Cross Country with Three Dogs: Day 7

Day 7: Mobile, Alabama to East Coast, Florida

We were so excited to finally be driving home that we left at 7:45 AM. We arrived home at 7:00 PM. We only made a couple of quick stops and it took 11 hours to arrive to Florida's central east coat but we were all so happy to be home! Even with no furniture!

7 Days, 9 States, 3 Dogs

Before venturing out on a road trip with pets and any overnight stays, 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. The right planning can make what would seem like a stressful trip to a relaxed adventure for you and your buddies!


Check out my day-by-day posts for pricing and details about each area.

• Day One - Redding, CA
• Day Two - Bakersfield, CA
• Day Three - Tucson, AZ
• Day Four - Fort Stockton, TX
• Day Five - Houston, TX
• Day Six - Mobile, AL

Cross Country with Three Dogs: Day 6

Day 6: Houston, Texas to Mobile, Alabama

We took our time getting out of Houston, leaving at about 8:40 AM and arrived in Mobile at 3:45 PM after driving almost 7 hours. It was so early we contemplated just driving on and trying to make it home.







It's tough with three dogs though, and the same conundrum of what if we get tired and need to stop but can't find a hotel came back. We decided to go ahead and stay at TownePlace Suites Mobile. There was a $75.00 pet fee. That almost doubled the room rate. Even as a suite this room was on the smaller side. It had a very small area for cooking etc, but we were all pretty cramped in the room. The room was clean though and they let us move when there was an issue with the first room we booked. There is a gated area for dog walks behind one of the buildings. Honestly, I didn't like going alone at night because it wasn't well lit and wasn't visible to any areas with foot traffic.  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.




We had an amazing meal at Briquettess Steakhouse. It was a great find near the hotel and you see the whole review on ReviewSteak.


We were so happy the next morning to be headed to our final destination - HOME!

Check out my day-by-day posts for pricing and details about each hotel and area.

• Day One - Redding, CA
• Day Two - Bakersfield, CA
• Day Three - Tucson, AZ
• Day Four - Fort Stockton, TX
• Day Five - Houston, TX
• Day Seven - Home, FL

Cross Country with Three Dogs: Day 5

Day 5: Fort Stockton, Texas to Houston, Texas

Happy to leave Fort Stockton, we headed out at 8:54 AM.

The drive was a pretty easy seven hours and we arrived at 4:00 PM. We checked in to Candlewood Suites Houston I-10 East. This place was awesome. They waived the pet fee because the room we reserved wasn't available AND they gave us adjoining rooms. So we had a room with a king bed and kitchenette and the pups had a room with two queen beds, also with a kitchenette but they don't really cook. Two bathrooms was nice also. The hotel is set up for extended stay and they didn't have breakfast but have a little store where you can purchase oatmeal, yogurt, etc. There also isn't much space for walks but enough to get the job done.  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.

Since we checked in so early, we were able to finally get a real night out and catch up on rest. We had gotten over the anxiety of leaving the pups at this point. We ventured out to Pappasito's Cantina and had some awesome TexMex.

Check out my day-by-day posts for pricing and details about each hotel and area.

• Day One - Redding, CA
• Day Two - Bakersfield, CA
• Day Three - Tucson, AZ
• Day Four - Fort Stockton, TX
• Day Six - Mobile, AL
• Day Seven - Home, FL

Cross Country with Three Dogs: Day 4

Day 4: Tucson, Arizona to Fort Stockton, Texas

We were mid-way through the trip and were on the fence about staying in Tucson an extra night. We had been pushing hard and really liked the Radisson Suites Tucson, plus we were super tired. In the end we decided to push forward and drive on to Fort Stockton, Texas.

We left at 11:00 AM and arrived at 8:30 PM Central time after 8.5 hours of driving time.

We stayed at La Quinta Inn Fort Stockton. We paid no pet fee which is typical for La Quinta.  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.

The hotel in Fort Stockton is run down and a typical roadside motel and the area to walk dogs isn't picked up so it was pretty nasty. Even the pups were looking at me like, "Mom, gross!" It was cheap though and Fort Stockton is literally the only place to stay after Tucson without driving several more hours. We survived.




We did have a great meal Texas style at K-Bob's Steakhouse that night. We were glad to be on the road and head to Houston the next day!

Check out my day-by-day posts for pricing and details about each hotel and area.

• Day One - Redding, CA
• Day Two - Bakersfield, CA
• Day Three - Tucson, AZ
• Day Five - Houston, TX
• Day Six - Mobile, AL
• Day Seven - Home, FL

Cross Country with Three Dogs: Day 3

Day Three: Bakersfield, California to Tucson, Arizona

We didn't have a lot of time for sight seeing on this journey but one thing I really wanted to see was Joshua Tree National Park. 

We left Bakersfield at 9:45 AM. We made a detour and took some time driving slowly through the park and enjoyed that experience. One thing to note about that decision that is very important - when driving through that part of California plan in advance to get gas. There are very few places off the main highways to fuel up. Especially diesel!

Pit Stop entering Arizona

We arrived in Tucson at 10:30 PM Mountain time, almost 12 hours on the road. We stayed at Radisson Suites Tucson. Mauricio surprised me with a bottle of champagne and sweets in the room! We paid the odd amount of $69.38 for a pet fee.  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. We really enjoyed this hotel and almost stayed a second night. The hotel is older but clean and we had a living/kitchenette area plus a separate bedroom and large bathroom. There are several green spaces in a courtyard type layout so you are inside the hotel with the pups on walks versus being on the perimeter next to parking. They have a nice bar/restaurant and in spite of our late arrival we were able to enjoy drinks and appetizers at the bar.

Quick stop between Kramer Junction CA and Joshua Tree NP.

I am really glad I decided to purchase this Big Dog Soft Reflective No Pull Harness harness for Ava. She is a little claustrophobic and this does not squeeze her, slips easily over her head and fastens under her chest, fits pretty loose but is totally escape-proof. I thought I would share the link because we are so pleased with it.

Check out my day-by-day posts for pricing and details about each hotel and area.

• Day One - Redding, CA
• Day Two - Bakersfield, CA
• Day Four - Fort Stockton, TX
• Day Five - Houston, TX
• Day Six - Mobile, AL
• Day Seven - Home, FL

Cross Country with Three Dogs: Day 2

 Day Two: Redding, California to Bakersfield, California

Day two was an easy drive to Bakersfield.

We left Redding around 9:40 AM and arrived in Bakersfield at 4:45 PM, just under six hours. We stayed at Residence Inn Bakersfield. We had to pay an extra $100.00 for pet fee (ouch!)  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.




We had a  nice large room with a kitchen and separate bedroom.

Continental breakfast was pretty good. The one downside was we didn't have a window overlooking the parking lot and we like to keep an eye on our vehicle. Dinner that night was pizza because we were still afraid to leave the pups alone.

There are several grassy areas that were clean for walks. The property is also entirely fenced and adds an extra sense of security.

The pups were enjoying the road trip!

Check out my day-by-day posts for pricing and details about each hotel and area.

• Day One - Redding, CA
• Day Three - Tucson, AZ
• Day Four - Fort Stockton, TX
• Day Five - Houston, TX
• Day Six - Mobile, AL
• Day Seven - Home, FL