WINNIE Takes The States – 2022

After four long years of anticipation (we missed 2018 due to a health issue and then there was that little global pandemic thingie) the 2020 MINI Takes the States Rallye is here! In 2022… but whatever! It’s here! And we’re going!

When we bought our current MINI, a 2021 Sidewalk edition, we hadn’t been planning to bring TWO corgis with us, but here we are. We’re going. Sanity and good sense be damned!

Winnie rides in the back in her PupSaver car seat with an extra fan because the back of the convertible can get a little stuffy. Pooka sits on a pillow on my lap because she’s hell bent on chewing on Winnie’s neck fluff if she’s allowed anywhere near her. Sisters!

Pooka specifically likes to ride with her chin resting on Brian’s elbow and her front paws slightly elevated. If I try to move my arm out from under her she’ll stand up, put her paws on my shoulder and sllllllide her paws down, forcing my arm back into the ‘proper’ position. My shoulder is killing me. I’m eating aspirin as we speak.

Today was just a driving day. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover to get to the MTTS Starting Line in Burlington, VT, but we’re trying to take our time and have a few fun stops along the way. Mid-afternoon we stopped at Buc-ees. If you haven’t been to one of these…. it’s like… like a gas station Disneyland. There are at least 42 billion gas pumps. Outside there is a huge area of grass (with poop bags!) for pups to potty and inside there are half a bazillion bathrooms for hoomans. Once I made it through the crowds to get IN the store and then to the bathroom I figured I might as well shop. I got a bag of Buc-ees nuts (I think they’re just corn puffs) and some other nutty treats. They were even gluten free! I got a 7-Up from the bank of soda fountains and thus fortified I braved the checkout line. There were actually more clerks checking than I could see from the back of the line, so it actually moved much faster than I’d expected. Winnie and Pooka were excited to see that I’d survived and returned and were happy to get back on the road. Well, Winnie was. I think Pooka is about done with driving.

We were supposed to stay at a VRBO (Vacation Rental By Owner) tonight, but they ended up cancelling our reservation at the absolute last minute. There’s going to be some definite hate mail headed their way, but suffice to say we had to find another place to stay with two Corgis that have never stayed in a hotel before and DO NOT like noises around them when they sleep. We picked a Candlewood Suite because they allow pets and often have bigger fridges because they’re usually intended for extended stays. Winnie and Pooka weren’t super impressed, but they finally settled down after Brian toted them down to the potty area… twice… each.

Brain and the girls are all sleeping peacefully right now. Hopefully we can all get a good nights’ sleep and get back on the road tomorrow with minimum fuss. Wish us luck!