The Voyage has Begun!

It's been an extremely busy couple of weeks, but it all has finally culminated in our

boarding of the RMS Queen Mary 2 in NYC and setting sail to England.

About a year and a half of planning....
I've booked:
 over 30 rental homes in 8 countries...
4 Castles...
4 leased autos, 2 limo services,
round trip passage on the QM2 (with kennel reservations)
A train reservation from England to France...
Vet visits scheduled on 2 continents...
Reservations for Downton Abbey & The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo

And so much more...   whew!


Looking at it all in print,  it sounds a bit like Planes Trains & Automobiles!
Lets hope that our travel is a bit smoother than Steve Martin and John Candys trip was!

One of the biggest hurdles in preparation for our trip was completing the dogs paperwork

so that they would be allowed entry into the UK and beyond, and one of the purposes of
my writing this blog is to hopefully help others follow the trails that we blaze
so please bear with me as I go thru some of the details.

A lot of people think dogs going to the UK need to go into Quarantine, but that is no longer
the case.   The rules have been streamlined all thru the EU.

To bring the dogs from the US we must:
(In order)

1. Have an ISO Microchip implanted
2.  Receive a rabies vaccine AFTER the microchip is implanted.
3.  Have a Third Country Health Certificate filled out by a USDA certified Vet
(the above no more than 10 days prior to entry into the EU)
4. Have the USDA-APHIS Office Certify the above Health Certificate
5. If going to the UK -  have a tapeworm treatment administered by a vet.
(the above must be no more than 120hrs and no less than 24hr prior to entry into the UK)

For the dogs paperwork purposes,  boarding the QM2 is considered as our entry into the UK.

There are many more details to the above processes, such as the requirement that
all certificates are originals, stamped by the Vets, and signed in Blue Ink
but the list above outlines the basic steps.

I started the dogs process back in October when we were in McMinnville Oregon where

we had the dogs re-microchipped with the world standard 15 digit ISO microchips.

The dogs always had microchips, but the US does not conform to the rest of the planet so

new ones were inserted, and then as required, they were revaccinated for rabies.

If your dogs already have the proper microchip you do not need to have this done.

Then, last week, (9 days prior to boarding) we visited The Lawrence Animal Hospital,
in Princeton, NJ.  to have their Third Country International Health Certificate 

completed by a USDA licensed Vet, and stamped with the vets info and signed IN BLUE INK!

I'd been communicating with this Vet since July when we were in Seward, Alaska to
arrange for this visit and discuss the paperwork and requirements.

About a dozen emails back and forth over the 10 months - it felt like we knew each other.

Well when Kate and I walked in with the Doodles  - it turned out that everyone was

excited that THIS WAS THE DAY that the people traveling in the RV with the dogs who were

going on the Queen Mary 2 were coming in for their paperwork.

The Gang (cat included) at Lawrence Animal Hospital Princeton NJ

Everyone in the office had been anticipating our visit for months!
You see - Its not every day that you get to meet the world traveling Doodles.

We were warmly greeted by everyone and treated like Kings & Queens!

What a great practice and wonderful group of people.

Dr Walker was very knowledgeable with the process and I knew we were in good hands!

Kate & Dr Walker

Leaving their office with our paperwork in hand - (all 7 pages) it now was overnighted to the

USDA Export Office in Albany NY for their official stamps.

This last step is critical to make the document valid for travel into the EU.

The paperwork overnighted included the Health Certificate, original rabies certificates,

a completed checklist, a pre-paid return overnight mailer,

and a check payable to USDA

At about 10am I received a call from USDA that there was a minor problem with the
paperwork.   It seems that not only did they want to know the manufacturer and lot number
of the Rabies Vaccine - but the specific product name of the vacine.

So first I was on the phone with the Vet in Oregon who emailed the information to USDA.
Then... about 10 minutes later I received another call from USDA that I needed the
Vet in NJ to give them the OK to make the update to the paperwork.

So another phone call and some further emails and the information was submitted.

I am thankful that the folks at USDA would call rather than just send the paperwork back.
Kudos to the folks at USDA-APHIS-Export in Albany!

This is a time sensitive and nerve wracking process and its nice to know that they realize
that and help do what it takes to keep the process moving along.

Once completed, this certificate is only valid for 10 days prior to arriving into the Euro Zone

(which in our case is boarding the QM2)  so the timing of the paperwork is critical.

If you do it too soon it would expire prior to your arrival.

Failure to follow all of these procedures to the letter and you will be denied boarding.

Another chore during the final week was a last minute trim and clean up of the Doodles.

After all - they are traveling on the Queen - so they should look like Princesses!

We found a nice self service place in Brick, NJ by the Jersey Shore called Wash Your Paws.
They have the Hydrosurge dog wash system that we really like.
It makes it super easy to give them a great down deep clean.
So we took them there Monday afternoon for a final scrub down.

Gracie in the shower

Lucy gets her turn too

About an hour or so later we left with two mutts ready to meet The Queen!

Another requirement of entry into the UK is that the dogs receive a tapeworm treatment.

This must be done no more than 120 hrs (5 days) prior  - and no less than 24 hrs before entry.

So again timing was critical, and we visited the vet on Tuesday  about 48hrs prior to boarding.

On Weds - the day before boarding, it was time to close up the Party Bus,

get the rental car, park the truck and bus in the storage area, and

head to Princeton, NJ to our Air BnB rental for the night.

We ran into a snag with our storage area.   It turned out with all the rain that had been
falling, the field where I was to park looked too muddy for this bus driver.

Last thing I needed was to be stuck in the mud in a 34,000 lb Party Bus a day before the ship left.
So it was time to find a new place and quick!

Turned out I found a GREAT place in Toms River NJ.
Brand new covered storage with electric for 2 hrs a day..   and for $100 less per month
than the the mud pit where I was going to leave it.

We picked up the rental car before we dropped the bus off.
It was nice to move all the luggage under the cover and out of the rain.

I disconnected the truck battery and stuck a small 15w solar panel on the front windsheld
which was pointing to the south.
I should come home to fully charge vehicles.

Around 3pm we said good bye to our rolling home and finally began our journey.

About 4pm we rolled into Princeton for the night and entered our first
AirBnB of the trip.  A studio flat on Palmer Square a block from Princeton University.
I had hoped to walk the beautiful campus, but the Northeast weather was not cooperative.

Air BnB is all new territory for us and our first stop was a pleasant intro.

Our studio apt.   Clean & Cozy

The view of Palmer Square from our porch

We decided to keep the rental car till the morning and meet the driver at Enterprise.
That way we did not have to move all the luggage into and out of our apartment.


After a good nights sleep, our driver met us on time and we settled into the drive
to the Brooklyn Cruise Ship Terminal.

Arriving at the Terminal, our next home, The Queen Mary 2, towers over everything.

Arrival at Brooklyn Cruise Ship Terminal

Our limo Service - First Choice Limo was superb.
Al the owner insists on talking to all customers first and he set me at ease
that they would be on time....  and they were.

If you are looking for a Limo Service in the NYC area - you cant go wrong with them
(732)587-7653

Our Driver

Exiting the Limo - Porters immediately carried away our luggage and we began the
process of checking in with 2 humans and two dogs.

Everyone wanted to pet the dogs

I will tell more about the QM2  boarding process with dogs in our next post from England.

Our Dog Paperwork is checked line by line

Our Kennelmaster Oscar led us to the kennels while walking Lucy

Our Stateroom   6247 on Deck 6 Starboard side

I might compose some posts off-line while we travel and upload them upon arrival...
Or maybe I'll simply park myself in a hot tub and sauna and enjoy
my first 7-day uninterrupted stretch of pure time off from work in years.

Deck 7 Promenade

View of Manhattan prior to departure

I had to rush the last part of this blog so as to get it done prior to losing cell service.

So if there are typos or sentence fragments...  that's why.

No time to proof read.

We also just finished up the lifeboat drill and now must go to the kennels

to meet with the kennel master and go over the dogs feeding requirements.

For now - its time to finally unwind...  my paperwork is done,

the dogs are safely tucked away in their kennels, and its time for a 

an adult beverage and settle in for our 7-day crossing.

Tally Ho.   Next stop England in 7 days.

The Countdown Has Begun!

Well we've completed the last leg of our planned bus relocation.

In order to begin the next phase of our continuing adventures (more at the end

of this post) , we needed to move the bus to someplace near New York City.

So...  we left Old Federal Campground (#1 on the map)...

Our first stop for one night was "Pedro's" Campground at

South of the Border.  (#2 on the map)

Anyone who has made the drive between the Northeast and Florida knows

about SOTB.   Its a whole complex of shops, arcades, rides, restaurants and

firework shops that harkens back to the 1950's.

Long a cheesy, must stop landmark...  somehow, like that Energizer Bunny...

South of the Border seems to continue chugging along.

South of the Border SC

We were surprisingly pleased with the RV Park.

Certainly worn and in need of some work, but it was basically clean, quiet,

and more than suitable for an overnight stop.

Easy on and off of I-95 with Full Hookups. 

South of the Border Campground

After our one-night stop, on Saturday morning we continued another 160 miles

to our stop (#3)  Cedar Point Campground in Croatan National Forest in NC.

Cedar Point Campground

With 50 amp service (needed here in the summer) this campground is

close to the beaches and packed in summer.

During the shoulder season it was reasonably quiet.

Its a nice campground and was located well for our final visits to our

Dr's and Dentists for annual/semi annual checkups.

We had a long pull-thru and I was able to get the 110 and 119 satellites

so we were able to get Dish TV - just not in HD since I could not get the 129

due to the trees.

If I put out my portable I would have been able to pick up all three birds, but we

decided to "rough it" this week.

Our site # 25

On downside of this location is the proximity to the Marine Base at Camp Lejune.

Our old house was about 30 miles away and the explosions from the base would sometimes

rattle our windows.    Here we were only a few miles - so they really shook the bus at times.

Needless to say the dogs were not happy.

I decided to invest in a couple of "Thunderhirts" and can happily say that they made

a big difference.

They are like a big hug to the dogs and as anyone knows..

Hugs feel good!

Lucy models her Thundershirt

In preparation for our next adventure...  I needed to get some sort of pen

for the dogs.   The one below we got from Chewys and is portable so that it will

travel nicely with us.

While in the area we visited with our former neighbors.

We had a nice dinner at our next door neighbors, got to meet the nice lady who

purchased our home, and Kate even took a tour.

One night we visited our friends Fabian and Silvana who live on the beach.

Fabian is a chef, owns a local restaurant, and his meals always are super!

They have a great view from their place.

Their son and daughter are just delightful youngsters.

They have two large Labradoodles.

After 10 nights our business was concluded and time to move on to our final stop.

Below - we cross the 23 mile long Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel.

We spent 3 nights at Kiptopeake State Park (#5 on the map) which is

located at the extreme southern end of the "Eastern Shore" of Va and

just a few miles from the northern terminus of the CBBT

It has full hookups and is on the shore of Chesapeake Bay.

View from Campground Amphitheater

While there we drove a few miles north to Cape Charles, Va.

I know that my father was born here... but not much more than that.

Sign on the waterfront in Cape Charles

Cape Charles Harbor Breakwater

Cape Charles began life as a town at the end of the railway where goods were loaded

onto barges to be transported across the bay to the Norfolk/Hampton Roads area.

Old homes along the waterfront in Cape Charles

The town has the feel of a city trying to re-invent itself.

The main street was a mix of shops, restaurants, and buildings under refurbishment.

Neptune stands guard at the beach

In a nod to its nautical location, the town water tower looks

like a lighthouse.

The fields of Canola were in bloom and the yellow flowers stretching for miles were stunning.

Our next and final stop (for the bus)  in our trip east is the Pine Cone Resort

in Freehold, NJ.

We've never stayed somewhere with a 5 rating on RV Park Reviews and I was quite

hesitant to stay here but there is not much in the area so we decided to take a chance.

It turns out to be just fine.

Its in need of some repair and investment, but for our purposes its quite suitable.

The staff was friendly, our site is semi full hookup (we get pumped out once a week)

In the rain I imagine it can get a bit muddy but its sand so should drain quickly.

While here in NJ we had to travel up to Albany, NY for some work related activities.

We had our usual bi-annual Audit by Berkshire Hathaway.

One again we passed with flying colors!

This will be my final audit however as I told my bosses that I am going

to retire at the end of this year.

We stayed with our good friends Matt & Julie at their lovely home in

Bolton Landing NY which is perched on a hillside overlooking Lake George.

Matt has a place up in the woods that he is turning into a "Man Camp"

Removing trees, creating a pond, etc  requires man sized toys and the garage there has these two

items plus a portable wood mill where he can create his own lumber from his trees.

The view from the back of his lot which I think is about 9 acres.

SO WHAT IS NEXT?

Ok enough teases.. 

JUST 10 DAYS FROM TODAY!

We will be leaving the bus here at the Pine Cone storage area for 5 months.

On Thursday May 17th we are boarding the Queen Mary 2  (with the Doodles)

and will be traveling by sea to Europe where we will spend the Summer and part of the Fall

traveling thru France, Italy, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Belgium, Scotland, and England.

The QM2 has kennels on board and the dogs will remain in that area (outside area too)

for the duration of the voyage, and we will visit with them every day.

We are renting Air BnB's, some Castles, and  a hotel here and there.

We are going to be saying at an eclectic mix of places ranging in style

from cottages on farms, to Castles, to flats above a pub in London.

Some places will be a few days and some several weeks.

Its going to be the adventure of a lifetime.

We'll return to the states on the QM2 on October 18, arriving back in NYC on Oct 25.

Then we pick the bus back up - and work our way back to Arizona

where we'll move into our new house which is currently under construction.

Then at the end of this year (Feb 1st) I will retire!

It should be a great trip and another banner year with a lot of interesting posts, 

so keep following along and thanks for your comments.

It's great to hear from all of you!