“At its best, travel must challenge our preconceptions and most cherished views, cause us to re-think our assumptions, shake us a bit, make us broader minded and more understanding.”

Arthur Frommer

Leaving the beautiful Badlands of North Dakota included beautiful scenery and driving through lots of farmland. Momma Dog said she had never seen so many cylinder shaped bails of hay before. We parked in Bismarck, North Dakota for a few nights beginning Friday, September 6, 2019.

Since Big Dog could still not get the levelers to work, Momma Dog called an RV fix it guy to visit us at our KOA. He diagnosed our problem as a possible circuit board issue and was unable to fix it. So we remain unleveled-and a bit of movement is felt as we move about our home on wheels. We have a service appointment in the Atlanta area in early October.

Then we had two full days and nights of heavy rain. We went on walks in-between showers and one day I was able to scoop up an entire piece of wet pizza from the ground and eat it before the humans noticed. This skill is well known by all coon hounds-and I was rather proud of myself.

Our next stop was a Fargo area winery. We drove down a 1/2 mile muddy road, arrived at the E Winery and realized we might get stuck by morning-again due to lots of rain. So we moved to a nearby small RV park connected to a Days Inn. There was a gravel lot here so Tana’s approximately 30,000 pounds would not sink into the ground. The humans ate at “The Country Kitchen,” and left me behind on guard duty. It continued to rain, but we all slept well. I think I heard the humans singing, “Rain, rain, go away-come again another day!”

Alice O’Brien State Park in Marine on St. Croix, Minnesota was our next home for six nights. We enjoyed yellow leaves falling, hiking and cooking out and even gazed at the Friday night harvest moon-and I didn’t even howl. Yes, it did rain some more-and the humans enjoyed the 50 degree temperatures on several days. They wore jeans, flannel and fleece-and even tried out our heat pump.

On Sunday we hiked to Alice Lake and the St. Croix River. Somehow the map did not assist our return to camp-and we saw parts of the state park that we did not know existed. I was so glad to get home (after our three hour adventure) for water and a nap and food.

On Saturday night, the humans found an Uber driver (from China) to pick them up and take them into Minneapolis for a dinner at Spoon River Restaurant and a play called “The Glass Menagerie” written by Tennessee Williams in 1944. This was performed at the beautiful Guthrie Theater in downtown Minneapolis. They had a nice date, and found another Uber driver (from east Africa) to bring them back to me. This play did not have any canines as characters, so I saw no value in learning about it.

Goodbye Minnesota-you were beautiful! Our next adventure leads us to West Des Moines, Iowa for one night on our way to see some Smith humans and dogs in the Kansas City, Missouri area.

Our next “parking place” is Watkins Woolen Mill State Park and State Historic Site in Lawson, Missouri. We had a huge grassy site, complete with chiggers-and Momma Dog and Big Dog have the bites to prove it. My humans, along with more Smith humans-Reid, Pat, Rachel and Ben toured the Watkins Mill, built in 1860. I stayed behind in guard-dog mode (aka nap mode.) Later the humans grilled burgers and created lots of tasty side dishes. And I heard the sweetest dish was Key Lime Pie-created by Rachel Smith. The humans laughed and talked and picnicked by lantern light and enjoyed a camp fire. I came out for dog treats and some attention from time to time, but still prefer the inside life-especially at night.

On Thursday, I stayed in Tana for a relaxation day with air conditioning. All six of the Smith humans experienced the amazing World War One Museum in downtown Kansas City. Big Dog and Momma Dog were amazed and overwhelmed at the artifacts, art and exhibits. They saw trenches, tanks, gas masks, poppies, uniforms and more. And of course, they enjoyed being there with their kin-folk. Momma Dog’s lunch in the “Over There” restaurant was chipped beef on toast served on a metal plate.

The humans spent some time at the home of the Kansas City Smith family. I did not get to see Max and Sam-and am still crying about that in my sleep.

All the Smith humans ate at Stroud’s for dinner. This is a famous chicken dinner place where food is eaten family style. I did receive a doggy bag and give it a paw up. My humans were so happy to spend time with niece Abbie and Rachel and nephew Ben.

We left the Watkins Mills State park the next morning and spent the night in Joplin, Missouri. We were tired and rested up for our next stop-Hot Springs, Arkansas. I am hoping there might be a special bath area for canines there.

Interestingly, Hot Springs National Park is within the city of Hot Springs. The park service owns and manages the eight historic bath houses. The bath houses were used for improving health and their use diminished in the 1950’s. One has been converted into a craft brewery and Big Dog had a delicious local beer and Momma Dog had a root beer float-both made with water from the “hot springs.”

The humans experienced a drive up to Hot Springs Mountain to the Hot Springs Mountain Tower. They talked about seeing Sugarloaf and Music Mountain from the tower. They hiked down and had an Ecuadorian lunch and filled Momma Dog’s water bottle with delicious spring water from a tap.

The thermal water that flows from the springs begins as rainwater, is absorbed into the mountains north east of the national park, and is carried 4000 to 8000 feet underground, where the earth’s extreme heat raises its temperature to 143°F. The purified water makes its way back to the surface the cracks and pores in the rock in the form of hot springs. The entire process takes about 4000 years!

We left Hot Springs on September 25 bound for Texas. Momma Dog and Big Dog have some Texas business to take care of before we go to Atlanta. They say they are seeing their doctors and dentist and friends, and I will miss the pretty sights of all the places we have been. I think I am getting accustomed to RV life.

Thanks for reading my travel blog. I do enjoy your comments and questions about our lifestyle on the road. The humans are getting excited to spend some time with Joanna and Jennie and Steve in Atlanta. And just in case you haven’t heard, the family is welcoming a new “happy camper” in January 2020. Jennie and Steve Sankey are expecting a baby girl, and I can’t wait to meet her and sniff her.

My humans are planning to park Tana in Atlanta (that rhymes) for awhile and I will keep you posted on our next adventures. I hear rumors of a Thanksgiving trip to Arizona.

Kind regards, sniffs and woof-MAGIC

“On the road again, goin’ places that I’ve never been, seein’ things that I may never see again, and I can’t wait to get on the road again

Willie Nelson

The humans and I finally exited the DFW area on August 23, 2019 and are off for new adventures. Well, we went about 30 miles in the rain and we stopped at the KOA in Denton/Sanger. The humans needed rest and I of course was ready to eat. We liked this KOA, especially the pond, which gave me some time to think about our future travels. With the help of the inspirational kitchen towel seen below (thanks to Momma Dog’s sister, Lisa Krueger for this thoughtful and timely gift)-I came to the realization that we are happy campers-even though sometimes there are tough days.

To celebrate our “on the road” status, the humans enjoyed beef kabobs for dinner-and I had some of that delicious meat. And to make things even better-there were smore’s cooked on our little grill.

We took many walks at this KOA, and took the obligatory sign pic and even saw a partial rainbow and some pretty sunsets.

On our way to Wichita, Kansas we traveled up familiar I-35. So far this has been our most traveled route. Upon our arrival in Wichita we parked at USI-RV Park. The people were friendly and we liked the little park on north 33rd Street. We enjoyed our visit from Connie and Scott Luty (college buddies of the humans) and I even got a few extra pats. Connie considers me “famous” and even gave us some home-grown tomatoes!

We had breakfast with Dana Smith (sister of Big Dog) and planned to head north towards Nebraska. Unfortunately, the engine would not start and thanks to the owner of the RV park, we regained power after tightening the battery connections within 30 minutes or so of discovering no power. A few hours later, as we cruised up I35 (actually I was snoozing), the humans heard a big bang and the next thing we knew the glass window on the entry door shattered into tiny pieces and began to fall away. Fortunately this was the outside window pane, and we stopped and called Geico and moved on. In retrospect, Big Dog and Momma Dog think either a bird or a rock hit us. The bad news is that this type of window will have to be manufactured, shipped and installed -in about six weeks!

The other bad news is that after the window broke, the door lock somehow jammed-and the humans and I could not exit the RV to survey the damage from the outside. So Momma Dog jumped out of the exit window in the bedroom, caught her watch on the window sill, and subsequently cut and bruised her hand. She was able to open the door from the outside and dot the road with a bit of fresh human blood.

We loved our RV Park in Kearney, Nebraska! It was clean and quiet and the weather was in the 50’s. We had a windshield view of a pretty pond and took a morning walk next to a corn field that had a sidewalk for us. Momma Dog really wanted to pick some corn-but Big Dog talked her out of it.

On our way to Eagle’s Rest RV Park in Chadron, Nebraska (which was full of mosquitos and not very impressive), the humans took the opportunity to eat their favorite Nebraska food-Runzas. We were able to park in a church parking lot near the Runza Restaurant, buy delicious peaches and pears and a Rocky Ford, Colorado cantaloupe from a nearby produce stand, as well as picnic in a shady spot nearby. This stop felt like a blessing after the trauma of the previous day.

We found ourselves in Rapid City, South Dakota at another KOA. After discovering the sewer hose was not long enough to reach the sewer, Momma Dog’s phone fell from her pocket and was crushed by Tana’s back tires as Big Dog backed up.

The humans encountered another interesting RV issue-the control pad for the leveling jacks would not light up and thus the leveling jacks would not go down to stabalize Tana. After many phone calls, taking apart the control pad, and crawling into the basement compartments on their backs to find the control box-they were not able to fix the problem but learned alot about their new multimeter, Atwood leveling jacks, and the challenge of diagnosis and treatment of a new issue for Tana. Apparently these ongoing problems are common in RV’s and can either bring a couple together or break them apart. So far, my humans are sticking together-although I do hear some interesting growling and barking from time to time.

The next day my humans left me on guard duty, rented a car from the KOA and headed into Rapid City for phone replacement at Verizon and a walking tour of the downtown. Their claim to fame is “The City of Presidents” and there is a statue of all the presidents, except the current one-who shall not be named in this blog, because he apparently does not own a dog.

The humans loved downtown Rapid City. They tried South Dakota beers (and food which featured bison) in a historic firehouse, walked through “Art Alley,” and found an amazing sculpture of a Native American woman among all the male presidents.

Our KOA was great, with a garden and a fun dog park. They also served pancakes and the cook brought Big Dog the “trout special” which was a pancake shaped like a fish and Momma Dog received a fancy rose pancake-and she gave it to me!

One day the humans left early in the morning to board a bus for a cowboy breakfast, driving tour and chuck wagon dinner. I missed them, but took a glorious nap and guarded our home on wheels.

The next stop was the Crazy Horse Memorial. Momma Dog was touched by the story of Korczak Ziolkowski and his family and will remember that it is okay to take a very long time to get things right.

The tour continued with a tour of Custer State Park, Needles Highway and Iron Mountain Road. The rock tunnels were VERY NARROW! They came home with stories of seeing bison, antelope, and Big Dog even fed popcorn to a bunch of burros.

Our last night in Rapid City brought delicious tacos, a camp fire (not my favorite thing) and a beautiful sunset.

We packed up, left North Dakota and drove to Devil’s Tower, also known as Bear Lodge in Wyoming. I posed with my humans who were amazed by this laccolithic butte, composed of igneous rock. Native Americans consider this area sacred, and it rises 1,267 feet above the Belle Fourche River.

We then had a long and very bumpy ride through Wyoming and Montana and North Dakota. We saw fields of sunflowers, corn, wheat and LOTS of round hay bails. Finally we made it to Medora, North Dakota. We rested and then the humans had a fun time at the “Pitch Fork Fondue” and Medora Musical.

We visited the Theodore Roosevelt National Park and are thankful for all his conservation efforts. His personal story is interesting and he certainly loved the west.

So the Bison is a very important animal and the humans have a new appreciation for this animal. Did you know the bison was recently named as the United States mammal? And did you know that Momma Dog and Big Dog sampled some bison stew while they were in the Dakotas?

We are headed to Bismark and beyond. We are happy and healthy and the humans continue to be planning new adventures.

Well, thank you for reading this lengthy travel blog! Please post your comments if you read to the end.

Kind regards, sniffs and woof-MAGIC

“The sun has riz, the sun has set, and here we is in Texas yet.”

Old Texas Jingle

Thanks for reading my travel blog. I am Magic, the Treeing Walker Coon Hound. My humans, Big Dog and Momma Dog, continue to coordinate and implement our full-time travels in our Class A Motorhome, known as Tana.

The first photo is actually from Wakeeney, Kansas at the Shiloh Vineyard and Winery. We drove from Estes Park on July 19 and arrived at this beautiful Harvest Host sight. The owners spotted us driving down the five mile country road as they were driving into town for dinner. They flagged us down and said to make ourselves at home.

Our next overnight stop on the way to Texas was Strataca Underground in Hutchinson, Kansas. This was an opportunity to go 650 feet underground in a working salt mine. The humans had to wear hard hats and jackets, and I voted to stay with Tana in the parking lot with the generator running the air conditioner.

Our next stop was Roadrunner RV Park in Norman, Oklahoma. We found it clean and tidy and I posed by a working oil well and a fire hydrant.

Finally on Sunday we arrived in Mansfield, Texas and left Tana behind for her body work. We stayed with Momma Dog’s cousin, Karen DeSimone and I LOVED having a backyard to run in!

The humans viewed a Claude Monet exhibit at the Kimball Art Museum in Fort Worth that was beautiful. Big Dog and Momma Dog and I had such a calm and comfortable visit with Karen DeSimone. We are so grateful for her hospitality during our eleven day stay.

Our next stop was the lovely Fort Worth, Texas home of Sarah Stringer. The humans took me on long walks in Foster Park and enjoyed being in Fort Worth. And I enjoyed being with Sarah’s dog, Keely. Keely at twelve human years- was an older woman and kindly tolerated my social awkwardness.

The humans dined with old friends in Fort Worth, and even brought home a few doggy bags. Not photographed was friend Brenda Vitemb.

One highlight for me is a trip to Z-Bonz Dog Park in Fort Worth, Texas. I love to be off my leash and this place was glorious! I ran with the big dogs, splashed in the pond and smiled from ear to ear.

And after my dip in the pond, Big Dog and Momma Dog took me to a nearby establishment for a bath-which was not fun at all.

Our next stop in Texas while still waiting on Tana’s repairs was Town Suites by Marriott in Fort Worth. The humans checked out some new places in Fort Worth, went swimming and shopping while I guarded the motel room. They especially enjoyed being with Nicci Kennedy and eating delicious food at King Tut (sorry no photo.)

The next thing I knew it was August 14 and I was hanging out with two beautiful black poodles. They are named Ella and Nina, and we ran and played both inside and outside their house in Wichita, Kansas (hometown of Big Dog.) My humans enjoyed their time with Big Dog’s sister, Dana Smith (mom of the poodles) and unsuccessfully tried to get me in her swimming pool.

Garden City, Kansas (Momma Dog’s hometown) was our next adventure to celebrate the 40th wedding anniversary of Steve and Neva Quakenbush. Steve is Momma Dog’s brother and they have LOTS of cats. I did try to eat their feline food and they seemed to scatter when they saw me, a 50 pound coon hound! The humans enjoyed the big party and I was able to sniff around their house and lick Neva’s tea cup to express my best wishes for more happy anniversaries.

While still in the sunflower state we drove to Lucas, Kansas in our rental car. Lucas is a quirky art community. The humans were amazed by the many bizarre and interesting art works of self-taught artists in many locations in this small town. Big Dog and Momma Dig also devoured some delicious home-made Bierock and Reuben sandwiches-and said there was none left for poor little Magic.

The humans especially enjoyed seeing the pottery of Momma Dog’s late Uncle Jim Mathews displayed at the Grass Roots Art Center. And they even bought some pottery tea bag holders made by him!

We returned to Arlington, Texas for a few more days of hospitality from Karen Desimone-and I again loved the big, grassy yard to sun and run in. Then on August 23 we picked up Tana from body and engine work and are off for new adventures. We have been without Tana for about 34 days and nights and are ready to hit the road! We really missed our home on wheels and the humans are now EXTRA careful drivers of the beautiful Tana. I will keep you posted on our travels because I heard rumors of Mount Rushmore!

Thank you to our friends and family and dogs in Texas and Kansas for fun times! Thanks for reading my travel blog!

Kind regards, sniffs and woof-MAGIC

“Rejoice with your family in the beautiful land of life.”

Albert Einstein

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

On Sunday, July 7, 2019 we arrived in Estes Park, Colorado at the Spruce Lake RV Park. The Big Thompson River was just steps away from our rig, Tana. And we had a view of Spruce Lake from our windshield. There were nice areas for dog “business”, a mini-golf course and the other usual RV park amenities. We had to hook our electricity to a 30 amp system instead of the usual 50 amps, which at first caused some issues, but the humans figured it out and we had sufficient electricity again. The humans were especially excited about the nearby Estes Park free shuttle that took them all over the area-but unfortunately no dogs were allowed! I also noticed other signage that seemed a bit discriminatory to the canine.

Soon we met up with the family of Big Dog’s brother, Reid-along with Pat, Rachel and Ben Smith. They are very familiar with the Estes Park area and my humans enjoyed spending time with them at their favorite restaurants, hikes and stores. Although the Smith Family from Kansas City visited our home on wheels, I was not able to really greet them due to my issues with new people and noise and fear of the unknown.

Pat drove all the Smith humans up on Trail Ridge Road to the Alpine Visitors Center. It was a beautiful day and they saw elk, beautiful mountains with snow and many shopping opportunities at the top. Reid drove the humans down the mountain for a picnic at the Alluvial Falls and some hiking.

The humans sampled delicious foods from many Estes Park restaurants and experienced the incredible Estes Park Farmer’s Market.

Big Dog and Momma Dog were invited guests of Reid and Pat to the YMCA of the Rockies Cabin Donor Picnic. They also met Joyce, Joe and Jill Minker (Pat’s sister, brother-in-law and niece) who had all the humans over for a delicious lasagna dinner at their Estes Park home. There was a sweet little canine there named Mandy, but I did not meet her since I stayed home.

One morning Momma Dog and I spotted several large elk feasting at the entrance to our RV Park. They were impressive, but did not want to play with me!

The biggest hiking day for the humans was a trip to Nymph Lake, Dream Lake and Emerald Lake. Pat saw an interesting water snake and had a chipmunk climb on her-and she didn’t even bark or run. Rachel had a close encounter with a yellow-bellied marmot. When they arrived home, Big dog and Momma Dog took a long nap and then took warm showers to recover from this day of family fun.

Big Dog and Momma Dog tried twice to hear Cowboy Brad in concert, but after a few songs like “Rocky Mountain High” and “You Are my Sunshine” the rain came down and the concert was over. Such is the summer life in Estes Park-rain, rain, rain.

The humans also connected with Jim and Betty Niquette and Lori Niquette-some Colorado cousins of Momma Dog. They ate and laughed and walked and were rained on in the beautiful town of Estes Park.

The humans enjoyed some Colorado beer and Big Dog tried out his new grill with s’mores and burgers!

On our last full day in Estes Park, Big Dog and Momma Dog drove to Loveland, Colorado to see Donna Lou Quakenbush, aunt of Momma Dog. They also saw Momma Dog’s cousin Gary Quakenbush and his wife Marian. I stayed home to guard the RV, and they told me stories of delicious Chinese and Vietnamese food, lots of human interaction and how a group of long horn sheep ran in front of them as they drove home on the highway.

I do enjoy yoga time with Big Dog and Momma Dog, as well as time spent sitting at Spruce Lake. They spent a lot of time in the Estes Park Library and coffee shops in search of quality internet, since this is often a problem in RV Parks-especially in the mountains.

Good-bye Estes Park, Colorado. Thank you for a beautiful place to connect with family members.

We received a bear warning on our last night at Spruce Lake RV Park, but saw none. And I am pretty sure I can run faster than any old bear!

The humans have informed me of a planned overnight at a Kansas winery, an underground Kansas salt museum and a night near Oklahoma City before arriving in Texas for Tana’s body work.

Kind regards, sniffs and woof-MAGIC

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

The humans seemed excited to try out their first KOA in Fort Collins, Colorado. KOA stands for Kampgrounds of America and it is the world’s largest system of privately held campgrounds across the United States and Canada, with about 500 locations. We were greeted by cheerful and efficient humans in bright yellow shirts who met our every need. After being in a state park in Texas, this KOA seemed luxurious-and even had a small dog park, a lake with a quiet walking trail and pedal boats that resembled pink flamingos, a green dragon and white swans. Dogs were not allowed on the dock where these beauties basked in the sun, but Momma Dog allowed me a brief peek. I also posed with a wise owl “whoo” told me I need to embrace RV life and not be afraid of new surroundings-but I am not sure I can accept this advice.

The humans rented a car and found a nice farmers market in Fort Collins, and brought me home a bottle with the words, “Authentic High Country Hemp.” I now get drops of this oil in my food-in hopes I will be a bit more mellow about leaving the RV when asked to. So, what better place than Colorado to try this out?

On Saturday, I stayed home to guard our home on wheels while the humans attended the Celebration of Life Service for Jean Prather. Jean has been a good friend of Momma Dog’s since about 1994 in Fort Worth-and her death from cancer in November of 2018 has been difficult for everyone who loved her. I was told the service was beautiful and the meal was delicious, and the memories of Jean brought lots of tears and smiles to the humans in attendance. Momma Dog and Big Dog especially enjoyed seeing Jesse, Daniel and Elliana Weiner (Jean’s daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter) as they so tenderly placed Jean’s ashes next to a beautiful rose bush overlooking the Colorado mountains in their yard. Rest in peace Jean. Thanks for being Momma Dog’s friend and confidant.

The humans also enjoyed seeing their Texas friends, Sarah and Matthew Stringer who also attended the celebration of life service. They had breakfast together at a cool place called Rainbow Restaurant in Fort Collins and took this photo-and no I was not there. I would have loved to sample the Momma Dog’s sweet potato latkes-but they did not even bring me a piece of bacon.

The next day was a five mile hike with an old friend from Nebraska, Ken Maguire. Now Big Dog and Ken used to run together in the early 1980’s when their legs and other body parts allowed acceleration that is no longer possible. Ken encouraged my humans to bring me along on a dog-friendly trail, and I jumped at the chance to see the Colorado countryside near Lyons. There were mountains, water falls, trees and flowers-oh my. I even did a bit of exploration in the water to cool off my tired paws. Ken took us to a cute place for lunch with delicious food, and I loved a few bites of chicken salad and cool Colorado water. Unfortunately our rental car had a blow out on our way home, but Momma Dog retrieved the hub cap from a busy street and Big Dog quickly changed the tire. I had a nice nap, since I was exhausted from hiking and then we were on our way. Later, Ken came to look at Tana and even though Ken was my friend, I hid in the bedroom. The humans and I loved our day with Ken Maguire full of exercise, friendship and conversation-and I even received some extra goodbye pats from Ken.

Our hour trip to Cheyenne, Wyoming was quick and we spent some time resting in the truckers area at a Pilot gas station until check in time arrived. The KOA in Cheyenne was much smaller than what we had in Fort Collins, and we missed the grass and trees and mountains. However, the humans had fun playing mini-golf and horse shoes, and I was fascinated with the numerous prairie dog holes and jack rabbits seen on my walks. The Wyoming sky gave us a big welcome the first night with a rainbow and gorgeous sunset.

On July 4, my humans went into Cheyenne for afternoon tea at Rx Tea Time-which is not a place for dogs. They said it was a Victorian house with delicious tea and a beautiful garden. Then the humans visited the restored Cheyenne Depot and learned about the impact of Union Pacific Railroad on Cheyenne, and saw several trains. Big Dog spotted an exhibit that called Cheyenne “The Magic City of the Plains”-which spoke to me. And they rode Cheyenne’s Railway Trolley with a knowledgable guide all around Cheyenne and experienced boots, horses, a steam engine called “Big Boy,” Wyoming craft beer and viewed the gold dome on the Wyoming State Capitol. Fortunately, the fireworks were far from me, and I slept well that night.

Momma Dog told me that Wyoming is known as the equality state, and is celebrating the 150th year anniversary of women’s right to vote. Wyoming had the first female governor, the first female justice of the peace, the first all-female jury, the first female bailiff and the first female superintendent of public instruction. All men and women should be proud of the work of women-and this state has made a mark on history.

The humans also toured the Wyoming State Museum, and saw the gold capitol dome again. The capitol is closed for extensive renovation and will re-open later in July on Wyoming’s statehood day.

And they also took a long walk to find the Cheyenne Botanic Gardens-and among many lovely plants, a labyrinth, and pink flamingos-there was a beautiful guide dog sculpture and an amazing dog house with a living roof. I sure wish I could sleep in a house like this!

We all loved the beautiful evening skies in Wyoming, and had some rain and lots of storm warnings.

Thanks for reading my travel blog. We have reconnected with friends on this leg of the trip-and are grateful for these friendships. Big Dog and Momma Dog are planning a trip to Estes Park next. We are headed to Spruce Lake RV Park, and I have heard rumors of some family members there.

Kind regards, sniffs and woofs-MAGIC

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

Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.

C.S. Lewis

Thanks for joining me, Momma Dog and Big Dog on our journey. I am Magic, the Treeing Walker Coonhound and travel blogger. We are living full-time in our 2012 Newmar Ventana LE (known as Tana), which is a 39 foot Class A Motorhome.

June 14, 2019 found us entering Cedar Hill State Park after a literal bump in the road. Unfortunately, a utility pole encountered the passenger side of Tana during a right hand turn-which is always risky when driving a big vehicle. Momma Dog cut the turn too short because a car was in the intersection and she was in panic mode. We all felt sad and a bit horrified when we got out at the state park to see the damage. Momma Dog feels so ashamed-kind of like the time I wasn’t paying enough attention while running at the dog park and ran smack dab into a big pine tree. (Bark about embarrassed!) As always, Big Dog was calm and quiet-which certainly helped the situation. The humans have not shared this information with many family and friends and I have heard them say they really don’t want to talk about it.

This was our first state park experience in the motorhome and the place was packed for Father’s Day weekend. We got settled in and everyone slept well except Momma Dog. I became more and more hesitant to leave the motorhome when asked-and the humans used their best persuasive tactics (physical and psychological) to assist me in this process.

On Saturday, the humans met dear friends Holly and David Brown for a restaurant dinner and then they visited us at our new home site. Unfortunately, they did not bring their Border Collie along-and I spent the evening hiding in the bedroom. David did bring his drone and the humans were amazed at the flight and photographic capabilities of this little thing. Holly and Julie enjoyed s’mores cooked over the fire-complete with a birthday candle for Momma Dog’s 60th birthday.

We had our first overnight guest (a dog-lover) when Annette Smith (sister of Big Dog) came to see us. The humans had birthday fun (without me), but I managed to get some hugs.

The next day, we had a visit from some of the Cleworth family (Jim, Glenna, Catherine and Aspen) for a picnic and birthday cake. Glenna brought everything needed and the humans wagged their tails into the afternoon. Jim and Glenna have dutifully visited the humans in all moves since 2006, including Amarillo, North Carolina, Michigan and Plano-but Big Dog says they won’t be able to keep track of us now! Their canines did not make the trip to Cedar Hill State Park, so I took a good nap.

Cedar Hill State Park was warm and beautiful. The humans encountered chiggers, saw huge tarantulas and were surprised by an invasion of Argentine ants crawling on the outside and inside of our home on wheels. I experienced lots of stickers, and am getting accustomed to my “go to the bathroom walks” instead of just being turned outside in the backyard to do my business. We had many walks and talks and laughs at Cedar Hill State Park-and sometimes life felt a bit difficult, especially when there was a BIG thunderstorm with strong wind that kept us all awake. It was great to be close to the DFW Metroplex area, yet we felt far way from home at times as we became more accustomed to full-time life in our home on wheels.

Big Dog and Momma Dog and I took Tana to an RV body shop for an insurance quote, and we spent two nights in a hotel near Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington. We all missed being in Tana, and could not wait to get her back and move back in. During that time, we met Momma Dog’s kind cousin, Karen DeSimone, for breakfast and she gave us a jigsaw puzzle with the quote seen below. I think we are beginning to read a very interesting “tail” with lots of pages!

Joanna visited on our last leg of our stay. We had a campfire (well actually I stayed in the rig) while the three humans cooked and ate some delicious s’mores. Big Dog and Momma Dog always love being with Jo, as she entertains them with stories of her travels and teaching and adulting. To mark our entry into true full-time on the road life, they gave Big Dog’s Camry to her-and she drove off into the sunset.

We left Cedar Hill State Park, and just a few hours up the road in Oklahoma, as we prepared to purchase expensive diesel fuel, Big Dog managed to scrape the other side of Tana with the barrier to the gas pump. I guess he underestimated the 38 feet and 8 inch length of Tana. Again, we all felt sad and horrified-and if you remember Cousin Eddie’s RV from Christmas Vacation, we think our Tana may look like that soon. Actually, Momma Dog felt kind of relieved that she was not the only one to bang up the RV-although her damage is a bit worse than Big Dog’s. I think her quote was, “Welcome to the party, Kendall!”

Thanks for reading my travel blog! We are grateful for our loyal friends and family who have supported us in this adventure and even paid an entrance fee at the state park to spend time with us. Our next stops include our first boondocking nights (no hook-ups to water and electricity) at a Kansas winery, a Lincoln, Nebraska auto museum and a railway yard in North Platte, Nebraska-all on our way to Colorado.

Kind regards, sniffs and woofs-MAGIC

Thanks for joining me! I am Magic, the Treeing Walker Coonhound. I am a new travel blogger and hope to capture the journey in our new home on wheels, a 2012 Newmar Ventana LE, which is a Class A Motorhome. I have never had a dog house before, but this gives me lots of space for my bed, food and water, and a few other canine-related things-all put in one backpack by Momma Dog (Julie).

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton

So, you might be wondering-how did this all come about? I remember Big Dog (Kendall) talking about retirement while we were walking and the next thing I knew, they had purchased the motorhome, named it Tana, and we started moving out of the Plano, Texas sticks and bricks house.

The humans did lots of soul-searching, financial planning, research and finally purchased Tana at the end of February, 2019. They took driving lessons and even had to obtain a Texas Class B driver license because Tana weighs over 26, 0001 pounds.

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So, after weeks of preparation, on May 31, 2019, we left our home-(goodbye big backyard with bunnies to chase and my daily walks around the little lake at Bob Woodward Park in Plano!) And hello to our first camping spot in Livingston, Texas in the Piney Woods north of Houston. We stayed at Rainbow’s End Park. The humans joined Escapees, which is an RV club, and Rainbow’s End is the national headquarters for Escapees. This park is a nice place for all kinds of RV travelers and also offers assisted living for retired people who still live in their RV but are now unable to travel. The humans took me on many walks, visited Livingston and saw a parade, went swimming, ate some delicious breakfasts cooked in the Care Center, and I met lots of canine and human friends. We learned about the mail forwarding service we use, and if you want to send me a card or letter with a dog treat enclosed, the humans and I can be reached at 151 Rainbow Drive #5129, Livingston, TX 77399.

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So the humans went hiking in the Sam Houston National Forest without me. I volunteered to stay behind and guard our home on wheels. Big Dog obtained his “America the Beautiful Pass” (using his senior discount), they had their lunch on a fallen tree, and even saw a Smokey the Bear sculpture.

That night the visited their dear friend, Sally Leonard and her sister-in-law Debbie. Sally had two beautiful brown labradors at her home. The humans drank wine, ate barbecue and laughed and talked so much they forgot to take a photo!

The humans also visited the house they once lived in, located in Conroe, Texas. They reported a large metal sculpture of two pistols affixed to the chimney at the front of the house and the words, “We don’t call 911!” They were afraid to take a photo at this location-and probably should have had me there for protection.

Our next stop is Cedar Hill State Park in Cedar Hill, Texas. Thanks for being good company on our journey!

Kind regards, sniffs and woofs-MAGIC