Mora Road Trip

Holly & Helen & I had the pleasure of driving Lana & Kooper to Mora, Minnesota to meet up with Lanny & Mary to do a quick car transfer.  Lana’s car took an unexpected time out and needs attention before it gets back in action again.  The girls enjoyed their road trip and having cousin Kooper in the backseat with them.  Helen claimed her space which was 10x more than what she needed.  Holly & Kooper complied with Helen’s wishes and snuggled in together until it felt safe to stretch out.   Today’s total adventure was about a 6 hour car ride, with some potty breaks and a quick hello with Mary.  Since arriving home both Holly & Helen have been sleeping soundly as if they had instead finished the Beargrease Sled Dog race today.  The adventure obviously was more than a long car ride for them!   Upon arriving home, Holly did a few laps in the backyard, rounding up her soccer balls and giving each of them equal time.  Helen ran straight to the house and once inside did a few laps through the living room and kitchen circuit.   Apparently, there’s no place like home!

The trip had its own element of adventure for Lana & I.   One of the muffler brackets on my car came loose making for a tenuous situation and making both of us uneasy for the upcoming road trip.  We narrowed our need down to 2 simple bolts that secures the bracket, more than likely shaken loose by Duluth potholes.  An auto parts store was nearby so as a temporary fix (or so we thought) we secured the loose bracket to a stable bar with the extra dog collar I carry in my car.  (One never knows when a stray dog may come along!)  This prevented the muffler from swaying downward to the ground though it did still have about an inch slack to it.  It could cause a ‘clunk’ when bouncing up to the bottom of the bumper, but not the scary ‘CLUNK’ when dropping down to the ground.   The temporary fix to make it to the auto part store ended up being the short-term fix to make it through the whole day.  The clerks at the auto parts store were tring so hard to find a solution for us but every bolt they tried was not the right size or thread.  They assured us the dog collar was not on, or near, a hot surface and was doing the job as what a wrapped wire would do.  I’ve seen the force the dog collar can endure.  If it can hold Holly, it can hold a bouncing muffler secured on all sides but one.   A successful return home confirmed this logic.  And today has me feeling better about my plethora of dog collars.