The Bucket List Trip

Biking in the Pyranees Mountains between Spain and France!  Over many of the famous Cols (mountain passes) in the Tour de France 2014 route with more than 38,000 feet of elevation!  A bucket list trip...For Earl.  Certainly, my ataxia/limited mobility was a big issue, but even in my able–bodied biking days, this trip would never have made it into my bucket.  The keyword here is E-L-E-V-A-T-I-O-N.  Great for biker Earl, but it held zero appeal to me–for several reasons.  None the less, I didn't want to rain on his parade.
"How exciting!" I honestly enthused, "It sounds like a trip of a lifetime!  Bye and have a great time."

The reality was, it was our first long term (2 weeks) separation since identifying myself as disabled.  I could cope with missing Earl and his 'aroundness'. While I look forward to periodic solitude, having someone available in the event of an incident has been reassuring.  My search for a reasonable plan began.  There were plenty of options open from family and friends, that would afford Earl peace of mind and provide any help I might need during his absence.  I just needed to find the right solution that helped, but didn't make me seem rude or reclusive.  Being my personal chef, Earl's greatest fear was that I wouldn't eat properly and would just drink wine. That needed to be dealt with–sort of.

One social engagement I did have planned in the middle of his trip, was a lunch with former coworkers.  The organizer brought the dilemma to the attention of my extended "village" in his update email.  I forwarded it to Earl because it sounded so like the organizer (a mutual friend) and was hysterical.

Hello All!

Here's an update on our -- what's shaping up to be an -- Indian food feast, this coming Thursday, Sept. 11th.  Diane's order was a non-order; she asked me to order for her! (This is a perfect example of asking for trouble.)  Jes made a confident order and a second suggestion, while Shirin is daring in her selection, and Chris is being rather bold in branching into new territory.  But Tammy's order is most compelling:  hers would probably be enough to feed us all.  But she wants enough to have leftovers.  Seems that Earl -- that monster! -- has gone off halfway round the world to ride his bike for a couple of weeks, leaving Tammy alone, bereft, and -- and this seems to be the most salient issue -- gourmet foodless. Oh! the perfidy!  Anyway, we'll try to curb our hearty appetites (slightly) so that Tammy won't have to be stuck with ho-hum food for two weeks.

See you Thursday at Tammy's!

The Tenison Village

At the risk of sounding pollyanna-ish, things do tend to work out for the best.  Heidi, Michael, Sarah, and Kyle had sold their house, and embarked on a building project.  They needed alternative housing for six months and conveniently became my live–in village.  The Tenison family moved in (another blog post) on August 31st–five days before Earl left. They would be around if I needed help, and wouldn't think me rude if I went off somewhere.  I would eat properly, since Heidi became the chef—but the wine consumption was totally within my control.  A perfect fit!

I had some concern for Earl's well–being as well.   He was 70, traveling to Europe, doing aggressive cycling over treacherous terrain, and potentially accessing an unfamiliar healthcare setting.  Fortunately, he was friends with most of the people in the group of 12.  Even better, there were two critical care nurses and another physician along.  However, we did get some strange reactions when we told two of his biking buddies, Mary and Michael, about our 'agreement'.
"Mary", I said, "I'm depending on you to take care of Earl".  She assured me she would and I needn't worry.
"But", I continued,  "if the worst should happen, burn him where he drops."  Talk about a conversation stopper.
Mary picked her jaw off the floor and responded, "You're kidding!"  I assured her we were not, but I had to say it three times before she believed us.
"Can I at least bring home ashes?" asked Mary, finally.
"Ashes, yes.  Body, no." She wandered away, shaking her head at our irreverant 'agreement'.

We have contact

One of the great things about foreign travel is being away.  No one can bother you.  You're able to enjoy the freedom and a carefree vacation.  However, that was not to be Earl's experience.  Today's communication technologies allow for no escape and we used every one.  Not proud, but it is what it is.  We promised each other not to text "How ya doing?" just because What's App was free.  If Earl's wi–fi connection was good, Skype allowed for video and audio.  Being able to see each other and verify injury–freeness was comforting.  Since Earl had purchased an inexpensive phone/messaging plan before leaving and kept his cell phone in airplane mode most of the trip, we avoided getting stuck with roaming charges.  We knew we could always call on a phone (remember?) when the communication technologies failed.  They did occasionally fail, but we managed.  On his final day, I actually "found" him on a street in Barcelona, 5585 miles away with the Find My Friends app—spooky.

The trip may have been primarily about the bike, but not exclusively.  European cuisine ranked right up there.  Fresh fish, big breakfasts, chocolate, and pastries helped Earl, a pescatarian (fish-eater), maintain his weight in spite of the extreme calorie burning factor.  He came home looking fit and healthy.  He still weighs more than me–not much more, but more.  The food was better in France, the roads better in Spain.


The lesson:  When you're disabled, domestic or foreign travel, going and staying takes more forethought and planning.  But so worth the effort.  Another thing that takes a village.

Barcelona to Barcelona–Safe homecoming