Mr. Wendell’s Travels - August 23, 2013

Wendell's Travel Lodge - Lightfoot Bay

Today is day three of Mr. Wendell’s trip to the Upper Peninsula. The vacation began on Wednesday morning around 9:30 when I unceremoniously lifted him out of his home cage and placed him in his purple carrier. To apologize for my rude interruption of his morning, I gave him two baby carrots. Being one of Wendell’s favorite treats, he greedily gnawed away on the first carrot, moving immediately to the second one once he finished the first.

Wendell’s carrier is the last item to be packed into the car. Situated in the back seat behind the driver, I thread the seat belt through the carrier’s handle and lock him securely to the seat. A sheet is placed over the carrier windows to prevent the sunshine from overheating him and now Wendell is ready to go.

Unlike my cats, Wendell enjoys riding in the car. There is no whining, no panting, no high-pitch shrieks coming from the backseat. Once the car is in motion, Wendell settles in to sleep. Three hours into the trip, I give him a second treat. This time it is a big, fat grape and he drags it back to the corner of his carrier. Soon you can hear him chomping away.

I sometimes wonder if Wendell likes to travel primarily to avoid dealing with the cats. His big enclosed cage at home keeps the cats at bay but the top of the cage has become a sleeping spot for senior citizen Lucy. She doesn’t weight much but she has a habit of leaping from the top of the stereo speaker to the cage, a distance of 5 feet. I don’t imagine Wendell appreciates the thud of Lucy’s arrival or her nonstop presence only two feet above his head.

While he is traveling, Wendell’s igloo is replaced by the purple carrier. I had found a small animal pen at the local pet store and using two long cable ties, I secure the ends of the pen to the outside bolts on the carrier creating a large enclosure for Wendell to use. His water bottle, food dish and pile of timothy are placed in the enclosure allowing Wendell to use the carrier exclusively for hiding and sleeping.

On this trip to the Upper Peninsula, Wendell travels to visit my parents in Dollar Bay. He is welcomed by Mom and Dad unlike his feline relatives who are banned unless they have extenuating health issues. Wendell sets up residence on the large white table in the basement where there is plenty of room to expand his pen to its maximum. He receives visitors throughout his visit, primarily my Mother who can be found downstairs talking with him. Wendell always greets his visitors warmly but conditionally; if no treat accompanies the visitor, Wendell promptly turns around and returns to his room.

For this visit, Wendell only stays one night and late the next afternoon, he once again resumes his spot in the back seat for the hour drive to Lightfoot Bay. The cabin at Lightfoot is a favorite visiting spot of his. Being the only nonhuman guest during our stay, Wendell gets a lot of attention and treats. There is no television blaring, no cats staring him down. If the weather cooperates, perhaps Wendell will get the chance to be outside under the mature white pines that surround the cabin.

For enjoying Lightfoot Bay, Wendell is not excited about the outdoors as are his travelling companions. Last summer, Wendell had the chance to frolic in my parents’ backyard. Initially, he stood in the waist deep grass unsure of where he was or what he could do. With encouragement, I got him to walk through the grass but it didn’t take much urging to get Wendell back into his carrier. An outdoor-loving guinea pig, Wendell is not.

For the next four days, Wendell will relax in the confines of the large cabin, fed carrots and grapes and enjoy the quiet he well deserves. Life is good for this fine old guinea pig. J