Today's Travels...

I saw fireflies tonight! We're spending the night in Springfield, Missouri, and I had forgotten about this simple summer pleasure of the Midwest. It was hilarious watching Ripley go after the floating light and then search for it frantically when the bug's butt light went out. I am looking forward to enjoying watching the fireflies at night when I get to Illinois - and burning off Rip's extra energy!

Today's trip was UNEVENTFUL, thank goodness. I can use a day with no events! We left Amarillo at about 8:30 a.m., but not before poor Slade had a pee accident on the floor of the hotel room. Dang. The Plavix makes him drink and pee constantly and I must have been sound asleep still at 6 a.m., when I thought I heard a waterfall in my dream. To his credit, he was sheepishly mortified until I reassured him I knew it wasn't his fault. He did pee in the bathroom, which he has done on a few occasions throughout his life when it is an "emergency" and he does not have access to the outdoors. It's like he knows that's the room to potty in, but he can't figure out how to get his rear end up on to the toilet. I alerted the hotel to the "oops," expressing my own sheepish mortification and apologies. No wonder not too many hotels accept pets! Ugh, sorry!

About an hour East of Amarillo is Shamrock, Texas, where I was sure to stop and pay my respects. With 1,000 miles still to go before I get to Illinois and a frail dog in my charge, I need as much good luck as I can get!

I hit Oklahoma not long after I stopped in Shamrock. In Oklahoma City I got on what must be the longest toll road in the country, the John Kirkpatrick Turnpike. I spent about $15 in tolls to travel about 125 miles, through Tulsa, to the Missouri border. There is a huge McDonald's restaurant that spans across the entire four-lane tollway. Trust me, there is no way you can miss it if you happen to travel that way.

Apparently my stop in Shamrock paid off. Slade looks to be feeling much better this evening. He ate a whole can of dog food for dinner, his first meal since Sunday morning, and he kept it down. Yay! He's still weak and tired, much like someone who has suffered a heart attack, and he has clearly lost weight he can't really afford to lose. I need to fatten him up ASAP. Hopefully we will all get a good night's sleep, as I have not slept more than four hours on either of the two nights we've traveled. Only one more day left - on to Pike County, Illinois!

Sidenote: Now that I'm pulling one myself, I have been noticing cargo trailers of all kinds. One thing I have noticed are the names of them - they all have some clever take on some other brand name or phrase. I'm pulling a Load-Runner (roadrunner), and I have seen a Wells Cargo (Wells Fargo) and a Haulmark (Hallmark). Interesting.