I started out just taking her to work with me. She doesn't exactly go running to get in the car in the morning, but once inside she just curls up and sleeps or watches the world go by.
At the office, she has the best view in the house
Once we got the Sportsmobile, we started putting her inside while it was in the driveway. At first she just hopped out immediately, but since she likes to be around us, and we are often out tinkering with the van, she soon decided it was an OK place to hang out. We then progressed to taking her on local trips - mountain biking, grocery shopping, etc. Fortunately, she shows no propensity for trying to get out of the van when the doors are open. We can leave them open while we unload bikes and get ready to go, and she just hops into the vacated passenger seat and goes to sleep.
With the Kern River flowing at the highest rate in years, we were itching to go kayaking. However, our weekends have been busy with work and home commitments, so we haven't been able to get away for a while. We finally decided to just blast up there for a weekday excursion. While weekends at the Kern are bustling with boaters, we knew from past experience that we would probably be on our own mid-week, so we loaded up the shuttle bicycle along with the kayaks, and we managed to get it all inside. We figured that this quick one night adventure would also be a great time to try taking Luna on an overnight trip.
Luna promptly made herself at home on the dinette. We arrived at one of our favorite campsites along the Upper Kern around 10 pm. As we shut off the engine and opened the doors, we were welcomed by the sound of rushing water, something we haven't heard for some time. Luna cautiously hopped out of the van, and was then eager to explore her surroundings. We let her walk around a bit, but kept close to her, not knowing how far she would go if left unattended.
The next morning we put on her harness, leash, and a fairly long rope. Luna doesn't mind wearing the harness, but she is not a fan of the leash. Once we clip it to the harness, she usually just lays down and refuses to move. Today, however, she decided it was OK and began exploring to the extent the rope would let her. Once she reached the end, she laid in the dirt and enjoyed the sun.
With the cat situation seemingly under control, we turned our attention to making breakfast. A few minutes later we looked outside to see the empty harness lying in the road. The skittering sounds of small creatures dashing amongst the leaves and grass just out of her reach proved too irresistable, and she managed to slither out of the harness and go exploring. We had anticipated such a calamity, and bought a Pebblebee bluetooth tag, a little gizmo you can attach to things you are prone to losing, such as your keys, and then use your cellphone to find them. With the Pebblebee attached to her collar we thought we would be able to track her down. The range is pretty limited, but it led us to her general area, and she actually responded to our calls. After tightening the harness, we tried again and foiled her attempts at escaping.
Eventually we headed off to the river. Sure enough, it was deserted, with very little traffic on the road either, so the likelihood of hitching a shuttle ride was slim. We opted for a couple of laps on the Fairview section, a fun but short Class 3 section. It allowed for a quick bicycle shuttle, was a section we were comfortable running with just the two of us, and we were able to do two laps and still be on the road in time to get home and make dinner for Weston.
