We just got back from a really great trip to see my Grandmother in California. 1600 miles in two days – twice. There and back. That was a little hard on us, but I was really afraid of how the dogs were going take it. That's right. The dogs. 1600 miles in two days with both dogs in my Dodge Stratus. Yes, we are nuts.

Actually, the dogs did remarkably well. We have a 60 pound German Shepherd mix and a 40 pound German Shepherd puppy. They didn't bark, fight, jump around, whine, beg, get carsick, or any of the other things I feared. They jumped in, laid down, and sat quietly for the whole trip. No one is more surprised than me. Don't get me wrong, they are good dogs. But they are very energetic, and we had never traveled with them before.

Chuck and I also did remarkably well. This was our first long car trip together. We didn't bark, fight, jump around, whine, beg, get carsick, or any of the other things I feared. On the contrary, we had a good time. We saw the sights and chatted incessantly. Not once did we employ any of the numerous things we brought along to entertain ourselves during the long trip.

Along the way, we learned a few things about traveling and decided it was a pretty good practice trip for our upcoming drive to Mazatlan. I thought I would share a few of those things here so that we can perhaps save someone else from learning these lessons the hard way.

1. Don't pack all of your clothes in one big bag. We did this thinking it would be convenient. It isn't. We had one large, heavy, awkward suitcase with both of our clothes that didn't help optimize space in the trunk and had to be unloaded every night when we stopped. Sometimes it had to be carried upstairs. It would have been far better to pack in two soft bags – one for the first half of the trip, one for the second. When your checking in to your room at 3:00 a.m., a large suitcase can feel like an albatross.
2. Make sure your dogs aren't so well potty trained, they can only go in their designated spot in your backyard. Poor babies only went when they absolutely couldn't hold it a minute longer (about once a day), and then looked shamed like they had done something wrong. I felt awful. Now we're working on retraining. We go out in the yard with them and exclaim “good peepee!” and jump around like fools whenever they go. The hope is that they will associate the word with act and be able to go on demand. I don't even want to know what the neighbors might think our peepee dance.
3. No matter what you expect the weather to be – pack something with sleeves. We were ready for 95 degree days, but the second day there we got hit with a freak coldfront. Highs in the upper sixties and windy. Lows in the 30s. Brrrrrrr.
4. Don't pack all of your snacks and cold drinks in one big cooler in the trunk. We have acquired a second, small cooler to keep in the passenger compartment with us for the next trip.
5. If you don't know the area extremely well, don't pass up a chance to get gas if you have less than half a tank. I broke this one once in California and we ended up having to turn around and backtrack to the only available gas for 50 miles. We paid the price too - $4.69 a gallon for regular.
6. No matter what the customs are in your little corner of the world, don't assume they will be the same where you are going. No one in Texas would dream a hotel would lack air conditioning. When we arrived at our cottage in California, it was 94 degrees and no A/C. The proprietor suggested we open a window. I ask about everything now: A/C, electricity, running water, hot water, locks on the doors, telephone, television and anything else I can think of.