April 12th to June 2nd - Catching Up

 

          "Do what you can with what you have where you are."                                                                  Theodore Roosevelt

I've written this post in my mind at least three times. I considered writing a tribute to my husband, who has so lovingly and patiently helped me deal with my ups and downs. I thought I might discuss my health, but there really isn't much to say. I'm scheduled for a bone scan and a CT scan in the next two weeks and may have something to add then. In keeping with my theme of "dying or going on vacation", I could discuss our accomplishments and future plans. I think I'll go with option #3.

At my April oncology appointment, I asked my doctor how long she thought I could safely plan a trip -- in other words, feeling well enough to do the basics. I was surprised at her answer. She said if I didn't hold her to it, she thought I'd have six months. She then added the caveat that one of the variables is "what I'm willing to do do treat it." She knows that I've repeatedly emphasized that I value quality of life over quantity of life. As good as I've felt, however, I expected her to think I could safely plan a trip in the next year. 

I'm at the stage where you have to schedule everything around doctor appointments and tests. We already knew we were going to take a bike trip on May 19th to ride about 70 miles of the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP Trail) from Ohiopyle, PA to Cumberland, MD. 

Reality

We drove to Ohiopyle, PA which has a great state park famous for white water rafting in the rapids of the Youghiogheny (Yug) River. The GAP Trail is 124 miles from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, MD. Here the path connects to the C&O Canal Trail enabling the ambitious rider to ride from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C. Bill and I both find it difficult to walk any distance, but we didn't anticipate some of these difficulties:

• At our first BnB, we were required to climb a rock stairway of about 20 steps with a rise of about 10 inches for each step -- almost impossible for us.
• The second night, we stayed on the second floor of a BnB with a very low toilet and no grab bars. I struggled to get off the toilet.
• On our first day out, we rode 33 miles with over two hours in a severe thunderstorm. This made the path muddy and more difficult to navigate. The entire path had a small uphill grade of 1% to 2% as we were traveling up to the Eastern Continental Divide. On any other day, I think I could have done it, but we were both so exhausted that we didn't have the strength to go to dinner. We settled for instant oatmeal cereal at the BnB.
• I was aware of the "cancer" in my chest and had pain in my underarm where the lymph nodes had been removed.
• All of the above made me aware that my future could include physical challenges I am not yet ready to accept.  

 So How Was the Trip?

I knew once we'd been home for a week, all of the memories would be good. On the first day, we rode through a major thunderstorm. My phone signalled a tornado watch, but when we arrived in the next town, the sirens were a call to the volunteer fire department to clear downed trees and power lines. It was not fun. However, we met several cyclists at a local lunch stop. Two were riding from D.C. to the state of Oregon. I was impressed.

Day 2 was beautiful. We traveled up to the Eastern Continental Divide. From there we had a beautiful view. However, as soon as we went through the tunnel, I came in too "hot" and managed to fall. I insisted that Bill take a picture of me looking like a beached whale. From this point on, the trail gradually descended. We stopped in a town called Frostburg for the night.

I managed to short out my bike battery by touching the key to the "wrong side." This forced us to shuttle the last 16 miles to Cumberland, MD where we played tourist and rode a diesel train through the exact section we would have ridden on our bikes. It was very relaxing.

We stayed at the Fairfield Inn in Cumberland which is on the bike trail and caters to bikers. It was wonderful. It was so unusual to have breakfast with an ever-changing cast of bikers with their bikes. Most were picking up the trail and riding on to D.C. We caught a shutte with our bikes back to Ohiopyle, picked up our car and decided to head home a day early. Rain was forecast for the rest of the day.

Bottom Line

The trip was a success. We "upped our game" by taking all of our clothing, etc. on our bike and traveling straight through. I think my days of traveling 33 miles in one day are over, but 15 miles would be very doable. Every time I mention problems we may encounter to my husband, his standard answer is "we'll figure it out." And "figure it out" we did. So what's next?

We listened to my oncologist's advice and planned a trip we thought we could handle. On June 23rd, we are flying to Seattle for a couple of days, then traveling to Vancouver, CA and taking a trip on the "Rocky Mountaineer." This train only travels during daylight to Kamloops, Lake Louise and Banff. From there we will be bussed to Calgary. We will fly home from there via Toronto. It's all planned with comfy hotels and luxury train travel. We can't wait. We got our second COVID booster in hopes that COVID won't prevent us from going.

I'll let you know how the scans go. Meanwhile, we're going to do "what we can with what we have." Blessings to all reading this.

Kathy