Day 4 - what no laundry??

June 15

We wake in the morning, and I find out that Chris tried to take the dogs out but couldn't get Cody down the stairs.  Yes, once again we are on the second floor.  This hotel has an outside entrance, and the stairwell up to the second floor is dark and very long and steep.  Cody was terrified the night before, but we were able to coax him up.  Now, I try to ask Chris how patient he was with the dog - manhandling him just doesn't work.  You have to be kind, because he is scared.  Chris is frustrated and impatient, I can tell that it would never have worked, he would never have gotten him down those stairs.  I say I'm going to try with Cody alone, and Chris is telling me as I walk out that I'll never get it done.  The dog is just too scared.  I walk him to the door, and through it down the hall instead of straight to the stairs.  He stalled for a moment when he saw the stairs, but came right with me when he saw I was going past them.  We walk a little ways and then I turn him and go back, we round the corner and I take the first step down the long flight of stairs.  Cody immediately belly-flops to the ground, nails digging in.  He isn't going anywhere near that death trap.  He is almost 100 pounds, so forcing him is never going to work.  We figured out the last few times that he has never seen the individual stairs, all he sees is one long leap to the bottom, which is how he usually gets down.  Normally when I work with him, he is to my left and heels there.  I realize he still hasn't figured out the individual stairs, and I have to figure out a way to show him.  I move in front of him this time, as he shakes and seems to beg me not to make him go forward.  I pull him forward with a little tug, and then release.  He inches closer, but will not put a foot over that first "ledge."  I grab his foot and place it on the first stair and quickly let go.  Holding him also makes him more afraid.  He realizes there is something there, not just empty space and with a quaking fumble, stands on the first stair with one foot.  I give him another gentle pull, and he has both feet forward now.  I move down one step, keeping right in front of him to block his view of the rest of the way down.  I tug him, and he sees the next step.  His legs are shaking, but he's doing it.  We move all the way to the bottom this way, one step at a time.  Good boy!!  I knew you could do it!!

I make a decision that the dog beds have to be washed.  The throw up is so disgusting, we can't take the smell anymore.  Every other La Quinta we have been at has a laundry room, but this one doesn't.  We have to drive down the street, what a pain! Between getting that done and more groceries for the road, we are checking out of the hotel at the last minute.  While trying to figure out lunch before we head out, our property manager in Phoenix says we forgot to sign a form.  We have to find a FedEx office to print, sign and fax it back to her, all in an area where traffic is really heavy.  Pulling the trailer is a big pain, so we decide to get on the freeway and find a gas station farther down the road where we will have more room.  We are exhausted already before we even get out of town. We are watching Cody closely, and he is feeling better so he drinks a bunch of water.  This was a little too much too soon, and he throws up again.  But that is all, no other symptoms, so we plunge on, our next pit stop outside Memphis, TN.  I miss the sign going into TN!!

It is late, and we want some local BBQ flavor in Memphis, and find only one place that is still open.  It looks deserted and not in the greatest part of town.  I am unsure about leaving the cars and trailer in the back parking lot where it is dark, and Chris is afraid of the food.  We are all frustrated with each other and end up leaving.  We drive way out of our way to find a Checkers, which we feel is like Rally's in Phoenix.