One Dog’s Travel Bucket List Adventure
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post and also has affiliate links. However, I will always try to offer my readers great product selections. Your trust is very appreciated, and never taken for granted. ~Tonya, Dexter and Angel Nutter
LIVE life to the fullest each and every day. That’s one of the phrases I try to follow. As I’m sure some of you are already aware, Dexter The Dog is my heart dog. He’s the dog that continually inspires me to do better, enjoy life and put down the work, and connect with him and my surroundings.
He also has a neurological condition that I’m continually trying to manage at the same time as providing him a full and rich life. Dexter and I love to seek out new adventures and travel destinations. I’m pretty sure the reason Dexter and I both love to travel by car is to reconnect with each other. There’s no “work” for Mom and plenty of sniffing and investigating for Dexter.
Last year I decided to make traveling to new destinations with Dexter a top priority. He’s almost 10-years young and I didn’t want to wait until his final days to start our travel bucket list. 2019 was going to be the year!
My goal is to visit all of the contiguous United States with him by my side. We already have a nice dent in the Midwest, East and Southern states. But Maine has been on my wishlist of states to visit for many, many years, and now is the time!
Dexter and I always travel by car for a few reasons. One, he’s too big to fit under the seat in a plane and I’m not about to put him in cargo. And two, it’s a great way to experience new towns, communities, roadside attractions, and to hang out with my boy. But Ohio to Maine was going to be a long haul in my 11-year-old car.
Enterprise Rent-A-Car to the rescue! Enterprise has been inspiring and enabling travel experiences since 1957, and I’ve always had a great service when renting a car through them. I felt renting a car would be a better option than my older, yet well cared for car, especially since during my last big road trip my car wound up in a mechanic’s shop!
When booking my car, I knew I needed enough space for two people and two soft-sided dog crates, luggage, dog stroller, and a standard cooler. When I checked in for my car rental, I spoke with the friendly man behind the counter. He set me up with a Chevy Impala. I was blown away at how much space was inside that trunk! It would be perfect.
Packing the Chevy Impala for our Maine trip was a breeze. Before placing the dog crates in the back seat, I placed sheets on the top and bottom of the seat to help keep them free of any flying fur or any rubs from the crates. Once we were all packed, we were ready to hit the road. Three a.m. was going to come very quickly.
I split our trip up into two days, and we stopped along the way to sightsee. Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and ending in Brattleboro, Vermont all in one day. Thank goodness the car provided a smooth and comfortable ride. I found myself stopping along the way to admire the scenery. There were so many mountains and streams along our route.
Along the New York-Vermont border we found ourselves at the Big Moose Deli & Country Store in Hoosick Falls, New York. This was actually our second time stopping in at the deli because it’s quite the site to see. If quirky roadside attractions are your thing, this is a must-see.
Big Moose Deli & Country Store doesn’t just offer sandwiches and wraps. No. They are so much more. The country store offers a large variety of gifts, foods, candy, souvenirs, and syrups. But there’s more. A lot more. The outside of the store is decorated in hundreds of quirky sculptures, and fun cutouts for photo ops. You can find enormous moose, cow, monkey, bear, and even gnome sculptures around the building.
We continued our journey until we arrived at our stopping point, Brattleboro, Vermont. After checking into our hotel, we headed to a local dog-friendly restaurant, The New England House. The outside patio was fully covered and very inviting. The restaurant offers fresh local ingredients and a mouthwatering menu. The food and service were superb, and everyone enjoyed the dogs and even stopped at our table to say hello to them.
Day two, we were Maine bound! After grabbing a light to-go breakfast, we were only about 3 hours from the Maine Visitor Information Center in Kittery, Maine. I have to admit, I was a bit giddy and bopping around in my seat.
I think the dogs knew we were excited because they, too, had a spring in their step. We walked the dogs around the visitor center, took some great photos with Smokey Bear and the Maine state sign. Inside, I grabbed some Maine maps and visitor information for the Greater Portland & Casco Bay area. Our dog-friendly Maine road trip was about to begin.
Stay tuned to hear all about our dog-friendly adventures in Portland, Cape Elizabeth, and Bethel, Maine.
Before heading out on your next dog-friendly road trip, check out Enterprise Rent-A-Car and go in style.
Other links of interest.
- Maine’s U.S. Route 1
- Visit to Portland, Maine, Brings Back Memories – and Creates New Ones
- In Search of Maine’s Most Delicious Lobster
- Adventures on Maine’s Pequawket Trail Scenic Byway
- Acadia National Park Fuels Photography Passion
Do you travel with your dog? Tell me in the comments.
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he always gets the best trips! Looks like lots of fun for paws and legs
He does get to do some pretty fun trips! So glad he takes me along for the ride.
Aw he looks like a very happy dog on his road trip. I can see why you find a car the best way to take him with you.
He is very happy. Yes, traveling by car is the only way for us to take a trip.
You can always find enchanting places for your dog and for you!
Thanks! I really try to find unique things to explore with Dexter. This trip was a success.
I see how much care you have for your dog, and I hope he enjoyed the trip!
Thanks. He loves road trips!
i so enjoy posts like this one ! as a dog owner myself i often struggle as to where to go – your posts make it so much easier for me to narrow down my choices
Thanks, Pati. I love sharing all of our dog–friendly adventures. They are out there, we just need to find them.
I totally enjoyed reading your post, there is so much information for a dog lover and those wondering where to head to while on a roadtrip from Ohio to Maine with their pets
Thank you. I enjoy sharing our adventures and finds.
I love that owning a car doesn’t need to stop you on your travels. We have used Enterprise previously and they always offered a great service. Sounds like you had a great time.
Enterprise as been my go-to car rental for years. I’ve never been disappointed with their cars or customer service.
This is such a fun blog post! We have two Great Pyrenees dogs and it would definitely be hard to take them on a road trip.
Sometimes places, unfortunately, some do limit on size. However, I did travel with my golden too. 🙂 You just have to double check size limits. 😉
Looks like you found a great spot to enjoy with your dog! I haven’t been to Maine but interesting destinations like this are definitely on our list!
Maine is a must-see state!
How adorable! It’s just not the same when you don’t have your furbabies with you! Great tips for traveling with pets 🙂
Thank you. I was away from Dexter during one trip and I was miserable!
Your pups are the cutest! I love that now so many businesses are allowing pets.
Thank you. Me too. It makes me want to travel more and more. It’s such a wonderful way to experience new things and cities.
This is really cool! Every detail has been taken care of !
🙂 Thank you. I do try to plan things out but am flexible if needed. 😉
Looks like a great road trip with a great companion!
Chelsey, we had such a great time. Dexter is the best companion and travel buddy.
I always hire a car when we travel, more to save on wear and tear for our car than anything else
Yes. I think it’s a great idea. Took the stress off during the drive too.
I think that it is so cute that you brought your fur baby along. The memories and the photos will be something to think back on for so long.
Thanks! Making memories with this dog is so enjoyable. I want to make sure I don’t say “I wish we would have” at the end of his life.
I love that there are so many dog friendly places on your road trip! Looks like a great one!
Thank you. We had such an amazing trip!