Washington Coast 21012 Day 15 HOME!

I am anxious to be home and today will be very ambitious!  I have an 11 month old dog traveling with and we have 658 miles to go until we can sleep in our own beds.  On wait, Quinn has had her bed all along, I'm the one wishing for her own bed!  (Not to mention the fact that I don't have to make what seems like a hundred trips between car and hotel room with our junk!)  I didn't want to drive across Nebraska--so much corn! I wanted to drive across Kansas-I think I like that drive so much because I know where the best places to eat, get gas and stop to stretch legs are, although it is beautiful.  I asked Sam to pick the shortest way home instead of the quickest thinking we would angle off across Wyoming, Colorado and western Kansas until we hit I-70.  That's what I get for thinking.  After she had me get off, cross the road, then get back on I-80 TWICE I gave up and took I-80.  At least as far as Lincoln where I take a more direct route to the Missouri River and home.  We got home after dark, I don't usually drive after dark as the cataracts make seeing difficult but I was too close to stop.

I can't say enough how good Quinn was on this trip!  She mostly laid on the seat next to me-always had her butt up against my leg.  Sometimes, when she was getting tired of the truck she'd sit up and lay her head in the crook of my elbow giving me a very "Poor Puppy" look!  Sometimes she'd sit up and look out the windows, a few times she tried to sit on my lap (that one ended really quick-she's too big!)  She din't bark in hotels, even when I took a shower (she goes nuts when I take a shower at home), she happily walked and played where ever I could find a place even though she rarely got in her full 3 miles like she does at home.  She wasn't perfect but she was darn good!

I learn something on each of these trips so here's what I learned this time.  Driving vacations are not fun!  Especially if you are alone-sorry but as good as Quinn is she isn't much of a conversationalist and she can't help drive.  So, no more driving vacations.  I will drive no further than two days to a specific place where I can stay put for a week (or more).  To hit the west coast again, I'll fly and rent a car!

I also learned, not to leave the cell phone in the truck when I hit a beach!

I'm home and happy about it.