I looked forward to escaping a cold spring and left our home near Readstown, Wisconsin, on my BMW and towing my Kompact Kamper. The plan was to head south to North Carolina and visit an old friend, one of the few I have from grade school in California. I would go to Rock Island, Illinois, and start my trip picking up Kirk Olson, who I met at the Soldiers Grove Rally. I started talking with Kirk at the rally because he had this beautiful chocolate labradoodle, Moca.

As we got to know each other, I saw Kirk traveled with the dog while towing a trailer for his bike. Nothing unusual there. I loved the dog and when we went for a ride, he said he would take his dog along and I thought it would be interesting. The dog was ready and willing and they obviously had it down. Kirk lifted the dog (maybe 50 pounds, on the small size for that breed), and put Moca - snugly - in a woven fabric box attached to the back seat of his motorcycle.

Moca was looking forward to whatever Kirk had in mind. In the dog went, and Kirk attached a short lead to the dog as a safety precaution while assuring me it was never necessary. We were ready to go and I was amazed at the two of them. It was quite sight to see the dog looking around and ready for some sight-seeing. We had a good ride and that was the the first time I had ever seen a dog so comfortable on the back of a bike.

When I arrived at Kirk’s in Rock Island for this longer trip, I wasn’t thinking Moca would go with us with all the interstate we would be doing. I thought wrong! Moca was definitely going and would have been disappointed if we left him behind. We hit the road and I rode behind, looking on with amazement as Moca was the perfect passenger. What a sight it was watching Moca looking at all he could. Sometimes he would stick his head to the side looking for squirrels in town. Other times he would rest his chin on Kirk's shoulder to enjoy the parade of sights and sounds. I especially liked when he would look up over the rear trunk at me while blasting down the interstate to make sure I was still with them. When he got tired he would curl up in his cozy box.

Moca was as much a pleasure at our camp site as he was as a passenger. I eventually bonded with him, but he was definitely Kirk's dog. Moca hung on every move Kirk made and obeyed him to the letter. He would dismount after a ride and run around with his ball waiting for Kirk to throw it anywhere. He could have thrown it off a cliff and Moca would have gone after it. Water was not an issue, so we had fun watching him dive into the water and come up with the ball every time. When it came time for sleep, my Kompact Kamp had more than enough room for the three of us. Keeping Moca down at our feet wasn’t his preference and he would work his way up to our heads.

Moca did the Blue Ridge Parkway with us and was the perfect traveling companion on an unforgettable trip.