It all started…
…In early spring of 2022 the lives of two huskies and an old man were changed forever. I received a phone call from some friends in Florida saying that two Huskies were available (both females – Ravyn, 6 years old and Cabela, 7 years old) and did I want one of them. They would take the one I didn’t want. The next morning I was making the 12 hour drive to Florida to pick up Cabela – the 7 year old grey and white husky. Upon picking both of them up from the breeder and heading down to my friends to bring their daughter Ravyn, I couldn’t help but notice how well the two of them got along. As fate would have it, and through the kindness of my friends and their daughter and their love of Huskies, we decided not to separate them.
The following day, on my drive back to the mountains of western North Carolina I looked in the mirror and there in the back of my car were two beautiful Huskies. They had spent the last 6 years together and thanks to the huge hearts of my friends and their daughter, Cabela and Ravyn would get to spend the rest of their lives together.
And so, the three of us headed back up into the mountains of western North Carolina. I looked at the two of them in my rear view mirror. They were both snuggled up in the back of my car probably just a little bewildered as to what suddenly was happening in their lives and where they were going.
We hadn’t made it out of Florida before I made a promise to both of them that I would do everything I could to make their lives as safe and happy as I was able. I felt they both had paid their dues to motherhood and now it was their time to kick back, put their paws up and thoroughly enjoy the rest of their lives. As we crossed into Georgia I was determined to let nothing stand in the way of the commitment I made to both of them to make sure every single day of the rest of their lives was filled with joy, love, happiness, exercise and the best food I could give them.
Eleven hours later as we entered the mountains of western North Carolina and the roads turned hilly and twisty, Ravyn suddenly jumped up into the front seat then barged her way into my lap and tried to help me drive these winding hilly roads. Well, I frantically tried to explain to her that only one of us could drive at a time. She looked at me as if to say, “ok, so move over!” After some heart stopping conversation, she finally agreed to take the passenger seat and we managed not to go off the steep mountain road, but she was not altogether convinced she was making the right decision. .
We finally got home and the 3 of us jumped out of the car glad to no longer be fighting over who was going to drive. The first thing we did after our feet hit the ground was to head off on the hiking trails around the cabin. They took off like a fox being chased by a dozen hounds and off we went. Me holding on to them for dear life as they maneuvered the trails with expert skill. All i remember seeing was two wiggling butts, swaying tails and trees flying by.
As the trail narrowed the two of them side by side, almost as if they were velcroed together, suddenly Ravyn’s swaying butt knocked Cabela clear off the trail down the hill. Cabela quickly came back up and I told Cabela that she didn’t have to take that from Ravyn. (Cabela is about 10 pounds lighter than Ravyn.) Cabela looked at me, then side by side once again, Cabela’s butt abruptly knocked Ravyn right off the trail. I laughed and said way to go Cabela!!! Ravyn turned and gave me a sour look.
And so it was at that moment that two huskies became an old man’s best friends and an old man dedicated his time and heart to making sure that two huskies were forever tail waggingly happy. Eight months later their tails are still wagging, we have gone on some awesome adventure’s together and every day they drag my old bones through the woods in search of the perfect mole, the fastest deer and the coldest streams and waterfalls.
The Camper
A goal I had made to myself during the waning years of my 60’s was to stop all the remodeling on my cabin in the woods and start to travel – to enjoy my retirement. So, when I hit 70, and with the sudden introduction of two incredible huskies, I could not figure out a way to do this. I looked into Hotel/Motels but ruled them out. Tent camping? Ha!!, not at my age! Car camping? No, I was still having some disagreements with Ravyn on who was going to drive every time we got into the car.
So that only left one option. A camper!! Yes, perfect!! So we went out and shopped for a camper that we could all fit in. After much looking around, we came up with a unanimous decision for a new vintage style camper. It was a perfect fit for two dogs and an old man.
Cabela and Ravyn quickly made themselves at home in the camper and thus began our monthly week long camping trips together. This blog is dedicated to two of the greatest friends an old man could have been given. Cabela and Ravyn have enormously adventurous hearts, they have a total willingness to go anywhere together without complaint and their love of meeting new dog friendly people amazes me every single day.
My goal with this blog is to share our experiences together, some of the places we have traveled to and most important which places were the most dog friendly. If your thinking of doing some traveling and you have a dog(s), take them with you! The excitement and joy that you will bring into their lives is a gift to both them and you. No, it’s not easy sometimes. And sometimes its downright difficult. But take them with you. They want to go with you and be a part of your lives more than you can imagine. What you give them, they give back to you 100 times over.
So, happy and safe travels…. Cabela, Ravyn and the old man.
PS: You are welcome to share your experiences at the best dog friendly towns, campgrounds, restaurants, hiking trails and any other places that you and your dogs visited where you all had a great time. E-mail us at: Cabela-Ravyn@punkhuskies.com