We’re on Day 4 of our journey and continue westwards. We’ve contemplated, on a frequent basis, turning around. Making the trip with two dogs has tested our level of commitment to the trip.

Here’s a rundown of the trip thus far:

Day 1

We left Chapel Hill and headed towards Chattanooga, TN. On our way, we decided to make a stop in Montreat, NC, just south of Asheville, to stretch our legs and get the boys some exercise. What should have taken a little over 3 hours took 4.5 hours. Our first delay was having to take a urine sample to the vet (opposite direction). This stop trigger a mishap with our packing structure and food scattered around the vet parking lot. We then stopped again an hour into the trip to try and resituate the boys. Two of them in the back together has not worked as well as we’d hoped. Goose is intent on taking up as much space as possible, leaving nowhere for Werner to lay down. 

 

We finally made it to Montreat around lunch. Ben had done some research and the Montreat Trails were recommended as a dog friendly area. They also happened to be close to the highway, so we didn’t spend too much extra time getting to and from them. We hiked for 1.5-2 hours. The boys were well behaved and enjoyed running around. Departing and getting the two of them settled proved to be another story. Goose was sprawled out across the back and Werner continued his attempts at escape to the front. I had grabbed slices of bread and peanut butter from the back and was going to make us sandwiches, but by the time I could, they had finally settled and I didn’t want to disturb them by opening the peanut butter. So we ended up eating plain slices of bread. 

 

We made it to Chattanooga that evening, where we stayed with Katherine, a friend of mine from college. We were all pretty worn out from Day 1, so after a delicious meal we got ready and went to bed. 

Day 2 

We went to a coffee shop around the corner from Katherine’s for breakfast. They had a cute dog friendly patio that we (the humans) sat on. Meanwhile, the boys were chilling in the car, which was strategically parked directly next to the patio. This allowed each of us to keep tabs on the other. Looking back we’re realizing we need to be better about taking pictures to document these situations. 

After breakfast we stopped at a local pet store, Nooga Paws, to grab some treats. Even though Ben was hesitant to do so, we took the boys inside. This was short lived. Within the first couple minutes, Goose had grabbed a treat out of a display and started barking at another dogs wanting to play. They were quickly escorted back to the car. 

Before getting back on the road we hiked the Guild Trail to Lookout Mountain with Katherine for a couple hours. 

On our way out of town we stopped at Walmart to buy a pillow to use as a barrier between the boys. They were so tired from our hike it initially seemed like it was going to work. Not so. Gradually Goose inched his way into Werner’s space and we were back at square one. Luckily the drive from Chattanooga to Nashville is brief and they survive, but we would have to come up with a solution before the next leg of our trip. 

We were staying with Ben’s friend, Scott, in Nashville. While we waited for him to get off work we walked the boys, then fed them dinner on the sidewalk (like homeless people) and sat in the car so they could sleep. That night we grabbed dinner at Edley’s, a great BBQ place with a dog friendly outdoor patio. This is where the boys had their first (and probably last) experience on a restaurant patio. All was well until the food showed up. Goose jumped onto the table and got a hold of Scott’s mac and cheese. Luckily, Ben had also ordered some and we traded. 

Everyone slept well that night and we were refreshed and ready for the next day. 

Day 3 

We said our goodbyes to Scott and headed to Carsey Warner Park for a hike before getting on the road. The next stretch of our journey was from Nashville to the Badlands in South Dakota and was going to be a long one. 

Warner Woods Trail – Nashville, TN

Our solution to the issue in the backseat was for me to sit between the two dogs. Which I did for 6 of the 9 hours. It’s not the most comfortable, but seemed to solve the problem, so it’s worth it. Once we out west it shouldn’t be as necessary, as our drives between stops will be significantly shorter. 

 

We had every intention of camping last night, but along with other things timing isn’t proving to be a strength of ours on this trip. After multiple stops, that somehow take 20 minutes each, we weren’t going to make it to our campsite until after dark. Neither of us was looking forward to having our first campground experience in the dark. So we decided to continue driving and shorten our trip today. 

 

Day 4

The majority of the day’s been spent in the car. We stopped twice to get the boys some exercise. Goose continues to make car travel difficult, but we’re almost at our first official stop on our tour of the west! 

Stop 1 – Waubonsie State Park – Iowa

Stop 2 – Lake Vermillion Recreation Area – South Dakota 

The last hour…