Toby’s Excellent Adventure: @CMHTobias and His Pet Boy @CMHGourmand
Posted by CMH Gourmand on May 31, 2010
“Were it not for the quality of our companionship, we would not have had the time of our lives.”
Attributed to:
Tobias J. Dog
President, Appalachian Porch Hound Preservation League
Respected Clintonville Resident
The power of the boy and his dog combined with a classic American roadtrip can not be beat. We had an excellent time as some of you know by the tweets from the field. At the risk of having an obnoxious dog blog post, here are a few tidbits from the trip.
My goals were simple: spend time with CMH Tobias, visit places I had never been and eat at four restaurants I have had on my list for years.
Toby in the crew cabin.
At the onset of the journey, the plan was to have a designated cockpit for the driver and a crew cabin for CMHTobias. As seen above, a yellow bunge cord served as the suggested boundary area and a large sleeping bag was added to the rear seat area to provide additional paw space as well as a pillow. This arrangement served well for the first twelve days. The bungee cord also served as a handy way to clip gear such as leashes and water bottles.
Photos below suggest that this arrangement was satisfactory.
We were together 23 or 24/7 each day for the next two weeks. We shared sights, the road and our meals without disagreement.
Taking in the scenery at Arches National Park
Dog based GPS system
Looking for local wildlife
On the last two days, Toby was intent on being in the co-pilot seat. After several wrestling matches at 75 miles per hour and knocking the car into neutral twice, I admitted defeat and full access was granted as you can see below.
VICTORY
Our statistics: drove 5933 miles, traveled 16 states (Toby marked territory in each), 14 days, 5 national parks, 11 motels, 2 lost hubcaps (NM, UT), average cost $108 per day (gas, food and lodging).
For once, food was secondary, but we ate very well each day. There were four places that I had to visit. I was able to eat at each place.
Charles Vergos’ Rendezvous (Memphis)
Sid’s Diner (El Reno, Oklahoma)
Bobcat Bite (Santa Fe, New Mexico)
Arthur Bryant’s (Kansas City, Missouri)
There were some other great food finds as well – including wineries, farmers markets and beef jerky makers. The best meal was the Onion Burger at Sid’s Diner in El Reno, Oklahoma. Both George Motz (hamburger expert) and Chef Drew Garms (formerly of Details) swore by this place. They were right. This simple burger with homemade slaw was a perfect dinner in a classic diner. The burger was a 10 out of 10 – good meat, a toasted bun, etc. However, Sid’s had what makes a good meal great – lots of character and four generations of family and employees that are proud of what they do. The best food is simple fare, from an independent place off the beaten path. That is why everyone should visit a place like Sid’s.
I have a lot of writing to get caught up on so this post ends here, but you can piece together the story by reading the tweets below.
CMH Gourmand - Eating in Columbus & Ohio 
Thad said
Congratulations to the Roo Crew on this accomplishment! It sounds like you had quite the experience. I’m quite envious, and if my dog didn’t get car sick I would’ve done something like that too.
Fyi… I saw on the news this morning that an arch in Arches NP collapsed. Was this a natural occurrence or was there CMH shenanigans involved?
Sassy said
You boys are too cute! You will be seeing your mountains in one of my future masterpieces. Did you happen through Duncan OK by any chance? I have more than a few kin there. Naw you were too far north. You were really close to where some of my kin still live though. They would have been kind to a traveling Yankee for a night. Ah well, maybe next time. 🙂
Dee & Loren said
We just had lunch at Sid’s! Fantastic! Thanks for the tip.
Dave said
That is one handsome dog. If one can’t bond with a dog like this, they have no soul. I hope you found him a special bakery or two.
CMH G and CMH T reply: bakeries, BBQ places, a hamburger spot, a pizza place, 4 types of artisan beef jerky……
Toby's Pet Boy, Mr.Vincent said
I know that Dog!