We Made It!

LA/XC DAYS TWENTY-ONE AND TWENTY-TWO: MISSOURI VALLEY (IOWA) TO SOUTH BEND (INDIANA); SOUTH BEND TO WESTPORT, CT

•  Two-day mileage:  1,283

•  Total LA/XC mileage:  7,643

•  Road Music:  Trish Murphy; Creedence Clearwater Revival; John Mellencamp; Rolling Stones; Lady Gaga; Carrie Underwood

•  Two-day state tally:  8 (Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut)

•  New states for Beagle Man:  1 (Indiana)

ROAD TRIP SUMMARY AND TOTALS:

• Total mileage:  7,643

•  Westbound mileage:  3,218

•  L.A.-area mileage:  435

•  Eastbound mileage:  3,990

•  Winner of “Guess My Total Return Mileage” Contest:  Mike Payne* (see note below)

•  Total states covered:  23

•  Total new states for Beagle Man:  7

•  Total new states for Ricky:  20

•  Biggest regret:  Not snagging a souvenir T-shirt from the Horseshoe Bar that night in Interior, S.D., when I had the chance** (see note below)

I’d say, “Here we are, finally back home in Westport” — but that wouldn’t be entirely accurate.  I’m posting from Montauk, where Carol and I are spending the weekend.  Made it home to Westport Thursday night at 9:15 PM . . . and then hit the road to Montauk Saturday morning, 36 hours later!  Of course, the drive from Westport to MTK is 140 miles, which for Beagle Man, is kind of like running over to Dunkin’ Donuts on the Post Road . . .

Carol, Matt, Greg, and Luz were waiting for . . . Ricky (well, maybe me, too) when we pulled up to the driveway Thursday night, capping a 743-mile drive from South Bend, Indiana — a single-day record for the trip.  Ricky seemed deliriously happy to see his home and his family, and after slobbering kisses on everyone, went streaking to . . . the kitchen.  You never know what you might find there — but there’s almost always something. Now, Ricky’s crate is back in the playroom, where it belongs.  Those (ill-conceived) Staples stacking boxes are back in the basement, where they belong.  Ricky’s industrial-strength food container — with the brand-new teeth-marks in the lid — is back in the garage, where it belongs.  I’m thankful we made it across the country and back in one piece.  I’m very thankful not to be checking into a motel tonight.  (When I got home, I asked Carol if she gave a Triple-A discount.)

And I’m most thankful for all your comments along the way!  What a treat to be hearing from you in distant outposts like Amarillo Texas, Rock Springs Wyoming, and Elko Nevada.  Though Ricky and I might be relatively stationary for the next little while, please keep those cards and letters coming!  And I’m sure there’ll be another road trip coming up in the not-too-distant future.

Before recapping the final couple of days on the road, just a word about Beagle Man’s spectacular new LA/XC Diet™.  I’ve mentioned before that my main two priorities while on the road were keeping moving, to the tune of 500-600 miles a day, and making sure Ricky was always with me, happy, healthy, and up-to-date on his meals and meds.  Beyond that, of course I tried to hit a major U.S. attraction every now and then.  The things that often got sacrificed on this regimen were sleep (I averaged 4 hours per night over the 3 weeks), and eating (often had only one meal a day).  As a result, arrived home 5 pounds lighter — with barely any exercise but putting the pedal to the metal.

A few other notes from the road:

•  I remember thinking, on the morning of Day 22, while cruising along I-80 East, how relieved I was that Ricky hadn’t had a single seizure during our entire road trip.  Don’t count your chickens.  At 11 AM, in Sandusky, Ohio, mile 7,092 of our journey, his jaw went rigid, his body began to shake, and the seizure was on, poor thing!  But he “came back,” as always, had his meds, and was back to his rambunctious old self in no time.  Amazing timing, though . . .

•  Yes, Mike Payne won the “Guess My Total Return Mileage Contest” with his winning entry of 3,372 miles, narrowly edging out

. . .   well, okay, Mike’s was the only entry.  So Mike, your “very cool trip souvenir” — a cardinal-and-gold USC Trojans pennant! — is winging its way to you as we speak via the U.S. mail.  Don’t complain — at least you didn’t get a Grinnell College basketball T-shirt, which is what I brought my sons.  And Mike, considering you’re a numbers guy, I have to say I’m a wee bit disappointed in your guess:  You were off by 618 miles — and that’s after I supplied you with the itinerary.

•  Mentioned above how bummed I am that I didn’t score a T-shirt from the Horseshoe Bar.  And I actually thought of getting one that night.  But picture this:  The first time I enter everyone swivels around to gawk at the newcomer, the only patron in this cowboy bar who’d ever been east of Kadoka, S.D.  The second time I enter, I’m begging for help finding my lodging, after getting myself hopelessly lost in the Badlands.  Didn’t seem like the proper time to inquire about a souvenir.

So on Wednesday morning (Day 21), it finally happened:  I overslept — in the very comfy Oak Tree Inn in Missouri Valley, Iowa.  Am only amazed it took this long to happen, given that oversleeping is my fatal flaw, and that I’d been existing for 3 weeks on 4 hours sleep a night.  Was disappointed, though, because I was on my way to see Robby’s good friend Luke at Grinnell College (the only attraction I could think of in the great state of Iowa), and I’d promised to arrive at 11AM and take him to lunch.  I wound up getting there at 2, and since teenage males do not wait for lunch, Luke had already eaten, but he was very happy to see Ricky (and vice versa), and showed me around campus.  We had a great visit, and Luke had even gotten me a Grinnell College Dri-Fit running cap, which will now be a go-to item in my wardrobe.

Crossing the Mississippi into Illinois  I was visited by the feeling — not

sure why it hit me at exactly this point — that we had made it back to civilization, and had left the USHD (United States of Harley Davidson) behind.  Made it through the Prairie State in a few hours, and stopped overnight in a Comfort Suites in South Bend, Indiana.  Sorry, America’s Best Value Inn & Suites, but Comfort Suites takes over as my new Numero Uno — the Four Seasons of budget motel chains.  The lap of luxury at $79.

After 22 days on the road, I’d have to say the recurring theme of the journey was Ricky’s never-ending desperation raids into the back of the car in search of his food supply, and my never-ending attempts to stymie him, via luggage barricades, his crate, and finally, a doggy barrier made just for SUV’s.  Did I finally succeed in modifying my determined little beagle’s behavior?  Take a look at these two pix.  Then you be the judge . . .    🙂