Traveling Western US National Parks & Monuments

[Pat and Traveler]

I'm losing track of where I posted this, sorry!  I'm a new doodlekisser and probably making all kinds of blunders like that--but here's some info the Dood and I collected while traveling last September.

 

 

[Pat and Traveler]

Ooops...this should have been with the first part...

Last fall, mid-September, Traveler and I went on a 3200 mile road trip through several Western states. There were a few things I learned from the trip that might prove helpful to other newbie ‘taking the dawg’ road trippers.

#1–LODGING. Look for motels/hotels that have exterior corridors. That means you open your room door and you’re outside. This is really helpful at potty-time. Inside corridors means you get to take the dog down the corridor, probably through the lobby, and then outside. Not fun if you’re just awake with bed-head or dressed in jammies and a robe.

If you have AAA, part of their lodging description includes which motels/hotels are dog friendly. If you travel like I did, without reservations, this is BIG! You can also google ‘pet friendly lodging in ...,’ whatever town or city you’ll be staying in. I didn’t have a laptop, which would probably have helped. Cell phones are great for calling from the road to see if the motel/hotel has a pet-friendly room available. Sometimes I called two or three places before I found a room at the inn, and I wasn’t traveling during high season. Some motel chains, such as Motel 6, advertise that all locations are pet friendly, and I don’t think they charge a pet fee. Otherwise, expect to pay about $10-$25 per day for the luxury of staying in a pet-friendly room.

#2–WHAT TO TAKE IN THE CAR. Take your dood’s regular food–a road trip isn’t a good time to experiment with a new diet, for obvious reasons. Keep a good supply of poo bags right with you, for rest stop or roadside potty breaks. Take a couple of your dood’s favorite toys–this was a great help when I was settled into a room after a long day on the road, and Trav, who’d been mostly sleeping all day, was full of energy and ready to play. Your dood’s bed or favorite blanket is a nice thing to bring along.

#3–FOOD, YOURS. I ended up eating way more fast food than I either expected or wanted, because I couldn’t leave Trav alone in a motel room for more than a few minutes and didn’t like leaving him in the car when I couldn’t see him. Plus, I was traveling mostly in desert country, and it was too hot to leave him in the car. Most of the motels I stayed in had a little refrigerator and microwave, so it was possible to do some food preparation there, but that involved shopping, which again meant leaving him in the car.

#4–NO DOGS ALLOWED. In National Parks, on the trails or paths, even if they’re paved. This pretty much limits you to walking your dog in the camp grounds or parking lots. National Monuments are more dog-friendly, and I was able to hike with Trav on-leash on the trails at Monuments. State parks vary–some are okay with leashed dogs on the trails, some aren’t. The websites for parks tell you their pet policies, and/or that policy is posted by the park entrance.



Happy trails to all you roadies!!!

[Linda, Webber and Seda]

La Quinta is pet friendly without an extra charge for the dogs. I found La Quinta to be nicer, and cleaner, than any of the Motel 6's where I stayed.  When we got to Yellowstone, they told me if the dog got out of the car, to watch out for bears!  Oops.  I found Garmin GPS was very helpful, as it will give you a list of all the motels any where near where you are and you can get directions directly to the motel.  Be sure you are working with the most recent US maps.  I carried a cooler in the car with soda, water, luncheon meats, cheese, yogurt, mayo and hard boiled eggs.  Another basket had dry goods like little boxes of cereal, crackers, bread, cookies and energy bars.  This limited the amount of time I had to go to the drive through.  The motels had coffee in the morning, so I think I ate out twice in a 7 thousand mile trip.  Of course I ate with my relatives an friends along the way.  Traveling with a doodle is great fun.

[Jacqui and RosyNose]

Kimpton Hotels and Four Sisters Inn's are pet friendly too.  Both have several locations in Northern and Southern CA.  Kimpton does not charge for pet's, Four Sister's Inn does in the 12 locations where pets are welcome.  Kimpton Hotels classify themselves as "boutique", they are somewhat upscale and rated as 4 stars out of 5.  Kimpton takes great pride (and some humor) in their pet friendliness http://www.kimptonhotels.com/services/pet-friendly.aspx Four Sister's Inns is a little more reserved in their approach http://www.foursisters.com/pets.htm .

We stayed at the Kimpton Hotel Palomar in San Francisco with Rosy, it was a total success without any drama at check in or check out; they even have water bowls and other amenities available for your convenience if needed.  We are planning to take Rosy to wine country with us in May and stay at a Four Sister's Inn...will let you all know how it works out.