And…we’re off! Twice!

Day one was full of surprises. I had the car all loaded up by 6:20 with Timi in his travel crate behind my seat, and Clyde in his travel crate in the way back… or so I thought. We took off in the dark and Clyde was being awfully quiet. I figured it was the gabapentin kicking in, but felt like I’d better check. So after driving for nearly one hour, I pulled into a Rest Area to make sure he was okay.

Imagine my surprise to find Clyde’s crate was empty! Only then did I notice the partially unzipped side door. (I had put him in via the crate’s front door.) Evidently Houdini Cat had slipped out the back before we ever drove off.

Moments later I received a text from my next door neighbor alerting me that she had just seen Clyde through her window, wearing his harness and dragging his leash behind. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Long story short, I turned around at the next exit, drove back home, picked Clyde up at the house (by this time he had pulled a Peter Rabbit— somehow slipping out of his harness with attached leash and losing them both), and departed for the second time, at 9:00 AM.

A quick stop at the pet store to purchase a new, more secure (I hope) harness-leash combo, and a new, more secure crate (he tore open a hole in the first one, en route to the pet store!) and finally we were on our way.

Seven hours and 469 miles later we arrived at our first pet-friendly hotel of the journey, located in Dunkirk, NY—a town right next-door to Fredonia, NY where, random memory alert, I think my brother went to prep school a million years ago.

Hoping for a good nights rest in preparation for a big 10-hr day tomorrow. That’s all for now. See you in St. Louis!