With the summer coming to an end, it was time for one last trip. The priority was to go see my grandparents in Manitoba but me being me, well you know I was going to take the scenic route.
Now I was on nights when my vacation started and with an upcoming transfer, I ended up losing a couple of days so I had to make the most of the time available. I came home Sunday morning and was able to get a few hours sleep before dragging my rear out of bed and loading the car. The dogs knew that something was up and Piper was practically singing as she danced by the door. When I picked up the harnesses for the boys, Jack started spinning and yipping and Leo jumped into his harness.
Standard road trip rules would apply with one small alteration: we had to cover a lot of ground to get to where I wanted to go so unfortunately there was more time going to be spent on interstates than I would have liked. The road trip bottle was Casamigos Tequila. Hey if its made by George Clooney it’s worth a shot (get it? Shot?)
We set off later than I had wanted to but since we didn’t have a whole day, I wasn’t as concerned as I normally am when we have to beat traffic. I’m finally getting better crossing the border but even so, I was still questioned as she studied the dog’s records. Not so much about what I was doing but how I was travelling with three dogs and tenting. She shook her head as she handed my paperwork back to me and waved me through.
I was making my way through Michigan but my mind kept going to The Chocolate Garden. I had been there last year and it was some of the best chocolate I have ever had, and let me tell you: I have had A LOT of chocolate. I kept telling myself it wasn’t worth the detour but then, just outside of Toledo, Ohio I made the decision to turn around. I mean, isn’t that part of what road trips are all about? Isn’t that what the AdventureDawgs are all about? Open roads and going where we want? Hell YAAAAAAAAA. Now I knew that we weren’t going to make it before they closed, but we could be all set up for a stop first thing in the morning.
Since I was still tired and a bit groggy, I decided to get a hotel room. When I saw a Red Roof Inn nearby, I thought perfect. I’ve always had great experiences with them. When I booked through Expedia, I noticed that there was a two dog limit but booked anyway. Like I said, I’ve never had issues before. So I saunter on in and as I’m getting booked in, I mention that I’ve got the dogs. Well the woman working at the counter tells me they only allow one dog. When I mentioned that the site says two she quite emphatically told me they can only allow one dog. I tried to explain that the dogs have been in Red Roofs all across the country but I got shut down again.
Now allow me to clarify one thing: I know I broke a rule and I got caught. That’s not what had me peeved. I was bothered by the fact that the site says one thing and she was saying something else and would not even listen to anything I said. She wasn’t rude but she also wasn’t helpful and was quite dismissive to everything I tried to say. Frustrating to say the least. I don’t know; maybe I’m being too judgemental.
So I got on the phone and soon Expedia had me hooked up with another place. What a pain. So I cracked into my fresh bottle of tequila and tucked into the first of many pizzas of the trip.
