March 18, 2016: Rossford, Ohio

Traveling Lessons…

Stretched her legs a little farther today – 142 miles to Rossford, Ohio, where EEE will be bowling USBC State Championship April 9th & 10th. Here I am giving the thumbs up at the beginning of the journey…a BATH for RVimana to wash off the Winter. Now we know we are a Class 2 vehicle on the Ohio Turnpike. Being Good Sam members, we found a Flying J gas station at Exit 71 (N 280), where we get 3 cents off per gallon. Too bad we realized we left our card at home when we got there…OOPS!

I learned a small, but messy lesson, too: cups with lids are necessary during travel – my beverage quaked itself onto the dashboard quite nicely from my mug even though it was in my new non-slip cup holder with every bump in the road!

Discovery…

Checked out Interstate Lanes and stopped at Bass Pro Shops to spend a gift card EEE got for Christmas on some fishing stuff. Was really happy to see a Camping World right next door -I know where we will be staying April 9th! The bowling alleys are merely minutes away. This will be a nice, safe place for our first overnighter!

Pet RV Tips:

It was also Kaycee, our Doxle dog’s first time being left in her travel crate while we made several short stops to eat, visit family and shop. We prepped her crate with familiar smelling pillows and blankets from our house to ensure her comfort and placed it under the table in the dinette where it was nice and “cavelike” as our dog likes to sleep under things – my desk, our kitchen booth at home, etc.

We would highly recommend this kind of “training trip” for your dog – you will be able to see how they react to being left alone and combat any barking or stress issues prior to venturing out on a longer trip. Kaycee did quite well – she did whine and resist entering the crate at first, but once in, we only heard a few protesting barks to see if anyone was out there. We tip-toed back each time after 15 – 60 minutes away and found her laying quietly. After the first time, she seemed to understand we would return, just like at home.

I found that having her restrained by leash to the cockpit of the RV was more comfortable for her than traveling in her crate. I secured it to my chair. She has @ 5 foot radius to move about in, but will not become a projectile upon sudden stops. She can’t reach under the driver’s feet, but can curl up under mine in the passenger area, or sit on my lap and look out the window, which she seems to enjoy. She just barely reached the bench, where she stretched out and slept for much of the way home.

Another plus – when EEE got out at the gas station, Kaycee went for the door. Beng tethered, she couldn’t reach, but it made us realize how careful we have to be when entering and exiting with pets in the RV. We plan to introduce our cats to our RV as well, so it is nice to be learning these things up front!