A bad road trip? That is the best way to put the three day road trip to Marshall, MI my sisters and Mom took last weekend. It is almost ten hours each way on a good day, but for some reason, Mom felt it would be fun. Well, it was not fun, and I don’t think she will do that again.
How can one find good things in such a lousy weekend? Well, we are a upbeat family, so we looked and we found. Some of the positives:
- Bailie and Madison each added two new states to their list of travels, giving Bailie twenty states, and Madison seven.
- They all got to experience almost hundred degree days with high humidity in five different states!
- This was the first trial Bailie had with a clear room, and she passed!
- Vehicles are still Bailie’s best nose work element.
- After such a weekend, home seems all that much better!
What all went wrong? It started with an over two hour traffic delay in Chicago. They needed gas in Indiana, but couldn’t find a gas station near the highway, but finally found one just after getting to Michigan. Mom wanted to be to the hotel in Michigan by dinnertime, but it ended being almost 8:30 pm. There was no time for fun since they had to be up early for the nose work trial. As for the Quality Inn in Marshall, it was expensive with the pet fee, and it was full of kids staying there for a baseball tournament.
The next morning Mom re-injured her back carrying the luggage out to the car. It had finally gotten back to normal after being a mess a week before. No matter, the mood was good, and hopes were high. Because of the extreme heat, dogs were allowed to be crated inside. Looking at the photo, it looks like some emergency shelter, but it was really nice to not have to be out in the parking lot in that weather all day.
Bailie seemed to be in a good mood before the trial started, ready to sniff out some hides, but would that feeling hold? Team Purple was team #2, so they got to start searching interiors almost immediately. Mom couldn’t help herself once again. Bailie found two hides in the first room and stopped to sniff a chair on the way out. Mom’s gut said let it go, but her mouth said alert, and they got the no. Day over once again at the start. She was pretty devastated, but she wanted to finish the rest of the day perfectly. The second room had no hides and they got that. Next up was vehicles. Bailie found both hides and things were looking as good as they could.
The trouble started with exteriors. Bailie had no interest in finding hides. At the last minute, she found one, but there were two. Even worse, was the third interior room with two hides. She would not search at all! Three minutes she spent sniffing the floor looking for food morsels. The last straw was the container search. Off the start, Bailie caught odor and rocketed to the last container – got a yes. They had to go back and check the rest of the containers, but midway Bailie chose another container to alert on and got a no. It was a disaster – Team Purple’s worst NW3. Mom was very disappointed and Bailie could feel it through the leash.
Madison was a trooper, spending all weekend cramped up in the car or the kennel. Mom took her out for walks a few times, and she did some balancing work on the sign out front.
If you think the worst was over guess again. On the way to the hotel in Indiana, the highway was closed for an accident…forty five minute traffic delay. Mom started getting chills, and by the time they hit the hotel around 8 pm, she didn’t feel real well. They went to bed early so they could leave at 6 am to drive the seven more hours home. At about 11 pm, Mom woke up and was sick to her stomach. She was up all night running to the bathroom to throw up, and she didn’t even eat grass, so we don’t know why it happened. Mom was a mess, exhausted, frustrated, and needed to get home but could she do a seven hour drive? After driving and taking a few power nap stops in some rest stop parking lots, they finally made it home.
The final decision is no more traveling so far for trials unless we are going to take several extra days. Six to seven hours is far enough. At least everyone made it home safe and sound, but it was truly a bad road trip all the way around! These things can happen, but it won’t stop our road trips!
Dang, that was a long trip, but I do love how you looked on the positive side of everything!
One has to stay positive even when all goes south. We don’t want to become depressing whiners!
What a poopy road trip, that isn’t fun at all. So sorry it was a disaster, hope you are feeling better now.
Mom is pretty much back to normal, but then yesterday we got rear ended. Not our lucky week!
Sorry you all had a rough time. Hope your mum feels better.
It was a tough trip, but those three crazy ones are already looking forward to the next road trip. One bad one can’t dampen the spirits too much around here.
Here’s another positive: your mom is awesome! Driving all those hours while feeling lousy takes strength. But theres no better motivation than getting home!!! What a weekend. Have a good day. Take care of your mom. your doodle friend Dash
Mom never thought about being far from home with dogs, in a hotel and getting sick. Not fun. She had to plan carefully as in IL if you exit the tollway each time it costs money and she refused to pay to get off and get sick, LOL! That was some motivation to get that tummy in order!
Oh vay! Sorry it was so bad. The worst was mom being sick and needing to drive home. Emma, I bet you were doubly happy you were home making those strawberry cream cheese pops.
I was never wishing I was with them…not even before they left. Being home was wonderfully fun and relaxing!
that was a very long drive for a dog trial. however, i must say that i have traveled across the country for horse shows. maybe your mom should carry a tens unit with her for her back. it really helps loosen the muscles. sounds like a horse show we went to in sc many yrs ago. one of the big hurricanes was coming up the east cost, we ran right into it, my mother was speeding and got stopped, when we got to the hotel, on the hotel sign it stated Norman Vincent Peele was staying at the hotel. ironic because the entire time we were driving in the hurricane to the show, my mother was quoting his famous lines about the power of positive thinking. my mother got out of the car, went to the front desk and said she wanted to speak to him b/c she had been thinking positive thoughts all of the way, which was abt a 4-5 hr drive to the show. they told her he had just checked out. all of the horse show people were staying at the hotel, we went swimming. my mother was chaperoning several of the riders. the next day, it was till raining. i sunk in mud up above my knees. the show went on…we were drenched, the horses were exhausted. it was an all breed show. i dont know how the jumpers/hunters made it over the fences, some sled right into the fences b/c the mud was so deep. the 3rd day it was sunny but still very muddy. lots of stuck vans, trailers. sorry Baile did not do better, maybe it would have made the trip a little better. hope your mom is feeling better now. it was nice of you to have some treats for them when they got home.
Not every road trip can be a picnic, but this one was a huge disappointment. At least there was no mud! They just had the heat and humidity. It’s history now and they are looking forward to their next adventure, and I’m looking forward to mine too in a few weeks.
So sorry to hear about your aweful trip. I can relate. I had to transfer to Ohio from Wisconsin. It was at least an 8.5 hr trip one way. I would try to pick the time to leave by what time I’d be going through Chicago. I too had 2 dogs, plus 2 cats with me. Did it for 6 years. Glad to be retired and back to home-sweet- home!
It’s tough being stuck in traffic in the heat with us furry ones, and then getting sick on top of it all was just a bit too much!
Wow, I am impressed that you and your Mom can find some positive in that disastrous weekend! I’ve been whining about the heat and humidity here, and I haven’t even had to go anywhere in it!
It was real nasty everywhere, and now it is back again here at home. Yuck.
I am so sorry for such a “ruff” trip. I can’t imagine trying to drive sick. I’m so happy y’all got home safe and sound. Kisses and huggles all around. ♥
Driving while having some kind of stomach bug was something we had never imagined either.
Oh my goodness… how many things could go wrong? The stomach bug was the final straw. I wish that you could have clicked your heels together and all three of you would have been transported home in a second. So sorry about that weekend…
That is exactly what Mom wished she could do too. It was a tough few days.
oh no what an AWFUL weekend! You know, I think Mom got sick from the extreme heat, did she keep herself hydrated? You can get chills from the heat and throw up. Hoping Mom feels better soon!
I don’t think it was the heat because we were barely outside. It was just something weird that hit her. Hopefully it won’t happen again!
OMD…What an ordeal!! We are so glad you made it home safe and sound!
xoxo,
Arty, Jakey and Rosy
Things just kept getting worse, but at least they made it home.
We just had a terrible road trip, too–and it also ended in a bad noseworks day! There must be something in the air! I’m glad you all made it home safe and sound!
Sorry to hear you had a bad trip too, but misery loves company. We are already looking forward to the next road trip with more success!