Are we there yet?

There are two kinds of road trips. The first kind is the leisurely, fun, touristy kind where you visit the kinds of places you’ve always wanted to see. It’s relaxing, sometimes educational and generally leaves you with the sense of wanting to return to one or more of the places you’ve visited along the way.

Then there’s the kind of road trip where your leisurely travel turns into just wanting to GET THERE.

Recently, we relocated from the Dallas area to New Hampshire. Normal people would probably choose to fly when such a distance is involved, but when you’re family includes a cat, a dog and a new Weimaraner puppy, flying just isn’t in the cards.

So, we packed up our four-legged family and hit the road.

Originally, our plan was to make it a relaxing trip. Why not take our time and enjoy some of the scenery along the way? Yeah, that was the plan…

Out-of-the-way, hometown restaurants that we just love were replaced with pet-friendly, multi-service centers where fuel, food, exercise breaks and other “necessities” could be addressed in one, 30-minute stop.

First priority – find the pet area. Second – fill the tank with gas. Third – a quick round of rock-paper-scissors to determine who took the initial leash duty while the other got to go inside.

The learning curve was obviously steep for us humans. The cat and dog are seasoned travelers. The puppy, on the other hand, is so full of curiosity and energy it’s almost as if she feels the need to experience everything all at once, making every stop a new adventure.

Ah, life with a puppy! But she sure is cute!

Our leisurely road trip became a three-day marathon, with a break in Iowa to visit my parents. After some family time, it was all about getting as many miles behind us as possible in order to make the last day shorter.

Thanks to Mom and Dad’s hospitality, we only had to spend one night in a hotel. No amount of preplanning can prepare you for the amount of STUFF you have to drag inside for one night in a hotel room with three pets. From a dog kennel to bowls and food to a litter box … oh, the things we do for our pests pets.

I’m pretty sure the only reason I bothered to grab the overnight bag was because I knew a long, hot shower was going to be my only excuse for some down time. And I promise you my husband had the very same thought.

Day two, with only 564 miles to go, seemed like just a quick jaunt to our final destination.

That “quick jaunt” turned in to a drive through some beautiful, scenic country that eventually led to our new home. I hadn’t ever spent any time in the far northeast so I watched out the window, while my hubby drove.

By the time we made it, everyone was more than ready for some non-car family time.

Someday we’ll retrace the route and visit all the places we zoomed by and thought it might be nice to visit. Maybe the world’s largest frying pan will even make the list. Someday.