Thanks to Our Friends on the Road

As Max and I meander along the highways (and even gravel roads!) on our cross-country roadtrip, we are having fun with family and friends, new and old. Here are a few of them:


Kendyl Nitschke of Raleigh, NC


Gwen & Larry Brody of Freck, AR


Roger & Kay Branson of Edmond, OK


Katie, Chris & Lydia Stavinhoa of Houston, TX

We're off to Austin, now!

Lessons Learned on the Road (with a dog)

I've learned a couple of things traveling with Max that I felt the need to share:

1) Have a plan for pit stops that have bathrooms facing the outdoors v. having to go inside to the bathroom. This is because you can't leave the dog in the car on a hot day (or really cold one, I suppose, but I didn't have that problem)...and you can't bring a dog into a restaurant or convenience store that sells food (though I did BEG one man running a gas station that sold some food, and promised to clean up any messes, of course).

Answer: SONIC!

And you have the added bonus of having lots of people in their cars sitting around watching your stuff and they have shaded places to sit in your car to eat with your dog.

2) You will also need a way to FIND the Sonics!

Answer: iPhone...or more specifically the Around Me app for iPhone.

This locates your current coordinates and tells you what is closest to you in various categories from food to hospitals...or it will tell you where the nearest thing you ask for is (if it's within 100 miles), like Sonic.

3) When traveling on turnpikes or along long, windy country roads or unfamiliar territory with lots of tall trees AND your fuel gage is low, it's good to have a way to find out where the nearest gas station is. It's even better to know if cheaper gas is just around the corner, or a block or two off the highways.

Answer: iPhone...or Gas Bag app! Not only does it locate area gas stations, but it often has the prices listed (this is entered by users), so you know where cheaper gas is...it also has a function that helps you keep track of prices and mpg, etc.

4) Be careful of hot cars...did you know that cars with windows closed can get so hot that the air expands and the windows blow out? This from AAA books, and a Grand Canyon info site.

Answer: Crack the windows!

Branson, MO

Two nights in my namesake town was quite enough...It was weird to see my name posted everywhere...even weirder to see people who look like my family everywhere...Max did a little exploring of his own--under the bed:


...and he is the one who noticed the arrow to the scenic view -- it overlooked an amusement park ride:

...and it is he who noticed the placard stating that we were at the outlet mall only a day or two before it's 15th anniversary:

...so of course we shopped...he found a nice new water bowl from Coleman and a cool bungee cord leash (not from the outlet mall but from Branson Paw Place):


...enough with the buffets and country cooking...my waistline can't take it.

Off we go today to check out a writer's colony just an hour south of here, across the Arkansas border...we took a GREAT TV writing online class (using video) from Larry Brody of TV Writer ...tell them Juli and Max sent you!

Asheville and Lebanon

Biltmore Estate was awesome! (http://www.biltmore.com/)

Dogs are welcome...except in the big house...so I breezed through it and picked up my compadre, Max, and went hiking...and hiking...and dang it, where did that main trail go?????

"oooo...is that water?" "Why, yes, yes, it is!"

Luckily they sell more than wine at their vineyard and I cooled off with a margarita while Max dried off after his romp in the stream (hey, who thought I needed a towel to go visit a fancy estate????)...he's gotta be part water hound of some sort.

On our way out of the estate, Max saw baby geese...and baby cows...all with noisy moms, saying "move along"...

At the end of the day, somebody needed a bath and somebody else needed a shower after giving the other somebody a bath! After getting a bath and tearing around the room to avoid getting dried off with the evil towel, Max indicated he'd had a full day.



The next day we got up and headed to Lebanon, TN...Max was NOT into the windy roads that led out of NC and into TN...so we pulled over in the first rest stop in TN...Thanks to TN State Trooper Olbert for holding onto Max while I used the state facilities...

Max and I will stay the night in Lebanon before heading out tomorrow...I had planned to go swimming here, but made the tactical error of coming before Memorial Day weekend! So, they DO technically have a pool, but it's empty :(

So, I guess we'll leave early tomorrow morning...cuz it's also rainy here....and the big thing to do here is shop their outlet mall -- a big no-no for an unemployed person! Even though I turned in a course proposal today and dropped a resume two other places for potential jobs...the job hunt never ends!

Technical Difficulties!

Technical difficulties abound all around...Our trip is getting off to a slow and rocky start....however, it has helped us take a breather and start to relax.

1) The closing on the sale of my DC-area condo that was supposed to happen May 1, then was delayed to May 8 is now "definitely" happening today (May 11)...though I remain skeptical. Therefore, the Maxinator and I are hanging out with family and friends in Raleigh, just in case we have to go back to DC for some reason.

2) I can log my computer into my mom's wifi, but it won't let me get online with my Mac! We can't figure out why it says the signal is strong, but I still have no access...that means -- no pics to post today :(

However, we did make it here to Raleigh on Thursday, just in time for the "Build A Bear" experience on my niece's 5th birthday...she chose a dog and named her Jessica...Max likes her too...as in "too much"...but my niece didn't notice the chew marks, so that's good.

We also went to my sister's house on Saturday to experience the ponyrides and a dozen VERY excited 4-7 year old horse lovers...Max was sent hom early because he didn't grasp the concept that Princess Jill, the family bunny rabbit, was a pet and not a treat.

And we also were around for Mother's Day which went very well until I was given a Mother's Day card from Max...I am doing my best to NOT be the weird dog lady at the end of the street that calls her dog by his full name when he's bad and dresses him up every day in matching Ts, etc...it's a slippery slope and doggy Mother's Day cards come dangerously close to the edge...However, I have to admit that this particular card DID coincidentally have a picture of a dog that looked like Max (and he's a mixed breed, so that's not easy) AND it had a very appropriate comment inside...should my photo capability return, I will post it....not to brag, but in defense of my sanity...it's still relatively in tact.

Due to the delay, we also will be able to see some old (as in "long-time") family friends this week before we pull out of Raleigh and head for Branson, MO, and Dallas, TX, and ultimately Los Angeles...with a few fun stops in between.

But for now, we wait....

Branson, MO

Ok, I have to stop in my family's namesake town of Branson, MO.

Any suggestions?

This is Max's suggestion...but I don't think he understands all that Branson has to offer...

Camping Tips for the Unitiated?

The trip planning continues and has been kicked up a notch. It seems that all of the full-time, perm jobs I was considering are delaying their decisions or tabling them completely with no decisions expected before late May or even early June. Sooo, any hesitation I had about taking a long time (3-4 weeks) to traverse the country from DC to LA is now gone.

Though if anything comes through, I can always speed up!

In the meantime, I've been talking to some people about some freelance work that can be done on the road. It's great to be in a business that I can do online and on the phone.

So back to planning: Has anyone out there ever camped at a KOA campground? Are they clean and safe? Anything Max and I should know about before we go? Who has camped/traveled with a dog? Any secrets, tips for things to bring? I have his dog bed, some toys, a coat, a couple of harnasses, collars and leashes (just in case one breaks), and YES I remembered food and water...yes, AND treats...calm down, Max.

I called Max's vet and they said to make sure I have extra food, extra water and a good supply of his meds (allergy and tummy calming)...sounds like good advice for the driver, too.

Max is clearly getting very excited about the trip...I'm starting to get nervous...

Adventure Planning

Every adventure needs a plan. A flexible, general overview of a plan. So far all Max and I have planned is to move out of our condo in Old Town Alexandria, VA (right outside DC) on the closing date -- current target is May 1, 2009. We're headed west to our other coast in The Maxinator, a 2006 Mercury Mariner.

If you have any recommendations or ideas of where we can stop for fun, food or shelter, please share!