Preparing for Another Trip to West Virginia

34 Replies

I wrote a post last month about the many problems we encountered in planning for a trip back to West Virginia. My wife wanted me to trade my electric Nissan Leaf for a larger vehical, like a mini van. I did not want to give up my Leaf, which was my favorite car ever, but I knew we needed to do something different. I looked into renting a vehicle but since the pandemic, there is a shortage of vehicles and the rental car companies no longer rent cars for one-way trips out of state. That same shortage also caused used cars to be more expensive. I considered a new vehicle but I just didn’t want an expensive car payment.

I eventually found a 2008 Nissan Titan pickup truck with only 19,000 miles on it. I probably paid more then it was worth a year earlier but beggars can’t be choosers and it was a better price than lesser vehicles that were a few years newer. Plus, it has plenty of room for the cats and all the stuff we needed to bring.

On our last trip I bought two crates that were as big as the limits of my wife’s convertible would allow. The smaller crate was 22L x 13W x 16H and we put Frankie in that one. The bigger crate was 24L x 18W x 20H and Floki and Chris went in that one.

There is more room in the back of the truck so I decided to replace the smaller crate with a soft, collapsible crate that is 30L x 20W x 19H (Please note that Amazon links will earn me a small percentage if you make a purchase). We plan on putting Chris and Floki together again and will put Frankie in the larger, wire crate. We decide on the first trip that Chris and Floki would travel better together than either one of them with Frankie.

When the crate arrived the cats were immediately interested in it.

It was easy to put together but would have been even easier without cats in it.

Once together it seemed like it would be a good fit for Chris and Floki.

Chris decided he liked being inside of it.

Frankie decided he liked being on top of it.

Not to be outdone, Chris had to get on top of it too. I was impressed that it stood up to his weight.

After I put it together and after Chris got out of it I put the two crates in the back of the truck to make sure they both fit okay.

I then ordered a pad that was a perfect fit for the inside of it.

We will be leaving on Friday morning. I look forward to being there but I do not look forward to the trip.

Floki update: I am writing this on Tuesday evening for a Wednesday morning post. As of now Floki seems better. He had a bad reaction on Saturday morning either to the vet cleaning his ears or the flea medication we asked them to put on. He hid under the bed for three days but this morning he was out eating breakfast. He went back under the bed briefly but spent the rest of the day acting like a normal kitty.

34 thoughts on “Preparing for Another Trip to West Virginia”

        1. Charles Huss Post author

          When I was very young, in the late sixties and early seventies, pickup trucks here needed a special tag on the windshield that was probably just a tax. They also required a business name on them. My dad didn’t have a business but he bought a magnet with a made up business name. Today owning a pickup truck is just like owning a car with no added taxes or other requirements.

          Reply ↓
  2. onespoiledcat

    Well I know you miss your car but the pickup sure will be nice for the trip and the continuing “moving of stuff” up to W. Virginia. The cats’ new crate is super and looks like it has their approval. Hope the drive isn’t too awful – I know you’ll be happy to be back to the house for a visit. So glad Floki is OK too.

    Hugs, Pam

    Reply ↓
  6. The Hinoeuma

    A 2008 Nissan Titan with 19,000 original miles??? That is nearly unheard of for a 13/14 year old Nissan. When did you buy that?

    Nissan’s are awesome. I actually own the little brother to your Titan. I have a 2008 Nissan Frontier with 122,000 original miles. Your Titan sounds like it was garaged a lot. Wow.

    I’m so glad Floki is better. Poor kitty. You hurt for them when they are miserable or sick.

    Reply ↓
  10. Genevieve Petrillo

    Little by little the routine for traveling back and forth will be perfected. We think it’ll get a little easier each time. Good luck. BTW – I have that exact same collapsible crate. Mom used it a lot when we used to go to hotels and when we used to visit people. Whenever she puts it up, I sit on top of it for a while before I get in.

    Love and licks,
    Cupcake

    Reply ↓
  11. Timmy Tomcat

    So glad that Floki is feeling better. So glad it was not worse or longer lasting. That truck looks right for what you need and will come in handy around the house. Purrs of fun on the trip

    Reply ↓

What do you think?

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.