Dust Storms, Snow Balls, & Red Rocks...Oh My!

As we left Albuquerque, tumbleweeds blew, the Furball 500 tossed to & fro, and sand pelted our windshield. There we were, smack in the middle of a dust storm! We could barely see the cars in front of us. Luckily, the Furball 500 survived! After miles and miles of desert, we experienced climate shock upon entering Flagstaff, AZ. with its forests, snow, and cold temperatures. Central Pennsylvania de ja vu! I threw my last snowball and we set off for Sedona. We were astounded by the magnificence of Sedona's red rocks at sunset. Randy took photos of an enormous shadow on the rocks which resembled a jack rabbit. We saw the same image painted on the side of a Native American trading post. I interpreted this synchronicity as Randy's animal totem, but he said, "that rabbit was on that rock for the last 5,000 years at five o'clock!" So much for Randy's spiritual evolution :) Our kitties' chakras were instantly cleared by the famous vortexes of Sedona as we drove off toward San Diego, our final destination!

Sedona's red rocks. If you look closely, you can see the profile of a jackrabbit.

View from the window as we drove through the desert. 

The furball 500 slowed down enough to take a few photos while driving through Sedona.

The feeling of impending doom set in as we watched the dust storm approach through our windshield...

Snow! Yikes!! I was trying to get away from all this cold white stuff :(

Randy photographing the image of the jackrabbit reflected on the rocks.

The furball in the midst of a sand storm.

Snow covered trees which reminded us of Philly!

Driving through the Red Rocks en route to Sedona...

Yay! We made it to Sedona :) Absolutely breathtaking!

We Gotta Ticket to Ri-i-ide

We were welcomed to the Land of Enchantment by Officer Sanchez who gave us a ticket for driving 90 mph in a 75 mph zone. Later that night, we arrived at our next destination, Albuquerque, NM. Our hosts were Margo & Tom, who have a rabbit sanctuary associated with The House Rabbit Society. We were delighted to share our room with several rescued bunnies. Ginger, my cat who has a fetish for bunny pee, was overjoyed! She parked herself in the dustpan for the best smelling seat in the house. Other rescued buns roamed freely through the beautiful house. A warren of feral buns scampered through the courtyard to their indoor quarters. Junior, who toppled over occasionally due to a neurological issue, & I really hit it off! Igor only had three legs, but didn't seem to mind since he also had three girlfriends :) Miss Audrey, who was paralyzed in an accident, got around well wearing a sock on her back legs. Read more about Audrey's adventures in her own blog, http://www.bunspace.com/blog_view?bunid=18556

After eating the best Minestrone soup, chatting with Margo & Tom, and chillin' with the buns, we went to sleep surrounded by purring cats (with the exception of Buddha who growled until her Xanax kicked in). We awoke to a delicious vegan breakfast overlooking the rabbit courtyard where the buns dined on a bushel of Timothy Hay. Even the cats enjoyed watching the courtyard buns munching away! A grand time had by all, thanks to the generous hospitality of Margo & Tom :)

By now, the cats know the drill. When we arrive, they explore their new surroundings, eat voraciously, use the kitty litter, rest, and repeat in reverse the next morning. So we packed up the cats and the car and set out on the last leg of our journey to San Diego, CA.

Mandy, Randy (human), Chico, Buddha, & Rocco (front center) resting after our long drive.

Packed up and ready to roll...

Ginger relaxing in the dustpan :)

Buddha intently watching the warren of bunnies eating their breakfast in the courtyard. 

Ginger rolling around the dustpan in ecstasy!

Meet Audrey, the adorable paralyzed bun who gets around quite well in her sock. Watch her wiggle her nose and scamper across the floor in the videos below!

Feral buns eating breakfast in their courtyard.

A great place to play!

Three-legged Igor chillin' with two of his girlfriends.

I fell head over heels for Junior, who toppled backward himself due to a neurological issue. What a cutie!

Red & blue lights from the police car reflecting in our side mirror as we got our ticket :(

Miss Audrey peering out from her special box. She and other buns roamed freely through the house.

Cat Kicks on Route 66

A car angel guided us from Ohio to Indiana to Illinois to Missouri through the Bible Belt. The cats slept peacefully as we passed the St. Louis Arch. We tried to get our cat kicks on Old Route 66 at the Allstar Inn, but we found this discriminating sign. We finally landed on all four feet at the Relax Inn down the street. Mandy took the motel's name seriously, but Buddha growled all night long. Luckily everyone used the litterbox except Randy & I who chose the toilet instead.

We commenced our journey the next morning with a chorus of screaming cats so I spritzed some Animal Relief Formula (flower essence spray) around the car. It didn't work on Ginger, who yowled until she fell asleep. As we drove through the Bible Belt, we passed several Inter Continental Ballistic Crosses and many unusual signs, like those for "Kum & Go" convenience stores. In dry, parched West Texas, we found rain and fog en route to our next destination, Albuquerque, NM.

Comforting Miss Buddha as she growls...

Mandy & Rocco get the best car seat this time!

One of many ICB Crosses we passed en route...

Randy at the wheel!

The Furball's speed of choice!

Ginger took a break from screaming to pose for this photo :)

Luckily, the Animal Relief Formula gave us all some relief from the screaming chorus!

Our car angel...

Mandy relaxing at the Relax Inn!

Signage from a popular convenience store in the Bible Belt...

We saw some interesting sights on the road.

An official sign for Old Route 66!

The Furball 500 drove off into the setting sun...

The self-proclaimed "pet-friendly" All Star Inn wasn't too friendly toward cats :(

We left immediately after reading this discriminating sign!

Traveler's Paradise

Yikes! Snow ahead!

Driving through a mountain tunnel as we crossed central Pennsylvania...

Chico got the best car seat!

Julie, Rocco, & Dave socializing during our visit. 

Rocco made himself at home perched atop the couch. 

After our journey driving through snow, rain, and sunshine, we made it to Ohio and arrived at the ultimate cat-traveler's paradise, the home of our dear friends Dave & Julie. We were welcomed with open arms, a room for our cats, litter boxes, cat treats, delicious vegan food, and wonderful company. We were very grateful and left with more supplies (for cats & humans) than we brought! Our cats must have felt welcomed too since they sprawled out and enjoyed the creature comforts of their temporary home. We re-packed the car to see each cat better and set out on the next leg of our journey. Thank you Dave & Julie for your gracious hospitality :)

Goodbye Shangri-La

Meet the gang:  Buddha (black soft carrier), Munchie (cage), Mandy, Rocco, Chico, & Ginger (carriers). See their profile pictures below. 

Munchie, our little feral, is a real flight risk so she gets to ride in her own cage.

Mandy, who gets very carsick, knows this doesn't look promising...hopefully her Cerenia will kick in soon!

Rocco's trying to escape already!

Ginger, alias Gin Gin, keenly aware that something big was about to happen.

Chico doth protest...

The view leaving our little spring house...

Walking toward the car, a.k.a "furball 500."

Furball is packed up and ready for the road!

My traveling companion, Randy, laughs because my seat is full before I even get in :)

Leaving Shangri-La, our quaint springhouse on an 11-acre horse farm in Phoenixville (PA, outside Philly), was bittersweet. My co-pilot Randy & I packed up my 6 cats and said goodbye to their 7 cat buddies and former housemates.

Following the goodbyes, we officially began the "furball 500," the namesake of this travel blog documenting our transcontinental journey from Pennsylvania to California in my Honda Fit. We packed the car in a mini-snow blizzard, but ironically the storm cleared when we left.

Goodbye Pennsylvania! "California, here I come...right back where I started from..."

Within minutes of our journey, poor Mandy let go of her faculties :( Luckily, we were prepared with plenty of paper towels and Simple Solution stain & odor remover.