b"Always On TheRoad, But NeverOn Their Own.by Anna CookeThetemperaturewasdroppinglikeatwofootputtasMallory gathered her gear.Baylor, her trusted companion,stood up, waiting in true Labrador Retriever fashion: tailwagging,mouthturnedupwards,adoringeyes.ThecampgroundseveralmilesuptheroadoffUS19waswhere they would be spending the night. Evenagalandherdogwhohadalreadytraveledsome200daysacross17states(includingAlaska)ontheir motorcycle-with-sidecar would have to admit: thiswas going to be a cold night to sleep in a tent, even if itwasFlorida.Withherrecentvisittowarm,balmyKeyWest still fresh in her mind, the two road warriors werenow traveling through the Tampa Bay Area during a hardcold front. Thankfully, she was probably thinking, as thesun was setting, I have Baylor to keep me warm.Having just finished a delicious dinner on the patio ofSouthernFreshRestaurant inSafetyHarborwithhernewfoundfriends,Malloryappearedready,willingandperfectly capable of handling whatever the open road wasabout to offer her. Still.Would you and Baylor consider spending the nightwith us? I asked her.Well,wecertainlywouldn'tsaynotothat,saidMallory, smiling. Im not sure which one of us was morerelieved.In front of a blazing fire, over a glass of brandy andchocolate chip cookies, we continued our conversationabouthercrosscountryadventure.Baylortooktofollowing Steve, my husband, around our home beforesettling into a dog bed, much too small for his body.www.TheNewBarker.com Spring 2016 THE NEW BARKER 35"