Lexington, KY

Every year we complain about "the best-laid plans of mice and men". But already in 2007 medical problems have dwarfed completely any issues of preceding years. Now, we are perfectly aware that no one wants to listen to some rocking chair pilot complain about his aches and pains, but this particular travel-log could not be understood without at least a brief explanation.

As New Year's day approached, Lew thought he had everything taken care of. The Airstream had gone to the factory in December for its usual checkout, and to install a brand-new, larger refrigerator as Bobbi's Christmas gift. Tire pressures were checked. The battery was full. Both Bobbi and Lew had arranged with their employers for their two-month winter wandering.

Then it hit. The morning of January 1st youngest son Paul complained of the sudden onset of intense lower abdominal pain. Lew took him to the ER, where even the duty doctor feared appendicitis so much he gave Paul Dilaudid. But Paul was spared the knife when his problem turned out to be a particularly vicious virus.

Almost exactly one week later (the 8th) it was Bobbi's turn. We were having dinner at an old friend's home when Bobbi suddenly began vomiting explosively. By the time Lew got her home, diarrhea had set in as well. She was absolutely prostrate for three days, then made a slow recovery. And when she returned to work in the prison hospital the next Sunday, she found the virus raging through the inmate population; indeed, the facility was quarantined for three days.

Bobbi's illness had precluded her preparing/packing for travel, so a cold and rainy Monday (15th) went for that purpose, in anticipation of leaving the next day. Lew also used that morning to photograph the old OSU Student Union (where Lew spent most of his first year in medical school), scheduled for demolition during our vacation time. After lunch we both went to a nursing home to visit one of our oldest and dearest friends and Lew's mentor from 40 years earlier. Progressive heart disease, diabetes, and two forms of cancer had combined to confine him to a wheelchair, pale with severe dependent edema, visibly mortally ill. These two visits traumatized Lew severely.

Then Tuesday (16th) it was Lew's turn. He was removing the laundry from the drier when he found himself unable to stand without blacking out. So it was Bobbi's turn to drag Lew to the ER. His atrial tachycardia was converted with an IV bolus of Lopressor. The ER physician took a CT scan (with contrast) to check for pulmonary emboli, then admitted Lew to the cardiology floor of the hospital for a more complete workup. After two more days of very expensive tests (echocardiogram, carotid doppler, nucleotide stress test, and blood and EKG's without number) and round-the-clock electronic monitoring, the cardiologist discharged Lew with a prescription for an anti-arhythmic. And after a followup outpatient EKG on the next afternoon, the cardiologist cleared him to travel.

So-o-o-o, packing again on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, we were on the road Saturday noon. We had an uneventful ride down I-71, around Cincinnati on I-275, and down I-75 to the Kentucky Horse Farm outside Lexington (see last year's travel-log for a description of this campground -- nothing has changed). We settled in routinely and ate supper -- then almost on the stroke of 7, Lew's gut exploded. Soon he was as prostrate as Bobbi had been on the 9th and 10th.

Then in the middle of the night it started to sleet, and by daylight it had turned to freezing rain. It required the greatest care simply for Bobbi to give the dogs minimal walks. With Lew ill and Bobbi never having towed, we were stuck. We considered the options: going ahead, going back, and staying where we were at. Quick phone calls to Rob and Paul told us that there was enough snow behind us to make driving dangerous -- so stay it was -- not the first time we had ridden out a storm).