16 week update

Hi Everybody:

It's been sixteen weeks since my surgery. I look fantastic.

The last message I sent to you wasn't well received. I had comments that I had lost my sense of humor, had very little sarcasm, and was generally "nice". Some of you thought Laura wrote the email. Truth be told, I had mixed up my Lipitor with Laura's HRT, so I was feeling very "Is it time for 'Regis & Kelly' yet"? It's me this time.

Laura and I are currently camped out in Carson City, Nevada – about 30 miles south of Reno. We started the "official" trip on October 10, and made our way down thru Seattle, the Oregon Coast, and last week we were in Napa (the city and the valley) California. We visited with Laura's family in Orinda and Castro Valley, as well as with many excellent vintners in the Sonoma/Napa appellations. Apologies to any Bay Area folks we didn't call … I got scared enough driving into the city without the trailer. Those same vintners also recommended I avoid driving a 6300 lb trailer when I'm smashed. We will be in SF again on our way home in the spring. I should be out of wine by then. Expect a call.

Our plan this week is to work our way down thru Nevada, our target is Death Valley. Something about "Furnace Creek", "Hell's Gate", and "Lost Burrow Gap" calls out to me. After Death Valley we'll likely stay close to Las Vegas (Grand Canyon, Red Rocks) until the end of November. We found out that Al, Lynn and friends will be in Vegas for Thanksgiving, so we've decided to surprise them and stay in their rooms. I haven't had a bath in 2 months.

A couple of comments on our new "traveling" lifestyle:

- It's cold at night at 5000 ft, even if you're in the desert. Tonight it's supposed to get to 29F. Luckily, we brought our "Deception Pass in May" sleeping bags. If only we could have our "Deception Pass in May" friends with us too. Then I could drink their wine. Or their Scotch. But not Bruce's.

- Gas has been a pleasant surprise. It's about $2.40 a gallon (about $0.70/litre). Based on the way things were going in the spring, I had planned on $7.80/gallon for this trip. We're spending all our extra money on propane for the heater. And for the 45" plasma screen I had installed on Laura's side of the bed last week.

- Whenever we get cable TV at a campground, all we ever seem to see are: (a) political attack ads or (b) ads for insomnia, flatulence, incontinence, high cholesterol or erectile dysfunction. How many problems can one person have? I only have three of the five...

- We get stopped constantly (at least once/day) asking about our trailer and our truck. Is having a Toyota tow an Airstream down here "un-American". What happens if we go to Texas? They also want to know where we keep the guns. I told them we're from Canada, and our natural defense is to talk to you until you slide into a coma. I also correct them on their pronunciation of the words "roof" and "about". Overall, people have been very nice to us – the further south we go, the friendlier they get. I expect I would be elected President in Guatemala if we chose to travel that far.

- My health appears to be on a plateau right now. I'm not getting enough exercise, but look forward to spending extended periods of time in one spot so I can get out and run/bike/hike. When we move around too much (every couple of days), I'm pretty sore, and get tired easily. I feel my best when I've been really active, and have been looking for someone to play Jai Alai with…

Food: Eating too much. Must exercise soon.
Exercise. See Food.
Pain: Numbed by polyphenols in red wine.
Attitude: Bad. Back to normal.
Sleep: Shiver all night long. Using the dog for warmth. Laura wants me to have a bath.

- I've uploaded a bunch of photos to our Flickr site. Have a look if you're interested. I've removed all the scar pictures.

Will write again once we're back in "civilization" (out of Death Valley).

Platonically,
Doug

13 week update - Doug & Laura's Adventure Begins

Hi Everybody:

Four months have passed since Laura and I were supposed to start our "Big Adventure" - travelling through Western Canada and the Southwest USA and Mexico for 6-8 months. Our first day on the trip was to be June 9th.

On May 30th I was admitted to the hospital and subsequently diagnosed with two major (70-80%) blockages in my heart (LAD). They couldn't be fixed with angioplasty, so I was scheduled for bypass surgery on July 6th. My recovery has been remarkably quick, and I'm feeling very good.

After taking short trips in and around Vancouver over the past several weeks, it's time to actually "leave". We just spent the weekend up at Whistler with my brother Rob and his family. Last week we were on Vancouver Island visiting with friends and Laura's family.

Today, we head south. First stop is the Oregon Coast (as long as the weather holds out). Then a family reunion of sorts (Laura's family) in San Francisco. Then meeting friends in Las Vegas in November. Then ..... who knows. Kath and Dave will be flying down to meet us for Christmas - we're taking a 1-week cruise out of Los Angeles on Dec 23rd. After Christmas, we might try Baja Mexico. We need to be home by late March, as Kath will graduate from UBC in the Spring.

SCORECARD
Pain: None.
Food: Everything tastes too good. We need to stop inviting ourselves to dinner with friends.
Exercise: For the first time, ran twice on the weekend - about 7km each time. Hills are hard, but I'm sure I could do a 10km on the flats (not very fast, mind you). Feeling pretty good about that!
Attitude: It's hard to say "goodbye" to our friends, our family, and especially our kids. But it's only for a few months. Everybody seems to be happy that we're leaving ?!?!

I'll be sending updates every now and again while we're gone. Platonic love to you all!

Cheers,
Doug