Cold night but left alone.
Catalytic heater byproducts are co2 & h2o. The h2o freezes to the windows. Started the engine to warm up & clear the windshield. School staff started showing up b4 I got underway.
Headed out on snow covered hwy 50, what a torturous road: windy, up a mountain, down the other side, tight turns with plowed over snow. Good traction but it kept me on my toes. Stayed on 50 to Parkersburg. Finally got out of mountains. Parked van and noticed big drops of h20 falling on the floor between the seats. It was the melted ice flowing out from the dome light.
Mileage was bad for this tank because of the mountains.
Crossed the Ohio near Marrietta. drove up state rt 83 thru Southern Ohio to view the effects of strip mining for coal. What I was able to see from the road appears to be reclaimed. Road stays on top of convoluted ridges making for a different kind of twisty.
Drove onto Muskingum College, my alma mater, for a tour during school session. Only the older staff etc were willing to exchange greetings, almost all the students avoided any interaction. The house I lived in on Main street is still standing as is the one S lived in next door. Even the local grocery store: Shegog’s IGA is still in business.
Drove rt 40, the National Road to heath, Ohio to meet Cal for another dinner date.
Tip: Bikes & beer. Cal didn’t have a date place scoped out. I called a local bike shop and ashked them where they go for good beer. They pulled thru with a place in Granville, next town over. We drank a few beers during dinner.
back at the hotel I cracked open the Moonshine. Stuff is made from corn but it smells and tastes like Tequila, Cal put a nipple on the bottle for a few snorts. I forced my swig down.
Slept in the parking lot with the nose of the van 8 feet from a room window. I drove to another parking lot to fix bfast.
Headed N to Mansfield.
My leg is still painful, the steroids and acupuncture hadn’t lessened the pain. I decided I needed another dr’s exam. I found rapid response in Mansfield. A cool 63 tear old ex hippie examined me. It was cool, we clicked. Treatment was an Xray of the leg to rule out bone problems and then an ultrasound for blood clot discovery. The Xray was clear. The staff scheduled a 2:00 appointment @ Mansfield General for the ultrasound. And then the waiting started. The ultrasound was on time, she discovered a blockage in a minor vein. I was then walked to the emergency room and admitted for treatment. I spent 3 hours in a room waiting for the emergency doctor to communicate with the vascular doc who needed more info from the ultrasound tech and needed to talk to the emergency doc. They wanted to admit me for the blood clot. I Told them give me the meds and I will walk out and treat myself like I did 2 years prior. More conversation, yes that was acceptable. Then the wait for the injectable blood thinner. Nurse gave me injection, he said to slowly inject the med. I started walking away from the needle before he was finished. So, now I am on this enoxaparin injections for 10 days. If the pain isn’t gone I need another ultrasound. No cumadin lifestyle required.
Bright side: no physical limitations, I can ride. tendinitis would have meant 2 plus weeks of rest. But I have to give myself the injections.
Cold & snowy here in North Central Ohio. Skiff of snow on ground.
Made Dad & Karen’s for dinner. Lise & her husband, Warne joined us. They all want to pull me from my van to sleep under a roof. I am for the most part comfortable sleeping in the van. Turn on the heater to prevent the h2o from freezing & double over the down blanket & I’m snug.
PUSH sent the fork out yesterday meaning I will receive it Monday and if no snow at Mohican ride on Tuesday.
Late night, Caught up
Hi Craig,
Did you find out what caused the blood clot? That is kind of scary? We had a guy at work die a couple of weeks ago with a heart attack. I wish you the best. Randy
Craig,
Sounds like you need to drink more of the white lightning you picked up to keep your blood thin.
Randy, I explained my theory to the doctor and he accepted it as a theory but gave no weight to it. He did not offer a suggestion.
I sought health care progressively as the pain increased.
Discredit goes to the first minor emergency DR. for not investigating further.
Started giving myself the first of 10 days of shots today and rewarded myself with success with a taste of the Virginia Whiskey Cal. No moonshine, I believe I will “forget” it when I leave Ohio.
Craig, I can’t believe you turned down an offer for a cozy bed. Your relatives must think you’ve lost your mind! I’m guessing you accepted the offer for a hot shower though? Glad you got the leg problem figured out. Another question for you. Did you ever consider buying a small motor home instead of the Sprinter?
Hi Craig,
We went to the Best of the Banff film festival tonight. The films were as good as ever. Missed not seeing you there. We know you are have the adventure of a lifetime though. I do not like moonshine either. We are going biking at seven mile tomorrow. There is about 4 inches of snow at Schweitzer. Good luck with the blood clot. Can you ride you bike during these treaments? Randy
Randy,
yes, I missed the gathering at banff.
I am able to ride while the clot is being absorbed which is a better recovery than tendinitis. The clot and pain are getting smaller.
I sent my fork to PUSH for tuning while I was in Harrisonburg to prevent me from riding during the initial tendinitis diagnosis. I will have the fork back on the bike this Tues. for a ride 2 weeks after last ride. Where I am in OH it is in teens @ night & low 20s during day. I will ride here several days and leave for KY on Friday to warmed climes.
Mono, Tell me how well you sleep when you stay overnight @ your in-laws.
Conventional new RVs were too expensive, a used 1 would have been cheaper of course. I decided on the Sprinter which limited my choices. A commercially converted van to what I wanted would have been way too expensive. Unknown issue is how well a commercial rig would hold up to back road driving. Also, I usually pick the hard road and do things my way. I own my rig w/ $ in the bank. Anybody can buy an off the lot rig, there is no other rig on the road that is like mine.