert town of Moses Lake (Yes, we have lush mountains, coast beaches and desert within a few hours of each other in our state). Getting over there was definitely an adventure. It was snowing heavily in the mountain passes … [Read more...]

In the winter we have to be more flexible. Our adventures don’t always work out. The weather can change radically from one hour to the next, making what we had planned too dangerous or miserable. Instead of being disappointed, we try to make the best of the situation. We have learned to appreciate that nature sometimes forces us to let go of our agenda and live in the moment. We take the … [Read more...]