Week 2 of our trip

Well, we have been on the road for almost 2 weeks. We've been in a couple more State parks, including Salt Fork in Ohio. I am impressed with at least this park in Ohio since they don't close down their offices at 5 pm so that you can't get a camping spot if you are traveling across country. It's hard to plan to make reservations when you aren't sure where you'll be. In Ohio, if the park office is closed, you can still go in and find a spot to camp and then pay in the morning. What a breath of fresh air that policy is! I also loved their hiking trails - very easy to follow since they color-code the trees for each trail.

We've already experienced a camper van break-down that ended up with us meeting some great, new people in Pittsburgh. The front tire started smoking and we were right in front of Monro Muffler and Break Service. They were busy but he could see that I was pretty upset so he squeezed us in. The wheel bearings went out of the front wheel and they ended up replaces them on both front wheels. Seymour and I sat in the office for a couple hours and made friends with a woman who was waiting for her son, who worked there. She fell in love with Seymour and ended up taking us to a hotel since the van wouldn't be done until the next day.

Now, this is where a small dog comes in handy. When we got to the hotel there was a sign that said "Absolutely No Pets". Luckily, I had the purse/carrier that I stuffed Seymour in and we checked in and got to our room without a hitch. I did need to put him in the carrier and take him a block or so from the hotel to walk him, but he was quiet all night. Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do. The next morning, I found that there was a bus I could take to get back - again no pets allowed. Again Seymour rode quietly in his carrier and we made it back. Since we were pretty much stranded that whole day, I used his carrier to walk around the mall and even to go into a fast food restaurant to get a take out. I still am of the opinion that if they are in a carrier, I don't see why they can't go in buildings.

I do always have my pet "poop bags" hooked to the end of Seymour's leash so if they don't have any available when I walk him, I have my own. I think it is good to show that pet owners are responsible folks.

Although this doesn't pertain to Seymour, I have more travel tips. The most expensive part of this trip is the gas so I tried to save in other ways. I always took a cup in to get a coffee refill - much cheaper than getting a coffee in their cups. I also had a couple soda cups from some fast food stops and saved them. You can often get a soda refill or what I did was get a cup of ice. It was free in 2 places and 25 cents in another. Those savings add up!

I have been using my Broadband2go service throughout this trip. Twice it did not work. I think it is a Sprint service and I am finding it is spotty in many places - especially the State parks. Overall, I'm glad I have it and will continue to use it. I am hoping that the $20 level I paid for will last until I get home. Downloading pictures eats up the Mb so I am cautious about that. I will add pictures when I get home.

Next Trip With Seymour

We are finally getting ready to start our next trip and plan to leave Monday. It will be for about 2 weeks and we will again be heading east from Texas. This time I am going to try to use Virgin's "Broadband to Go" Internet service. I just activated my account and pay for 30 days of service for $20. That is supposed to be good for about 12 hours of web browsing or 25,000 emails without attachments. That should be plenty for me to write on my blog and answer emails. I'll let you know if the coverage is very good in places like State Parks.

Seymour, my chihuahua-mix is such a good traveler. When we go outside for a walk, he hesitates near the camper, just to see if we are going to get in it. He should be quite excited when it finally happens after a travel lull for the past 4 months. I have already gathered his vet records and am planning to print out a picture of him, just in case he gets lost - which I hope NEVER happens. I made sure his immunizations were up to date just in case I would need to board him. I also plan to get some individual pet washes, since last time Seymour rolled in anything stinky he could find.

I will put a more detailed list of what we are bringing to make Seymour comfortable before we leave. I then hope to write updates each day or so. I've had such good luck with shop owners allowing him in their stores in Austin and Wimberley, Texas that I hope it continues on our trip.

More to come