SAM To Receive Support

One of the greatest challenges SAM has encountered is the excessive weight loaded onto her to get from point A to point B. Not that all that stuff may be necessary, but what she does not have might just be what we need.

So, along the way, SAM has shed a number of "critical" items in the name of slimming down. And Bruce is grateful not to have to push such a heavy weight SAM for 150 miles (about what we have covered so far). SAM's motor, you see, is only for up hills. All the rest of the time (say about 90% of the time), Brucie Baby Pushes !

Then, too, we have taken advantage of family and acquaintances along our walk to help us out by taking into safe keeping items which we plan to ask be mailed or USP'd to us further along our walk.

All this is well and good, but as we venture out into the wilderness ... a wilderness sparsely dotted with friends and family, we become more and more dependent upon our own abilities to carry critical items along. SAM simply cannot carry all that we would like. So, we have implemented Plan B.

Before we get to Plan B, here is an update regarding our reason for returning to Bellingham.
As our Bus approached Bellingham, I cell-phoned Dr. Woo. Nurse Kim answered the phone...BRUCE !!!! where are you...how far did you get. So I told her...also said I was on the Bus from SEA-TAC and would arrive in B'ham in less than an hour and may I have an appointment with Dr. Woo (my knee surgeon). Just a moment...(I wait)...Dr. Woo says when the Bus arrives in B'ham, come immediately in...he will work you in...(took nearly a week to get my first appointment to see Dr. Woo before surgery).

Raleigh met my Bus and drove me directly to the hospital. Dr. Woo had me wait a few minutes and Kim led me to his office...we met in the hallway, but he said..."not yet, Bruce, I'm still with a patient." Kim kept me company wanting a blow by blow...guess she didn't read my blog. Dr. Woo showed up a few minutes later; looked at my 19-year old knee, and said looks great (he still hitting on me ???)...no water...no swelling...but owie, huh? Yep. OK, lets see the photos...he pulls up the images on the computer & says...yes, looks really good. Don't see any damage. See some strain; probably from climbing that awful hill (meaning 277 out of Kent valley). What you need is a medication to reduce the inflammation. On the spot he wrote a computer prescription to Rite Aid at Seaholm for NAPROXEN. Then gave me a lecture on not getting squished by a 18-wheeler and said I was good to go. Keep me informed, he says, gets up and shakes my hand and says I was kinda gutsy for 74.

Picked up my NEPROXEN & took a tablet. 30 minutes later, no pain...now 30 hours later and a 6 mile rapid walk to my office...still no pain. Yippie. I owe Dr. Woo and Kim.

Plan B: Plan B is not new. For 3 months, I have mentally worked on it. Today, I brought it to fruition. It involves bringing into our walk, my MPV van (has 230,000 miles) and motorcycle (a 600# 650cc twin manufactured in South Korea). Also added is a new trailer, totally enclosed with back ramp and all tricked out for the motorcycle to comfortably ride long distances).

I will load the motorcycle (I need a name and am open to suggestions) into the trailer (also has no name yet). We will drive to various friends/relatives to recover items discarded so far as well as add more items for SAM and ME for our long walk. Car/trailer/motorcycle will become our support system, as no one else had come forward to assist us.

Plan to drive van/trailer/motorcycle (vtm) from Bellingham to Ron's house. Reprovision SAM and relieve her of ALL superfluous items for "leg 1" of Plan B. Will drive vtm to Longview, Washington following SAM & ME's walking route, reconnoitering stopping/camping places along the way and perhaps stashing supplies (water/food/clothes, etc) in hiding places for SAM & ME to use/recover as we stroll along to Longview. Motorcycle will be offloaded and placed in a waiting storage room. U-Haul and I have arranged a system whereby the B'ham office on the Guide Meridian will arrange storage rooms as we approach designated cities/towns all the way to Key West. Cost is +/- $35.00 / month. I will then drive the van/trailer back to SAM, park it for the duration, and SAM & I will then walk to Longview. Upon arrival, motorcycle comes out of storage and SAM goes in. I ride motorcycle back to the van/trailer; motorcycle goes into the trailer and we all drive back to SAM.

Whew...long paragraph. SAM gets reprovisioned and stays in her locker. Vtm drive on to Leg 2 destination (perhaps Bend, Oregon), where motorcycle is placed in a new locker and van/trailer returns to SAM...SAM & ME walk to Bend...etc. etc. etc. repeating the leap-frog all the way to Key West. At Key West, motorcycle and SAM get loaded into the trailer and we all take a leisurely cruise back to B'ham.

Alternatively, SAM & ME return to Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, board a ship for Lisbon and walk to Beijing following the silk road. Google says there is a pretty good road.

Ah, dreams dreams dreams...but then what do I do upon returning to B'ham...sit on the couch, beer in hand, Dallas Cowgirls on the tube...I don't think so.