We were up at 8 am (MT) this morning and went for our morning walk. We came back, did some mapping and some area forecast checks and then decided on our new destination. We took our time getting ready, packed up and hit the road. Merlin was not feeling well and I was quite worried about him. He had tummy troubles and was lethargic, so I called Dr. Mullinix's office and talked to Zach (a great tech and Dr. M's son). Just for the record, Dr. Mullinix (and her staff) totally rock. She has been fantastic with the Boys and an absolute pleasure to interact with.
Given my propensity to be overly paranoid and plan for worst case scenarios, I had packed a doggie first aid kit and an assortment of meds that the Boys have been on over the last year or so. Some were slightly expired but I wasn't terribly concerned about their efficacy - something is better than nothing. So, armed with Clavamox, Prednisone, Endosorb, Torbutrol, and Hi-Vite, (in addition to their regular daily meds), I had created a small cache of puppy drugs to address any potential issues that might arise. I was quite glad that I did because Merlin was now in need of some Cimetidine, Clavamox, and Endosorb. I had two out of three. Not bad. Fortunately for me, Cimetidine can be purchased OTC as Tagamet. Okay, next stop...WalMart...again...in Billings Montana this time. While there, we also hit the Petsmart to get some food that Pup might be interested in eating. He refuses to eat when his belly gets upset, and despite our best efforts to feed him yummy stuff (turkey and ham in this case), he flat out refused. Enter worry.
I don't have to tell anyone that I really, really love these dogs. They are my babies, (sorry Pastor, but they're as close to it as I'll ever get) and so I naturally worry about their well-being. I started fretting about him and quickly convinced myself that....he hates being here...he's unhappy...he won't adapt well to being on the road this long...which turned into...what should we do?...should we go home?....blah, blah, blah. Remember what I said about anthropomorphizing? Yes, well, it's hard not to do when your dog is unable to express how he's feeling. If he's lethargic, I slap an unhappy label on it and suddenly I'm responsible for his unhappiness.
The drive from ND through Montana was beautiful. We've never really spent any time in Montana before, and it's a beautiful part of the country. It's odd how the scenery changes so quickly and is so drastically different from one direction to the other.
I consulted my trusty map, referenced campground directories and checked rvparkreviews.com to locate a decent site.
Merlin had no interest in assisting in my search, but Twist is always interested in knowing exactly where we're going to stay.
With all the doggie drama and turmoil, we decided that getting into a campground late with the intent of only staying one night wasn't worth the $20 or $30 bucks we'd have to spend only to sleep there and pull out the next morning, so, yep, you guessed it, we pulled in to the Bozeman, Montana WalMart Supercenter around 9:30 pm and rode around the parking lot like sharks circling prey. This is a competitive sport, this WalMart boondocking. Out here, RV folks really take their free overnight stays at WalMart seriously. Obtaining a prime parking lot location takes some major strategic planning. We, having only spent one evening prior at a WalMart parking lot, are not nearly as skilled as the other predators, and therefore, had to take our lowly place in the pack...close to the entrance drive where every mountain redneck with straight pipes on a diesel pick up truck screamed by us at all hours throughout the night.
Oh...I didn't mention...this particular WalMart Supercenter is so stinking super that they're open 24 hours. Yeah, like that's necessary. Who needs to shop at WalMart at 3 am???! Go to bed people. I appreciate the night owl syndrome, I really do, but this is ridiculous. Did I mention the train that found the need to blast its horn a dozen times as it chugged by? That was AWESOME. Wow. All I could say was "Man, do I feel sorry for Pastor and Beth".
After not getting to bed till 1 am, and combined with A) the redneck, diesel driving insomniacs, B) that RIDICULOUS train blaring its horn every hour, and C) Merlin's urgent need to exit the trailer at 5 am, it was not a good sleep night for me. Dog diarrhea, lack of sleep, worry, and a disturbingly serious need for a chocolate bar does not make for a happy camper. But alas...Momma said there'd be days like this, there'd be days like this my Momma said...
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