On this little adventure of ours we have kayaked in the Atlantic, surfed in the Pacific and sampled just about every hotel shampoo in between.  We have traveled over ten thousand miles, visited over thirty states and been chased by miniature donkeys on two separate occasions.  Eko has lived over half of his life on the road and I’m pretty sure my family submitted a “Missing Person” claim to the authorities.  To be fair, all I said to them before we left was, “Hey, I’m going out for a drive with Eko, we'll be back later!”

 

 

The donkeys were nice enough...until their pen was accidentally left unlocked.  Thankfully all species were unarmed.  We later made peace with the donkeys by giving them some carrots 

This once-in-a-lifetime road trip has led us to discover some of the most amazing pet-friendly destinations in the country.  The places we’ve visited were incredible, but the best part of the journey has always been sharing our story on the blog.  The question now is what is the next chapter of that story?

I certainly hope the next chapter doesn't involve another growth spurt

Some readers have dreamed big and said that Eko and I should go to Alaska, others have suggested an African or European adventure, and we even got one suggestion that said we should go on a cruise!  All of those adventures sound amazing (Eko would make an outstanding first mate) but I have a different adventure in mind.  Over the course of our trip I have learned that it’s not where you are that matters – it’s what you do that counts.  It’s easy to forget that we only get one shot at each day, but thankfully our pets are there to remind us.  I mean, Eko knows he’s getting breakfast every day, but each time I pour that food into his bowl he acts like it’s Christmas morning.  That excitement is definitely contagious.

C'mon, how could that face make you anything but excited and ready to seize the day?

To make sure we seize the day – carpe dogem­ – Eko and I are putting together a bucket list.  We’ll, I’m coming up with most of the ideas but Eko is typing them in a list.  In any event, we are hard at work in our secret lab (the car) coming up with a list of adventures, challenges, activities and events to attempt in the coming months.

The first item on our list?  “Live in the same place for more than one week.”  So that we can check that box, Eko and I are moving to Chicago.  Permanently.  The road had been incredible, but I have to admit that I am looking forward to the day when someone can ask me where I live and I don’t have to respond, “It’s complicated.”  We will tackle all of the items on our bucket list from our home base in Chicago, but aside from that, our list is only limited by what we can dream up.

As you may have noticed, dreaming things up is a specialty of ours

The plan is to take the next week or so to drive to Chicago.  We’ll stop at Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore and other fun destinations along the way.  We’ll get settled in Chicago and then make one last dash back to New Jersey to bring our trip full circle (and pick up our stuff – which hopefully my family has not already sold).  After that, we’ll be in the Windy City full time.

Here's hoping our human/canine friends and family remember us!

While we may wake up in the same place every day, you can be sure that no two days will ever be the same.  For our bucket list, no goal is too small (hug Mr. Eko every day) and no challenge is too great (the first cross-species presidential ticket??) – the important part is simply that we make the most of every moment.  There’s always room for more lines on our list, so if you have an activity you love to do with your pet that you think we should try, be sure to let me know!  The more ideas the better, so leave a comment or shoot me an email at willandeko@gmail.com.  Help us dream big!

The road trip may be coming to a close, but the journey is far from over.  Thanks for following along – there’s plenty more to come!

Eko and I usually set up shop each week in the heart of the city we're visiting but on occasion it's nice to stay somewhere low-key.  This week we found the perfect spot to kick back and relax after an adventure - The Cedarbrook Lodge.  Tucked behind a residential area just a few minutes south of the airport, Cedarbrook offers a more serene alternative to downtown hotels.  Our morning walks usually involve dodging rush hour traffic, but the path around the landscaped Cedarbrook grounds has made our mornings quieter.  I definitely don't mind not sprinting across four lanes of traffic to beat a stoplight.

For those traveling with a dog, Cedarbrook places you in a convenient first floor room near one of the exits.  The room will be stocked with bowls, treats and a bed for your pup.  And about that bed...

Cedarbrook may have slightly underestimated what size bed Eko uses, but it's the thought that counts!

Cedarbrook's restaurant, Copperleaf, has pet-friendly patio seating.  Not only that, but they have a special "Puppy Pantry" menu so your four-legged companion can dine in style with you.

I ordered this nice little chicken and rice appetizer....for Eko! I couldn't believe this treat was not on the human menu.

Eko couldn't believe it either!  He thought it was too good to be true.  Usually when I give him the "take it" command he dives on the food.  This time though he just stared at me trying to figure out what the trick was.  No trick, just a top notch treat.

I finally convinced Eko that the treat was his and he happily gobbled it all up.  Well not all of it...

Turns out that your kids not eating their vegetables is a cross-species problem for parents

While I finished lunch, Eko enjoyed the view from the patio

On our walk back to the room, Eko spied a toy that no one else was playing with.

"Come on, I think I might be good!"

Eko said he was going to try his paw at playing some ragtime.  I didn't have the heart to tell him that the piano wasn't designed for creatures without opposable thumbs.  Luckily, I caught a break...

I told Eko that I really wanted to hear him play, but unfortunately we had to follow the rules.  

We're always on the go, so I doubly appreciate the quiet comfort offered at the Cedarbrook Lodge.  After a day of work or play, Cedarbrook has everything you need to take it easy with your pup.  Check it out!

The Pacific Northwest is known for its beautiful national parks, and while you may be tempted to go hiking every day with your dog, a trip to downtown Seattle is definitely worth your time.  There are plenty of places for a nice walk and we found the city and the people to be extremely dog-friendly.  We kicked off our excursion at Seattle Center, home of the Space Needle.

I only include this (terrible) photo to prove that we were there.  It was impossible to get a decent photo with my phone!  I was laying on the ground for about five minutes trying to take this photo and one woman came over and asked me if I was ok.  I don't know if she meant ok physically or ok mentally, but I thought it best not to ask

Much to Eko's dismay, dogs are not allowed to ride the roller coaster on top of the Space Needle so we went on a tour of the park instead.  While we were walking Eko asked me if I would take him to the movies one time.  I said, "Sure, I'll take you to the movies just as soon as pigs have wings."

Well... I did not see that coming.  Eko earned his movie.

Later on our walk we created something I liked to call "Art dEko" 

Outside the zoo all the people enjoyed watching Eko cool himself off at the whale tail

The nice thing about Seattle is that there are a handful of off-leash parks just a short drive from downtown.  We headed over to Woodland Park to work up an appetite.  The off-leash  area sits on the side of a hill and is hugely popular.  If your dog loves new friends, then Woodland Park is the place to be.

It may not look like there were many dogs, but let's take a look from Eko's point of view...

PARTY!  There were easily about forty dogs playing at Woodland.  You know when you go to a buffet and you can't decide what to get?  Well, that was Eko at Woodland Park trying to decide who to play with

After a romp at Woodland it was time for lunch.  A large number of readers insisted that we absolutely had to go check out Norm's, the ultimate dog-friendly pub.  Now, as Eko will happily tell you, I am not a smart man. That means I have no idea how it is that Norm's is able to welcome four-legged guests inside.  All I know is that Eko and I took full advantage of the situation.

Norm's loves dogs and the rules are simple.  Your dog must be friendly, quiet and keep all four paws on the ground.

Eko's not 21 (not even in dog years) but luckily they didn't check his ID

We also found a new favorite logo at Norm's

Q: What is the best dog friendly restaurant in Seattle? A: Norm's!

We had a nice lunch at Norm's and saw a few other pups doing the same with their people.  Short of going to Paris, Norm's is probably the closest you'll ever come to the ultimate experience in pet-friendly dining.  If you are with you dog and you're anywhere near Seattle you HAVE to go!  Trust me, it is an experience you don't want to miss.

And if nothing else, I am a man of my word, so last night Eko and I hit the Valley 6 drive-in theater.  The woman at the ticket office had a bone for Eko and he was a big hit with the rest of the crowd.

"Will, I can't look, this part is too scary!"

My phone takes even worse photos at night, but we had a blast. There are too few drive-in theaters left, so if you're in Seattle I would definitely recommend checking out Valley 6.

"One day it started raining, and it didn't quit for four months. We been through every kind of rain there is. Little bitty stingin' rain... and big ol' fat rain. Rain that flew in sideways. And sometimes rain even seemed to come straight up from underneath. Shoot, it even rained at night..." 

-Forrest Gump

Yesterday the clouds above Portland were kind enough to introduce us to every single type of rain known to Forrest Gump.  We came to Portland excited about all the great hikes in the area, but the rain is doing it's best to keep us indoors.  Normally, rain means that I am stuck trying to entertain Eko in a hotel room, but luckily Portland has a some great places for you and your pup no matter what the weather is like.

Our first stop was the Lucky Labrador Brewing Company.  The Lucky Labrador has a number of locations throughout the city and thankfully each one has a dog-friendly patio...with a roof!  I guess they know it rains around here...

Good dog. Good beer.

Don't let the fancy art fool you, Luck Lab is about as laid back as it gets

And whether you're a human or a canine, Lucky Lab has a treat for you.  Lucky Lab also wins the Marking Our Territory award in the "dog-treat-that-looks-most-like-your-logo" category

Eko made the executive decision that I had taken enough photos of the treat

After lunch we stopped by the fully equipped Sniff Dog Hotel.  Sniff Dog has daycare, boarding, grooming, self-serve washing, a retail store and a fully stocked cafe.  That's right, attached to the hotel is a cafe that serves coffee, beer, wine and food.  As if that wasn't amazing enough, Sniff Dog offers a daily happy hour where you can let your dog play in their indoor dog park while you relax in the cafe.

Sniff Dog Cafe has you covered when you need a pick-me-up to keep pace with your pup.  If Mr. Eko were a drink he'd probably be a quadruple shot of espresso.

Usually Eko is clamoring to get outside, but at Sniff Dog Eko was whining to join the pups in daycare

Lauren, a Sniff Dog employee, was kind enough to give Eko and I a full tour of the hotel's modern facility.  It was great because we got to check out such a cool, locally owned business, but it was depressing because I realized that some of the Sniff Dog boarding suites were nicer than a few of the motels where Eko and I have stayed.

After pulling ourselves away from all the fun stuff at Sniff Dog, Eko and I trudged back to the hotel through the rain.  A few minutes later we saw something...something we thought we might never see again...

LITTLE DARLING, HERE COMES THE SUN!

I frantically put my boots back on and grabbed the leash, but by the time we made it outside the sun was gone.  Five minutes later it was raining again.  Thankfully if you visit Portland, places like Lucky Lab and Sniff Dog will make sure you have a blast regardless of the weather.  And that's all well and good, but we're sick of letting the weather tell us what to do.  Today we're playing outside!

As I watched what seemed like gallons of coffee pour onto my laptop on Friday morning, I was certain that it would never turn on again.  Thanks to some sage advice from a number of readers I dried out all the components over the weekend, and voila, we are back in business, baby!  Sure my laptop now permanently smells like a Starbucks, but it's a small price to pay for a miraculous recovery.

We had a whirlwind weekend winding our way up from Los Angeles to San Francisco along the beautiful Pacific Coast Highway.  Take a deep breath and see if you can keep up with this rapid fire rundown of what we've been up to!

No, this photo is not the result of an Eko cloning experiment.  On Thursday afternoon we met up with Marci, a local LA resident and Ridgeback owner.  I met Marci thanks to Barbara, another Ridgeback owner who posted on the blog.  Marci also happens to be a casting director, so hopefully she can get Eko a part in the next blockbuster she casts for!

On our our way out of LA LA we stopped by Three Dog Bakery and saw this for sale. Did I have any idea what it was? No. Did I buy it? Obviously. Turns out that it's just pure beef broth with some glucosamine and vitamins - Eko loves it as a treat!

 Before we hit the Pacific Coast Highway we spent Friday Night in Morro Bay at the Bayfront Inn.  They really knew how to make their guests, both human and canine, feel right at home

The squirrels in Morro Bay were entirely unconcerned that Eko was just a few bounds away from their Friday night dinner party. Luckily for them I had a tight grip on the leash

Gracious as always, Eko allowed me to join him for dinner at Dockside Too in Morro Bay

I need to figure out where Dockside gets its signs

We started off Saturday with a trip to the Morro Bay Dog Beach - you can see Morro Rock half-lost in the morning fog.  I managed to momentarily subdue Eko for this stoic shot...

...and then he went right back to his usual happy-faced romping

Our next stop was the Elephant Seal Rookery. Although it appeared like these seals may have partied a bit too hard the night before, we learned that they were actually just resting before their northern migration.

"Hey seals, meet me at dog beach!"

It may take longer to drive the Pacific Coast Highway, but the views are well worth it.  The road had plenty of points where you can pull over and get some amazing photos. 

The views are so incredible that you'll just feel like hugging the nearest creature

And so after an adventurous few days we find ourselves in San Francisco.  The first order of business is to buy an external hard drive so I won't have to worry about losing all my data again.  After that, we're off to find the best Bay Area pet-friendly adventures.  We're finishing up our time in California this week, so if you have any last minute suggestions be sure to let me know.