Our nephew Gabriel was getting married Friday, June 26. Tammy and I left after work Thursday, June 25 at 1:30pm for the 13 hour trip to Indianapolis. We took 691 to 84 to 80 for the first 6 hours of our trip.
The ride was nice until we hit the Scranton /Wilkes-Barre area with its decades long construction. The drive on 80 was not at all enjoyable either. So many semi-trucks traveling up and down hills on a two lane interstate - some going fast, some going slow, sometimes all going slow. We stopped in Dubois,PA for the night around 7:30pm and had Pizza Hut for dinner.
We left Dubois at 6:30am with a to-go breakfast from our hotel because of covid for the last leg of the trip. We took 80 to 76 to 71 to 70. The ride on 80 picked up where it left off the day before with so many semi-trucks, up and down hills on a two lane interstate. The interstates in Ohio get a two thumbs up from me. They made for good travel even through the construction areas. I especially enjoyed when there were three or more travel lanes. 70 in Indiana was not all that great. Very rough pavement with construction all the way to Greenfield where we were staying for the night. In fact, the construction was to add 30 minutes to our travel time near our exit in Greenfield; so we got off 70 in Richmond and took Route 35 to Route 36 to the church to pick up Lizzy and Stas. We got to the church a little after 1pm. Travel time from CT to Indianapolis was 13 hours.
We spent a total of 18 hours in the Indianapolis area - 4 and half hours before the wedding (eating at Cracker Barrel and resting), 4 hours at the wedding, and around 9 hours at the hotel (sleeping, showering, and eating a continental breakfast). We left the hotel at 7am.
Traveling home on Saturday was great with an exclamation point - much less car traffic and exponentially less semi-truck traffic. We did hit two pockets of thunderstorms but were able to make it home to CT by 6:30pm. We did it straight with just two stops for gas/bathroom for a travel time from Indianapolis to CT of 11 and a half hours.
Our total travel time over the three days for the wedding was 24 and a half hours covering roughly 1665 miles.
Sunday, June 28, 2020
Saturday, June 20, 2020
My Shingles Experience
On Saturday, June 6, Tammy and I traveled to Oregon from Boston. We drove two hours to the airport followed by a direct flight of 5.5 hours. What does one do when confined to a seat for over 5 hours - watch movies. We watched Ford vs. Ferrari and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. After touching down in Portland, we had a two hour drive to our rental home.
Sunday morning, I woke up with a pain behind my right eye into my right ear and down the side of my neck. I figured I had probably strained a muscle from all the head tilting of watching the previous day's movies. On Monday, I still had the pain, so I googled the symptoms and noticed that there was a chin tuck exercise that helped alleviate ophthalmic nerve pain. It seemed to help. I also noticed Monday that I had gotten some "bites" on my scalp that were bothersome.
Tuesday and Wednesday were about the same. Eye and ear pain with the bites getting worse which I attributed to my wearing a ball cap most of the day.
Thursday morning I awoke with less pain but my right eye was blood shoot and swollen. I decided to visit an urgent care as we were to fly home Saturday, and I didn't want to look this way getting on a plane. Tammy came with me to the Tillamook Urgent Care but because of the covid restrictions was not allowed to go in with me. I got through the registration process and initial nurse check up rather quickly. Then I waited for about 45 minutes for the PA to see me. I told her the history of my symptoms -- the pain and scalp "bites". She did an assessment and said she would be prescribing a topical ointment for the scalp infections and drops for pink eye. She said the nurse would be back to do a visual acuity test as a precaution. I waited another 15 minutes for the test which was not a problem. I then returned to the room for another 15 minutes. When the PA returned, she said she was thinking about my symptoms as a whole as she was preparing the discharge papers and had changed her diagnosis. She suspected shingles. I was prescribed a different medicine and given an ophthalmologist appointment for later in the day as facial shingles can have detrimental affects to the eye.
Later Thursday afternoon, I returned alone to Tillamook for my eye appointment. The eye looked fine, but eye drops were prescribed as a precaution.
All in all, I would say I had a pretty minor case of shingles as the worst pain occurred the few days before I was diagnosed. I also believe getting it diagnosed and treated early was of great benefit in its lessening. By the writing of this blog on Saturday, June 19, I would say I am pretty much symptom free.
Sunday morning, I woke up with a pain behind my right eye into my right ear and down the side of my neck. I figured I had probably strained a muscle from all the head tilting of watching the previous day's movies. On Monday, I still had the pain, so I googled the symptoms and noticed that there was a chin tuck exercise that helped alleviate ophthalmic nerve pain. It seemed to help. I also noticed Monday that I had gotten some "bites" on my scalp that were bothersome.
Tuesday and Wednesday were about the same. Eye and ear pain with the bites getting worse which I attributed to my wearing a ball cap most of the day.
Thursday morning I awoke with less pain but my right eye was blood shoot and swollen. I decided to visit an urgent care as we were to fly home Saturday, and I didn't want to look this way getting on a plane. Tammy came with me to the Tillamook Urgent Care but because of the covid restrictions was not allowed to go in with me. I got through the registration process and initial nurse check up rather quickly. Then I waited for about 45 minutes for the PA to see me. I told her the history of my symptoms -- the pain and scalp "bites". She did an assessment and said she would be prescribing a topical ointment for the scalp infections and drops for pink eye. She said the nurse would be back to do a visual acuity test as a precaution. I waited another 15 minutes for the test which was not a problem. I then returned to the room for another 15 minutes. When the PA returned, she said she was thinking about my symptoms as a whole as she was preparing the discharge papers and had changed her diagnosis. She suspected shingles. I was prescribed a different medicine and given an ophthalmologist appointment for later in the day as facial shingles can have detrimental affects to the eye.
Later Thursday afternoon, I returned alone to Tillamook for my eye appointment. The eye looked fine, but eye drops were prescribed as a precaution.
All in all, I would say I had a pretty minor case of shingles as the worst pain occurred the few days before I was diagnosed. I also believe getting it diagnosed and treated early was of great benefit in its lessening. By the writing of this blog on Saturday, June 19, I would say I am pretty much symptom free.
Oregon June 2020
Originally, a big family gathering in Montana was to be our vacation for this summer, but because of the covid pandemic that was cancelled. So Tammy and I decided instead to visit Jaclyn and her family in Oregon. We would either visit at their house for the week, or if things in OR opened up, we would rent a house.
As it turned out, the week before we were to leave. OR began to allow rental homes to reopen. We booked a house in Rockaway Beach that sat on Lake Lytle, giving us the best of both worlds - a lake front property that was a minutes walk from the beach.
Our flight to Oregon was uneventful - which I cannot say was the same before the flight with our reservations being changed three times by the airlines in the preceding weeks. We flew out of Boston on Saturday, June 6 at noon from a pretty empty airport due to the covid pandemic. We landed in Seattle to a packed airport where we had an hour layover before our flight to the Portland airport which was very empty when we landed at 6pm.
We flew Alaska Airlines. They, as most all airlines, were practicing "social distancing" on their aircraft. What this meant was we had to wear masks while on board the plane, board the plane from the back to the front- unless you were first class, needed assistance, or a gold or silver miles member who we all passed by as we boarded maintaining a six foot distance, the middle seats were left empty, and you were only served a water bottle and a small snack bag. Once the plane landed, their was no social distancing practices. You got off just as you did pre-covid.
We picked up our Thrifty rental car which was a brand new Jeep Saraha with 7 miles on the odometer and headed through the southern section of Portland across the Pacific Coastal Range to the rental home.
On a rainy (which it did most of the time we were visiting) Sunday morning, Tammy and I drove to the Safeway in Tillamook to stock up on the groceries for the week. We then took a walk on the beach before Jaclyn, Blake and the girls joined us that afternoon.
On Monday, Jaclyn, Blake, and I (who watched as I wasn't permitted to clam due to covid restrictions on non-residents) went clamming for cockles in Garibaldi Bay. It was everyone's first time, but Jaclyn and Blake both got their limit of 20 each. In the afternoon, Tammy, Jaclyn and Lilly went shopping for some fun things to play with at the rental. Later, everyone except for me took an early afternoon walk on the beach. In the late afternoon, Blake and I went crabbing off Pier's End (the longest pier in OR at 700 feet) in Garibaldi Bay. We came away with just one dungeness crab keeper for our efforts.
Tuesday was a rainy day. Jaclyn and Blake went clamming in the morning and got their limit again. Blake and I went crabbing in the afternoon catching just one dungeness crab keeper. When we returned, we dined on the harvested clams and one crab before going fishing on the drift boat. Blake caught a 2lb 1oz bass and two rainbow trout. I was able to get three rainbow trout. We ate these for breakfast Thursday.
After Tammy, Jaclyn, Blake, and Lilly returned from a third successful morning of clamming Wednesday, Tammy and I went exploring on the kayaks. We paddled from Lake Lytle through the Moroney Canal to Crescent Lake. Lake Lytle is shallow at around 5 feet at its deepest and is full of lake weeds and shoreline reeds. For such a small lake, it did have lots of activity. Lots of people fishing from the boat launch, fishing pier, and various types of boats. Swallows were constantly darting about the shore with a pair of Bald Eagles making their presence known on many an occasion. Crescent Lake seemed to be deeper but still had lots of lake weeds and reeds. It was very quiet as it was a no motor lake accessible only through the long, shallow canal. In the afternoon, Tammy, Jaclyn, and Lilly headed to the beach to fly Lilly's new kite. Blake and I returned Wednesday evening to the pier for my third and final evening of crabbing, with a catch of yet again one dungeness crab with an added red rock crab this time. Tammy enjoyed the hot tub while we were gone.
Thursday, Blake and I went fishing in the early morning. The fish were biting as evidenced by both of us catching our limit of rainbow trout (5 each) in just several hours. After breakfast, Tammy and I headed to the Tillamook Urgent Care where we spent several hours for a shingles diagnosis followed by a visit to an ophthalmologist later in the early evening. (See shingles blog for more information.) Tammy and Jaclyn did a little afternoon kayaking while Blake took Lilly for a ride in the drift boat followed by Tammy soaking in the hot tub in the evening.
Friday morning's rain cancelled our planned fishing outing. We did all get a walk in on the beach followed by a later kite excursion by Tammy, Jaclyn, and Lilly. We celebrated Juni's birthday with some cream puffs. Friday evening we spent getting everything packed up and cleaned for our Saturday departure at 6am for our trip back home to CT.
Link to pictures posted here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/on6uTkvDqJ9kZZxq8
As it turned out, the week before we were to leave. OR began to allow rental homes to reopen. We booked a house in Rockaway Beach that sat on Lake Lytle, giving us the best of both worlds - a lake front property that was a minutes walk from the beach.
Our flight to Oregon was uneventful - which I cannot say was the same before the flight with our reservations being changed three times by the airlines in the preceding weeks. We flew out of Boston on Saturday, June 6 at noon from a pretty empty airport due to the covid pandemic. We landed in Seattle to a packed airport where we had an hour layover before our flight to the Portland airport which was very empty when we landed at 6pm.
We flew Alaska Airlines. They, as most all airlines, were practicing "social distancing" on their aircraft. What this meant was we had to wear masks while on board the plane, board the plane from the back to the front- unless you were first class, needed assistance, or a gold or silver miles member who we all passed by as we boarded maintaining a six foot distance, the middle seats were left empty, and you were only served a water bottle and a small snack bag. Once the plane landed, their was no social distancing practices. You got off just as you did pre-covid.
We picked up our Thrifty rental car which was a brand new Jeep Saraha with 7 miles on the odometer and headed through the southern section of Portland across the Pacific Coastal Range to the rental home.
On a rainy (which it did most of the time we were visiting) Sunday morning, Tammy and I drove to the Safeway in Tillamook to stock up on the groceries for the week. We then took a walk on the beach before Jaclyn, Blake and the girls joined us that afternoon.
On Monday, Jaclyn, Blake, and I (who watched as I wasn't permitted to clam due to covid restrictions on non-residents) went clamming for cockles in Garibaldi Bay. It was everyone's first time, but Jaclyn and Blake both got their limit of 20 each. In the afternoon, Tammy, Jaclyn and Lilly went shopping for some fun things to play with at the rental. Later, everyone except for me took an early afternoon walk on the beach. In the late afternoon, Blake and I went crabbing off Pier's End (the longest pier in OR at 700 feet) in Garibaldi Bay. We came away with just one dungeness crab keeper for our efforts.
Tuesday was a rainy day. Jaclyn and Blake went clamming in the morning and got their limit again. Blake and I went crabbing in the afternoon catching just one dungeness crab keeper. When we returned, we dined on the harvested clams and one crab before going fishing on the drift boat. Blake caught a 2lb 1oz bass and two rainbow trout. I was able to get three rainbow trout. We ate these for breakfast Thursday.
After Tammy, Jaclyn, Blake, and Lilly returned from a third successful morning of clamming Wednesday, Tammy and I went exploring on the kayaks. We paddled from Lake Lytle through the Moroney Canal to Crescent Lake. Lake Lytle is shallow at around 5 feet at its deepest and is full of lake weeds and shoreline reeds. For such a small lake, it did have lots of activity. Lots of people fishing from the boat launch, fishing pier, and various types of boats. Swallows were constantly darting about the shore with a pair of Bald Eagles making their presence known on many an occasion. Crescent Lake seemed to be deeper but still had lots of lake weeds and reeds. It was very quiet as it was a no motor lake accessible only through the long, shallow canal. In the afternoon, Tammy, Jaclyn, and Lilly headed to the beach to fly Lilly's new kite. Blake and I returned Wednesday evening to the pier for my third and final evening of crabbing, with a catch of yet again one dungeness crab with an added red rock crab this time. Tammy enjoyed the hot tub while we were gone.
Thursday, Blake and I went fishing in the early morning. The fish were biting as evidenced by both of us catching our limit of rainbow trout (5 each) in just several hours. After breakfast, Tammy and I headed to the Tillamook Urgent Care where we spent several hours for a shingles diagnosis followed by a visit to an ophthalmologist later in the early evening. (See shingles blog for more information.) Tammy and Jaclyn did a little afternoon kayaking while Blake took Lilly for a ride in the drift boat followed by Tammy soaking in the hot tub in the evening.
Friday morning's rain cancelled our planned fishing outing. We did all get a walk in on the beach followed by a later kite excursion by Tammy, Jaclyn, and Lilly. We celebrated Juni's birthday with some cream puffs. Friday evening we spent getting everything packed up and cleaned for our Saturday departure at 6am for our trip back home to CT.
Link to pictures posted here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/on6uTkvDqJ9kZZxq8
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