Hotdogger Blog

While visiting the Shenandoah Caverns in Virginia, Mr. Beeftastic and Top Dog saw so many cool things! The caverns were beautiful, and the people there were so great to us! One of the many highlights of the trip came when we saw a giant bug fashioned after a Cooties game piece!  We both remembered the game from our childhood, and this bug was just the right size for Big Bun to play too!

We decided to go to a monster truck rally in Athens, Tennessee. As you can see, the trucks are huge and so loud you can’t talk when they go by. While at the rally, we also saw a man ride a jet-powered port-a-potty — a real crowd pleaser!

San Antonio, TX — What’s more fascinating: the 284-year-old Alamo or the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile?  Maybe it’s the lure of the unexpected, but in San Antonio, TX it was definitely our favorite hot dog.  We parked our buns in front of the famous mission for a quick snapshot but zipped through more than 200 whistles in about 30 minutes. Now that’s something to remember!

Portland, ME — I am pretty sure I would never make it as a lobster lady. The traps are heavy, the bait stinky, and water in Maine is COLD! (Seriously, it feels like jumping into a glass of ice water) Spending an evening in the Portland Harbor did gave me an appreciation for what these guys do each day, and I got to see the sights of the city via water, which was beautiful. A little harbor seal even followed behind us our boat, which made it quite the evening.

5 states in 5 days! Yummy has taken us to Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and Illinois this past week and it was quite a whirlwind.  The eastern part of the Midwest is new to us this year and we were very excited to get out and explore this beautiful part of the country. 

We met a 90+ year old woman whose favorite color is red and she rides a mo-ped of the same shade.  A Warsaw, Indiana legend, this woman scoots around town famously to the delight of her admirers.  We were very happy to add a touch of Oscar Mayer red to her collection with a Wiener Whistle. 

Yummy was also able to sneak a quick trip to Kentucky, making it our eighth state visited since June!  Burlington, Kentucky was the site of a car show benefiting Shriner’s burn hospitals and hosting hundreds of antique and custom hot-rod automobiles, but none quite like the Wienermobile.  We did however meet a man with a 1940s-era Model T which he so graciously nicknamed the Green Wienie in our honor.

Eau Claire, WI — Not only did I get to work at the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon and Carnival on Labor Day, but I also got the once in a lifetime chance to ride inside the biggest shopping cart in the world. Now that is what I call an exciting holiday.

This week the Wienermobile, Alana Pickles and I had some fun at the Word of Mouth Marketing Association conference in Las Vegas. Our Dog, the name of our Wienermobile, watched the speakers and gave the attendees a little tour of the inside.

We were lucky enough to be able to go inside the convention hall and in order to go in we had to lay down huge tarps on the carpet of the Rio Hotel. I’m guessing this is what the Wienermobile would look like if we ever made a boat version of it.

I was lucky enough to answer some questions from the attendees at the conference. The questions ranged from adventures we have had to what we and the Wienermobile were doing next. I also want to thank the members of the WOMMA for giving us a chance to share some of favorite moments with the attendees.

Las Vegas, NV — At present we’re sitting in the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile inside the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas for the WOMMA (Word of Mouth Marketing Association) Summit.   It’s the end of the second day and I can’t believe all of the franktastic people we’ve met so far.

We began the convention by picking up an un-expecting David Armano from the airport.  He emerged from the terminal looking equally confused and excited as the Wienermobile, pulling towards him singing the jingle, began to project over the PA “David, welcome to Las Vegas, your transportation has arrived. Please step around to the left.”

David with us

Once David was all settled in shotbun, we got a lesson in social marketing as he whipped out his computer and began a live broadcast from the front seat.  I always love watching someone’s first ride in the Wienermobile. David’s first ride was exceptional, he discovered the PA and got to not only smile and wave, but verbally interact with innocent bystanders on the Vegas strip.

After getting David, my boss and several others safely transported to the hotel, we pulled the Wienermobile inside the convention room, a parking spot unlike any other I’ve had thus far.  The next morning we got up early to hear the keynote speaker, Tony Hsieh, the CEO of Zappos speak to the conference.  John Bell, the head of WOMMA had the great idea to begin to conference speaking “as” the Wienermobile from the inside.  Since Tony was also to emerge from the Wienermobile, I was lucky enough to hang out with him before his speech, and tell him about the best features of the interior.  John was such a fan of his first experience inside, he used the Wienermobile as a meeting room throughout the conference; I think it was because it fostered buns of fun and creativity.

A very important meeting takes place inside the Wienermobile

Driving the Wienermobile is a full time job, which means we spend nearly 365 days a year spreading miles of smiles everywhere we go. As you can imagine, we Hotdoggers have some pretty interesting adventures as we road trip across America. To give you a snapshot of what our life is like, the people we meet and the places we go, here are some of our most relished summer memories we’ve made while cruising around in our 27-foot hot dogs – and one “mini” 15-footer.

Enjoy and franks for visiting!