Things are looking up in Charleston. The RV repair guy showed up at the wounded CAPC Heavy yesterday and diagnosed the problem within minutes. He headed back to the shop for a part and returned to have the generator running by 2:00 p.m., just in time to reunite the team and head to the consumer event at James Island Park.

Due to a temperature of almost 100, a heat index of 107 and insane humididty, our frisbee dogs could not perform. However, the CAPC RV team set up at the off-leash dog park for the final consumer event.

We had a small but steady stream of dog owners that braved the heat and stopped by the CAPC RV. We also had a visit from a reporter for the Charleston Post and Courrier. He interviewed the team and took photos, so check out the newspaper over the next couple of days.

And Dr. Little visited the CAPC crew at James Island Park with her family, for a reunion of the first leg team.

Tonight is the final veterinarian event and the finish line…

After waiting for three hours in the truck repair shop “lounge” the CAPC RV team was informed that perhaps they should get a hotel room in Kenly, as repairs probably wouldn’t happen that day. Needles to say, the group was frustrated…but a new plan emerged and the group headed to Charleston where another Cummins dealer agreed to “take a look” the following day (Wednesday).

Erin and Illinois set off for Charleston via Myrtle Beach…making only one navigational error that provided a lovely tour of Cape Fear. By the time the RV rolled through Myrtle Beach, the rear thermostat read 101 degrees.

The CAPC Road Show Team split up temporarily so that the RV could be repaired and the parasitologists could still make the veterinarian event in Atlanta. So, as previously blogged, the RV went to Kenly, SC and Drs. Paul, Bowman and Blagburn went on to Atlanta.

The Atlanta event was a huge success as almost 70 veterinarians showed up at Maggiano’s in Buckhead!

CAPC Heavy experienced a major system shut down yesterday morning due to problems with the primary generator. The primary generator runs all electrical outlets, water pumps, hydraulics and, most importantly, the air conditioner.

Team coasted into Raleigh around noon after a delightful meal at a place called Bojangles. Yes, it did get very hot inside the RV. We also learned that the air conditioning has been filtering or simply covering up some unpleasant odors.

The team quickly found Roy’s Towing and Truck Repair and delivered the wounded RV to them for repair. Everyone felt optimistic as Roy and several of his men attacked the generator problem with vigor and confidence. However, four hours later, Roy called with bad news. He said that despite their best efforts they could not solve our problem and that they would try to “put it back together as best they could.”

To avoid making this very long saga even longer, I will skip over some of the painful details to the present situation. The parasitologists have jumped in our trusty minivan, The Golden Retriever, and are headed for Atlanta for a veterinarian event this evening.

Erin and Illinois are sitting in CAPC Heavy right now, awaiting a service bay at the Cummins Truck Repair Depot in Kenly, North Carolina, where it is hot and things are moving very slowly.

The CAPC Road Show team set up for pet owners in the historic Fells Point section of Baltimore. Lots of people and dogs made for a busy afternoon. Due to the fantastic logistical work of Sonya Hennessy, our veterinarian event was 50 feet away from the RV at the Admiral Fells Point Inn.

Dr. Blagburn and Dr. Bowman presented to a packed house of almost 50 veterinarians.

CAPC Heavy headed towards Baltimore on Sunday morning, but Illinois and Dr. Paul stayed behind to do the FOX news segment on parasites.

The segment was originally supposed to be live with the RV; however, the producers changed things up in the days prior, as they often do. The new live segment needed a puppy, so the CAPC reached out to new friends at the Mayor’s Alliance who quickly found a dog and handler.

Many of you saw it and contacted us…but if you didn’t, it was a real coup for the CAPC. Two minutes of national news talking about pets, parasites and Smokey, the miniature poodle. The CAPC Web site was prominently displayed as a screen graphic. Did we mention how huge this is for the CAPC?

Here’s Mike in the green room and on set.

The CAPC team had a huge day in Brooklyn at Prospect Park. The event was a partnership with The Mayor’s Alliance for New York City’s Animals at the entrance to Prospect Park at 15th and West Prospect Park Ave. which included dog groomers, micro-chipping, pet adoptions and, of course, the CAPC Road Show team and RV. The pet adoption event drew an enormous crowd, so traffic at our booth was heavy and constant. We had lots of great questions and characters at the booth. And then it rained…wicked hard, as our new friends in Boston might say.

The CAPC Road Show team woke up in Milford, Connecticut on Friday morning, but soon parted ways. Dr. Mike Paul and Illinois jumped in the Golden Retriver and headed for The Big Apple to meet with editors from the American Kennel Club. The parasitologists were driven to New Jersey in CAPC Heavy to speak at a verterinarian event at the Oradell Clinic in Paramus, New Jersey. Oradell has been a long-time friend to the CAPC and was gracious enough to offer one of their CE rooms to the CAPC Road Show. In particular, the CAPC owes a huge thank you to Lisa Davis of Oradell for all of her assistance with the event.

VLS also attended the CAPC event at Oradell for the purpose of video taping the event and covering it in the printed publications.

The CAPC team reunited in Brooklyn that afternoon, but not before Erin, marketing gal, piloted the CAPC Heavy right through the middle of Manhattan during rush hour. Needless to say, her group was a little frazzled by the time they crossed the Brooklyn Bridge.

The CAPC Team stayed in the second nicest hotel in Brooklyn…the Holiday Inn Express. The team had no time to take in the colorful surroundings though, as it was off to dinner with the VLS editors in Little Italy…everyone was in need of a cocktail. The CAPC owes a big thank you to the VLS crew for wonderful company and a fantastic dinner.

Not even the thumping bass from the “auto parts” shop next door to the hotel could keep this tired crew from a good night’s sleep.

The CAPC Road Show would not have been complete without a trip to Old Lyme, Connecticut. Here is CAPC Heavy in front of the local fire station. The firefighters were not amused by our fire drill antics to get a photo before it rained and asked us to leave immediately.

Dr. Byron Blagburn joined the tour yesterday. After battling Boston traffic, we all were united at Old Mistick Village right outside of the famous seaport town of Mystic, Connecticut, made famous by the 80s movie…Mystic Pizza.

We set up the CAPC station in a historic village square in the middle of the shopping area, where our dog performers held dog dancing and frisbee dog exhibitions. It was hot and humid, but nothing compared to the Midwest temperatures we experienced last week. One senior citizen went down near our event but an onlooker was able to get him breathing again in short order and the show continued.

We had a steady crowd all day. The New London Day covered our event…we have not seen the paper yet.