OK, I guess I just wrote that to convince myself. . . er, remind myself, I mean.
There are many places we’ve been that are dog friendly. Some are pretty surprising – such as art galleries in Carmel, the pier & boardwalk in Monterey, even Piedras Blancas in San Simeon, for elephant seal watching, welcomed our travel companion.
Happy Camper
Occasionally I’m flabbergasted at a place that won’t accept pets – such as Meeks Bay in Tahoe. I mean, to the extent that your pet does not even get to step out of the car!
There was one preliminary notion I had which involved videographing ourselves being cited for as many “walking dog violations” we could rack up. Harmless opportunities such as the pier in Santa Cruz, the public beach at Billie Chinook, or, a cemetery! I’ve heard people make quite a bit of money with such ridiculous notions, that, just maybe. . .
Obeying the Leash Law
Anyway, we are limited by what site seeing can be accomplished when a dog is one of your travel partners; therefore, compromise is always part of the itinerary. We have been to a few open-air museums, which are essentially outdoor exhibits. We’ve seen a history of timber processing & machinery near Collier State Park, with Carlos. We’ve been to the Talac Estate, where several early log cabins have been relocated, and the architecture documented for all (including pets) to view.
Dogs Allowed in this “Museum”!
But, because of our pooch, we can’t stay at the Avila Beach Mineral Springs Resort, we aren’t able to rent bikes for extended cruises, we aren’t able to visit the interiors of the Bidwell House. Nope, those excursions are off limits to us. But, that means we just have to get creative.
When we dine out, we find outdoor options:
Dogs Welcomed
Some Dog Breath AT the Hogs Breath, in Carmel by the Sea
We band with friends or family that also have dogs:
Cousins!
And, sometimes we make zoos:
Lillisaurus
1000 Piece Puzzle!
And, of course, there’ve been the times I go in solo – camera in hand – and after exploring, I share with Woody: a brochure and my added photos:
Inside the Pope Estate
As I said, compromise. . . and a good attitude never hurts!
I totally understand! We travel with the dog every Summer and the hardest thing is when it’s 100 degrees and you can’t leave the dog in the car while you grab lunch. The gas station pit stops are rough sometimes when the asphalt is a million degrees. Carlos is a trooper though and you guys are great to include him. Safe travels!
-Sheryl
These are legitimate reasons that we must follow the weather!
Plages that are not pet friendly are not friendly !
I’m going to quote this!
Carmel is a particularly dog friendly town. Nice when dogs are allowed to places one wants to visit, but there do seem to be a lot of places we give up on visiting as we so often travel with the buddies. More fun to the dog(s) along though.