The Adventures of Dooley and Me Part 18 - On the Road in The US of A!

The adventures of Dooley and Me – Part 17

Life on the road in the US of A!

As Dooley and I get ready to head out west again, we’re packing and planning our route!

Last year we took a more northern route across the country as we were headed initially to Boise, Idaho.

We headed across the US of A in my new Jeep Grand Wagoneer. Dooley had a new foldable crate which made it much easier to set him up with a nice comfy, familiar bed as we traveled the 2500 miles to Boise, then down to Telluride Colorado for a couple of weeks, and then a couple weeks heading down to the Texas Hill country and the Kerrville Welcome Home Festival.

We took a north-ish route up through Memphis, St Louis, Kansas City, Southern Nebraska, Southern Wyoming, Northern Utah to Boise. We spent a lot of time on Interstate 80 traveling west, almost a thousand miles traveling through what could easily be called the middle of nowhere. Southern Nebraska and Wyoming provide a different, rugged country, … at times scenic for its rugged beauty.  I’ve learned to appreciate some country that’s has no or little vegetation. It could be said …  it’s SO NOT PRETTY that it’s uniquely beautiful.

A thousand miles worth of unique beauty and very few exits can make a long trip…  at least this time I didn’t run out of gas … (Lesson learned a few years ago, In Wyoming, Nebraska, Dakota’s, …  NEVER pass up a gas station if you have less than 2/3 a tank of gas 😊)

However, 2500 miles in four or five days takes it’s toll. And is bound to have its share of ups and downs. For instance … Rawlins, Wyoming … one thousand miles from Boise on I-80 … Two hotel/motels, a gas station, and a Walmart. What else could we need? …  An HDMI cable to stream something on the TV, since there was no cable tv at the hotel. (but there was cell service)

 So I took my brand new Grand Wagoneer (with about 2,000 miles on it) to get some gas and go to Walmart and grab an HDMI cable … Remember those big YELLOW cement bases Walmart puts around the base of their light poles in the parking lot? You know, they’re just low enough so that you might not see them if you’re in a big car next to them … They do a great job protecting the light pole … they’re not so good for your car … (and yes, lots of yellow paint on my car, … looked like I had hit a school bus!)

Labor Day weekend in Rawlins, Wyoming … not much going on … impossible to find a body shop or mechanic … I managed to crowbar my fender out from my wheel and limp the last thousand miles into Boise.  The dealership there said it would be a 3 month wait before they could even start on it ….Hmmm …

Then I noticed a brand-new Grand Wagoneer in the parking lot. It was pretty much my only option if I was going to finish the rest of our trip, and yes, the dealership knew that … We finally agreed on a deal … (I paid their price) ☹

So now It’s that time of year again! Time to head west to find cooler altitudes, attitudes, and adventures! We’re going to take I-40 out this time. More population, gas stations, Walmarts, construction, traffic jams … and adventures!

Next: Tupelo, Dooley, and Elvis! (and Nipper?)