Hotdogger Blog

Upon checking into Setauket, NY, a town on the north shore of Long Island, Super Dog Sam and I met some friends from a local volunteer fire station that offered to help us scrub our buns. Afterward, we just couldn’t resist this beautiful stop on our scenic kraut through Stony Brook, NY. It is the town west of Setauket, where we whistled for a visit at the Stop and Shop. I just had to give the blog a taste of these great pictures Super Dog and I mustard.

WNR MBLE squeaky clean and feeling sassy in Stony Brook.

Super Dog Sam elated about the view.

I was obviously feeling sassy, too.

While traveling through Bristol, TN/VA on State Street, I came across a large sign marking the division of Tennessee and Virginia.  I was informed by locals that this large sign was celebrating its 100th year of existence this year and is the largest incandescent light bulb sign remaining in America. 

OH I WISH on State Street in Bristol

This unique road is located in two states, where one side of the road is in Tennessee, while the other is in Virginia.  Our Wienermobile relished this opportunity by posing for pictures for locals and photographers in the middle of State Street, clearly in two different states.

… And whoever said you couldn’t be in two places at once?  OH I WISH has surely proven this theory wrong.

The dividing road lines between TN and VA on State Street

A lot of people wonder how we spend our time on long drives, especially riding shotbun. We love to listen to music, talk, do trivia, and Joey and I have even listened to a book on tape; but every once in a while we all need to get our blood pumping or have a nice stretch. That’s where these moves come in handy.

The V-sit is bunderful when driving for hours on the scenic-krauts of the Midwest.

This next one is a simple core workout you can even do while sitting on your chair in the office! Just get on the edge of your seat and lift your legs.

And to kick it into over-drive, try this alternating bicycle move.

Don’t worry if there isn’t enough room in your personal mobile on long road trips for these moves – if all else fails remember to keep those meatbelts buckled, and as an extra tip to keep you entertained, you can try waving at strangers like Joey Bologna and I do!

We went to the Indianapolis Museum of Art, which has both indoor galleries and outdoor gardens. The minute we pulled in to the IMA, we became the center of attention amongst art-lovers. With its unique design and vibrant colors, the Wienermobile really drew a crowd!

Can you find the Wienermobile in the museum gardens? Hint: I spy something orange!

Here we are!

We parked near the sculpture gardens and the Wienermobile looked like a masterpiece. While designed by Prototype Source in Santa Barbara, sometimes the Wienermobile reminds me of a Claes Oldenburg sculpture (the Swedish sculptor famous for designing large replicas of everyday objects…especially food!).

Where should we go next for our next big adventure?

While at the Jefferson County fair, Brian the Bunderful and I met a man almost as tall as the Wienermobile!  Sheriff Shorty stands 9 feet tall – that’s just about 20 hot dogs tall!  As part of Amazing Grace Entertainment Ministries, Sheriff Shorty travels to fairs and festivals all over Tennessee.  He shared some of his tall tales from the road with us and we were happy to tell him about how we spread miles of smiles. 

Jackson Street in downtown Harlingen, TX is lined with palm trees, specialty shops, and eating establishments.  Picklin’ Pat and I couldn’t mustard up the courage to drive the Wienermobile vehicle under the Jackson Street arch so on-foot exploration of Harlingen ensued.

Harlingen is the mural capital of South Texas.  Murals can be found on the outside of many buildings describing the story of Harlingen’s heritage.

The “Tropical Playground of Texas” mural was created in 2004.  It depicts Harlingen attractions such as birding, fishing, golfing and the Iwo Jima Memorial at Harligen’s Marine Military Academy.

Of the more than 30 murals in downtown Harlingen, I considered this one the Top Dog, my favorite!  ”Welcome to Harlingen’s Downtown” was created in 2005 to greet visitors to the city center.

The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix

You could say the Wienermobile is vintage. Well, not our 2009 WNR MBLE, but the first Wienermobile was created in 1936, which is almost the same age as some of the cars we saw at a recent event, the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix in Schenley Park.

There were cars there from different countries, old and young, red, black and blue and plenty that competed in the Grand Prix race.

Some Vintage Cars Racing for the Win!

Super Dog Sam, WNR MBLE, and I were smiling near the Shop n’ Save tent when we noticed a nearby attraction. Besides the boisterous noise this drag racing car makes, it caught my eye for another reason. Check out how similar the length of the Wienermobile and this speed racer come!

WNR MBLE, Super Dog Sam and I at the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix

The owners even let me experience a view besides my usual one behind the Wienermobile’s “bun-box.”

HI!!!

I wasn’t used to being so close to the ground, so it felt good to step up into WNR MBLE and strap on my “meat-belt” when it was time to leave.

IWSHIWR got a chance to show off aero-dog-matic abilities at the O’Reilly Speedway in Indianapolis. We attended the Kroger 200, which benefited the Riley Hospital for Children and is also part of the Nascar Nationwide Series.

Excited raceday fans wave at us while we cruise by!

We did the first lap around the track spreading smiles among the racecar drivers and fans.  Here’s a glimpse of what its like riding shotbun on the racetrack in the Wienermobile:

We were definitely a fan favorite!

As Hotdoggers, we all get pretty attached to our vehicles knowing at some point, we will have to part. In our case, the switch was sooner than expected. It was time for BOLOGNA to head into the shop for some R and R, and on a rainy afternoon, we tearfully said our goodbyes.

We moved our gear and made sure BOLOGNA looked her best, and started to get excited about our new vehicle. We can’t wait to see what adventures we’ll lead on our continued coast-to-coast-winer-roast in our new ride – YUMMY!

While trying to keep our buns cool in Tucson, AZ, Nacho Cheese Nikita and I had the chance to meat Mercedes and part of her Wiener Whistle collection! The whistle that she brought is from the 1960s, and is now quite the collector’s item- I had never seen this style of whistle in person before!

Mercedes had not seen a Wienermobile in a long time, and was excited to ketchup with us and to add a new Wiener Whistle to her collection! Although the Wiener Whistles have changed in style, they still have the same bunderful sound!