Hotdogger Blog

A lot can happen in a year.

Since the time Class XXI hit the hot dog highways twelve (short) months ago, babies have been born, people have gotten married, birthdays and holidays have come and gone, and a lot of hot dogs have been eaten!  Collectively, we’ve traveled thousands of miles and hit 48 states!  The Wienermobile smiled all along the way (check out the front grill for proof) and of course, so did we!  Now it’s time for one final farewell to the Wienermobile from Class XXI.  Thanks for all the miles of smiles!

Colorado Springs, CO – Colorado is a new state for Bunderful Beth and I, so as soon as we got here we had to do some sightseeing!  We went to the Garden of Gods and saw rocks that dated back 275 million years!

As you can see, we got there just in time…this rock was about to fall over, but luckily I’ve been doing a lot of Wienerobics!

Super Hot Dog Human Strength!

In Seattle, Washington there is a famous bridge in the neighborhood of Fremont.  The Aurora bridge is home to a whimsical piece of art: The Fremont Troll!  The troll has lived under the bridge since 1990, when he snatched an over-passing VW Beetle from the bridge above him.  We were worried we’d be next to fall into his grasp, but it was a friendly encounter and all ended well.

This is no small troll!!

The Wienermobile constantly travels coast to coast on the hotdog highways, but what happens when it needs to get across a large body of water?  We encountered this problem with WEENR.  Not wanting to get our buns soggy, we had to take him on a ferry across Puget Sound!

WEENR waits in line

As is the case with most places we take the Wienermobile, we made quite a scene on the ferry boat!  The other passengers were more than happy to share their ride and we were lucky enough to see Seattle from a place we never imagined being with WEENR: from the water!

Seattle from Puget Sound

The Wienermobile has a way of bringing people together.  One young fan wanted to show us his appreciation for the Wienermobile and our new found friendship.  He did so through artistic expression and presented us with this picture:

Naturally, we were flattered and hung the picture proudly!  Franks a lot, Brent!

WEENR has brought me to Spokane, Washington: 2,005 miles and a 29 hour drive away from East Lansing, Michigan, where I went to school.  They say that distance makes the heart grow fonder and during March Madness, I have definitely been thinking about East Lansing a lot!  The Spartans are in the Finals and I am cheering them on all along the way!

After all, nothing goes better with sports than hot dogs!  Go MSU!

Boise, ID – Oscar Mayer makes famous bologna, bacon, and of course, wieners.  Idaho is famous for another type of food: potatoes.  In my travels, I’ve learned that putting the latter on top of the former results in a delicious combination!

When we rolled into Idaho, the first thing we had to learn was the pronunciation of the name of its capitol city!  I was embarrassed to learn I’ve been saying it wrong all my life.  Boise is pronounced by the locals as “Boy-See,” and if you want people to quickly know you’re from out of town, you throw in a “z” sound!

We adapted quickly though and we had a great time in the land of “Famous Potatoes!”

For those wishing for an escape from the busy city of Portland, Oregon, Multnomah Falls awaits.  The waterfall, which is the second tallest in the country, can be found flowing year-round and is definitely a sight to see.  Located along a scenic highway in the Columbia River Gorge, Multnomah Falls is one of many waterfalls in the area, but is in my opinion, the most incredible.  Oregon’s wilderness has many interesting places to explore, but Multnomah Falls is a must-see.

I know I am a very lucky dog.  I was born on one of the most famous days of the year: St. Patrick’s Day!  For this reason, it has always been my favorite holiday!  Every year I dress in green, wear shamrocks from head to toe and celebrate the Irish!  This year I will be spending my favorite holiday with the Wienermobile: a first, even for me!  The Wienermobile already has its fair share of ketchup red and mustard yellow, so we added a touch of relish green…just for good luck!

People always like to know where our next stop on the hotdog highways will be.  While we were in San Francisco, we heard a theme developing when we mentioned we were headed to Reno: “Do you have chains?!”  I’m a Midwestern girl and have seen my fair share of snowy winters, but chains were something new to me.  Soon, I would learn all about chains and driving through the snowy passes of the mountains.

We cruised along with our fellow travelers snapping pictures of us and enjoyed the stretch of highway that looked nothing like the California we had left behind.  Snow, chains, and mountains make for a long trip, but at least the view was bunderful!