From Cancun to Lake Tahoe

The day was finally here … the journey home began at the Cancun airport at 7:30 a.m. Karin picked me up at the apartment at 6:30. She had the two pups and another crate for Nucita. We met Nucita with Dayli and Ana at the airport and here we go.

We FINALLY got checked in. It was emotional saying good bye to the ladies, especially Ana because she had become SO attached to Nucita. I assured her I would send many photos and videos to show what a great life Nucita was having.

Now for the really fun part — retrieving them at LAX! A few days before I left, I started to think about what that would mean so I posted on NextDoor, asking for some help. A few maybes but then Mike saved the day!

LAX was a little crazy and I had to find some porters to help me as Mike was at a different terminal than where I ended up. So here I am at a basically deserted airport (by the time I got to baggage claim) with three giant crates. I was able to find a porter who found another porter who then took me to customs to clear the dogs and then quite a long way to catch the shuttle for the rent-a-car.

The bus pulls up but the porters were long gone so the driver kindly helped me load them up and then out again at Hertz. And there was Mike! I was SO glad to see him (simply a kind stranger who had answered a call for help!) as I was feeling overwhelmed by this point.

I finally got the rental car and pulled it around to where Mike was watching and attempting to walk the dogs. With his help, we got the three large crates loaded up. By the time I pulled out of the lot, it was 7 p.m. and I was headed to Palmdale Motel 6, about an hour away and I don’t like to drive in the dark.

Dark was definitely well on its way when we arrived at the Motel 6 but we got checked in and I managed to unload the dogs and get them into the room. Fortunately there was a gas station with a mini-mart nearby because I was STARVING, as there had been no opportunity to eat except for the snacks on the plane. I grabbed a sandwich, fed the dogs with the food I had thought to bring in my suitcase and we PASSED OUT!

They were SO good! I had only met Nucita at our brief trips to the vet and the pups I met for the first time at the airport. We still had a day of driving the next day but the hard part was over. At around 2:30 p.m. the next day, I pulled into my driveway, a little high but also delirious after the grueling journey. We were home.