Starting To Think “Road Trip” With A Little Red Duck Dog

* * *  COUNTDOWN:  24 DAYS TO LA/XC-4  * * *

Most of you know the deal.  LA/XC, the series of Beagle Man cross-country road trips, originated back in 2011.  It started as a joke, turned into

a promise, became a journey, and evolved into a ritual.  When Robby, back then still a senior at Staples HS, told me his only concern about heading west to USC was that he’d miss his dog, Ricky the Beagle, I blithely said, “No problem.  I’ll just drive him out to see you.”  I wasn’t really serious when I said it — but those of you who know Robby know that he wasn’t going to let me forget that “promise.”

As the road trip moved closer to becoming a reality, I started embracing it as a great adventure — but definitely as a one-off.  After that first trip, though, when I realized how much I enjoyed being on the road with my dog for a month, I decided that once was not enough:  This would be the first of a four-part series.  I’d do one of these journeys for as long as Robby was at school in L.A.  Every September.

And yes — at the end of it all, I’d write a book.  (Note to self:  Might want to get going on that.)

Ricky and I did the first three trips in September 2011, September 2012, and September 2013, as planned.  Unfortunately, as most Beagle Man fans will remember, Ricky died last April, so the September 2014 trip didn’t happen.  If I was gonna do a cross-country-road-trip-with-dog, I needed a dog.

Enter Kemba.  That happy-go-lucky, furry little redhead joined the Beagle Man household in late October . . . just a little too late for the annual September trip.  But then Carol said:  How about going with Kemba in the spring?  It’ll still be Robby’s senior year.  And you’ll still be true to your plan — one trip for every year he’s in college.

Damn.  I hate to admit it, but every so often that wife of mine comes up with an idea that makes me think she might be even smarter than I am.

So now I’m starting to get things lined up for the Grand Finale, targeting a March 27 departure.  Yes, there’ll be a few differences this time around, besides the obvious one of having a Duck Toller as my co-pilot rather than a Beagle.  The weather?  Maybe it was t-shirts, shorts, and flip-flops in Independence, Missouri in September, but it’ll be a whole ‘nother story for early-morning dog walks at Glacier National Park in northern Montana/Canada in April.  Also:  While LA-XC-1, -2, and -3 were just me and my dog, for LA/XC-4 oldest son Matt will be joining the Beagle Man Tour, dropping in at Portland, OR, and flying out from Bismarck, ND.  Matt and I share a travel bug as well as an obsessive goal of setting our feet down in all 50 states.  He’ll get to check off five more — Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, and North Dakota — running his total to 41.  Oregon, Washington, Montana, and North Dakota will also be new for me — as well as Wisconsin and Michigan — which will leave me just one Alaska shy of running the table.  (I somehow can’t believe I’ve never been to Wisconsin or Michigan, but I can’t seem to come up with any evidence to the contrary.)

With three-and-a-half weeks still to go till wheels up, my itinerary is by no means carved in stone, so suggestions will still be considered.  Right now, these are some of the stops and attractions slated for this year’s Tour:  Shenandoah National Park/Skyline Drive, VA; Blue Ridge Mountains/Blue Ridge Parkway, VA-NC; Smoky Mountains, TN; Memphis, TN; Checotah, OK; Austin, TX; Albuquerque New Mexico; Flagstaff, AZ to Barstow, CA on Route 66; Laguna Beach, CA; Los Angeles, CA; Santa Monica, CA; Pacific Coast Highway to Santa Barbara and San Francisco; Crater Lake, OR; Eugene, Corvallis, and Portland, OR; Seattle, WA; Glacier National Park, MT; Billings, MT; Bismarck, ND; Minneapolis, MN; Madison, WI; Chicago, IL, and Ann Arbor, MI.

If you’re on my route, or near it, give me a shout.  There’ll be this up-for-anything little red duck dog riding shotgun, and nothing makes his tail wag faster than a new human to leap on.

LOOK FOR A NEW BEAGLE MAN POST EVERY THURSDAY.  OR PRETTY CLOSE TO THURSDAY.  COULD BE WEDNESDAY.  OR FRIDAY.  LET’S NOT GET TOO OBSESSIVE HERE . . .  OH, AND BTW, YOU CAN ALSO FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK,  TWITTER, AND INSTAGRAM.