Dachshund Wilhelm says the best way to celebrate #NationalDogDay is with an adventure! #DogDaysOfSummer pic.twitter.com/LcsnowhS6U
— Bethany Clochard (@CascadianNomads) August 26, 2015
Typist: Bethany
On a recent camping trip, Wilhelm celebrated his eighth birthday. While eight is still relatively young for a dachshund, every time any of the Cascadian Nomads get one year older I reflect on all of the amazing journeys the dogs, cat, cockatoo and I have enjoyed together. I also can't help but daydream of the pet friendly adventures I still yearn for us to take. Of course, this aging traveler contemplation mostly involves the way too short lifespans of dogs and cats but also I ponder how long I will stay physically capable of travels involving living out of a van for weeks on end with five pets in tow. (Which is the only way to travel, I think!) The Cascadian Nomads have seen so much together already and for that I am forever grateful. But the inherent wanderlust in me wants more. More! Here is the short list of my dream pet friendly journeys:
On a recent camping trip, Wilhelm celebrated his eighth birthday. While eight is still relatively young for a dachshund, every time any of the Cascadian Nomads get one year older I reflect on all of the amazing journeys the dogs, cat, cockatoo and I have enjoyed together. I also can't help but daydream of the pet friendly adventures I still yearn for us to take. Of course, this aging traveler contemplation mostly involves the way too short lifespans of dogs and cats but also I ponder how long I will stay physically capable of travels involving living out of a van for weeks on end with five pets in tow. (Which is the only way to travel, I think!) The Cascadian Nomads have seen so much together already and for that I am forever grateful. But the inherent wanderlust in me wants more. More! Here is the short list of my dream pet friendly journeys:
- Drive to Alaska (the only state in the US I have never been to!)*
- Ferry to the Haida Gwaii Islands (my family did this when I was young and I loved it!)*
- Drive to Florida then up the Eastern seaboard to Maine (I also did this as a child but would love to experience it as an adult with my pets!)
- Drive across Canada* (I have done this road trip before but would love to share a journey through the provinces with the dogs.)
- Do a Great Lakes Tour (I am proud that I have seen all of the lakes but I would love for my pets to do the same, especially Leo who seems to have a great appreciation for lakes and large bodies of water.)
- Drive to Mexico*
- Drive the full US Length of the Mississippi River
- Drive the full US Length of the Columbia River
*Dog and cat only; Leo cannot attend border crossing road trips.
As I look at that list of journeys I long to take with my furry and feathery travel buddies, I wonder if there will be enough time and money to make it happen while the dogs and cat are young enough to enjoy each and every hiking, exploring, camping moment. As we all age and another summer ends, I catch myself wishing we had done more together. Then I remember how far we have already traveled and am immensely thankful. There are billions of people who have not experienced the travel wonders my pets have! We are some lucky nomads. And even if we only have time left together for adventures in our special little corner of Cascadia, that's okay too.
A big thank you to Personal Creations Pets for sending us the fabulous "Cascadian Nomads Adventurer" pet carrier featured in this post. We are looking forward to putting lots of miles on this little red crate!
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