I had no real plan for what to do or see in Idaho when I headed west. Work was requiring me to spend a very busy week in Seattle, and the spring and summer leading up to that event had been intense and demanding. So, along with my work materials, I packed up some unread guidebooks and novels about the state to use when I headed into the unknown with Tamu once the working week was complete. I had never traveled with him on an airplane before, but had managed to arrange a non-stop flight so I knew he would not be left on a steaming tarmac or put on the wrong flight during a connection. Even with these precautions, I had nightmares about the pilot forgetting to pressurize the cargo hold before we flew and I’ve never done it again. As we were about to take off, I could hear him barking from below and the stewardess said to me, “Boy, does he sound pissed.” He sounds alive and breathing, I thought. I was delighted to collect him at the airport.
It is worth noting that Tamu had a very excellent vacation in Seattle while I toiled away at work because he was adopted by a colleague’s spouse. Every day, Scott would collect Tamu from my room and they had daily adventures, which Scott documented for me. By the time we headed east from Seattle on the Friday before Labor Day, Tamu was ready for an adventure and I was ready to clear my head and sleep abundantly. A blue moon loomed huge in big sky country ahead.