Enjoying spending time w/ my family members.
The bike gets put back together on Tuesday for my first ride in over 2 weeks.
Fixed Solyanka & Waldorf salad for my 2 sisters last night and received compliments. Vegetarian dishes.
Sunny & cold. Skiff of snow still on ground.
Plan is to leave on Friday for KY. Blood clot is shrinking & pain lessening. Giving myself the shot is easier than last time. A doctor advised me to add vitamin E to my lifestyle which has data to suggest it prevents clotting.
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
Woke up to cold & about 1″ of snow. I suspected some would fall. Last night’s forecast was for snow N in WV that I thought I could get around by driving up into PA & driving I-70.
Bfast & clean up. Concern is no snow tires & only rear wheel will I be able to climb out of XG. Did, no problem only to be greeted by Rangers blocking the road out. Snow has made road dangerous. Visitor Center opened later and I was allowed to drive over. I hung in Center, just me and a receptionist: the roads kept the help out as the access roads were gated shut.
Read parts of a Shenandoah NP history book. Among high points was the fact that this was the first NP created by condeming 500 families private land to make the park.
Finally @ 12:45 AM a convoy is lead out by ranger. Road was almost dry in places and others had some melted compact snow on drive. Only allowing us to exit @ rt 211 which worked for me.
Drove rt 211 W to rt 81 then got off on rt 50 W.Snow flurries fell. Decided to go scenic rt 50 instead of interstates. Pushed drive wanting to get many miles W before sundown. Road climbed after dark towards the MD/WV border in the dark. By now there is compact snow on road, completely snow covered, blowing, & dark. I was accelerating going uphill hoping to make each summit before spinning out. Going down I tested the anti lock brakes and the road said I need these. Blowing & drifting snow. Decided that spending the night in a HS parking lot would be OK. Cars & truck traffic sporadically go by, even a snow plow. I just had enough. Really, I want to drive in daylight to see the countryside. I am way up in the mountains @2800′.
Going to be cold tonight, in teens.
Eggbeater cleats being shipped tonight. PUSH called about my fork they received today per UPS commitment. Need to replace uppers because of severe scoring meaning shock oil would not stay in causing ultimate shock failure. I’m up to about $500 on this rebuild, going to be better than new.
OK, you guys, Jim from near P-burg has a need for some of my story telling interview to maybe put on his website.
Going to be cold. Heater on high keeps chill @ bay but I am still wearing 2 shirts & a hat.
May the officials be shoveling their driveway or pulling a motorist out of the ditch & allow me to leave early next AM undetected.
