The Cookie Chronicles

(On The Road Part One)

Mrs. G and I would be the first to admit that we are not RV people. But we do like long road trips. Just during the six year long process of moving out of a 2,400 square foot home in Seattle and into our 1,000 square foot Waitsburg cottage, we made literally hundreds of trips back and forth. That is when we perfected the fine art of packing our SUV with vast amounts of stuff.

This all happened in the pre-Cookie days. If Cookie got to cast a vote on road trip transportation, it would definitely be in favor of an RV, and the bigger the better. However, non-bill paying members of the family don't get to vote on such matters. Which is why one cold day in January 2013 Cookie found herself wedged into the back seat of our SUV along with numerous coolers full of food, suitcases packed with two months' worth of clothing suitable for both Northwest winter and Southwest desert weather, two guitars, seven cases of wine, a dog kennel, numerous dog-related necessities and a wide variety of computer gear.

She was about to embark on her first long road trip, and before we got past Walla Walla she was unhappy and letting us hear all about it.

Though more of a shiner than a whiner, Cookie is not shy about expressing an opinion, and we heard an awful lot of complaining as we headed toward the Oregon coast. What we couldn't explain-in part because this was as much a voyage into the unknown for us as it was for her-was all the good things that might happen along the way. As for the rest, well, that's what makes travel an adventure, isn't it?

Our ultimate destination was Palm Springs, where we'd rented a casita to stay in while visiting family. But getting there was going to involve a good week or more of driving, with numerous stops, both planned and unplanned, along the way.

On this first day our first challenge was finding a place for the Cookster to do her business. If you've driven on Highway 84 from Walla Walla to Portland you know that rest stops are few and far between, and when you do find one, it's not always clear where (or if) pets are allowed. [SEE PHOTO]

OK, not an insurmountable challenge. But eating and sleeping proved more difficult. For one thing, we are completely opposed to leaving the dog alone in the car. Not even for a quick bite in a restaurant. Which meant that all of our meals while driving had to be eaten in the car, because in January in Oregon there isn't much in the way of outdoor dining where dogs would be allowed.

We'd already decided to begin a rather demanding diet cleanse-hence the coolers-so eating snack lunches in the car was do-able. But dinners were more complicated. With darkness closing in by late afternoon, we'd need dog-friendly lodging in order to dine comfortably in our room. By the time we reached Newport, it was already dark, we were road weary, Cookie was anxious and the first few motels we stopped at would not accept pets.

It was too late to consider driving to another town, and quite honestly we were desperate enough to consider sleeping in the car. As often happens when traveling, just as things looked their worst, our fortunes took a turn for the better. Stopping at the Last Chance Motel (as we named it), a friendly desk clerk said that regrettably no dogs were allowed. "But," she added, "there is a small, separate cabin on the property that would accept a well-behaved dog. Would we like to see it?"

Expecting the worst, we thought why not? And the minute we saw it, we knew that we had found the perfect getaway: two tiny bedrooms, a bath, a kitchenette, a sweeping bluff view of the beach, and utter privacy. We immediately booked it for two nights. Cookie was so happy to get out of the car that she snuck into our bedroom while we were unloading and peed on the bed-in the spirit of celebration no doubt.

Several trips to a nearby grocery store and laundromat later, we found ourselves comfortably snuggled into the cabin, listening to the ocean's roar and cooking up our dinner. A tired and chastised dog lay napping at our feet. Out came a guitar and a nice bottle of wine. We were underway, the adventures just beginning! And little did Cookie know that the next day would be the greatest day of her entire life.