WOW: Overhauling Carol!

in the recovery room, after the cataract surgery on my right eye

To overhaul means: to take apart in order to examine it and repair it if necessary. I may not be a piece of machinery (though many say I am close to being one) but this is how Jack Dock, an engineer and husband of Bill’s sister Rosemary, suggested I title this piece. In 2 ½ months we probably wore thin the couple’s hospitality. I have told you about our many visits to family and friends and explorations of many points of interest from the warmth of their home, but the best is that I got my chance to be examined and repaired! 

dancing after the overhaul!

This is the disadvantage of the full time RV cruising lifestyle that I clearly did not foresee (please look at http://rvcruisinglifestyle.blogspot.com/2010/04/debating-pros-and-cons-of-rv-cruising.html): inconsistent health care. I talked about ways to mitigate the disadvantage of not being close to family and friends in the post cited above but with inconsistent healthcare, especially with advancing age, the health risks of yesterday are turned into the health issues of today!

Besides, our lifestyle had us bouncing around 47 American states, 9 Canadian provinces, and 6 Mexican states in just a little more than three years. It’s bad enough that we have grown older; it is worse because we do not have a family physician who knows our history. Bill contracted pneumonia in Mexico (please see http://rvcruisinglifestyle.blogspot.com/2010/03/crossing-gulf-states.html), had arthroscopic surgery in Indiana/Ohio though not really due to RVing (please see http://rvcruisinglifestyle.blogspot.com/2011/08/ola-taking-much-needed-breaks.html), and even suffered a heart attack in Florida last December (please see http://rvcruisinglifestyle.blogspot.com/2011/12/wow-getting-scared.html). 

As for me, I have been having issues myself but we often joke about how major but easy Bill’s and how irritatingly minor and hard to diagnose and cure mine are. I had only talked about hypertension which produced GERD after the aspirins and diuretic regimen, I think, (please see http://rvcruisinglifestyle.blogspot.com/2012/01/wow-focusing-on-health.html). But I have been silent about the others, hoping they would simply go away. So Bill decided that we stay put at the Docks for however long it takes to take advantage of the good doctors the couple has.

find the wrist brace, not the grapettes!

Tendonitis. A couple of days before we arrived in Pittsburg, I had hurt my right wrist. Bill alleges it was because of 4-6-8 hours a day of incessant thumping on the computer keyboard because of various and sundry hobbies: blogging, surfing, facebooking, emailing, uploading and editing photos and creating albums, and WWF (Words With Friends). Dr. Carlson referred me to Dr. Stringer who gave me a PAINFUL steroid shot. And here I am, finally free of the wrist brace I was forced to wear for about a month! 

oral surgery on #5

Dental Care. Bill was not happy about the dental care I had with my #5. It hurt in 2008 and a dental clinic in Kent, Washington did a root canal. When I got to the Philippines in 2009, my dentist thought I had better see an endodontist. We went to one of only 2 such dentists in the country. She performed a root canal on a second root she discovered in #5. Well, I don’t think that went well and she instructed my dentist to be conservative about the kind of filling to use. 

The filling that was placed fell out just a few weeks after (in Taiwan, actually, even before we got back to the US!). I had that filling redone twice while we were cruising in the US. In March 2010 when we returned to the Philippines, my dentist and endodontist checked their work and went ahead and said it was ok and just put in another filling. About 6 months after our return to the US that last filling fell out, as well as half of the tooth. Dr. Mendez, the Dock’s dentist, referred me to Dr. Lowe, an oral and maxillofacial surgeon. And now I have one brand new tooth!

Chronic Hives. The day Bill returned from the hospital after his heart attack, I had sciatica. Excruciating pain left me to be cared for by Bill who was, himself, just recovering. It eased a week after but then aggressive hives took over. I woke up with a swollen left eye one morning so we went to an ophthalmologist who prescribed antibiotic drops and tablets since he thought it was a bacterial infection. 

hives on arms and legs

But then the hives spread to the right eye, then the neck, and downwards to the arms and torso, and finally the legs. One day, the itchiness became intolerable we took refuge at an urgent care clinic near the campground where I was given steroid shots. We then finally surfed for a nearby family doctor who quickly referred us to an allergist. I could not muster enough confidence in these two doctors so we asked Bill’s cardiologist for a new referral.

She turned out to be a beautiful Filipina doctor whose tests led her to suspect lupus and so we were referred to a rheumatologist. He ruled it out and so we were referred to a dermatologist. The skin test was positive for hives. So we went to another allergist. Her tests revealed that at one point I had been infected with hepatitis A, which my Filipina doctor contested. We left Florida, still with recurrent hives, still dazed and confused. 

At the Unbearables reunion in Nova Scotia, Jeep gave me her bottle of liquid Benadryl (I had been using cortisone before then)! It was like a miracle lotion! I could not understand why not any one of the doctors who saw me recommended this over-the-counter gem which largely controlled my hives. But in Pittsburg, Jack’s family physician, Dr. Carlson, gave me an aggressive dose of non-sedating anti-allergy meds. Here I am a month and a half now, virtually free of hives, except for one or two that appear once in a while!

the left eye in preparation three weeks after

being wheeled for the right eye

Cataract Surgery. Nobody has seen me without any glasses, except for my grades 1-3 classmates. I have had aggressive myopia since I was in grade school. My study habits did not help at all. In 1997 I was one of the very first beneficiaries of laser eye surgery in the Philippines. Less than ten years after, however, my vision started to deteriorate again. In 2009 I had new prescription lenses done in the Philippines. 

left eye patch being removed

Back in the US only 6 months later, I needed another set of corrective lenses, especially. When I was back in the Philippines in 2011 I had new lenses prescribed and, again, only 6 months after returning to the US I needed new ones again. The ophthalmologist who saw me for my swollen left eye, the start of my hives, had said I had better have my eyes checked for cataracts when I got ‘home’. 

both eyes now done!

So I went to Rosemary and Jack’s ophthalmologist, Dr. Lazenby, and eye surgeon, Dr. Bhend, and both recommended cataract surgery on both eyes. Well, I now carry 2 cards for my implants and can clearly see! I wake up every morning without having to look for any glasses (except when I need to read or look cool with fancy dark ones) to put on. Bill survived the fear of my finally seeing how he really looks with 20/20 vision!

the mass more clearly revealed by ultrasound

Possibility of Breast Cancer. But, guess what may be the biggest one? A mammogram detected a 7 mm mass on my right breast. An ultrasound was done, then a physical examination. I am supposed to have another mammogram in another 3 months to see if the mass has grown so a biopsy could be done to test malignancy. The process of overhauling may not be completely over. Still, our stay with the Docks had overhauled Carol, though a somewhat bionic one! 

with my pink top ready for
breast examination

It certainly showed to us that full-time RVing should not be carried to the extreme we did at our age.  It was certainly possible to full-time without being constantly on the move as we have been. Our next travel patterns shall have to change to 4-5 months in Europe, 2-3 months visiting family and friends, and 4-5 months settling down in a normal home, in other words, moving closer to the sunbird/nesting stages (please see http://rvcruisinglifestyle.blogspot.com/2010/04/going-through-five-stages-of-cruising.html). We will be in Arizona for about 2 months looking to find a home much like the Docks’.  We now think there is wisdom in having some roots, even if, as Bill would say, we are not trees (may I add, plants?)!      

OLA: Making it Last!

World's Largest Tire...where else but in Detroit!

We wound our way to St. Clair, Michigan from Lakefield, Ontario, maybe 10 miles from the border crossing and camped at the St. Clair Resort of Thousand Trails. And, yes, it has just been 4 years since I said I do to Bill at 8 pm on 8/8/08, 3 ½ of which have been on the road! But it has become a never-ending honeymoon. Fulltime RVing is making it last...forever, or at least until the end! Bill says we have experienced so much together we might as well be celebrating our 10^th!

Palmer Park in St. Clair, Michigan

dinner at River Crab across the banks of Canada on St. Clair 

He scoured the vicinity for a nice restaurant for our anniversary dinner and found River Crab on the banks of beautiful St. Clair River, with Canada as our backdrop. It was Wednesday Music on the Deck night so there was a live band. The food was excellent, Bill choosing seared halibut fatoush and I opting for the classic scampi when I found out that the live lobster had to be ordered in advance and the Dungeness crab was frozen! But the chocolate truffle cake was to die for! Strolling at the lovely Palmer Park before dinner added to such a nice anniversary day.

Spirit of Detroit

Detroit is only 45 minutes from our campground. With not much preparation, unlike when we were in the Canadian cities, I just clicked the item ‘Spirit of Detroit Statue’ on our Garmin. We were taken to the heart of downtown. And there it was…the 26-foot cast bronze statue that was cast in Norway. He is holding a gilt bronze sphere emanating rays to symbolize God in its left hand and in his right is a family group symbolizing all human relationships.

Joe Louis fist

At the intersection in front of this statue is a huge left arm with fist clenched! It is a tribute to former heavyweight champion and Detroit son Joe Louis. Just a few minutes from there is the Joe Louis Arena where many athletes were working the steps. Across the street is the 14-acre Hart Plaza where large evocative sculptures are on display. Beside the Plaza is the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel, the very first, and still active, vehicular tunnel in the world, connecting Detroit and Windsor, Canada.  And beside the tunnel is the elegant GM Renaissance Center.

dramatic sculpture at the center of Hart Plaza

Our next stop was Hitsville USA in the Motown Historical Museum. Going there we passed through streets of old, dilapidated abandoned homes, sometimes with facades torn off, many filled with garbage. It is estimated that there are about 12,000 such homes in Detroit. The city’s population has dwindled, from close to 2 million, to less than 800,000. While certain areas have been renovated, giving Detroit a fresh new look in some areas, the spectacle of rows of abandoned homes was quite unnerving.

Motown Historical Museum and Hitsville USA

To join a tour of Hittsville USA,  we had to stand in line. The empire Berry Gordy built from the Motown sound he created together with Smoky Robinson, Marvin Gaye, etc. consisted originally of 8 homes on West Grand Boulevard (also known as Berry Gordy Boulevard). Only four of the homes still stand, two of which are used for the Museum and tour. Although it was exciting to listen to their rags to riches stories, we liked the Sun Studios tour in Memphis more because bits of the original recordings were being played while the story was being told. At the end, anyone can have his photo taken with memorabilia.

Then we went on to look for the World’s Largest Tire, a Uniroyal weighing 12 tons and standing 80 feet tall. We finally found it, after a couple of tries, on Interstate 94 between Highways 39 and 2.  It first served as a ferris wheel in the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair then transferred to this current location at Allen Park in 1966.  And as you turn into 24, the arrows will lead you to another empire, the one built by Henry Ford. There we found the Automotive Hall of Fame, the Henry Ford Museum with its Ford plant tour, and the family-oriented Greenwich Village.

 

daredevil ride at Red Bud Trail Speedway

We then proceeded to Bear Cave Resort on the other side of the Michigan thumb for another week of rest before we proceed to Bill’s 50^th HS reunion in Pittsburg, Kansas. Now this is a unique campground. There is a real cave within the premises. And at the far end of the a waterfall, albeit small. And here’s another unique feature: about a mile from the campground entrance is the Red Bud Speedway, a motocross race track. You can hear the whirrrrr of the ‘cycles all day during weekends!

Devil Slide on Mount Tom

Mount Baldy

We also went to the Indiana Dunes (not Jones) National Lakeshore. All of 15,000 acres and 25 miles of shoreline, the national park is the result of the glacial deposits that also created Lake Michigan. It is unique with lovely beaches, marshes, and ‘mountains’. Mount Tom with the devil slide is 192 feet tall while Mount Baldy, his greens nearly gone), is 149 feet. And you can see the Chicago skyline from there. On the other side is the city’s power plant and breakwaters. And some Century Progress Homes still remained from a real estate development trial on the Michigan shores.

one of 5 remaining Century Progress Homes

Gerald Ford Presidential Museum and Berry Ford Garden

Then we made a special trip to Grand Rapids, Michigan to visit The Presidential Museum and Library of Gerald Ford, 38^th president of the US, is not imposing but lovely.  The beautiful Betty Ford garden is a labor of love of a master gardener, Connie Shell. At the far side of the museum is the burial site of the Fords (Gerald and Betty) where the greens are carefully maintained. Another nice place to visit in Grand Rapids is the Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park. It is all of 130 acres filled with almost 300 sculptures, one of which is the production into reality of the da Vinci horse sketch.   

 

iconic symbol of the University of Notre Dame

the Mae West HouseCar

But our main reason to camp in Bear Cave is to see Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana, about 20 minutes away and the RV Hall of Fame in Elkhart, Indiana, another 20 minutes away. Notre Dame is a great campus but the big surprise is the RV Hall of Fame. It had 55 RVs dating from the early 1900s! Even Mae West's Housecar was there! It was so nice to see the history of luxury camping through the different models from the time the wagon was hitched to a horse or a trailer to a Model T!

Airstream Ranch with 7 old models on display and new onew running on the highway!

And the never-ending honeymoon continues! Fulltime rving is making it last forever! .

OLA: Standing at the Crossroads of America 1

Carol finding her fave mode of transpo @ the Spirit of Monticello Festival!

We were so excited to move to the White Oaks RV Resort in Monticello, Indiana. Advertised to have a beachfront, hot tubs, heated swimming pool, clubhouse, etc. we thought that would just be dandy! In fact we invited Loy Aquino and his sons Lawrence and Leonard who drove down from Buffalo Grove, a suburb of Chicago, Illinois (a 2 ½ hour drive) to join us there for some swimming and chicken and pork barbeque (Filipino style).  We had fun even if the resort needed some TLC.

the beach at White Oaks

 

Loy and sons Lawrence and Leonard join the Colborns

The fun included The Spirit of Monticello Festival, an annual town celebration.   In the middle of the kiosks and booths, I found a really cool vehicle! Bill, on the other hand, feasted on much missed funnel cake.   He also could also not pass up the Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows Part 2, showing at the small community theater for only $3 a person!   But we had to move to Camping World in Greenwood, Indiana soon after as I told you last week for the beginning of much needed breaks.  

But the fact that my previous post is being received so well is putting me at a crossroad.    I am now thinking of turning this blog into a book.   The goings-on behind the scenes can put the personal touch and thread together all the travels.   After all, ours is the unique story of two people, getting together later in life, after 2 very driven lives, set apart by 10,000 miles of seas, tackling an ambitious bucket list! We welcome your comments…they can help us make a decision.

Bill finding some funnel cakes...one of his fave snacks!

                                                                            A crossroad is defined as 1) a point at which a vital decision must be made, 2) a main center of activity, and 3) the place where roads intersect.   It is meaningful that examples of all three definitions were presented to us, quite nicely so, while we were in Indiana, The Crossroads of America!  The first definition was exemplified above. Let me now go to the second definition…a main center of activity. And remember that we are cruising across the North American continent in an RV.

Nappannee, Indiana in Elkhart County and the famous icon

50% of the nation’s recreational vehicles are made in Elkhart County in northern Indiana.  Winnebago, Jayco, Forest River, Gulf Stream, Thor, Monaco, and Dutchmen, to name a few, are built there.   Even the RV Hall of Fame is in the county.   Right before Bill’s knee surgery, we took a day trip to Nappannee, Indiana, home of Newmar Corporation, makers of high quality RVs like our Mountain Aire!  Daily tours are conducted and you see RVs at different stages of manufacture.   Photography is strictly prohibited.

Amish Acres, a great destination!

An RV takes months to build and the plant currently produces about 3 a week.   Their models range from 27 to a whopping 65 feet in length (ours is a mere 37 ft.).   On the lot at its final stages of finishing was one whose MSRP is a staggering $850,000! But the most interesting thing we discovered is this:  80% of the company’s employees are Amish.  (There are an estimated 150,000 in America, a majority of them here) You must remember that Amish still use horse-drawn buggies as their mode of transport, sticking to basic, simple living, rejecting technology.  What irony!

Buggies Rule!

                                                                           As a matter of fact, just across the plant is an old Amish farm turned tourist destination known as Amish Acres.   There is a greeting barn converted into a store, a unique round theater barn, an apple cider barn, etc.  Surrounding the Newmar plant are acres cultivated by Amish hands with clothes hanging to dry at almost all backyards.   The streets’ traffic consisted of buggies plying around or people on bikes.   Even the town’s water tower bears not only its name but a picture of its every day icon, an Amish buggy.

and so do bikes!

But I am sure you would find the last example, to be tackled in the next post, most entertaining!