Day One route
Leaving Tacoma — fog and ice
Day One — ready to roll
Starting out the first day, December 16, 2016, we left the empty house at 7:30 AM. We loaded three dogs, five dog beds, tons of blankets for cushion, a container of dog food and bowls and four suitcases in the Durango Mauricio bought two weeks earlier. On the back, we had a basket cargo carrier with a specialty cover full of plants that I couldn't bear to leave behind — the movers were not allowed to transport. We didn't know if we would be able to cross California with plants but we decided to take the chance.
In preparation, I had started giving the dogs Bach's Rescue Remedy for pets as a calming supplement and a supplement called "No Toot" about a week ahead of time. Both worked really well. I've included the links to both on Amazon. I have not found anything that really results in no tooting, but anyone who has ever spent time with a bulldog can understand the beauty of toot reduction! I still use No Toot daily.
"Anyone who has ever spent time with a bulldog can understand the beauty of toot reduction."
Ginger, ready for the road
The plows, making the roads ready
On the Road
The Drive
Mt. Shasta, California
In Oregon, we drove through the remnants of an ice storm from the night before. Driving through the passes in the Shasta Cascade Region was making us a little nervous — but the views were stunning. Thankfully, the ice storm didn't go that far south so by the time we reached Mt. Shasta we had clear and dry roads.
Ice storm remnants, Oregon
We made a lot of stops the first day, about every 3 hours, and realized about half way through the trip the dogs didn't need as many potty breaks as we anticipated. That made the drive almost 10 hours and our arrival was at 5:15 PM.
Night One
The Hotel
Fairfield Inn & Suites, Redding
We stopped for the first night at Fairfield Inn and Suites in Redding, California. We paid a $40.00 pet fee. There is a nice large field for walks and stations with doggie bags set up around the property. They also had a nice breakfast.
Close by there was a BBQ place and I stayed with my nervous pups while Mauricio scored some dinner. Ok, in this photo they aren't so much nervous as tired.
We used carry-on size bags. Leaving Tacoma, we had our bags organized like this: 1 for Mauricio; 1 for Nisha; 1 for the dogs (meds, treats, sweaters, etc.); 1 for important documents and files that we didn't want to put on the moving truck.
I tend to be a worrier and over prepare. We each also had a backpack with some emergency supplies. In mine I put a first aid kit, emergency blankets, and various medications. A pack of 10 emergency blankets is less than $10 on Amazon and takes up very little space. Mauricio had our laptops and any tools we might need. Plus we each had a flashlight. As a safety tip, if you own a pair of walkie talkies, they are a good item to have on hand. Cell phone service is not always guaranteed and it is best to carry one every time you are separated by dog walking or making pit stops.
The first night we reorganized and combined our suitcases so we each had half of one suitcase and three days of clothes. That way we didn't have to unload both every night. Also, when we arrived at a hotel, Mauricio would check in while I stayed with the pups in the car. Then we took the pups to the room and I stayed with them while Mauricio unloaded the bags. We realized that was not the most efficient way to debark in Tucson and changed our routine.
All in all, the first day was a success. It started out the scariest because we didn't know what to expect but we started getting our routine for stops and walks ironed out and made it safely. That's all that really matters!
See our Trusted Hotels resource page for a verified list of stays that welcomed multiple large dogs — and check the day posts in this series for pet fees, walk areas, and honest reviews of each one.
This post contains Amazon affiliate links for products we personally used on this trip — snow chains, Rescue Remedy, No Toot, emergency blankets, and walkie talkies. If you purchase through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing!