Every since Julia can remember, she’s been a fan of the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. Her friends know her as the Wienermobile fanatic, bringing her all sorts of Wienermobilia they can find. Over the years, she’s collected quite the assortment of Oscar Mayer momentos that she proudly shows off at her home and at the office.

Juicy Dog Julia learned that YUMMY was coming to her hometown of Evansville, Indiana and she was ecstatic. With high spirits and a grin as big as YUMMY’s, she left work early to see the dog in person. She gushed to Lucky Dog Lauren and I about just how much she relishes the sight of the Wienermobile, how she’s always dreamed of having a ride in the Wienermobile, and how she imagines how good YUMMY would look parked right outside her house.

Her enthusiam was endless, and we knew we couldn’t leave Evansville without fulfilling her wish. The very next day, Lucky Dog Lauren and I picked up Juicy Dog Julia and her family and drove them home for their family photo. To our surprise, we were happily greeted by her friends and neighbors with a true Oscar Mayer hot dog cookout! We parked our buns and enjoyed some dogs right off the grill in the company of Juicy Dog Julia and her thoughtful friends and family. But there was more in store for us… Juicy Dog Julia returned to the Wienermobile wearing Wienermobile pajamas! Can you bunlieve that? She truly is a Wienermobile fanatic.

Long, long ago before I took the wheel of the Wienermobile, I spent many hours at the University of Wisconsin preparing for my year of Hotdogging. When I learned I would be enjoying a few weeks in the beautiful capital city of America’s Dairyland, I could barely contain my excitement! Having never been to UW-Madison, Lucky Dog Lauren strapped on her meatbelt and joined me for a ride to some of my very favorite spots in the city.

Bascom Hill at the University of Wisconsin

The view of Lake Monona and the Madison skyline

The entrance of Camp Randall Stadium

The Wisconsin Capitol

I can’t lie. Ever since I became a Hotdogger, I’ve wanted to bring the Wienermobile home to park outside my house. What would the neighbors think? I couldn’t imagine the looks on their faces as a Wienermobile pulls into the driveway.

Well, I finally took BIG BUN home with me to spend a day in my hometown. And I couldn’t leave without parking that pup right outside my yard.

Lucky Dog Lauren and I teamed up to tackle the tedious task of washing the dog. It’s never an easy feat, but LTL LINK doesn’t put up half the fight of the bigger Wienermobile vehicles. In fact, the two of us can hose off this pup in no time! Check out our video as Lucky Dog Lauren covers LTL LINK with soapy suds.

Being on the road so often, it’s easy to miss a little part of home. Many of us bring along a small keepsake to remind us of our roots and make us feel closer to our friends and family. But as each of us have come to know one another through our months as Hotdoggers, I’ve felt that the other 11 Hotdoggers have become a big part of my own family. They’re my Hotdogger family!

Although we’re distanced by miles, having a scrapbook of all of the good times we’ve shared makes me feel just a little bit closer to each of them. I’m missing you all, Hotdogger family! But enjoy the ride, and we’ll ketchup again soon.

Although we spend a lot of time behind the wheel of the Wienermobile, Hotdoggers are often in front of the camera too. A big part of being a Hotdogger is keeping in touch with the media in your communities. When we park our buns in a city, we call up the local newspaper or TV station to let them know we have big news to spread. With their help, we can reach Wienermobile fans across the country and let them know when they can see the 27-foot-long dog in their towns.

Bringing the Wienermobile to a TV station can become a big event. We’ll invite the reporters to tour the Wienermobile, and in turn they often let us take a peek inside their studios. As a Hotdogger, it’s one of my favorite parts of the job! In Oregon, Bacon Lettuce & Taylor and I had the chance to report in front of a green screen.

Don’t forget to turn on the morning news, listen to the local radio or grab the weekly paper on your way to work. You never know, the Wienermobile could be visiting your town today!

Believe it or not, as Wienermobile drivers we each have two professions on the road. During our work week, we’re Hotdoggers. But during our off days, we’ve coined the title of professional tourists. Nearly every week we park our buns in a new city and unroll a laundry list of things we want to see and do while visiting the area. The Blues City was no exception.

So, we laced up our shoes and headed for the Sun Studio where American legends like Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis and YUMMY — err — Johnny Cash made it big.

We topped off our tour better than I could have ever expected: singing from Elvis’ original microphone. I was nervous to test it out at first, but with a little Hotdogger strength I mustard the courage and sang out from the very top of my lungs!

About once a week, we take IWSHIWR to a local fire department to soak up some suds and spend quality time with hometown heroes. While visiting and working alongside the firefighters, we quickly begin to feel as though we’re truly a part of the pack. But although we can talk the talk, the Redmond, Oregon fire department wanted to see if we could walk the walk.

Bacon Lettuce & Taylor and I are two Hotdoggers that just don’t turn down a challenge. So, we suited up and put our skills to the test! It was a doggone close race. Check out our video to see how we did.

It’s not every day that Bacon Lettuce & Taylor and I get to relive our college days and tailgate with friends. But while in Boise, Idaho we treated IWSHIWR to a tailgate with Boise State University friends and fans!

Directly across from Bronco Stadium, IWSHIWR set up camp and put smiles on the faces of BSU and TCU fans alike! As Hotdoggers, we were thrilled to ketchup with football fanatics over an Oscar Mayer cheese dog and relish every minute of the BSU game day atmosphere! Go, Broncos!

When asked how I like my dog dressed I usually respond, “smothered in ketchup”. BLT, on the other hand, prefers a blend of ketchup, mustard and just a little bit of relish. But the folks in Bend, Oregon had a rather unique outlook on dressing their dogs.

At the Humane Society of Central Oregon, visitors arrived with their tail-wagging friends decked out in costumes! Lola pranced around as a vicious shark!

An Australian Shepherd arrived adorned as an Aussie from the outback.

But one of our most favorite costumes was a three-legged dog dressed as a pirate, peg leg and all!

We truly relished our time with the Humane Society of Central Oregon and all of the well-dressed dogs that joined us for the day.