A Party, Road Trip and Cute Grandchildren

We will start with the cute kids–I didn’t take these photos–Laci or Katie did I’m sure and did a great job photographing what this Mimi thinks are the cutest kids!

On Friday evening lots of friends and neighbors gathered at Max and Dave’s for a wonderful summer evening.  Max and Dave’s son Kyle grilled for all us older folks and daughter Kelly prepped, crafted and served. We all contributed to the menu and no one went home hungry, that’s for sure.  I love gatherings like that–good friends, just good people!

Saturday morning bright and early–not so early–we jumped into the loaded car and headed down the driveway then east once we reached Big Timber.  We landed in Casper, WY for the night where things kind of fell apart but we recovered!  I have a few Marriott Rewards points left over from my traveling days and enjoy staying in Marriott Residence Inns.  For the most part, these Residence Inns are all pet friendly.  When booking the room I made sure to check their website for the “pet friendly” notation which I found.  Checking in about 4pm Saturday evening I was asked if I had a pet.  Yep, an 11 pound miniature schnauzer.  This is where it starts to go downhill.  The clerk tells me there is a $100 non-refundable pet deposit charged per stay.  I said, “you have got to be kidding!!”  That’s highway robbery!!  I declined the robbery and requested my points be re-deposited in my account.  And, we left to find another room.  We went to three other hotels before finding a pet friendly hotel which only charged $10/day.  Not the greatest hotel or stay–our air conditioner struggled all night long and we didn’t sleep well but at least I wasn’t being robbed!  We ordered pizza delivery which we often do when we can–pizza doesn’t get delivered where we live so far out in the country.  The pizza was delicious–just a couple days ago the Cowboy said, “I haven’t had a good pizza since we left North Ranch.”  This pizza from the Pizza Ranch in Casper, WY was the best!!!

And when walking Emmi the next morning I see the evidence of why so many RV parks and hotels are either totally refusing pets or charging such astronomical fees for pets.  The hotel where we stayed–Main Stays–provided a pet walking area and bags.  The area was disgusting–poop everywhere!  But I still don’t like being robbed!

Sunday morning we continued east to Torrington, WY, met a delightful couple then turned around and headed back toward home.  Sunday evening we were boondocking alongside the Tongue River outside Ranchester, WY and slept like babies!  We are now home and unpacked, relaxing and enjoying these absolutely fabulous August in Montana temps–75 degrees!!!

Emmi is such a good traveler!!

18 thoughts on “A Party, Road Trip and Cute Grandchildren

    1. Well, John, you were the first to guess–yes, we’ve purchased another RV–what we looking for in the first place before buying the truck camper. A blog with photos to come.

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  1. OK, spill, you left home with a loaded car spent one night in a hotel and then were boondocking the next. You guys are not the bedroll beside the car types. And yes next to my grandchildren these might be pretty near as cute.

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    1. I will try that one Bill–we use an app on our phone, Find Fiddo. None of the hotels we went to after the fiasco in the Residence Inn were listed in my Find Fiddo app–not even the one where we ended up staying. And I guess you have to call to find out how much the hotel charges in pet fees as my Find Fiddo app said nothing about a $100 non-refundable pet deposit.

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  2. Well, I assume since you went to visit a couple that lived miles away from you and only stayed a little while you must have had a delightful visit….and I see no photos of an RV so I think the three of you slept in the crowded truck —–I am sure Emmi had the best spot.

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  3. Oh, boy! Can’t wait to see what RV unit you are trying. Anxious for photos!

    Love the photos of the grandchildren, especially that precious photo of the three of them. A definite keeper.

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  4. Looks like Emmi has a very comfy spot. Why wouldn’t she be a good traveler. Sounds like you are getting good use of your “new” camper. Yay……

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  5. Those kiddos are so adorable and growing up too fast. Great pics! Crazy to charge a deposit that isn’t a deposit but a ridiculous additional charge – glad you didn’t pay it! Still, too many dog owners make it bad for the rest of us. Can’t wait to see the new addition.

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