Road Trip!

So my daughter, Emily, calls me yesterday (yes, yesterday) asking for some help.

Being a dad, I listen, say a few appropriate "hmmmm"s and "uh huh"s, and ask "are you serious about this?" several times, before agreeing to help her. She says, almost in tears, many many thank you's, we make our plans, and are off to prepare for our trip.

Oh, sorry. Emily and I are driving a dog to Phoenix, AZ. Yeah, from Sacramento to Phoenix. Tonight. Leaving at midnight.

Ok, the details this: Emily works for the local SPCA. They got in a gorgeous dog, a Husky/Akita/Some-Arctic-Type-Dog & Wolf mix. Beautiful animal. Bright blue eyes. Paws nearly the size of my hands. Teeth the size of, well.... wolf's teeth.

But the dog was a stray when animal control brought it in. The local SPCA does not, by policy, adopt out wolf-hybrids (I'm not sure why, they just don't), so wolf-hybrids have to get taken in by a wolf-rescue/sanctuary group, or they get put down.

Yeah, it's a tough policy, but with limited funds, choices have to be made.

So, Emily has taken it upon herself to try to rescue this animal. He's on his final day as of tonight, and Emily was able to find a rescue down in Sun City West, AZ, just outside Phoenix. If Emily can get the dog down there, she was told, they'll release the dog for the trip.

That's where the phone call to me comes in. I mean, I think Emily would take the trip by herself if she needed to, but I wouldn't want her do that kind of trip alone. 15 hours one way from Sacramento is my guess. 800 miles one way. She's just 19, and I don't want her in the middle of the desert by herself.

Plus, the perfect change to take my new Dodge Magnum for a road test!

So, Emily and I leave tonight at midnight, and should be back sometime Tuesday afternoon. Just a quick-shot to Phoenix, grab a motel for a nights-worth of sleep, and head on back. Both of us have to be back to work by Wednesday.

I'll have some good photos, I'm sure. We should be heading out across the Mojave Desert from Barstow by dawn, and I'm sure the desert will be gorgeous!

But this dog better cure cancer or something, cuz it's sure been a pain in the butt!