Dog's life with Travel Bloggers Cookie and Keller is a pretty dog-gone good gig
- Cookie & Keller
- Jul 22, 2016
- 3 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
"Charley is a mind-reading dog. There have been many trips in his lifetime.....he knows we are going long before the suitcase comes out, and he paces and worries and whines, and goes into a state of mild hysteria. - John Steinbeck,'"Travels with Charley."
STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS
PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER
"The Carpe Diem Kids"
WE CAN'T imagine a road trip without Nick and Nora.
John Steinbeck's famous "Travels with Charley" has inspired many journeys and many other travelogues. A dog's life with travel bloggers is a pretty good gig.
Travel bloggers Cookie and Keller travel with two smart Yorkshire terriers. They're a part of the package -- like a picnic, a room with a view, a fun new hotel, a new restaurant, a play at day's end.
Like John Steinbeck and his faithful poodle Charley, we find each journey enhanced by the Yorkies' company. The doggies introduce us to people. We make new friends.
They give us new perspective. They make us laugh.
They're just plain good company.
If the airlines awarded miles for doggie travel, Nick and Nora would be flying even higher -- for they've logged over 75,000 miles each in their action-packed near 11 years.
MOSTLY, THEY go where we go, by plane or car. They're happy little road-trippers. Because we so often take them along, we've started keeping track of the best of the "dog friendly" hotels we've visited.
Savvy dog lovers also rely upon Eileen Barish's wonderful dog friendly books, including "Doin' California with your Pooch." (She features other states, too. And if you simple google pet-friendly travel, you can narrow your own field.)
You'll find that some hotels have designated areas and rooms for pups. In other properties, dogs have greater freedom. It is also common practice to walk your pup frequently and not leave him unattended in the room for long. Some hotels give goodies
OUR DOGGIE carry-along bag includes their toys, treats, sweaters, food and water bowl. Nick and Nora have bedded down with us in at least 65 hotels, motels and inns, besides their relatives' homes in California and Georgia.
Here are some pup-friendly places we endorse and recommend, for their personality, charm, dog welcoming spirit and proximity to fun events, scenery and history. Nick and Nora give them paws up! At these diverse and pet-welcoming venues, it goes without saying to leash your pet while promenading, and bring a stash of "doggie bags" just in case.
Western Heritage Inn of Bozeman, Montana. westernheritageinn.com
The Murray Hotel of Livingston, Montana. murrayhotel.com
Vagabond's House Inn, Carmel by the Sea, Calif. vagabondshouseinn.com
Ashland Springs Hotel, Ashland, Oregon. AshlandSpringshotel.com
Catalina Boat House Hotel, Avalon, Calif. catalinaboathouse.com
Omni Los Angeles Hotel, Los Angeles, Calif. omnilosangeles.com
Cookie and Keller, with Nick and Nora, find that the Yorkies are a conduit for meeting new friends wherever they go. Here on a Hornblower cruise. Fess Parker's Doubletree Resort, Santa Barbara. fessparkersantabarbarahotel.com
Ocean Villa Inn, San Diego, Calif. oceanvillainn.com
Flamingo Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada. caesars.com/flamingohotel
Beach House Inn, Santa Barbara, Calif. beachhouseinn.com
Inn By The Lake, South Lake Tahoe, Calif. innbythelake.com
NEXT UP: We pay homage to birds, their haunting and magical songs, their delicacy at the feeder, their strength in flight. Join us to celebrate the myriad delights they give us, especially here in the northern Rockies in summertime's prime. We'll be in Montana's Stillwater County for a photo essay on the pleasures of sharing the landscape with hawks, hummingbirds, wrens, woodpeckers and the stunning lazuli bunting.
Remember to explore, learn and live and remember we post each week.
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