The Passing of Paso Robles

Ten years ago I was sitting in an airport bar in Charlotte, North Carolina. Charlotte was the 3rd of four legs of a one-day travel marathon to get Paso Robles. I started in Tampa at 5 am, flew to Philadelphia, then to Richmond Virginia. In Richmond, I met Melanie who I got Robles from. Then I flew to Charlotte for a connection back to Tampa.

Kittens are chick magnets in airport bars. Robles and I had a great time in some Charlotte Airport bar. We were surrounded by adoring girls fawning over the super cute kitten. The layover was several hours long, plenty of time to have several glasses of wine. After a long day of flying and in airports, with very little to eat, the wine went right to my head. I had been traveling for 12 hours now. No one seemed to mind at the bar that I had the kitten out of the cage. Caught up in the excitement of getting a new kitten, knowing I only had one flight left to go, and the attention of all the women, I probably had too much wine. They were mostly paying attention to the kitten, but I was basking in Robles’s spillover.

On the 4th and final flight from Charlotte to Tampa, 14 hours after setting off in the early morning, I settled in to a window seat in the next to the last row in the aircraft.  Next to me was some guy in a suit who was in the aisle seat. The Suit was looking at stock quotes on his laptop. He must have been horrified to see me seated next to him. By now my clothes and I were all sweaty from a long day of travel. I consumed too much wine at the Charlotte Airport.

The pet carrier smelled of cat litter, cat poop, and urine. The kitten splashed most of the cat litter out of the small litter tray around the carrier. I don’t think the pet carrier smelled very good. I kept having to get up to use the bathroom because of all the wine. After my third trip where the Suit had to get up and move for me, he moved to the last row of the airplane in the row behind me. I could see him going home and telling his wife what a nightmare flight he had. That some drunk sweat-drenched guy sat next to him on the airplane with a kitten in a carrier that smelled of urine and poop.

Sixteen hours after I left Tampa and four flights later, I was home. As I got off the airplane in Tampa, I thought that I had made it home with a new kitten that I would love for many years. And the Suit got off the airplane thinking about stock prices cursing his bad luck on the airplane ride.

A year and a half after bringing Robles home, I retired after a 34 year career as an electrical engineer. Being retired meant we had a lot of time to spend together. I forget what it is like to set off for work and leave your animals alone all day.

A year later I took a month long trip out to Frisco, Colorado, located between Vail and Breckenridge. I left Robles and my other cat Mountain Lioness behind. After three weeks I missed them so much, that I drove home in three days. The next month I bought my first RV, a Class C Winnebago View.

For the next two years, Robles, Mountain Lioness, and I drove around the country in that little RV. I bought the RV for Robles and ML. I wanted to travel, but I didn’t want to be away from them. In 2018, I traded in the little RV for a Class A motorhome, a TIffin Phaeton, 42 feel long weighing 38,000 lbs.

Together we traveled through 45 states. Many of these states we traveled through multiple times. We spent about 550 nights together on the road. I’m guessing we stayed around 350 different places, I really don’t know. There are too many places to count. We drove over 40,000 miles. We took three long multi-month trips out west, and three long trips up north. Robles loved the RV. She could have lived in the coach forever.

Robles loved to sit in the front window with Mountain Lioness.

Four of the six trips were just the cats and me. When I went to bed at night, they were next to me. When I woke up in the morning, they were next to me. Then I would feed them breakfast and then I would eat. We settled into a comfortable routine. They were my constant companions for the first four years. For the last two years, my friends Erica and Chris joined me. Those trips were much better, having my best friends along.

Robles usually sat in my lap while I drove. Yea, I was one of those crazy RV drivers you look over at and see an animal peering up from their lap. Robles was tiny, just six or seven pounds, and never interfered with my driving.

Our first trip of more than a few days was to Sanibal Island near Christmas time. After several one week trips in Florida, we took our first long trip up north to Grove City College, I had not been back to my alma mater in 40 years. Here is a link to a story about that trip back to Grove City, one of the best blogs I have written.

This Is Not a Dream

The next year we took our first of three trips out west. We traveled to the Grand Canyon, and then up through Idaho, and then back through Yellowstone and Grand Teton. They were great travelers. We spent so much time together, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for around 14 weeks.I think of all those days and nights with great fondness, all those states, all those miles, and all those places. 

This was our life for six years. We went to Sedona, the Grand Canyon, and Arches. We went to Grand Teton and Yellowstone three times. We spent two weeks in Glacier National Park. Robles went to Maine twice, Niagara Falls, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. 

We spent several weeks each of the last two years in south-central Michigan at Chris’s Grandfather’s house on Duck Lake. Chris’s Grandfather Dave’s house on Duck Lake was the setting for the annual family reunion of the Reed clan. Family would gather from around the country to celebrate around the 4th of July. Dave was one of the kindest and nicest persons I ever met. 

We experienced some frightening times together. We endured severe weather, stressful driving, and tornadoes in Kansas. We were in such close quarters, always in eyesight of each other. The level of trust, comfort, and love, is unequaled by anything else I have ever known. The first rule of the RV was to not lose the cats. The second rule of the RV was to not lose the cats. Every time before I drove off, I would make eye contact with both the cats, twice. Chris and Erica would patiently wait for me after we refueled at Love’s Truck Stops. They knew I was down on my hands and knees with a flashlight making sure the cats were still on board.

They were my most constant companions, with so much love and affection. This is as good as my life gets. 550 nights times 24 hours/day equals 13,200 hours. We were together most of those 13,200 hours.

In May of 2020, we even went to a town named Paso Robles, California, the town Robles was named after. The link below is the story of how Robles got her name.

How Paso Robles Got Her Name

From Paso Robles, we drove up through California and the awe inspiring Redwood National Forest. We drove north through Oregon to Seattle where we spent a week with Erica’s dear friend Tammy. While visiting Tammy, I crashed my motor scooter into her house. That is a story for another time.

Robles used to sleep next to me curled up like a teddy bear. Often she curled up  on my shoulder, she was so small.

I suspected she was not well on the last trip, but I had no idea her condition was terminal. At least she got to take one last trip. She is probably the only cat to drive in a RV into New York City through the Bronx, over the George Washington Bridge, and to Liberty Harbor New Jersey. She saw the Manhattan skyline from her perch in the RV.

The end was so sudden, so fast. I was not prepared for that. Robles was only nine years old. I figured she would live at least another five years, maybe even 17 years like her great great great grandma Cheetah.

When I got back after the last trip, I took Robles to the vet to be checked out. Her bloodwork came back fine. Her x-rays were normal too. Then a week later I took her in for an ultrasound, thinking she would probably be diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease. Her relatives, Sunwapta, Cheetah, and Sprit all had IBD. IBD is not a good condition, but it’s not usually fatal and can be managed for many years.

Less than an hour after dropping Robles off, I received the dreaded call. Robles suffered from intestinal cancer. She had two months to live, maybe 12 months with chemotherapy. I had to make a decision. An hour later she was gone. I supported her head with both of my hands and looked into her eyes as she was put down. I wanted the last thing for her to see was my eyes looking into hers, knowing she was loved. We looked directly into each other’s souls.

That day was the worst day of my life, just horrific. The pain was beyond comprehension. I am heartbroken. Four months later I still cry several times a week. It’s taken me that long to be able to write a post about her.

Nothing lasts forever. Robert Frost was asked to say a sentence that would always be true. He replied, “Life goes on.”

Robles loved to sit out in the Florida Room, with a menagerie of birds, squirrels, and other critters to intrigue her. She would sit in the front window and watch when I drove away. My mind plays tricks on me. Every so often I still see her sitting in the window when I leave. Sometimes I still think I see her sitting on the bench in the Florida room. Then I realize she is no longer there.

I’m an old man now. I remember when Robles first came into my life. Sometimes I can still see myself playing with her as a kitten. I see her as a connection back to when I first got Sunwapta back in 1998, and Cheetah in 2002.

I’ve enjoyed a long and fulfilling life. Most people work until they are 65, and on average die when they are 77, lasting only 11 years in retirement. I retired when I was 56 and am presently in my 9th of retirement. I plan to live until I am 95 years old, the average age of the men in my Italian and Scots-Irish heritage. As Steven Wright said, “I intend to live forever, so far, so good.”

Cheetah was Robles’s great great great grandmother. When I looked at the markings on the back of Robles’s neck, I can see Cheetah. I can also see Sunwapta, Cheetah’s son. When Robles first came to the house, right away she sat on top of the middle cushion of the sofa where Cheetah used to sit. Somehow she knew that was Cheetah’s spot. Robles came to live with me about a month after Cheetah passed. Robles and Sunwapta lived together for about 4 months. They quickly became best friends. Sunwapta passed about four months after his mother Cheetah died. I think Sunwapta died from a broken heart after his mother died.

I’ve lost interest to travel in the RV without Robles. Robles and Mountain Lioness were the reason I got the RV. I can’t imagine traveling without Robles. We traveled to so many places together. I am trying to get motivated to travel with my new dog Rascal. I’m sure once the Florida summer heat and humidity return I will be grateful to have the RV again to escape the sweltering oppressive heat. The trips were all about traveling together with Robles and ML. I will try. Traveling with Chris and Erica will help and will make all the difference. Life goes on.

This Is Where It Ends – Alice Boman