Tripometer – 16,024 mi
Gas Gauge – 1257.666 gal
Location – Long Point Park and Campground, Melbourne Beach, FL
Lodging – $35
Cans of OFF – 4
Ranger’s Birthday!
It was another cooler day today with the high just over 70 degrees. Ranger swam off and on throughout the day wearing himself out completely. Kelly did her very best to give him a birthday to remember (though he has no idea why). We picked up a package of three beef bones at the grocery store yesterday and he spent a good bit of the day contentedly gnawing on beef marrow at our feet before running back into the water for more fetch. He doesn’t seem to have a mental limit, but physically he is dead exhausted by the end of every evening.
Paul worked with the camp office to secure our stay in this park until December 19th. We just don’t feel the need to move the rig anywhere else. We’re loving the little campground that we’re in. The amenities are fantastic, our neighbors (during the week) are quiet and generally good company, the weather is nice and warm and the price is right. We were able to arrange the rest of our stay here so that we only have to move the trailer one more time, on Sunday, from site # 45 to site # 46, a very easy move considering we can carry all of our outdoor gear about 25 feet and be done.
Ranger’s twin, a female golden named Bailey, moved in next door to us this afternoon. Bailey is 11 and has a bad leg, but Ranger doesn’t know that and REALLY wants to play. He isn’t getting his proper dose of dog to dog play on this trip and that is taking its toll on him. That is one of the things we’re really looking forward to when we get home, true dog parks and play dates with his sister Cipher. We’re sure, by this point, that he thinks he’ll never see her again, but rest assured he remembers her as that is a forbidden name in the trailer. If we say her name or Christine’s name within ear shot of the little guy he will immediately jump up and start looking for them.
Now that we’ve set up the rig in a stationary location and the opportunities for tourism are dwindling, we’re starting to get a bit claustrophobic. The trailer is getting smaller by the day it seems. We are both longing for a wider selection of clothes, larger beds, a couch to lie down on and a refrigerator that can hold more than 2 meals worth of food. As much as we’d love to stay on the road to see and do more, it’s time to think about heading home to both space and responsibility.
Special Note: As we’ve talked about a few times, Ranger is getting more and more communicative as time goes by. He has started to whine and grumble for a fairly wide variety of wants and needs. Considering the activity level that we’ve maintained over the last 5 months, we’re not sure how he’s going to adapt to winter in Maryland without swimming and so much outdoor time. We’re dreading the idea that he does nothing but whine and grumble all day every day, wanting to go play fetch in the bay during January.