June 30 -

We had crossed the time change from eastern time to central time.  The hour did me good.  I was able to get up earlier and get started sooner.

Jesse kept the coffee coming while I worked. We got on the road quickly and ate on the run.  I think it was this day when Cooper got the hang of our new routine.  He's much quieter and relaxed about pulling in for gas now.  He used to announce our arrival every time.  Now he's mostly quiet unless we're backing up.  I don't know what it is with backwards, but he isn't quiet about it.

Folks admired Cooper as usual.  One man in particular met Cooper saying, "that poor dog, what you put him through."  But by the time he got to meet him, see his enthusiasm and eagerness to be on the bike even without a leash, he started seeing Cooper as 'Lucky and Special'.  He took a card with the interest of having someone help him get on the internet so he could read about Cooper.

This is Cooper sleeping in his crate while I'm riding.
I put the camera over my shoulder and hoped for the best.
His face is tucked down into the crate in the lower right corner,
his butt is in the upper left corner, and his flappy ear is about mid-screen.

We went to Wal*Mart to get some things and a Honda shop for an attempted repair.  Cooper likes these stops.  He gets to walk, pee, sniff... you know, the important things to a traveling dog.

We stopped at a highway truck stop/motel/restaurant in Missouri for the night.  A trucker who heard our cb conversation looked up motels on his computer and called ahead for us, just in time for us to pull in and get what the owner said was his last room.  It was a smoking room (PU) but was fine otherwise. 

Cooper enjoyed the big patch of grass he had to explore.  I allowed him to walk and explore for a while.  He also accompanied me to do laundry a couple doors down from our room.  He would sit on the chair as I did what I needed to do, then we would walk side by side back to our room.  It's been a long day.  

Sorry these pictures are so dark.
Do you see him sniffing???

We rode 428 miles today.  We all slept really well.