Cross Country (almost) with Two Dogs - Day 3

Day Three: Van, Texas to Amarillo, Texas

Cross Country (almost) with Two Dogs

Day three of our journey from Florida to Colorado found us in Amarillo, Texas, after almost 9 hours of driving. We ran into traffic in Dallas and the never-ending road construction that seems to be happening in that area can make navigating the highways with a trailer stressful. The northern part of Texas takes you through long stretches of state highways and small towns.  

The third day of travel is always the hardest for me. After two days of driving and staying in hotels, I'm not really having fun anymore. 

The dogs were used to the long hours on the road at this point and mainly slept unless we were making a fuel stop. Ellie is a big girl. She is a bloodhound and great dane mix we adopted in August 2020, when she was 8 months old. She was still a puppy really, and like many COVID puppies was not very socialized. Thankfully she had a "big" sister who had made two trips like this and was happy to show her the ropes!

When we moved from Washington to Florida, I discovered a great harness for our giant breed girl, Ava. The Big Dog Soft Reflective No Pull Harness is perfect for large pups. 

We spent our third night at the Courtyard Amarillo West / Medical Center. We booked a large room with two beds and a sofa bed for $111.00 plus $75.00 pet fee. At the time we stayed there, the hotel was very run-down and dated. The outdoor areas needed paint and repairs and the room just felt very old. The area to walk dogs was either a small strip of grass between the access road and the parking lot or through the lobby to the seating area behind the hotel. There was no bar or restaurant on site and no breakfast. (The website now advertises the hotel is newly renovated.)

At least on this night we were able to enjoy a really nice meal across the parking lot at Saltgrass Steakhouse.

The girls enjoyed their slumber party and the next day we were finally on the road home to Colorado Springs.

Before booking I highly recommend reviewing my original blog Cross Country with Three Dogs where I explain all the necessary steps to make reservations when traveling with pets.

Check out my day-to-day posts about each hotel and area:

• Day 1 - Mobile, AL
• Day 2 - Van, TX
• Day 4 - Colorado Springs, CO