NAPRP Blog

25 Things I Learned on the Road to Blog Paws

Jun 25

Written by: NAPRP Admin
6/25/2012 1:22 PM

We just returned from a 1,400 mile round trip to the Blog Paws conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was a 2-day drive from Sandpoint (each way), and we took our dogs Fiona and Kaylee, aka The Fuzzy White Dogs, along with us.

Here's what I learned on our whirlwind trip.

25. The prettiest scenery is between Sandpoint and Missoula.

24. In some states there is a distinction between a parking area and a rest stop. It may look like a rest stop on the map, but it's not.

23. It is not raining anywhere except here. Everywhere else, it is summer.

22. Fiona really, really likes to push her nose and paws through the net between the front and back seats. ("No, Fi.")

21. Get new maps. Apparently, Idaho has closed a number of rest stops in the last decade. Google Maps is your friend.

20. Chopped veggies are great road food.

19. The pizza place in Dillon, Montana is pretty good. The Chinese restaurant in Dillon is also pretty good.

18. People litter. Everywhere. A lot. It's depressing.

17. The Motel 6 in Dillon will give you a room with a refrigerator if you ask nicely, and there's a cool walking path across the street.

16. There are a whole lot of potato farms around Pocatello. A LOT.

15. No farms. No food. (Bumper sticker on a van.)

14. People who pass with only inches to spare should be vaporized off the planet for the benefit of other drivers.

13. The RAV gas tank holds 15.3 gallons. The gas light comes on when you've used up about 13.5. Think about filling up when you are NOT in the middle of nowhere. (New rule: when the trip-tik hits 250, look for a station.)

12. Utah drivers really suck. Salt Lake drivers are the worst of the worst.

11. The AV guys at the SLC Sheraton are great. So are the waiters who love dogs.

10. The Sheraton has the best pillows ever. I want to know where they got them.

9. My dogs don't like dog beds. Even cute loaner ones from Kong. (Sorry guys...my fuzzy dogs like the floor better because it's cooler.)

8. Fiona and Kaylee think ferrets are pretty nifty.

7. People who agree to hold your dogs during your presentation are the most awesome people ever.

6. Fur flying around the car can feel kind of like insects landing on you. Remain calm.

5. Utah drivers sometimes do things so stupid it requires a freeway closing.

4. When people at rest stops ask to pet your Samoyed, let them. They may have lost a much-loved Samoyed of their own.

3. Meeting a lot of people tires out dogs. A tired dog is a good dog.

2. After 5 days on the road, dogs need a bath. (Sorry girls, but it had to happen.)

1. There's no place like home.

A big thank you to the BlogPaws gang for inviting us. It was a great event. Fiona and Kaylee will be enjoying cool swag goodies for a long time to come ;-)