The Grand Vacation Part 3

We got back into our van with full tummies and started rolling down the highway.  It was really relaxing to sit back and look at the night sky.  Bright stars were twinkling in the black sky.  The big, full moon was shining down on me and I imagined that other 

Chihuahuas were up there looking down and seeing me. 

John was driving and Belinda was snoring.  “I think we should find a place to park, Buster” said John with a sleepy yawn.  I barked in approval and curled up inside my travel crate.  I had a fuzzy blanket and silky pillow inside.  I turned a few circles to fluff up my bed and hunkered down for the night.  John pulled into a 24 hour parking lot and pulled the beds out in the back of the van.  Belinda crawled back there and covered up with the fluffy sleeping bag.  Soon, the sounds of passing cars and snoring were all I could hear.

Even though I wasn’t really outside, like in a tent, I was still outside.  Sleeping in the van with the moonlight shining on me was serene and relaxing.  The cars whizzing by lulled me off to sleep and before I knew it, I was dreaming of the lobsters and fish I saw when we were in Maine. 

I woke up to the smell of bacon cooking in the microwave and coffee brewing in the pot on the counter.  “Good morning, Buster!  Are you ready for another great day?” said Belinda as she filled my dog bowl with eggs and bacon.  I jumped happily around the van, barking and spinning around John’s feet.  Today we are going to see the beach and swim in the ocean!  We finished up our breakfast and headed out for an early start.

After a few hours in the van, we arrived in North Carolina.  There were tons of people on the beach and I could show off my little Chihuahua tank top with the blue and white stripes and the anchor.  Belinda and John were wading in the ocean and I jumped around, splashing between their legs.  As I looked around, I saw a sea of different colored umbrellas, people of all ages and shapes, and smells coming from every direction.  Hot dog vendors were calling to people and handing out their meaty treats.  Cotton candy and salt water taffy carts strolled up and down the beach, peddling their sweet confections.  The smell of fish tacos wafted toward the water and made me really hungry!  As we made our way through the crowd of sun bathers, we finally reached our destination!  In front of us was a little hut, painted with white-wash and decorated with thick ropes and starfish.  The sign over the window said “Crab Cakes” and the sign that pointed to the back of the building said “World’s Largest Sea Cucumber.”  As Belinda and John waited in the short line for some crab cake sandwiches, I snuck off to the back of the hut.  Nobody was in there so I quietly climbed up the stairs to see the giant sea cucumber.  The giant, prickly sea creature certainly was amazing!  It was almost as big as John and looked creepy and all dried out.  Still, a cucumber is a cucumber.  I leaned forward and took a big bite out of the bottom of the oddity.  Yuck!  That tastes nothing at all like a cucumber!  I cried and yelped before I tried spitting the nasty thing out of my mouth.  Belinda heard me and came running in.  “Oh no, Buster!  I can’t believe you just did that!” she cried. 

Belinda snuck me out of the hut and grabbed John by the arm.  She whispered to him what I had done and we quietly left the beach.  After they thought about it, everyone broke out in laughter!  We hit the road again as we all looked at the photo Belinda snapped of me and the world’s biggest sea cucumber; which was just a little bit smaller than it was before!