I slept great in my new bunk at L.L. the night before taking off on our first trip. There were so many new things to discover about the motorhome that I was quite exhausted by the time we went to bed. Our motorhome actually has two levels – we have a little step separating the main living area from the animal bunks and the master bedroom. Mama put towels on the floor so I’d have some traction, but going up and down that step was dangerous, because the towels would slide out from under me. Mama declared I needed rugs (I had one in Grey Wolf, but it wouldn’t have fit in the new motorhome). Big Rabbit went out and actually got the perfect ones! I have four rugs, spanning almost the entire length of the motorhome. I love the step! Now I can zoom from one level to the other. Mama and Big Rabbit’s bedroom even has carpet at the base of their dresser, so a couple of careful hops over the hard floor gets me access to the far end of the camper, and there’s even has a blind spot where I can hide! Oh, the joy of discovery!
Normally when it’s the morning of a travel day, there are a lot of loud noises and the camper moves in funny ways. Raising the jacks, moving my condo to the floor then bringing the slide in, and the front end of the camper being raised to go on the truck, well, it’s never exactly been relaxing. The motorhome has not one, but two slides. Instead of being put on the floor and having the walls close in on me though, I got to stay right in my bunk, while the slides came in – turns out my bunk is part of a slide! It was terrifying at first, but then it was over, and really wasn’t a big deal. I could hear Oreo pacing below me, but he didn’t complain. If the cat can handle it, I certainly can.
My humans piled in after saying goodbye to Mimi and Grampy. With the slides in, if I hop to the end of my bunk by my hidey-hole, I can see most of the main area! Little Girl had a bag of stuffed animals and books on the sofa. I heard a click. Whoa, the sofa has seat belts! Satisfied that Little Girl would be safe, I strained to see Big Rabbit, but all I could see was his arm and a hint of laptop at the dinette. Mama had said we’d be able to travel more since Big Rabbit would be able to work while she drives. Interesting. I could see part of Mama’s face reflected in the rear view mirror. Her eyes were crinkled from that big, goofy grin she gets when we’re hitting the road.
The engine roared to life and the entire motorhome started vibrating. Oh my, this was different! I hunched down in my condo (Mama took the top off of it, so I have full access to my bunk, but my normal living set up is intact). We started moving slowly, making our way past L.L.’s gate. We were going slow enough I cautiously sat up. It was surreal to have a window to look out. There was so much to see! In the truck I could see a little of the windshield through the front of my carrier, and some out Little Girl’s window, but I was lower than both, so all I saw were the tops of trees and sky (or stars).
I blinked in shock. The truck. My carrier. When my humans brought Oreo home, I was left wondering what in the world we were going to do with him on the next camping trip. There was no more room in the truck, unless my humans did the unthinkable (beyond getting a cat in the first place) and reduced my space by closing one of the wings on my carrier. I looked around my luxurious bunk, and blinked a silent thank you at Grampy as he moved into view below. I had skipped the entire condo-to-carrier-to-truck escapade. I was already in my bunk, and apparently this was my new style of travel. My ears perked up as I realized I wouldn’t have to endure sitting in the truck while the humans got the camper set up enough to bring me inside the travel trailer to my condo from my carrier when we arrived at our campsite. Oh, now this really is glamping!
We turned onto the neighborhood road, going slightly faster. Sure, it made me a little anxious, but it was ok. I settled back down into a loaf position and heard Mama squealing with excitement that we were finally off on our first camping trip in the motorhome. The engine was loud enough that she wasn’t annoying. As we got onto a real road we picked up speed. I could hear Oreo below me. Jingle, jingle jingle. His movements sounded agitated. I wished he would just lay down. That animal moves around entirely too much.
The motorhome turned up a small incline, and I recognized it – the expressway. Oh, boy. This is when we go fast. Everything increased – the hum of the engine, the vibration, the swaying of the motorhome, and Oreo’s pacing. It actually sounded like he was running and bouncing off the walls. Have I mentioned how much I love my bunk? And that I’m on the top floor? And that I love Grampy for totally securing both bunks so I feel safe? We’ve never exactly been best buddies (he’s a cat person), but he’s really gone up in my opinion.
It wasn’t long before Oreo started howling. I rolled my eyes. That cat is such a drama queen. The humans tried to ignore him at first. He got louder. Then they tried reassuring him. His howls got longer. Then Mama told him he was fine, and he let out such an objection that any species would be able to interpret that she was mistaken. Little Girl burst out laughing.
Oreo went back to howling and Mama turned the radio on low. Big Rabbit announced he was putting headphones on so he could concentrate. Little Girl can block anything out when she’s immersed in a book, and she had her Kindle out. Apparently Mama was no longer worried about being too loud since Big Rabbit had his headphones on, so she cranked the music. Now you’ve done it, cat.
As Mama belted out yet another song, my eyelids got heavy. I was getting used to the swaying motion of the motorhome. Little Girl and Big Rabbit were quiet. I decided to stretch my legs and see what it was like. I stood, then sat down quickly, adjusting to the swaying. A bit unnerving, but doable. I looked out my window – whoa, things were moving way too fast! That’s just unnatural for a bunny. I spun around, leapt out of my condo base, scurried through my hay tunnel slightly unsteadily, then turned and settled in my hidey-hole. Ah. It was much quieter and darker in here. Very cozy. Oreo howled sporadically, but didn’t take up his soapbox again. I closed my eyes and let the motorhome rock me to sleep. I wanted to have all my energy when we arrived.
