With 2013 underway, there is a familiar smell in the air.

"Smell that, Will?  It's the smell of a road trip!"

Sure, Eko and I traveled over 15,000 miles last year, but as far as 2013 is concerned, our odometer reads straight zeroes.  Today we spent some time researching some (slightly shorter) road trips that we can line up this year.

We consulted every guide book

Carefully studied every map

And mapped out some possible trips

So far I'm thinking about a day trip to Starved Rock State Park, a visit to St. Louis for the Beggin Pet Parade and possibly a winter weekend trip up to Minnesota so that Eko can romp in some serious snow.  As always, suggestions are always welcome!

Does anyone else have road trips planned this year?  If you are bringing a pet along for the first time, you can check out some of my tips here and here.

Recently, Eko has be hanging out with a guy whose only day of work is coming up next week.

After hanging out with Rudolph, Eko looked to the sky and dreamed of flying

I got to thinking (always a dangerous proposition) and realized, "Hey, I'm sitting here with a flying reindeer and a dog who is a pretty quick learner.  Instead of driving home, why don't I just hitch these studs up to the front of the car and fly home?"  As soon as Eko realized what my plan was, he made it known that he had a few reservations about my idea.

"Will, you have come up with some pretty terrible ideas before, but this one takes the cake"

"Rudolph, can you please explain to Will why this is a bad idea?"

"Hey, you over there!  Call the police, this gentleman has lost his mind!"

"Rudolph, look!  I'm not even a reindeer!"

After Eko's many protestations, I finally unhitched the team.  I guess we are just going to have to travel home the old fashioned way!

Our pets often know us better than we know ourselves.  Ever notice how the moment you think about going for a walk your dog sprints to the door?  Or how when you check the clock in a certain way your pet dashes over to their food bowl? Every pet has their own quirks, but it seems like all pets agree on one thing - they hate when the luggage comes out of the closet!

Eko has lived over half his life on the road, so he knows all too well that when the luggage comes out it means I'm hitting the road.  Despite the fact that I have NEVER left him behind, he does everything in his power to make sure I physically can't leave without him.  This morning I was reorganizing some luggage in the closet, and although I had no travel plans, Eko not-so-sneakily let me know that he would not be left behind.

Hmm, something seems a little bit strange about the contents of that blue bag, let's take a look at the big picture...

I don't think Eko has a future as a secret agent.  When I stepped out of the room for a minute, Eko decided to fortify his position:

"Will, I'm ready to go!"

I zipped Eko up and stacked my bag on top of him - normally that would have sent him racing away - but there was no dissuading him!

I briefly considered picking the bag up, but Eko and I have already had one doctor's visit in the past week, I didn't think we should risk another.  (If you're dying to see Eko picked up in a bag, you can check out this post of how I tried to bring him on the subway.) Once I put my luggage back in the closet, Eko realized that it had been a false alarm...although he is now snoozing in front of the door just in case I try to make a move without him.

I love hearing about how other pets handle it when they know you are leaving on a trip - be sure to share any funny/cute stories!