The Adventure’s Just Begun

On this little adventure of ours we have kayaked in the Atlantic, surfed in the Pacific and sampled just about every hotel shampoo in between.  We have traveled over ten thousand miles, visited over thirty states and been chased by miniature donkeys on two separate occasions.  Eko has lived over half of his life on the road and I’m pretty sure my family submitted a “Missing Person” claim to the authorities.  To be fair, all I said to them before we left was, “Hey, I’m going out for a drive with Eko, we’ll be back later!”    

The donkeys were nice enough…until their pen was accidentally left unlocked.  Thankfully all species were unarmed.  We later made peace with the donkeys by giving them some carrots 

This once-in-a-lifetime road trip has led us to discover some of the most amazing pet-friendly destinations in the country.  The places we’ve visited were incredible, but the best part of the journey has always been sharing our story on the blog.  The question now is what is the next chapter of that story?

I certainly hope the next chapter doesn’t involve another growth spurt

Some readers have dreamed big and said that Eko and I should go to Alaska, others have suggested an African or European adventure, and we even got one suggestion that said we should go on a cruise!  All of those adventures sound amazing (Eko would make an outstanding first mate) but I have a different adventure in mind.  Over the course of our trip I have learned that it’s not where you are that matters – it’s what you do that counts.  It’s easy to forget that we only get one shot at each day, but thankfully our pets are there to remind us.  I mean, Eko knows he’s getting breakfast every day, but each time I pour that food into his bowl he acts like it’s Christmas morning.  That excitement is definitely contagious.

C’mon, how could that face make you anything but excited and ready to seize the day?

To make sure we seize the day – carpe dogem­ – Eko and I are putting together a bucket list.  We’ll, I’m coming up with most of the ideas but Eko is typing them in a list.  In any event, we are hard at work in our secret lab (the car) coming up with a list of adventures, challenges, activities and events to attempt in the coming months. The first item on our list?  “Live in the same place for more than one week.”  So that we can check that box, Eko and I are moving to Chicago.  Permanently.  The road had been incredible, but I have to admit that I am looking forward to the day when someone can ask me where I live and I don’t have to respond, “It’s complicated.”  We will tackle all of the items on our bucket list from our home base in Chicago, but aside from that, our list is only limited by what we can dream up.

As you may have noticed, dreaming things up is a specialty of ours

The plan is to take the next week or so to drive to Chicago.  We’ll stop at Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore and other fun destinations along the way.  We’ll get settled in Chicago and then make one last dash back to New Jersey to bring our trip full circle (and pick up our stuff – which hopefully my family has not already sold).  After that, we’ll be in the Windy City full time.

Here’s hoping our human/canine friends and family remember us!

While we may wake up in the same place every day, you can be sure that no two days will ever be the same.  For our bucket list, no goal is too small (hug Mr. Eko every day) and no challenge is too great (the first cross-species presidential ticket??) – the important part is simply that we make the most of every moment.  There’s always room for more lines on our list, so if you have an activity you love to do with your pet that you think we should try, be sure to let me know!  The more ideas the better, so leave a comment or shoot me an email at [email protected].  Help us dream big! The road trip may be coming to a close, but the journey is far from over.  Thanks for following along – there’s plenty more to come!