Off on Another Grand Adventure

In just over a week Elizabeth and I will be loading our 4 month old silver lab – Rangeley into a rented minivan and taking off on an 8,000 mile journey around the United States. We plan to visit 27 National Parks and at least 25 states as we do a big clockwise loop, ending back in Phoenix in mid-November. The map below shows the loop we plan to take (the red one).

There are dog restrictions at many of the Parks, but this is more about the journey. Just outside the parks are tons of outdoor experiences that are dog friendly. There are lots of dog friendly lodging options now, as well. We figure this is a great time to get out and support the travel industry. When I first proposed this idea to Elizabeth, I figured there would be no way she would go for it. I had 3 options – Going through Colorado and Utah – doing California and Oregon (the green loop on the map) – and my choice – going for 27 Parks. It actually took very little persuading – she has enjoyed doing research on things to bring, dog activities, etc. With the hot Phoenix summer we have had, it has been great fun planning a getaway.

This trip will take us right through central Ohio, where we picked up Rangeley in mid-June. Elizabeth has been in contact with the young Amish family who raised Rangeley and we plan to stop and visit. It will be fun to see his reaction to being back on the farm. He has already flown across the country, now he will be driving cross country, something Elizabeth will be doing for the first time as well. I have only done it once.