Three Nights of Boondocking: Wine, Fast Cars and Trains!

Thanks for joining me. I am Magic, the Treeing Walker Coonhound. I am a travel blogger. My humans, Big Dog and Momma Dog continue coordinating and implementing our full-time adventures in our Class A Motorhome, kn0wn as Tana.

On June 25 we arrived in Mulvane, Kansas-at least that is what the humans told me. Since Big Dog was bred and trained in Wichita and Momma Dog’s litter came from Garden City, they were excited to be in their home state. The door opened and we were in Kansas, although I did not see a yellow brick road. I saw a parking lot, grape vines and a big red barn. Our destination was Wyldewood Cellars, which is part of Harvest Hosts. Harvest Hosts is a membership network that invites self-contained RVers to stay overnight for free at wineries, breweries, farms, museums and golf courses. The definition of boondocking is free camping, generally “out in the boondocks.” And usually there are no connections to city water, electricity and the sewer. Since I do my business outside anyway, boondocking is irrelevant to my canine life, and the humans keep a large quantity of doggie bags-but not the kind for leftovers. Anyway, this was our first time to boondock.

After initially surveying the Wyldewood property, I hid in the bedroom for several hours and missed the visit of Dana Smith (sister of Big Dog) and friends, Debbie Mcarthur and Mary Singleton. Unfortunately, none of these women brought their amazing dogs to see me, so the next time we are in Kansas I hope to say hello. Because of my reluctance to exit the RV, I missed the elderberry wine tasting as well as the trip to the Kansas Star, which is a big casino that can actually be seen from the winery.

That night the humans had some difficulty getting their water pump to work-but by morning with a phone consultation initiated by Momma Dog (who insisted on washing her hands) and the superior engineering skills of Big Dog-we had running water again. They did a happy dance that reminded me of how I feel when something I like to eat accidentally falls into my mouth.

After breakfast and fresh water, I actually enjoyed romping around the property in the early morning light, and found the blooming goldenrod especially beautiful. And we saw several red-winged blackbirds flying about and singing their hearts out.

After our time in Kansas, Big Dog drove north into Nebraska. Now Big Dog and Momma Dog lived in Beatrice in 1982 as newlyweds at 1801 Ella, so we drove by the old place. They said it looked about the same and retold lots of old stories about the good life in Nebraska when they were young and dogless.

The next time I heard the air brakes and saw the door open, we were in a cement parking lot in Lincoln, Nebraska behind Speedway Motors Museum of American Speed. Big Dog could see the University of Nebraska football stadium in the distance (his alma mater for his MBA) and Momma Dog pointed out the state capital building that they used to visit on their walks.

The humans visited the Museum of American Speed in Lincoln, Nebraska and saw numerous artifacts of American automotive history-especially race cars, engines, toys related to automobiles, and models of cars. I took my afternoon nap in the air-conditioned coach, since loud noises and fast moving cars are not my cup of tea!

Big Dog and Momma Dog then took an Uber and ate Runzas ( yummy Nebraska meat pies), walked around the Nebraska State Capital and found their old Lincoln fourplex at 25th and A Streets. We slept well in the parking lot of the museum, compliments of Harvest Hosts, and the next day were off to North Platte, Nebraska.

North Platte, Nebraska boasts about the ability to see all the trains you could ever imagine in one place-and they are not kidding. This is the largest rail yard in the world, and we saw the Golden Spike Tower and the humans learned about the history of Union Pacific Railroad and the orphan trains. The Golden Spike Tower is nestled among fields of hay and sorghum, and I explored the country roads and stayed away from the 138 train tracks. We slept with the windows open and could hear train whistles and brakes throughout the night-and it did not scare me at all.

In the morning, the humans and I hit the road toward Colorado, via a bit of Wyoming-which none of us had ever seen before. As we drove along, Big Dog noticed one of the damaged bay doors had opened and the humans could not get it to stay shut, so a roll of clear packing tape seemed to do the trick! It is not pretty, but it works. And yes, repairs are scheduled for later in July.

Thanks for reading about our three nights of boondocking. We survived, had fun and are looking forward to being in a Colorado KOA soon that has electricity and water and plumbing hook-ups for Tana.

Kind regards, sniffs and woofs-MAGIC