June 28th - Well, the idea of getting started really early didn't work out; we needed a little more sleep. And so we managed to wake up and deflate the AeroBed, and began collecting those last-minute things to put in the truck. As careful and thorough as we were in preparing, I didn't believe how much we still had to gather up and load. Opened the truck, and just knew there was no more room, but somehow I managed to put the bed and several more bags of whatever in there. I would regret this a few days later.
Opened the trunk of the car, and managed to stash some more stuff there and on the floor. Did this packing never end? And we still have ourselves and the pets...we think that's a done deal, but we'll find out very soon we've miscalculated. Right now, we're pushing a 7AM deadline for pulling out of the driveway, it's only minutes away, and we're still not quite ready. A quick walk-through, Jen and the fur-kids head out the door, and (again) we're ALMOST ready. I walk through the place, make sure all doors are locked, then turn off the water at the house valve and throw the main breaker to power down the place. I kept one set of keys, leaving at least 3 or everything else, just so I could get out and secure the house.
And now we're out front. Sasha goes in her large crate in the back seat of the Escort. Shadow and Coco each go into smaller carriers on the two front seats. Windows are rolled part-way down. Sandy will ride in the cab with us. To make sure no one over-heats, I purchased a small indoor/outdoor thermometer - the "outdoor" sensor goes into the car, and the "indoor" main unit goes into the cab with us, so we will know at all times what the temp is behind us. If it gets too hot...well, we don't have a contingency for that yet. But we figure that the car will be doing 65 mph, with the windows open, so it's just an un-air-conditioned car. Maybe not cold, but bearable at least for a 1,000 mile trip.
Car's loaded with animals. Jen and I and Sandy climb up into the cab. Start the truck, check the mirrors, crank up the A/C, wave goodbye to our old house, and pull away. And you know what happens next - at least in my mind, all I can think of is, "Did we forget anything? Was everything locked up? Everything shut off? Etc, etc!" But my mind passes the check-list, and we head for I-4 and points north. Way North!
It's about 500 miles to Fayetteville, North Carolina, our first (and only) stop along the way. We have reservations for 2 adults and 4 pets. I really had to do some fast talking to the proprietor to convince him that we could manage all four animals with no problems. It still cost us $25 per, so the bill came to almost $200 for the night. Well worth it! And now we're on I-95 heading out of Daytona Beach, and all seems to be going well. We're planning on stopping every 100 miles or so to stretch and let the pets do their thing. But at our first stop, Sasha and the cats are not happy campers. Although the temperature in the car doesn't seem too high, when we go and open the doors, all three animals are crying and whimpering. We believe it is just because they're cooped up in a strange environment and scared, but Jen decides that the two kitties will now ride in the cab with us. Shadow will remain in the soft carrier, under her seat, and Coco will ride on the seat with Sandy, between us. It's a big cab and a big bench seat, so as we get back on the road, it doesn't seem too bad, and not at all uncomfortable. Sasha remains in the back seat of the car in her large crate.
Next stop, for some lunch, finds Sasha a bit more uncomfortable, but we attribute it to just the strange situation of riding in the back of an unoccupied car with no company. I figure I'd be a little discombobulated, too, if I were her. But the thermometer doesn't show any unhealthy temperatures back there, so even though she has no intentions of getting back in her crate, in she goes.
And then we hit the rain. Just before leaving South Carolina, it starts to rain. We make another stop, rest for awhile, and then we have to roll up the windows in the car, pretty much all the way. But it's cool outside now, and raining, so Sasha should be okay until: A) it stops raining and we roll the windows back down, or B) we get to the next stop. Several miles down the road, I ask Jen how the temp is in the car, and she tells me that it's about 82º. Okay, that's a bit warm but not excessive. So we continue. And then Jen makes a discovery - remember that the thermometer is an indoor/outdoor thing. There are two read-outs, and Jen has been monitoring the bottom one. Now she asks me why the top one should be reading 97º, when it's nowhere near that temp outside. WHAT?? I look at the thermometer, and the temp in the car is 97ºF!
There's a rest stop just ahead, and we pull off the road, park the truck and I rush back to the car. I open the back door and unzip the door to Sasha's crate. Poor dog is shaking, cowering in the back of the crate, and can't move! I reach in and drag her out; she's suffering from severe dehydration and heat prostration. She can't walk - her legs don't work! I carry her over to a grassy area in the shade, and lay her down. We get a bottle of water and start soaking her from head to tail. I go over to the rest rooms and get several gallons of cold water, and we continue to soak her and try to get her to drink. After about 15 minutes, the shaking stops, and she tries to drink a little. Good sign! More soaking, more petting, more pouring water in her mouth, and she's up on unsure legs and walking around slowly. We spend the next 45 minutes helping her get her senses back, and finally she's acting herself again. Thank you, Lord! We had discovered the problem a bit late, but there was a rest stop right there, with shade and cold water, and our dog was safe again. Had we waited until the next scheduled stop, Sasha would not have survived the trip.
And now there was no way she's going back into that crate, no way, no-how! We have to rearrange the "seating" in the cab to accommodate her. The set-up remains basically the same, but now we have Sasha and Coco sharing the space between Jen and I. Sandy is now perched on a pillow in Jen's lap, and Shadow is still in her carrier under the seat. And the A/C in the cab is on high cool, and everyone is now happy! Especially Sasha!! I'm singing Willie Nelson's "On the Road Again!", Coco is on her back sound asleep, Sasha is awake but comfy, Sandy is looking out the window, and Shadow is letting us know, every so often, that she is feeling left out, riding under the seat. And my sweet Jen, who I was so worried about on such a long trip as this, is handling everything fine.
She is actually enjoying the adventure. We were worried that she wouldn't do too well, sitting in the cab of the truck for hours on end, especially for the two planned legs of approx. 500 miles each. As we were limited somewhat, speed-wise, with the car-tow and a fully-loaded truck, it looked like we'd be doing 12 hours each day. Looks like we'll be doing 10 today by the time we reach Fayetteville, and Jen is doing great!
So we pull into the Comfort Inn in North Carolina about 5 PM. Check in, and find out that we are at the back of the hotel, and our truck is parked right outside. Everyone is very nice, and we soon have the kitty corral assembled, and all four critters settled down for the night. Ah! A wonderful, cool, soft bed after 500+ miles behind the wheel of that Penske! The truck is driving well, and it does have cruise control, but even so, driving that beast beat the heck out of this 66-year-old body. I enjoyed the drive, but I'm ready for some real sleep! So are Jen and the animals, and soon we're all sawing wood. Tomorrow is another day! And tomorrow, we'll be in Pennsylvania, our new home! Woo-hoo!
(To be continued...)
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