Two months ago we set off in our SUV for an epic 2-week road trip with Brodie Brown in the backseat. We had some firm plans; a wedding and a fundraiser to attend on specific dates, but the middle and end had some flexibility. We found our way through 6 states over 2,600 miles and 5 different lodging situations. We all survived. Mark fell out of the game about 4 days into the trip due to family issues & work, he had to fly home. But Brodie and I carried on the mission and finished the trip as the dynamic duo. This is the long tale of our adventures…and the celebration of Brodie’s 7th birthday.
The first six hours were okay, no one was grating on nerves that were overly exposed. We stopped in the middle of Nevada, checked into a pet friendly hotel and decided to walk to dinner –BBQ at the Pig – they welcomed Brodie on their patio and made him a hamburger for dinner. Great dog friendly establishment if you find yourself in Nevada and in need of BBQ, it was delicious. We all walked back and shared the king size bed for the night. So far so good! The next day, not so great; the stories are predictable: Brodie jumps into the front seat about 15 mins into our drive – laptop goes to the floor, my phone (with a conversation in progress) flies onto the dashboard, Mark freaks out and pulls over on the freeway. This isn’t going so hot. The next 6 hours involve a few heated human words of disagreement and end with me driving to Idaho Falls and Brodie in the front passenger seat – with my 6’4” husband folded into the backseat with no room – but no Labrador driving him crazy either.
After a stop for supplies we arrived in rural Swan Valley, ID and promptly met the cutest yellow Labrador, Ginger. She lives with the caretaker at the Sleepy J Cabins and she and Brodie became friends – as only Labradors can over running, chasing, tennis balls, and rough housing. Over the next several days he ran in the pasture, visited everyone on their porches, and made friends everywhere he went. We took him to my cousin’s wedding…what else to do when you are in the middle of nowhere and can’t leave your dog in the cabin you’ve rented? He was well behaved and Mark paid my young cousin to walk him a few times that night and keep him occupied – winning!
Our next adventure awaited in Jackson Hole, WY – only an hour drive from our spot in Idaho – and we decided to make a day of it. Both of us had been to Jackson Hole previously and knew what to expect and Brodie was amazingly well behaved – both on the drive and in town. He let everyone pet him, he was patient while we tasted Vodka – Teton Distillery is a must if you find yourself in Jackson Hole (Andrew and Tim in the tasting room were amazing and we had a great experience, so did Brodie), he cruised through town, we got thrown out of the city center park (no dogs allowed, and apparently signs are posted), and chilled while we had lunch at Café Genevieve – deliciousness again (we are eating well on this trip!). The Café staff was great with Brodie: brought water, let him rest, and fussed over him just the right amount. His favorite was all the kids in the park who showered him with adoration and told him all the stories about their vacation days: ATV rides, fishing, eating out, everything kids love about vacation! He was pooped when we left and slept until the next day, only waking to eat dinner.
As we pulled out of Swan Valley the next morning I begged both Mark and Brodie to let me look at the 10 week old black Labrador puppies for sale right next door… I got a resounding “NO” from both of them. So I left with my tail between my legs and gave up the puppy dreams swimming through my brain. Next we found ourselves in Pocatello, Idaho staying with family for a few days and tackling enormous to-do lists for our big fundraiser in Washington the following weekend. We dropped Mark off at the airport and set up camp at my aunt’s house. Within 5 mins of being there Brodie found a plush toy that he promptly paraded out for everyone to see. I freaked out…hoping this wasn’t some early Christmas gift for a grandchild or a favorite toy that stayed safely on a dresser or nightstand. Brodie was relieved to find out none of those things were true and they he could have the plush toy – we promptly named her Penny (she was a penguin). Which reminded me, he DESTROYED Ginger’s toy before we left, ripping off an arm and of course tearing out all the stuffing. I quickly logged into Amazon and send a new toy Ginger’s way… we couldn’t leave Idaho without replacing her toy.
We celebrated Brodie’s 7th Birthday in Pocatello with some carrot cake and a small rendition of “Happy Birthday to you…” my aunt’s new husband confirmed that he thought I was crazy. This was after I made him sing happy birthday to my Labrador and took over their fridge with all of Brodie’s dietary needs: eggs, cottage cheese, chicken, and rice. His exact words “I think Brodie eats better than I do”.
Next stop…Walla Walla, WA – hoped for six hours, but reasonably knew with appropriate dog stops it would be closer to eight. We pulled into Walla Walla just past dusk, we had both been in the car a long, long time and wanted OUT. We walked downtown for about 30 minutes, just stretching our legs and checking out places for dinner. I opted for take-out instead – although MANY of the restaurants were dog friendly, I wasn’t in the mood for other people’s dogs and there was one on almost every patio seating area we approached. Another king size bed shared with a Labrador. In the morning we went out for Breakfast, this time stopping at “Bacon and Eggs” – appropriate for what we were looking for. We sat outside in the warm morning sun, they scrambled Brodie a few eggs and I shared some of my hash browns (I knew after that he wouldn’t eat his kibble in the room, but I was okay with that). We completely enjoyed the breakfast there and the people, the servers all came by to pet him and share their stories about their dogs: past, present and future. We felt like family when we left.
Headed out for Bremerton, WA – 8 more hours in a car! Yay! Just tried to jazz us both for the drive and stay positive. We stopped at the Seattle airport to pick up my godmother and Brodie was relieved to see family, so relieved that at some point he ended up in her lap! I figured out the mystery though…going back to the second day in Nevada when Brodie jumped in my lap. I thought Brodie wanted to be with me…not so. If you hit a rumble strip on the side of the road, he freaks OUT, and will literally jump into anyone’s lap. Now this clearly isn’t a safe situation; so note to self as I finish this road trip solo, avoid rumble strips. At some point that evening after checking into the next hotel Brodie ended up in Puget Sound; I had handed him off to Aunt Susie for a walk while I waited for my take-out (yes, take-out again) and a few minutes later she called “hi, is it okay…SPLASH…never mind” Brodie was in the water and having the time of his life. He deserved it after the time in the car, the apparent trauma that rumble strips cause, and his overall good demeanor on this trip.
The fundraiser was a SMASHING success, if I do say so myself. My family runs a non-profit for K9 law enforcement: Gavin Buchanan Memorial Foundation and we were in town to fundraise for the local law enforcement with the Horse & Cow Bar and Pub. Brodie spent the day playing with friends, listening to all the music, staying out of the way, and trying to get people to give him “just a bite” of whatever was on their plates. He stayed in his crate when he needed some alone time, and endured the heat of the day – which was shocking for a September afternoon in Washington. And after a day that went from 7 AM to 7 PM we were both exhausted. We sat down at the Horse & Cow, they served me a burger & poured me a glass of wine and made Brodie some chicken and rice. Winning again! These dog friendly places are amazing – Kudos to the proprietors and the staff who welcome well behaved dogs!
We both woke up exhausted the next day and I decided to call the trip over. It wasn’t the original plan; we had 2-3 more days planned on the road. I wanted home, so did Brodie, and we both missed Mark. I called the next series of hotels down the road and cancelled them all. I was committing us to a 12-hour drive home. As we loaded the car there were a few mishaps; I didn’t look to hard for his leash and I didn’t care – but other people did and they were terrified at the 85 lb Labrador that treated the hallways like an Indy Car speedway, more than one person screamed as we rounded a corner and Brodie completely surprised her. As we packed up the car we met a couple from…you won’t believe it…Swan Valley, ID. How could that happen you ask, I’m still dumbfounded at how small this world is sometimes. Even more eerie, they told me about their young Labrador puppy they were going home to (I wonder if it was one of the puppies I couldn’t have!). We wished them well – all three of them and their new life Living with a Labrador.
I stopped to kiss my cousin on the way out of town; he is a full grown man now, but in my heart I still see him as a toddler. I love this kid more than life itself, and I couldn’t leave town without one more hug. This gave Brodie the opportunity to meet Hank – the chocolate lab that is twice his size. It was little chocolate and big chocolate finally meeting!
We pulled into Portland a few hours later and I realized how far I had pushed the limits with this dog. I stopped for gas, rolled down all the windows, and hopped out of the car. The attendant came immediately towards me hollering “you CANNOT pump your own gas”. Oops, didn’t know the laws in Oregon. So he promptly got my gas flowing and asked to pet my Labrador. Sure, of course, this dog is friendly as it gets. Unless he has been on the road for nearly two weeks with every stranger touching him and he has decided he is over it. Brodie hunkered down in the far reaches of the car, well out of petting distance. He did NOT want to be touched. Okay then. Sorry gas pump attendant, you cannot pet the cute Labrador today. We were on our way. Many hours and a few rest stops into it we stopped again, this time just 2-3 hours from home. We walked for a while and just enjoyed being out of the car and the last few minutes before the sun started to set to the west. Met a girl in the bathroom who cried when she saw him; she just lost her dog. I cried. Something about the emotion drew him to her and in his only act of kindness that day Brodie let her love on him. We finished the last few hours on the highway with lots of music and singing – I finally learned all the words to the new Kenny Chesney song that had just been released. When we pulled into our driveway there were two souls who knew they were right where they needed to be and that the sacrifice of the day was worth it.
I don’t ever plan to do that again; push either of us into a 12 hour driving day. We were both happy to be home again but thrilled with the adventure we left behind. It was the trip of a lifetime with my faithful companion!
brandinarvaez
Living with a Labrador 