We are gearing up for our month-long mud season avoidance trip and plan to bring the cats along. Now that we have only one dog, there is room to for cats, so no sense leaving them home alone for a month. (We've done that several times and it did make us feel a tad guilty...till we got to the sunshine and were sitting by the pool😁.)
Whiskey had a work assignment in Bangor, Maine which is normally a day trip for him, but since we wanted to ease the cats into the RV lifestyle, we made it an overnight / vacation excursion trip to test the waters.
I, Wine, am a tad bit obsessive and an over-thinker. That means that I had to think, and think, and think of how to make the cat's first trip easy on them and me. Anyone who has ever taken a cat to the vet knows cats are not great travelers.
I created a crate under the dining table to keep the cats secure until they got used to the routine. The gate and pillows are used to keep kitties contained for the first day of travel. It worked pretty well.
I kept Willy in the soft carrier for a couple of hours so he would calm down and get with the program, which he did.
While Whiskey worked, I hung with the cats in the mobile condo, hoping that they would realize that the RV is more than a car and a trip to the vet. The cats were actually fine; it is the moving down the road part that can cause motion sickness.
After work we went to Geaghan's Pub and Brewery in Bangor for dinner and had a fun time. The staff and regulars were all friendly and upbeat. We had a nice chat with Bea who goes to Geaghan's every night for dinner. We took dessert to go, and it was packaged up so nicely.
Once parked for the evening in a church parking lot in Hampden (a Harvest Hosts location) the cats were welcome to move about. There was a little curiosity.
Willy loves the "back" scratcher.
All in all, it was a successful cat RV trip. Alice our calico is eighteen years old and did fine. She it at that very skinny cat phase so we made sure she was warm. Each day with her is a gift, not sure how long she will be with us. We have twelve cats in our pet cemetery, and we know all too well how cat's lives pan out.
On our route home we decided to go Cook's Lobster and Ale House on Bailey Island in Harpswell. It has been on our list for a while. We figured we could get RV parking in the off season.
This stop was off of the direct route home, but it was very worth the effort and extra time. It is a scenic drive down the coast.
Cook's did not disappoint. We sat in the pub where we enjoyed delicious food and drinks with friendly service. It was delightful experience.
If you ever venture there, we highly recommend the tuna nachos. Super yummy. Here are shots from our visit. In the video you will see more of the restaurant and location.
Here's the video of the maiden voyage with the cats.
As always, we mix work with vacation. Taking a day here and there, seeing new sights, or traveling new routes energize us and keep us feeling blessed for our lives and freedom.
Next up is preparing to depart our bubble for warm weather and the beach. Until then, we will be shoveling snow yet again as 8-12" of snow is forecast.
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