Tempe-Durham Trip, Days #3 & #4

We pull out of the rest stop at the western border of Oklahoma at 9 a.m. on November 24th, and the road is VERY bumpy!

I meow a lot whenever the road makes me bounce up and down. It is noisy, too. I do not like it.

We stop at a place that has a lot of Airstreams. I do not know that my Airstream has brothers and sisters! I wish I could find mine.

People #1 buys several parts for Airstream. This is the first time I hear of her needing new parts. Something about a new water pump.

I am glad that all my parts are working fine. They do not need replacing.

We leave the spot with all the Airstreams and come up to a place called Oklahoma City. It has the usual tall things sticking out of the ground.



The road is very bumpy here.

It is a relief to leave the city and return to peace and quiet of the open road. I share a special moment with People #1 to remind him that yes, I do like him sometimes.



OH! I forget to post pictures of me at the rest area in New Mexico, before the big traffic jam. Here they are:



People #2 calls the next one "artsy". It just does not have any color, is all. Whatever!



Now that we have that out of the way, I return to the trip in progress.

We finally cross the border into something with the name Arkansas.



I am stretched full out on the dashboard since the road is smooth and I do not bounce around. You can see I get VERY tired now!



It gets dark and we are still driving. Will we EVER stop?

My Peoples say that they need to "make up for lost time" because of the traffic jam delay in New Mexico.

We cross a big area of water with the name Mississippi. This sounds like a hiss and a spit at the same time!



Truck finally stops and my Peoples bring me into Airstream for a much-needed dinner. Then they leave me for a while. They go somewhere named "Olive Garden" and come back smelling like garlic.

Back on the road, but only for a moment. We stop again so soon, this time for "gas". I do not like starting and stopping much. It is better when we keep going.



I get my wish! We keep going for a very long time. People #2 finally drives while People #1 sleeps. (People #1 does most of the driving.)

Truck makes a loud purr when we go over mountains.

We stop for gas and People #1 gets behind the wheel, and it is People #2's turn to sleep.

The sun comes up. I do not believe that we travel so long. We usually stop somewhere for the night, but this time we keep driving.

We cross over into Virginia.

Just when I think we NEVER stop, we pull over into a parking lot by a place with a sign "Cracker Barrel" which looks very quiet. We all go into Airstream and nap for a couple of hours.

But we do not sleep nearly long enough. Back into Truck, where I start meowing a lot.

Yes, I am very tired, and I want my Peoples to know it! I have a great deal to say on this part of the trip. My Peoples do not really want to hear it, but they have to listen. They are a CAT-tive audience!



As we get close to the last state on our travels, with the name North Carolina, the view outside Truck suddenly gets scary. The ground in the distance is very far below us!



We stop just over the border at the usual place where Peoples and Cars and Trucks gather.



There is an unusually large number of them because it is "Thanksgiving Weekend", my Peoples say. They do not seem too excited about it. I think they are very tired, too.

People #2 does get excited later on when we pass a big hill, Pilot Mountain. Something about a famous show on Idiot Box with whistling at the beginning.



We go through a bunch of big places with buildings sticking up, and the traffic gets really heavy sometimes.

I am SO tired! People #2 insists on taking one last picture of me. I am resigned.



We FINALLY stop at a place with lots of tall trees and other houses with wheels, sort of like Airstream. She is smaller than all the others, but way prettier!

I hope against hope that we do not drive again. (At least, for a while.)

I think that we are here for a long time because we do not leave the next day.

I sleep even more than usual. It feels so good not to be bumped around on the road!

Here is where we are staying:



Soon I tell you about my new kitty neighbors! They live two trailers to the left of Airstream. They get to be outside and I am jealous!

I have arrived!

I am safe and sound in Durham, North Carolina.

What a LONG trip I have!

On Monday, we drive through the rest of Arizona and then into New Mexico.

As you can see, I am feeling fresh and happy that day. I am in the car only a few hours then.



People #2 brings out the video camera and gets excited when we get to the border between Arizona and New Mexico. There are funny looking buildings in the middle of the desert. I never see anything like it!



People #1 turns on the Radio and the strangest sound comes out. You will hear it in the video I post soon. But let me tell you now that it is something called Navajo chant. This yelling and wailing sounds like a cat fight! But there are also drums which is NOT like any fight I ever have.

After the chant, some Peoples talk in a language I do not understand. I am proud to say that I understand everything -- and I mean everything -- that my People say. But these Navajo Peoples on the Radio I do NOT understand!



We drive and drive until we get near a big place called Albuquerque. Suddenly Truck stops! What is going on?

Usually we turn off the big road before stopping. But now we stop right in the middle of it!

We sit there for the longest time.



I get a little scared and hide under the seats for a while. I am not used to this new routine.

My Peoples get out of Truck in the middle of the road and talk to other Peoples who also get out of their Cars.




They find out that there is a huge accident with two Trucks. One Truck hits something called a Paint Truck. I know what paint is! It is that smelly messy stuff. It gets all over the Road and takes THREE HOURS to clean up.

The sun is very low in the sky by the time we start moving again.

We drive for many more hours before stopping. Finally we pull over just past the Oklahoma border.

It feels so good to go back inside Airstream, have a nibble and a nap.

My paws are tired from all this writing so I save Day #3 for tomorrow. I just want to tell you that my trip is done and that I am fine, even though I am pooped!

Tempe-Durham Trip, Day #1

I am unusually quiet as People #1 loads me into the truck for our long journey. For some reason I do not feel like meowing.

(Secret: It is slightly less traumatic to travel at night. No hot, glaring sun.)

We pull Airstream out of the RV park at 9:15 p.m. Sunday and I will NOT miss Barking Dog!

We pick up People #2 in front of the theatre and it is good to see him.

We drive for a few hours and finally stop at a KOA kampground at 1:30 a.m. It is KUTE that they spell it with a "k" -- just like "kitty"!

It is in Holbrook, AZ in case you want to track our long journey.

Here is Airstream resting at the KOA this morning. She is not too tired yet.



I go into the bathroom to wait for the inevitable picking-up-and-hauling-me-off-to-the-truck routine.



I get a brief sniff of the outdoors on the very few steps between Airstream and Chevy Truck, then put inside Truck. Back to the LONG day of travel thing. I am used to this.

We plan to go all the way to Oklahoma City before stopping for the night. It is a twelve-hour drive from Holbrook but we have to cover 2000 miles in only three days!

A-PAW-lo-gies for not having time to visit all my favorite kitty blogs to make my usual clever comments, for the next several days. I look forward to reading about all your adventures after we finally reach our destination of Durham, NC.

CAT-cha later!

Just to let you know...

After my previous post, several kitties ask me where we are going.

We start our cross-country trip from Tempe, AZ to Durham, NC tonight after People #2 finishes his last show here (Phantom of the Opera. He plays French Horn. It is noisy!).

People #1 packs up Airstream and she is almost ready to go!

I sit on the truck's console when we pick up People #2 in front of the theatre. Then I usually go to his lap. It will be especially nice since he is wearing black! It contrasts well with the kitty fur I leave on his pants.

We plan to arrive in Durham sometime late Wednesday. It is a 2,000-mile drive. I may or may not be able to blog along the way. But you can be sure that I take videos and pictures of our trip. BYE!

In Search of Sun

Mornings are nice here in Tempe because the bathroom window of Airstream faces East.

I like to jump up on the sink to catch a few rays.



Barking Dog is only a few feet away but of course I ignore it.

I can sit here for hours. At least until one of the Peoples needs the bathroom.

I have a feeling that we leave here soon. People #1 is looking at a Google map of the country, which is always a bad sign!

So if I do not post for the next several days, it is because I am ON THE ROAD AGAIN!!

My Trip Across The Country: May 4-9, 2009: DAY #2

Okay, so I am back to tell you about my big trip all the way across the country from Connecticut to California!

May 5th: We are very happy to leave the Motel 6 in Columbus, Ohio. It is the dirtiest one we ever stay in! I do not hide under the covers for a change. It does not smell nice.

I will think twice
When a bed does not smell nice
Because it might have lice
I much prefer mice
(But they are not usually in bed.)

Today I try to sleep as much as possible. It is very difficult in a moving vehicle. Sometimes we go over bumps, other times we slow down and Chevy Truck changes his purr. This wakes me up.

One thing which REALLY bothers me is the sound of the turn-signal. Do not ask me why, I do not know! I always meow when it comes on.

I think it bothers People #1 too, because he often talks about how loud it is.

People #2 thinks it is GOOD that the turn-signal is loud, because then you never leave it on accidentally. He hates it when people drive down the road doing that.

He calls this a "Pet Peeve". Watch your language, sport!

When People #1 starts getting tired, he turns on something called "Talk Radio". This is Peoples talking out of something in the dashboard of Chevy Truck. It is as noisy as Idiot Box in the corporate apartment but there are no moving pictures to go with it. How boring!

Yap-yap-yap, all the way through Ohio.

Okay, we are leaving Ohio. Will you please turn the radio off?


It is so considerate of Ohio to let us know that we are leaving. Some states do not even say goodbye.

I meow again about the radio but People #1 says, "Not yet".

Now we are in Indiana.



Finally I get used to the noise and go back to sleep, on the console in-between the seats. It is a nice perch when I am awake too.

The best perch, however, is the dashboard. My Peoples are always amazed that I like it up there. Chevy Truck has a nice, wide place for me to sit.

After a while we come up to a big city, with tall things sticking up out of the ground like in Hartford.

Its name is Indianapolis.



A couple hours later (are we in Illinois?) I see a HUGE thing coming up! What is it?



The afternoon wears on. Suddenly we are over water. People #2 says that it is called Mississippi, and it is a VERY big river.



Then we are in another state, which means another picture of a sign. I do not quite understand what the big deal is. This piece of dirt looks very much like the last one. At least at first.



Just north of St. Louis, both my Peoples get excited. They see a big place at the side of the road where they sell Airstreams. My Peoples buy their first Airstream from this company in 1998, from a different location. They often talk about visiting the new store, but I am glad they never do. I like my Airstream #2, thank you very much!



Here is another river. This one's name is Missouri.



All these new names to remember!

We get across the state and arrive in Kansas City. We go to the Kansas side and finally stop for the night, in nearby Merriam. This is where we stay for three weeks before going to Hartford. We leave Airstream here while we are in Connecticut.

We are so glad to see Airstream again! Back to familiar surroundings. (No more Motel 6's!)


If you look closely you can see People #1 getting us ready to leave the next morning.

To be continued: Day #3!

I have a LOT to say on Wednesday!!

I take a short break from telling you about our cross-country trip last Spring, so I can talk about NOW.

It is Wednesday and many cats are wordless. Why? I always have a lot to say, especially on Wednesdays!

For example:

Airstream is now parked in Tempe, Arizona. People #2's work takes us to many different places.

It is late November and the kitties in cyberspace talk about being cold. Well, I am NOT cold here.

People #2 says we are in the desert. Isn't this a special treat after dinner? I need to tell him that he is saying it wrong.

I like to jump into People #2's lap while he sits in front of the computer. Well, truth be told I do not actually JUMP up -- this would be far too undignified -- but I stretch my front paws up onto his legs to let him know that a visitation is imminent.

People #2 reaches down with both hands and pulls me up, supporting me near the back legs. He makes sure not to squeeze me, because I tend to screech bloody murder if I am squeezed.

(Another secret: I am a big cat who looks really tough but actually I have a very high meow.)

I sit on his lap and enjoy having my head scratched for a minute. But then it is time for treats! Stop the scratching and get busy with the vittles already!

Then People #1, who sits right next to People #2 with his computer, brings out a pencil and lays it on the counter. Now it is time to play with that.

I reach out an exploratory paw and push the pencil. Sometimes I grab it with my teeth. Whatever I do, the end result is the same: PENCIL ON FLOOR.

Objective achieved. Now what?

I am bored, and jump off People #2's lap.

I go back to sleep on the couch. Here's a shot of me here in Tempe.



See the thing named "Mobile Home" through Airstream's window? The Peoples that live in it have been fixing their porch. They finally stop hammering on it a couple days ago. Thank you.

Now let me tell you about our neighbors behind us. This will excite me for a minute.

People #2 tells me that Airstream is at an "RV Park". It looks just like all the other ones with this name. Other boxes -- not as pretty as Airstream -- are parked nearby.

RV Park has a brick wall separating it from what Peoples call Trailer Park on the other side. That place is not as nice as RV Park.

They have the same last name. Are they in the same family?

Here is a picture of Airstream where she sits now.



Behind her are the Peoples who live right behind us in Trailer Park. They have a dog.

A small, yappy dog who never shuts up!

You do not believe me? Here is the video to prove it:



Every time my Peoples open Airstream's windows, I have to listen to this dog. But then it gets hot and the Peoples close the windows and turn on the air conditioning. I do not hear the dog any more, hooray!

It makes me miss our dog Ringo, who never barks unless you ask him to.

Ringo going away is another story. I save up all these stories since January.

You are in for a TREAT. Speaking of....is it lap time again?

Well, I use a lot of words on Wednesday. I hope you are okay with that.

My Trip Across The Country: May 4-9, 2009: DAY #1

Just when I think I cannot hide under the bedcovers at the corporate apartment in Hartford another day, we leave.

I am MORE than ready to go home to The Woods. I need to be outside! I can hardly remember what this is like. I am not allowed outdoors for six weeks now.

I do not meow (too much) when People #2 puts me on the passenger seat of the truck. I know that I will get home....eventually.

People #2 takes videos of the scenery flashing by. Especially when we come to places with different names. He likes to photograph the welcome signs on something called "States". I do not know what the big deal is -- you see one sign, you see them all.

Watching the scenery makes me dizzy sometimes. But it is not so bad when I sit up on the dashboard looking back, towards People #2. He usually says something nice to me, like what a cool and brave traveler I am.

Here are some still shots from THE VIDEO.

Yes, my fellow Pawpers, if I cannot be famous in Hollywood maybe I can be famous here, on The Kitty Blogs!

I milk this for all it is worth, and then some. I may spread these freeze-frames over a few days. So it is like you are with me the whole way across the country!

HERE WE GO!

On the morning of May 4th, we leave the corporate apartment and drive down Big Noisy Road. Here we see downtown Hartford, where People #2 recently works.



I sleep. It starts to rain as we cross the border into a place called New York State. There goes People #2 with his video camera again.



I ask, "Are we home yet?"



Ringo says, "No, Rupert. Try to be patient like ME!"




People #2 sees a truck pass by and he starts to laugh. He whips out his video camera and takes movies of it. What's so funny about this truck anyhow?



Later he nearly misses the Pennsylvania sign, which flashes by in a blur. (Wait til you see the video! (which I post after I show you all the pictures).



Many hours pass. When the sun is low in the sky, we cross over into Ohio.



In Ohio, all the trucks suddenly slow down. They usually stay in the right lane. People #1 says that the speed limit is slower for trucks, but they go a bit faster than the sign says. It is just the wrong speed for People #1 to manuever around them!

A couple hours later, we finally stop for the night at a Motel 6 just north of Columbus.

The room smells bad. Then my Peoples are very upset when they find bedbugs! They tell me not to say anything about the sheets in this blog except that they are NOT clean.

End of Day #1. Come back tomorrow for the next installment!

Spring Road Trip Continued

Now I tell you about our time in Hartford.

We are there in late April. Two things happen that scare a lot of Peoples. I see this on something they call "Idiot Box" which is in the corporate apartment we stay in for two weeks.

My Peoples do not think I understand Idiot Box but I actually do. Please keep my secret!

We do not stay in Airstream (where there is no Idiot Box) in Hartford, because there is no convenient place to park her. People #1 says that the Northeast is not "RV-friendly", whatever that means.

So we stay in another corporate apartment. Back to the strange noises coming from the walls and ceiling!

I like the carpet and I like sitting on top of the couch. I dig my claws into it when my Peoples leave. Shhh, please do not tell!

My Peoples spend a lot of time sitting in front of Idiot Box, watching the images flicker on the screen and listening to the blare of Peoples voices. I sit on the back of the couch and pretend to ignore it. Just like I do with the dog.

Idiot Box is like a computer on steroids. Very noisy and obnoxious.

Anyway, the first scary news is this thing called Swine Flu. In April the story just gets bigger and bigger. I am very sensitive to Peoples' tone of voice, and the ones inside Idiot Box sound more and more scared as the days go by.

It is almost as though they LIKE being scared. Are they bored too?

I wish they call it "Piggy Flu", which reminds me of the story I hear about these pigs in their houses made of straw, wood and brick.

The other scary news is more local to Hartford. Suddenly Peoples find dead microbes in the water supply! They are little animals in the water which die and leave their skeletons behind. However they are supposed to NOT be harmful to Peoples.

I am offended that they say nothing about if it is harmful to cats. What are we, chopped liver? (mmm...that makes me hungry!)

So why do the Peoples in the Idiot Box scare everybody?

I do not like bad news so I hide under the covers a lot, just like in L.A. in the video. I do not have pictures of the bed in Hartford because a lump is a lump is a lump. If you see one you see them all.

The water scare lasts for a week. Finally the microbes go away. Bye-bye dead skeletons!

Finally we leave. I actually do not hate going back inside the truck so much this time. It means something new to see somewhere down the road! But of course I pretend to be upset. I have an image to maintain, you know.

People #2 puts me in the truck. Then People #1 brings out the dog. As Ringo jumps in the back seat, I look at him with just the slightest hint of contempt. Just to keep up appearances.




The view of the parking lot through the open door makes me curious but not enough to jump out. But a fellow can dream.




My People close the doors and we are moving! I am on People #2's lap and put my front paws on the windowsill. I am kind of glad to see Hartford in the rear-view mirror.



What's next? Our trip all the way back across the country, home to The Woods!

CAT - (ching) UP!!

Hello Peoples!

This year goes by VERY fast.

I'm a bad kitty. You can probably guess why. It's because I do not post since January!

I try to remember all the places I go. It is very confusing. I am truly a Cat on The Road.

I start with where I leave off, or maybe just before. Try to stay awake as I recap the year, Peoples!

JANUARY
The Beach is nice in early January. No snow. But I can't go outside of this little shiny box. People #1 & #2 call it "Airstream". What a stupid name! Rupert is a good name for a cat.

Then we go home to The Woods for a little while. It snows there. But at least I can go outside.

Then I am put in the car AGAIN and we drive to Hollywood. I do NOT become famous. I am devastatingly disappointed. How's that for a dramatic Hollywood phrase? See, I am very talented. Oh well, it's THEIR loss!

We stay in a huge corporate apartment. (I must admit I do like carpet!) I get a little more exercise waddling from room to room. I hide under the covers of the gigantic bed, as you see in the video from previous post.

I'll let you in on a little secret. I hide under the covers of these corporate apartments mostly because I do not like the strange noises coming out of the ceiling and the walls. I cannot identify them, so they scare me.

When I am not scared I am bored.

FEBRUARY
We go back to The Woods. More snow. I like being outdoors even when it's cold. Much better than being warm and a Kitty-Potato indoors!






But sometimes it is nice to be warm indoors. (Yes, I can change my mind!) It is warmer this winter inside Airstream. The winter before it is cold in the Music Room, attached to the barn.

People #1 hides under blankets sort of like I do. But it's pretty warm on top of the stove too.



In this picture we still have that darn dog. But he is gone now. I must tell you about that later.


MARCH
Still in The Woods, hooray. The white stuff goes away and the grass comes. I LOVE EATING GRASS.



Just when I start to think that we stop traveling, we leave again!

I hide under the bed but People #1 drags me out. Then he takes me out of Airstream. I know what's coming next!



Yes folks, you guessed it! They put me in the truck. OH NO! I know what this means. Long days of movement, roaring whooshing noise from the truck and sitting in People #2's lap. No food, water or litter box when I want it. Just a lot of bouncing around and harsh sunlight.

Sometimes we stop, and People #2 carries me into Airstream. (What a stupid name!) and I fill up or get rid of. Or both. 'Nuff said 'bout that!

Oh did I mention that Rupert is a good name for a cat?

We drive and drive and drive and drive!

Two days after we leave The Woods (I think it's March 29th), we are somewhere in the middle of Nebraska. People #1 & #2 decide to stop at a McDonald's for lunch.

Yum, I like meat! But they're mean and don't give me any. In fact, they don't even let me go inside Airstream. They make me stay in the truck. SO WHAT if I just ate a few hours earlier? I might want a nibble!

We pull into the McDonald's parking lot. People #1 has to go inside Airstream. Then People #2 takes videos of People #1 coming out of Airstream. He says it's "artful". I don't THINK so!

Here are a series of still shots from the video. It's like a little story:

People #1 is locking Airstream's door. I SEE HIM!

He's coming!

I watch intently as he comes closer...

Why is he sticking his finger in my face? I'll go ahead and sniff it, very nonchalantly of course.

Okay, I admit that I'm a sucker for a kiss!

Where are you GOING? Don't walk away!

They leave me for a few minutes. They come back with a white bag which smells like chicken. They are rude and don't share. Okay, I'll go back to sleep!

A few hours later we stop overnight. Still in Nebraska I think. It is an endless piece of real estate.

The next afternoon we are finally in Missouri, only a couple hours from our destination which is called "Kansas City". Sometimes I like to ride on the dashboard to get a better view.



I always try to look handsome in my pictures but you can sort of tell that I'm OVER this whole thing.

This is enough cat-(ch) up for now.

I promise not to wait ten months to post again. I have more interesting travel pictures to share!