Cross Country (almost) with Two Dogs

Cross Country (almost) with Two Dogs - Florida to Colorado

February 03, 2025

In June of 2021, we once again found ourselves relocating to another part of the United States from Florida to Colorado. We were excited for this adventure after spending four and a half years in Florida, and over a year under COVID.

This time around, we had two dogs in tow. Sadly, our babies Ava and Otto had passed away. So we prepared for the move with Ginger, our eleven-year-old Jack Russell mix, and the newest member of the pack, Ellie. Ellie was still a pup at the time and this was a huge adventure for her. Ginger, on the other hand, said, "This isn't my first rodeo", and slept most of the journey.

Luckily this time we were moving in summer and did not have to worry about snow or chains. However, we were pulling a trailer with our classic Karmann Ghia inside, so that added a new layer of stress. A week before the trip, my husband traded our 2-wheel drive GMC Sierra for a 4-wheel drive Silverado. He knew it would be next to impossible to trade in a 2-wheel drive when we reached Colorado so that was a smart move.

After relocating from Washington to Florida, in 2016, I knew the steps to take to get started on a plan. If you haven't read the details, I encourage you to check out the posts about that trip here Cross Country with Three Dogs .

The last trip was a success with limiting ourselves to 10 hours of daylight driving. We were in no rush so we followed the same formula. I calculated the miles we would need to drive and marked potential stops on the map. The next step was to find hotels that would accept dogs. Ellie is a giant breed so we had to confirm weight limits this time as well. Back in 2016, I used Rand McNally to plan the drive. Unfortunately, that online tool is no longer available. I did some research and found Furkot recommended by people who previously used Rand McNally. It took some getting used to but I did find it useful.

The stops for this journey were:

1. Mobile, Alabama - 8.5 hours driving

2. Van, Texas - 8 hours driving

3. Amarillo, Texas - 7 hours driving

4. Amarillo to home (Colorado Springs) - 5.25 hours

Total Miles = 1,902.

We avoided staying in big cities due to the trailer we were pulling. We were pretty lucky on hotels this time and did not have to make a lot of calls to confirm we could stay.