If you’ve been following us on Facebook you’ll know that Katie and I are headed South. Today we completed day 2 of our 3 day adventure. We spent last night in Indianapolis Indiana, and tonight we’re in Huntsville Alabama. It’s supposed to be a 6 hour trip between the two but of course Katie and I stop at every rest stop along the way.
Plus we were driving through barn country.
Katie enjoys her rest stops and I enjoy my barns. What can I say except that she’s a very patient sheltie-girl. And I try not to get off course for very long or very often. In fact I only allowed myself to get off the freeway twice today when I saw lovely barns dotting the countryside. And I only traveled 3 or 4 miles out of the way each time.
I saw so many beautiful barns that were not in a spot easily found once I exited the freeway, but I always found something else that was (almost) as photogenic as what enticed me off course in the first place.
It’s hot in the South right now. The car said it was 97 out there this afternoon. Katie, in her crate in the back seat, slept a lot and I tried to keep the car cool for her.
But as the day wore on, and about two hours away from our hotel, I noticed the air conditioning was almost negligible. I’m sure she felt nothing cool in the back seat. She seemed lethargic and I began to panic. I rolled the windows down and hoped that the breeze made up for the lack of cool. I began to talk to her loudly and often. I told her we were going to get her dinner soon. She perked up.
I stopped for a minute to give her a long drink of water and feel her tummy. She didn’t feel too warm. Yet. I drove faster and skipped the last rest stop at the Alabama line. I figured we were only 30 minutes from an air conditioned room, and stopping would do nothing but heat us both up even more.
So I sang to her, talked to her, and she watched me, thinking something good was coming. It was. Air conditioning! I even planned on filling the tub with cool water if I had to cool her down. Or looking for a vet if I thought she was in heat stroke.
But she bounced out of the car when we got to the hotel and pulled me, prancing all the way, into the lobby. And then she wanted to play. And eat her supper. And drink a big long drink. And go outside for a walk. And play some more. And go back outside. And get a treat. Or two.
So I guess all my worrying was for nothing.
But tomorrow we’ll be getting up early to drive the last 4 hours to the lake before the afternoon heats up. And next week we’ll be taking the car to a dealer to see what’s up with the air.
It’s always something.
June 8, 2018 at 9:11 pm
Whew! Air-conditioning in the South is a must! Glad Katie is alright. You do find the best barns…..great photos, Dawn!
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June 10, 2018 at 8:19 pm
I think I worried more than I had to, but she’s a trooper. I like the barns too…she thought they were boring.
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June 8, 2018 at 9:45 pm
It probably just needs regassing
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June 10, 2018 at 8:20 pm
I hope that’s all it is. It worked pretty good the next morning. But we only had about 4 hours of driving and it wasn’t as hilly or as hot.
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June 9, 2018 at 11:38 am
We must like the same things! I make my husband brake for barns all the time, especially the crumbling, leaning barns we see so often in the south. Best wishes for a good trip!
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June 10, 2018 at 8:21 pm
Hahahahaha. When my husband and I are traveling I can shout “BARN!” once a day if I see something truly spectacular and in a place that’s safe to stop.
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June 9, 2018 at 11:06 pm
Great photos – I enjoy pictures of barns.
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June 10, 2018 at 8:21 pm
Me too! Thank you!
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June 10, 2018 at 5:40 am
Air conditioning is pawsome we agree. Katie you should have milked it when u were feeling a tad hot in the car. You should have made your mom stop for ice cream or lots of treats.
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June 10, 2018 at 8:22 pm
Oh…..ICE CREAM! Why didn’t I think of that?
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June 11, 2018 at 6:12 am
Glad you are both OK and having such a scenic trip. It must have been awfully hot for you too. I had my car’s aircon recharged last week as it was not dealing too well with our warm weather – warm being the operative word compared to your weather! Travel safely.
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June 11, 2018 at 10:31 am
I was hot…but so stressed about her that I didn’t really notice me. Guess that’s what moms do. I need to take the car in to get it serviced. Just to lazy to go to town right now.
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June 14, 2018 at 7:40 am
I guess so. Hope it just needs a tweak! 🙂
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June 11, 2018 at 8:44 am
I love road trips, but get anxious when mechanical problems arise so far away from home…Glad you made it to your stop without overheating…I love the scenery in the South…or anywhere to be honest 😉 Barns are a favorite of mine too! Lovely pictures.
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June 11, 2018 at 10:32 am
Last year on our trip down to Florida Katie and I got stuck in a little town in Tennessee for about 5 days due to a transmission problem. Sigh. I felt quite frustrated then and again on this trip. Maybe time for a new car.
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June 11, 2018 at 2:13 pm
This is a hard time of year to travel with a heavy-coated Sheltie. Glad Princess Katie is perking back up, and I hope you get the A/C fixed soon — princesses don’t like to sweat!!
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June 12, 2018 at 12:08 am
It’s definitely more difficult to travel at this time of year than, say, February. There was an accident on the NB lanes of 65 (we were in the SB lanes) and the backup was miles and miles long. I thought about how horrible that would be in this heat, and how cars overheat…and if we were stuck in something like that and had to turn the car off, where would I go that she’d be safe, would I find shade? Even in the shade how hot would it be to wait perhaps hours. And all that was BEFORE our own air gave out. Definitely more risk traveling in the summer with her.
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June 12, 2018 at 1:36 pm
Yikes, that would be awful! It’s not something we think about regularly, but perhaps we should.
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July 1, 2018 at 12:19 pm
Love that second photo and now i am thinking of Phil Barnes of Dallas 🙂
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