Just one more day until our much-anticipated road trip. Yup, tomorrow Ricky and I em-BARK.
Though I like the image of me and my pooch riding side by side across the country, carefree and up for anything, kind of like Butch and the Kid, in reality . . . a hell of a lot of planning went into this trip. There are some (that would be my wife) who might even say too much. A couple of days ago Carol crept up behind me while I was fine-tuning my five-paged, single-spaced document called LA/XC: PREPARATION / TO DO. She read some entries over my shoulder, then snickered, “You think back when we were hippies and someone yelled, ‘Road trip!”, we would have gone to Triple-A for maps and tour books?”
Let her have her fun. I’d like to see her remember to pack Ricky’s food and his treats and his meds, and his toys, and his doggy bed, and his crate, and his bowls, and his brush, and his leash, and towels to dry him when it rains, and a can opener for his venison, and . . . Hey, traveling with a little beagle is a big responsibility. And I am, after all, the adult in this party.
So here’s an overview of our projected stops on this extremely spontaneous trip:
Alexandria, Virginia: Home of my best friend Jeff, going all the way back to junior high. (That’s middle school, for you under-30-somethings.) And his wife Joan. And their Bichon, Toby.
Nashville, Tennessee: Ricky’s gonna love the ribs at Jack’s Bar-B-Que.
Tulsa, Oklahoma: Stopping over to see Lindsey’s (Matt’s girlfriend) parents — and, of course, their three dachshunds. (See Aug. 22 post for a photo of Zoe, Chloe, and Tucker.)
Middle-of-Nowhere, New Mexico: . . . or wherever 600 miles of driving from Tulsa will get me.
Grand Canyon: I have a bad sense of direction, but they say you can’t miss it . . .
Las Vegas: Finally got curious about Sin City after seeing the tiger in the bedroom in The Hangover.
Los Angeles: Boy-and-his-dog reunion. USC vs. Syracuse. And a week’s worth of R&R for the driver.
San Francisco: Have always wanted to do that drive from San Simeon to Carmel.
Middle-of-Nowhere, Nevada
Ditto, Wyoming
Denver, Colorado: Visiting Lang and Marilyn’s daughter Kristen, the original “blonde-adorable” baby in our circle — now all growed up and married, and with two dogs for Ricky.
Badlands, South Dakota: Badlands, you gotta live it everyday /Let the broken hearts stand /As the price you’ve gotta pay . . . All I know about Badlands I learned from The Boss.
Grinnell, Iowa: Maybe I’ll pop in and visit Robby’s friend Luke, who goes to school at Grinnell. I’m sure he gets tons of drop-ins — you know, people who just happen to be passing through Iowa.
Chicago: See my friends Rich and Irene. Make a pilgrimage to Wrigley.
University Park, Pennsylvania: Have never been to Penn State. Love college campuses. Maybe will pester a few more of Robby’s friends there.
All right — take-off is just 16 hours away. I plan to post quite frequently — maybe even daily — along the way, so keep checking in. It might get a little lonely at some of my stop-overs (did I mention Middle-of-Nowhere, Wyoming?), so your comments will be welcome!
May it be sunny all the way to Virginia, Hanky. Posting daily shouldn’t be too hard. At least you don’t have to do a story for Travel Scene when you get back.
And your friend Ilene, who does not own a dog, is looking forward to seeing you in LA!
I await your first post with breathless anticipation! Good luck, drive safely you lucky dog. You too Hank!
Wishing you and Ricky an incredible journey! We’ll be in San Francisco on the 15th – don’t know if you’ll have made it out there by then, but would love to connect via e-mail! Have a safe and trip and look forward to your posts along the way . . .
Wish my newest project was going to be open by then so Ricky could enjoy the ribs at MY joint too. Unfortunately we’re still a few weeks out, and Cassie won’t even be around to sniff butts because we have a wedding in Vermont. Enjoy your trip!
The more details, the better! Can’t wait.
Peanut (my bichon) and I wish you & Ricky a safe journey out to SoCal. See the two of you in beautiful Laguna Beach on September 19 .