Travels with Lucy- Our Trip to Carmel

Lucy and I are spending a few days in Carmel and just loving it! It is one of those rare times we are not in the camper so staying at a hotel. This trip we are staying in Carmel at the Hideaway. This place is a real gem, within walking distance to the beach, great breakfast in the morning, wine and cheese are available in the afternoon, the rooms comfortable, and the price was right. Even though the hotel does not have official parking this has not turned out to be a problem, even with my big truck.

When I travel with Lucy and we are staying in a hotel I bring a few extra things in addition to her special travel bed. Feeding a fresh food diet just means bringing a cooler. Rather than ice I will begin the trip with large plastic bottles I have filled with water and frozen. I keep Lucy's meals as simple as possible when we are traveling and do not try to include everything I would when we are at home.  Sometimes it is as easy as ground meat in the morning and a bone at night. Depending on the length of the trip I add a block of ice to my cooler as the bottles thaw. Lucy has a travel bed for sleeping and a travel bed for bone chewing. Unfortunately this hotel does not have a refrigerator so the cooler is keeping more than Lucy's meat and bones frozen.

Meals can get expensive when traveling so I bring a few things that help decrease the cost of eating out. My kitchen travel bag contains, an electric kettle to heat water for tea and coffee, a French Press, a tea pot, plates, mugs, wine glasses, cutting board, sharp knife, fork, spoon, oil, vinegar, honey and a role of paper towels. This allows me to visit local farmers markets and have the tools I need to eat in. Most cities have Farmer's Markets and I identify them prior to my trip so that I can plan when and where to shop. Food items that I have found that travel well include simple green salads, hard boiled eggs, apples, and oranges.

It helps that Lucy is a stellar travel companion and loves to ride in the truck. Not much bothers her as she has been traveling with me since she was 8 weeks old. That said she is fine if I leave her in the room alone for brief periods but for any extended time she is more comfortable snuggled up under the blankets on her bed in the truck. This trip we had ample training opportunities walking from the hotel to the beach and back. I think we finally have loose leash walking down with the help of plenty of yummy treats, cheese and thinly sliced salami, courtesy of the Hideaway breakfast bar.

When I travel with Lucy her comfort and safety is always my primary concern. On this trip we walked on the beach every day. Lucy has so much fun running and playing, each day there were new smells to be experienced and birds to be chased. She barks with pure joy and runs with wild abandon as soon as I let her off the leash. People stop, smile and comment on her enthusiasm and energy. We have just had our final walk on the beach and Lucy is sleeping soundly in the truck as I enjoy my lunch. This has been a perfect trip and soon we will head back to Truckee. I am grateful for this time with my precious Lucy and all that she teaches me about myself, love and life.

Until we hit the road again.