Dog's life with Cookie and Keller is a pretty dog-gone good gig

 Nick and Nora love huckelberry ice cream, a roadie treat in Julian, California which they visit twice a year.

"Charley is a mind-reading dog. There have been many trips in his lifetime.....he knows we are going long before the suitcase comes out, and he paces and worries and whines, and goes into a state of mild hysteria. -- John Steinbeck,'"Travels with Charley."

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS

PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER

WE CAN'T imagine a road trip without Nick and Nora.

John Steinbeck's famous "Travels with Charley"
has inspired many journeys and many other travelogues.

Our smart, loving Yorkshire terriers are as much a part of the package as a picnic, a room with a view, a fun new hotel, a new restaurant and a play to cap the day.
Like John Steinbeck and his faithful poodle Charley, we find each journey enhanced by the Yorkies' company. The doggies introduce us to people.
They give us new perspective.  They make us laugh.
They're just plain good company.
If the airlines awarded miles for doggie travel, Nick and Nora would be flying even higher -- for they've logged over 65,000 miles each in their action-packed near 11 years.

Nick and Nora seem comfy in their regulation airline sherpa carrier.

MOSTLY, THEY go where we go, by plane or car. They're happy little road-trippers. Because we so often take them along, we've started keeping track of the best of the "dog friendly" hotels we've visited.
Savvy dog lovers also rely upon Eileen Barish's wonderful dog friendly books, including "Doin' California with your Pooch." (She features other states, too. And if you simple google pet-friendly travel, you can narrow your own field.)
You'll find that some hotels have designated areas and rooms for pups. In other properties, dogs have greater freedom. It is also common practice to walk your pup frequently and not leave him unattended in the room for long. Some hotels give  goodies

Sunburned Cookie holds Nick and 
Nora off the hot sand near Las Vegas. 

OUR DOGGIE carry-along bag includes their toys, treats, sweaters, food and water bowl. Nick and Nora have bedded down with us in at least 65 hotels, motels and inns, besides their relatives' homes in
California and Georgia.

Nick and Nora take to the beach of Lake Tahoe.

Here are some pup-friendly places we endorse and recommend, for their personality, charm, dog welcoming spirit and proximity to fun events, scenery and history. Nick and Nora give them paws up! At these diverse and pet-welcoming venues, it goes without saying to leash your pet while promenading, and bring a stash of "doggie bags" just in case.
*Western Heritage Inn of Bozeman, Montana. westernheritageinn.com

Keller & Nora head for the Catalina Boat House.

*The Murray Hotel of Livingston, Montana. murrayhotel.com
* Vagabond's House Inn, Carmel by the Sea, Calif.  vagabondshouseinn.com
* Ashland Springs Hotel, Ashland, Oregon. AshlandSpringshotel.com
*Catalina Boat House Hotel, Avalon, Calif. catalinaboathouse.com
* Omni Los Angeles Hotel, Los Angeles, Calif.  omnilosangeles.com

Cookie and Keller, with Nick and Nora, find that the Yorkies 

are a conduit for meeting new friends wherever they go. 

Here, they're having a boat ride on Hornblower Cruises out 

of San Diego, which has a special "Pet Day on the Bay."

*Fess Parker's Doubletree Resort, Santa Barbara. fessparkersantabarbarahotel.com doubletreehotels.com.
* Ocean Villa Inn, San Diego, Calif. oceanvillainn.com
*Flamingo Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada.
caesars.com/flamingohotel
lasvegas
*Beach House Inn, Santa Barbara,
Calif. beachhouseinn.com
*Inn By The Lake, South Lake Tahoe, Calif.
 innbythelake.com

The beautiful lazuli bunting is named for the gemstone, lapis lazuli.

NEXT UP: We pay homage to birds, their haunting and magical songs, their delicacy at the feeder, their strength in flight. Join us to celebrate the myriad delights they give us, especially here in the northern Rockies in summertime's prime. We'll be in Montana's Stillwater County for a photo essay on the pleasures of sharing the landscape with hawks, hummingbirds, wrens, woodpeckers and the stunning lazuli bunting. Remember to explore, learn and live and remember we post each Friday.