Preface & Days 1 thru 4 of Lupe’s 2018 Dingo Vacation to Washington State!
11-21-18 – T’was the night before Thanksgiving when a ride to the U-Haul store with SPHP, Erik & Ana confirmed that something big was in the works. A 15 foot U-Haul truck was rented. Lupe spent the rest of the evening standing on concrete watching while the contents of a storage facility were loaded into the truck. It was nearly the witching hour by the time the truck was parked in the driveway at home, and Loop was curled up in bed pondering what it all signified.
Not until very recently had the Carolina Dog harbored any suspicions. Over the last few days, however, her keen Dingo ears had alerted her to changes in the normally silent underworld. Muffled bumps and thumps, faintly heard orders and threats, unhappy yowls. Lupe didn’t see them, she hardly ever saw them, but the cats who ruled the underworld were in distress. Their empire was in turmoil.
11-22-18 – Thanksgiving Day. But was there turkey? No. Stuffing? No. Mashed potatoes? No. Gravy? No. No pumpkin pie, whipped cream or any of the other traditional Thanksgiving goodies Lupe enjoys either.
What there was was activity and distress. Former cat emperors and princes were overthrown. The underworld was being dismantled! Their empire was in tatters. SPHP helped Erik and Ana move the giant cat tower into the U-Haul truck. SPHP expected to do a lot more, but Erik and Ana insisted they could handle almost everything else.
A two hour mid-afternoon siesta was declared. So much remained to be done, it seemed impossible it could all happen before the day was shot. At sunset, Erik and Ana revived. They left to procure the Thanksgiving feast – returning with hamburgers from Perkins. Not bad, but not quite turkey and all the fixings, either.
Packing, boxing, loading resumed. At 8:30 PM, Ana announced it was over. The truck was loaded! Astonishing, but basically true. Some last minute details would get handled in the morning, but little remained that was going on the truck.
11-23-18 – Up at 2:30 AM! Not much like SPHP, but by now Lupe fully understood what was going on. Why SPHP was getting ready for another Dingo Vacation! An odd time of year for one, to be certain, but that was clearly what was happening. Lupe watched as SPHP prepared a place for her in the U-Haul truck.
As dawn arrived, Erik and Ana emerged from the underworld. This was it – the momentous day! They were leaving the sunny Black Hills of South Dakota for good, and moving to the West Coast. The cat empire was relocating to foggy, drippy Bellingham, Washington.
There were discussions about routes. An early winter storm was supposedly on the way. Reports said chains were already required to get over Snoqualmie Pass, but that was 1,000 miles away. Rather than freak out over hyped predictions, it was decided to stick with I-90, the shortest, most efficient route until conditions warranted a change of plans.
At 8:08 AM, while the rest of the country was snapping up Black Friday Christmas specials, Lupe’s U-Haul adventure began. Her caravan made a quick stop for fuel, then hit I-90 heading W. Lupe and SPHP were in the lead in the U-Haul truck. Erik and Ana followed in their green Mazda 2.
Also in the Mazda 2, each in an individual pet carrier prison, were the denizens of the cat empire – Trevor, from the other side of the world; Ember, the silent one; Baby, champion hunter, killer, fighter and yowler; Pillow, the fluffy designer cat; and Tulera, the evil, black hisser.
The Carolina Dog’s caravan cruised W. The U-Haul truck and Mazda 2 were both doing fine. Bellingham, Washington is a long way from the Black Hills – 1,200+ miles by the shortest route. Occasional stops, less frequent as the day wore on, gave everyone a chance to use the rest room and stretch before the inevitable next spurt.
One of the early stops was at the I-90 rest area near Moorcroft, Wyoming. Erik and Ana had already put up with an awful lot of yowling by then. One of the cats was so desperate, it had managed to claw a hole through a brand new cloth pet carrier and escape under a seat.
Hiding under a seat? That was just plain crazy! The American Dingo wasn’t about to hide. The U-Haul truck was great! Lupe was riding high with lots of room to move around. Huge windows allowed her to spot cows and horses miles before the U-Haul got anywhere close to them.
The caterwauling going on in the Mazda 2 didn’t have anything on the shrill, excited, near constant din in the U-Haul truck.
The first sign of bad weather came E of the Bighorns. The day had been mostly sunny, but the Bighorns were shrouded in clouds. Three squalls swept through. The last one looked like the real deal. Traffic slowed to a crawl, snowflakes filled the air, fog reduced visibility. Within 5 minutes, a black Kia sedan was seen wrecked in the median, pieces scattered nearby. A truck that may have collided with the Kia was a bit farther down the road.
Conditions were deteriorating fast! Lupe hadn’t even made 250 miles yet. The storm was concerning, convincing. After 15 or 20 minutes, it all proved to be a false alarm. The last squall ended as suddenly as it hit. Lupe rolled into Montana under crystal blue skies. The long dark ridge of the Bighorns leading to the Pryor Mountains was streaked white with new snow.
Onward, for many a mile!
Hours passed. The sun set. Twilight faded near Livingston. The night was as black as could be. A quick stop for food was made at a Walmart in Bozeman. Another stop was made in Butte, a critical point. 650 miles gone by. Decision time. Find a motel here? In the morning a decision could be made as to whether to continue W on I-90, or swing S on I-15. That would all depend on what happened weather-wise overnight.
The other option was to keep going while the roads were still good. Maybe it would be possible to beat the storm and get over Lookout Pass (4,700 ft.) at the Idaho border? If Cour d’Alene could be reached, except for Snoqualmie, the highest mountain passes along I-90 would be over and done with.
It was already late. Lookout Pass was another 200+ miles. Even if all went well, it would be 2:00 AM by the time a motel could be secured in Cour d’Alene. Was it worth it?
Onward! said Erik and Ana. Seriously? Yup. Alrighty then. As the U-Haul truck hit the I-90 on ramp, tiny raindrops or snowflakes were seen in the headlights. Oh, brother!
The weather held off, though, all the way to Missoula. At a gas station, SPHP pronounced the storm fake news! Ana agreed. A fraud alert on SPHP’s credit card caused a 20+ minute delay while refueling as SPHP tried to explain to Capital One that all these huge gas purchases today were legit. Got it straightened out. A full tank and back on the road again. Still 97 miles to Lookout Pass.
Before long it was raining. This time it didn’t quit. The rain turned to sleet, then snow. A slushy accumulation grew first on the shoulders, then on I-90 itself. 20 miles to Lookout Pass. The U-Haul truck wasn’t having any problems at all, but the Mazda 2 was having a hard time keeping pace. So much for fake news.
Slower and slower. Naturally, the miles long approach to the pass was all uphill. The Mazda 2 disappeared from the rear view mirror. SPHP slowed way down. After a few minutes, the Mazda 2 reappeared again. 14 miles to go. Puppy, ho! At a snail’s pace, though.
A few more miles and the Mazda 2 was again out of sight. SPHP drove very slowly, passing up a couple of spots where it would have been possible to simply stop and wait. Maybe it was best to get to Lookout Pass before stopping? It was snowing hard. The Mazda 2 might not be able to make the pass. Neither would the U-Haul truck if this kept up. Lots of other vehicles were already having trouble.
The U-Haul made it. Lupe and SPHP stopped and waited at the top of Lookout Pass. SPHP tried to call Ana. No phone service. Time passed. A few vehicles, mostly semis, were making it over the pass, but there was a distinct lack of green Mazdas. Now what? Keep waiting? Head for Cour d’Alene? Go back and look for them?
SPHP dithered before driving on into Idaho. After only a few miles, a snowplow appeared. It soon turned off I-90 toward some buildings and vanished. SPHP made the turn, too. No cell service here, either. Sigh! Returning to I-90, SPHP drove further W into Idaho. Meanwhile, the mental debate continued to rage.
Maybe it was best go back and try to find the Mazda 2? Stick together! At least everyone would know what was going on and what the plan was, whatever it might turn out to be.
Of course, finding Erik and Ana might or might not be possible. The Mazda 2 was probably stuck somewhere along the highway, but what if Erik had simply realized he wasn’t going to get over Lookout Pass? He might have found a way to turn around. Erik and Ana might already be on the way back to Missoula to spend the night. No sense in doing that in the U-Haul when Lupe had already made it over Lookout Pass! It would be an enormous waste of time and fuel.
Before getting very far, SPHP decided to turn around at the next exit. Better go back and at least make sure Erik and Ana weren’t doomed to spend a frigid night stuck in the snow. Most unexpectedly, before an exit appeared, something else did. What? Impossible! Unbelievable! The Mazda 2 was dead ahead! Erik, Ana, and the 5 cats hadn’t gotten stuck at all. Somehow they’d made it over Lookout Pass! Lupe and SPHP passed them. Had it made now! 40 miles to Cour d’Alene. Downhill all the way.
Uh, no. Downhill for a while, but then it seemed like it was uphill again. Hard to tell with all the snow in the headlights, but the rear view mirror showed the Mazda 2 was having trouble again. No losing them this time! Slowly, ever so slowly, on and on. This next hill seemed endless.
11-24-18, 12:01 AM – No mere hill. Lupe was heading for Fourth of July Pass (3,173 ft.). Not as high as Lookout Pass, but more snow had fallen by now. Even semi-trucks weren’t making it. Hardly anyone was. Yet the U-Haul was invincible! Not so the Mazda 2. The road kept getting steeper. The Mazda 2 ground to a halt 0.25 mile from a curve that looked like the end.
SPHP stopped and waited. The Mazda 2 was in sight, but didn’t seem to be moving at all. Heh. SPHP got out. Lupe had to stay in the U-Haul in case semis came by. Some had chains and were still getting through. For the next 2 hours Lupe sat waiting in the truck. SPHP pushed the Mazda. It was just enough to permit little spurts of progress. Other cars needed pushes, too. A young sheriff stopped by with the news that a plow was coming. Pure fiction. Fake news! He also said it was 2 more miles to the top of the pass.
That was fake news, too. The very next curve really was the top. A semi-truck traffic jam finally cleared. Erik and Ana made it to the top of Fourth of July Pass. Finally! Another 18 miles, but no more passes on the way to Cour d’Alene.
No room at the inn in Cour d’Alene. Especially not for anyone with 5 cats and a Dingo. Two pets maximum, not that they had any such rooms available. Hardly worth it now, anyway. At 5:30 AM, everyone parked at a rest area only a couple of miles W of Cour d’Alene. Although being out in the snow for hours up at Fourth of July Pass had been exhilarating, it was 27 hours since Lupe and SPHP had gotten up. The last 21 hours spent on the road. Weary? Yeah. SPHP was able to sleep sitting up.
Not for long. It was cold. At 7:30 AM, Erik was knocking on the window of the U-Haul. Ready to go? Of course, why not? At least the vehicles would warm up.
Although still rather dark beneath an overcast sky, the morning started out fine. Two hours of sleep had helped a lot. Near Spokane there was sunshine. SW of Spokane, I-90 looked wet. New snow was in the fields and forests. Patches of fog reduced visibility, sometimes for miles.
On a random check of the rear view mirror, suddenly the Mazda 2 was missing. Where had it disappeared to now? SPHP slowed down. Traffic roared by, but Erik and Ana did not appear.
Ana called. A guy in a pickup truck had been in the process of passing them. Erik had seen that the pickup was having hydroplaning and swerving issues, and had slowed down to let the truck get by faster. Good thing, too. For no sooner had the pickup gotten beyond them when the driver completely lost control. The truck shot across the road right in front of them in a near miss, flipped heading into the ditch, and hit a rock wall.
Erik and Ana had stopped to call 911 and see if the man was alright. He was injured, but conscious. Others who had seen the whole thing had stopped, too. Erik, Ana, and the cats would be along soon. SPHP told Ana to meet up at a rest area just W of Sprague. The rest area proved to be a beautiful spot. Lupe was thrilled with this opportunity to get out of the U-Haul.
Lupe had plenty of time to enjoy the outdoors at the rest area. More than expected. Erik and Ana were not along soon. What was going on? Ana called again. They had missed the turn for the Sprague rest area, and were now at a gas station at Exit 231. Fine. That’s where Lupe and SPHP caught up to them.
It wasn’t much farther to Ritzville where a decision had to be made. Continue W on I-90 and face Snoqualmie Pass, or go S on Highway 395 heading for the Columbia River Gorge? If any doubt remained after last night’s tribulations at Lookout and Fourth of July passes, the unnerving near miss with the hydroplaning pickup truck had settled the issue. The Columbia River Gorge was hundreds of miles farther, but at least the roads would be good.
So Lupe’s long U-Haul adventure was extended. Highway 395 took her to Pasco where SPHP made a wrong turn. Erik, Ana, and 5 cats were led on a goofy, meandering tour of the town while SPHP searched for the bridge over the Columbia River. Turned out there were two of them. S of the river, Lupe reached I-82 which brought her to a 2nd Columbia River crossing at Umatilla. From Umatilla, it was W on Highway 730 to I-84.
Cruising W on I-84, the Columbia River gorge was beautiful! Lupe had been here once before on the way home from her 2012 Dingo Vacation to the West Coast. No stopping at Multnomah Falls this time around, though. Everyone was weary. Any sight-seeing had to be done from the U-Haul truck. Bellingham or bust!
At Portland, it was I-205 going N back over the Columbia River for the 3rd and final time. Soon after, Lupe was on I-5. Late in the afternoon, Erik and Ana bought SPHP dinner at a Panda Garden near Woodland. By the time Lupe was approaching Longview it was getting dark. A heavily overcast sky helped extinguish a feeble twilight.
The rest was a blur. Thousands of red tail lights. Stop and go traffic on I-5 between Olympia and Tacoma. Seattle looking awesome all lit up in the inky blackness. The traffic thinned. Bellingham at last! 1,550 miles over and done with in 38 hours. 44 hours gone by on 2 hours of sleep.
Erik and Ana put Lupe and SPHP up at the Baymont Inn before continuing on to see their rental home for the first time. The American Dingo insisted upon a walk before turning in. 20 minutes down a dark side street, no more. Loop was satisfied. Back to the Baymont!. Lights out.
11-25-18, 8:45 AM – Oh, the Baymont Inn was luxury itself! A Carolina Dog could get used to this sort of thing. Suddenly, Lupe was living the dream!
Naturally, the first order of the day was another walk. As soon as SPHP was partially revived, it was an elevator ride down to the lobby to see what the Baymont looked like in daylight, then out the door to explore that side street again.
At the end of the side street was a forest. A trail led into the woods.
Lupe had barely started on the trail when she came to something she never sees back home in the Black Hills. The forest was full of shopping carts! The only explanation that came to mind was that the shopping carts were brought here and abandoned by homeless people.
More shopping carts were scattered farther along the trail. Often only one or two here or there, but Lupe came to another big group of them, too. Shopping carts weren’t the only thing out here, either. The forest harbored lots of trash. When SPHP started seeing tents, the wisdom of going much further came into question.
Lupe was having a good time in the woods, even if SPHP was becoming increasingly wary. She made it as far as a little stream. Voices were coming from somewhere ahead. This was it. As strangers in a strange land, it was time to return to the Baymont.
Noon was checkout time at the Baymont. Erik and Ana showed up a bit before then. With plans uncertain, Lupe and SPHP checked out. Erik and Ana then treated SPHP to lunch at the nearby Birch Door Cafe. Lupe had to wait in the U-Haul truck.
When lunch was over, it was time to get to work unloading the U-Haul. Lupe and SPHP followed Erik and Ana to their new rental home. The home was located in the Lummi Nation W of Bellingham. SPHP was glad to see that there was plenty of parking. Multiple U-Haul trucks could easily have parked here!
5 cats were already in possession of a small part of their new empire. At present they were still prisoners, confined to a bedroom to keep them out of the way, and prevent them from escaping during the unloading process. Lupe wasn’t going to be allowed into the house at all. She was stuck in the fenced back yard so she wouldn’t get in the way, either. Looper wasn’t entirely satisfied with this arrangement, but at least she could watch what was happening through sliding glass doors.
Actually, Erik and Ana had gotten a fabulous rental deal. The back yard was amazing! A big deck where Lupe stood peering through the glass doors overlooked a roomy, gently sloping yard with a lovely green lawn.
That was all nice enough, but wasn’t the amazing part. The amazing part was that the home was right on the ocean! Only a few feet beyond the back fence was a 20 foot cliff. Lummi Bay of the Pacific Ocean was right at the base of the cliff. The N end of Lummi Island was in sight across the bay. The open ocean was visible to the NW. Totally awesome!
Unloading doesn’t take nearly as long as loading does. Lupe was only confined to the back yard for a few hours. By late afternoon, the U-Haul was empty except for a huge display case. The case was in two parts, a lower cabinet and an upper section with glass doors and shelves. Both pieces were big and heavy. To get them into the home they would have to be lugged clear around to the backyard. They could then be taken up the stairs onto the deck and in through the sliding glass doors.
It seemed like a gigantic task. The house was already quite full. Where the display case might even fit in was hard to imagine. Everyone was still exhausted from the long drive, especially Erik who wasn’t feeling entirely well. Since the U-Haul truck didn’t have to be returned yet, it was decided to forget about the display case for now. It could be dealt with tomorrow.
Erik joined Lupe on the deck to relax and admire the ocean view from his new home.
Dinner time! Erik and Ana drove into town to procure a meal. Lupe and SPHP stayed together on the deck watching the ocean. Lupe was excited to learn that a huge tree in the back yard was a squirrel tree! She boldly announced news of her arrival to the whole neighborhood. SPHP just watched the waves roll in as a light rain fell.
After dinner, it was back to the Baymont Inn again! A turn of events the Carolina Dog heartily approved of. Erik and Ana were footing the bill for one more night of luxury. Before turning in, Loopster insisted upon returning to the woods beyond the side street for a night prowl.
11-26-18 – Naturally, the morning began with yet another trip to the woods. For a second time, Lupe went all the way to the little creek. Then it was back to the Baymont to enjoy a free continental breakfast. Loop chose ham and cheese. The rest of the morning was whiled away relaxing in the room. Erik and Ana showed up shortly before noon. Lupe and SPHP checked out again.
The glass display case was still a problem. Erik and Ana had decided it wasn’t worth trying to carry it all the way around to the backyard and up a staircase to get it into the house. What to do? It had to be unloaded so the U-Haul truck could be returned. SPHP suggested taking it to a consignment store. When that didn’t work out, Erik and Ana donated it to Habitat for Humanity.
Lupe’s U-Haul adventure officially ended late in the afternoon. The truck she’d ridden in for 1,600 miles was turned back in to the U-Haul store in Bellingham. Of course, this meant Lupe and SPHP needed a new set of wheels. Loop hitched a ride in the Mazda 2 to the airport where SPHP rented a Mazda CX3.
After a quick dinner at a fast food restaurant, Erik and Ana said thank you and goodbye to Lupe and SPHP. The night was already night pitch black. Where to? The Baymont Inn seemed like the logical choice, and had the enthusiastic vote of a certain American Dingo.
So the evening ended with another dark stroll through the woods at the end of the side street near the Baymont Inn. This time Lupe startled someone in the forest, someone who was extremely polite and greatly relieved that SPHP was around to keep such a ferocious predator at bay.
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