Just in case you haven't figured it out from the title, this is Rover speaking. Yes, I can speak, and I can write too. Sometimes I bark, but usually I speak in human language so Denise can understand me.
And oh! Our trip is almost here. I'm counting the days, only 3 (including today) until we head off to the coast of Maine. As I wander around the house, I don't see any sign of our impending departure. I barked at Denise and suggested that she start putting things together, but she told me that there is no need for worry. We aren't taking that much with us - just biking clothes, off-bike clothes including hiking shoes for some wandering on two feet (well, four feet for me!) in Acadia, camera and (multiple) lenses.
I was really surprised to hear that Denise is breaking her shoe rule for this trip. Oh, you don't know what that is? Well, she has a rule that says she can only take two pairs of shoes on any trip. On a biking trip, that's usually her biking shoes and her Chaco sandals, which are really comfy for walking. But even though this is a biking trip, we're going to be doing some walking in Acadia National Park. The sandals could work, but she thinks hiking shoes are probably better. It's funny though, I'm perfectly happy with my four bare paws. I wonder why humans feel that they need to wear shoes. Hmm... I don't think the weight from an extra pair of shoes really matters on this trip though since we're only doing day trips on the bike and we won't need to carry them. I also find it interesting that she's still using her biking rules for everything else. Two sets of clothes, one to wear, and one that might still be wet from hand-washing the night before...
I reminded her to pick some energy bar flavors that I like too. After all, riding in the TailRider - that bag on the rack where the cameras ride - and keeping an eye out for good photos, well that can be hungry work!
I thought that we would be out on a bike today, but it's gray and rainy outside. I jumped onto Denise's computer to check the long-term forecast, and... I hope, I hope, I hope that the forecast is right because it says that once today's wet disappears that we are in for some clear but cool days. I'm going to call the weather wizard and see if she can help keep the days on the dry side. (What? Of course I'm on a first-name basis with the weather wizard. She doesn't always abide by my wishes, but we do talk...)
I'm having good dreams while I wait for Tuesday to roll around. I'm dreaming of rolling down the road, of seeing (and hearing!) the ocean, the rocks, the birds, of meeting strangers, of playing with cameras, of...
What do you mean I need to be able to reach the pedals to help with our forward motion? I thought that jumping up and down on this silly bicycle seat would be enough!
If you've followed Denise's other exploits, then you already know who I am.
But for any new readers out there... My name is Rover, and I travel with Denise. I jumped into her bags shortly after she left home on her cross-country adventure back in 2002, and I've been traveling with her ever since. No, I really can't help with pedaling, but I can help find sights for photos, and I make Denise smile. That's enough, isn't it?
