Life is not always profound but still an adventure !

I think often lately about "blogging" but had gotten into such a "high" with the profound nature of our Vietnam experiences that everything now I consider sharing here seems just plain "boring"!

That being said, now I am embarrassed as I start to think of update items that I should share with anyone lurking out there and following our tracks.

We sold our Nordic Tug and the sale finally closed last week. This represents the closure on a fond time in our lives with all the many weeks and miles we spend on it especially last summer in SE Alaska. We will always have warm memories of the places we visited and the people we met but it was time to close that chapter in our lives. We had known we would reach a point in our lives when Gary's health could not cope with cruising life on the open waters. We just had not known it would come as soon as it did.

Over the past winter in anticipation of parting with the tug we remembered all our good times on previous Honda motorcycles with side cars. Yes, we purchased one with the intent of again cruising the highways and byways of the states with the wind blowing in our faces and the spray of an occasional rain shower driving us into a warm motel room when we had had too much. Well, Gary's inability to heal up his back injury that occurred in October, really put a crimp into that mode of adventure. He can get onto the bike and is not in a great deal of pain when he rides short distances but those long days of 500 miles at a shot are a thing of the past and actually not realistic at this stage in our lives.

We are very determined to get out on the roads to experience all the adventure that awaits us there. Next thought pattern was to consider purchase of a 5th wheel "toy hauler" to pull behind Gary's Chevy dually duramax. It would haul the motorcycle and provide us with acceptable accommodations along the way. We waited weeks for the dealership to get in the newest model that would accommodate our needs but in the meantime kept going back and "kicking the tires" of the big motor homes. No way, motor homes are for old people !...I had always thought.

Once they called to tell us to come see the new 5th wheel, we had discussed the motor home so much that I asked "just for kicks" if we could take a "test drive". Now I know why those "old people" like them so much...once we were up inside it, we were on just one level for Gary to maneuver (as opposed to the multi-level, up and down of a 5th wheel, or our Nordic Tug). Wow, the queen size bed is so comfortable and a big shower for Gary to enjoy. But Gary would never part with his Diesel Duramax, would he????

Well, you guessed it, we purchased a Fleetwood Bounder 34' diesel "pusher" with three slideouts. We have already been out for a couple weeks in it and love it so much...you can even call us "old people" now and I will just smile, I'm having a ball. Next week we are going to Eastern Oregon...Bend...and meet up with an instructor who will spend two days with us teaching BOTH of us the safe handling and operation of the motor coach or "bus" as some call it.

Oh yeah, we still will get to play with the motorcycle. Some people tow a car along behind their motor home, we will be towing an enclosed trailer with our motorcycle and sidecar inside. Quite a sight when the ramp lowers down and we back that baby down...but it will save lots on the running around and put some extra fun in our local exploring once we arrive in a new area with our motor coach.

So what's up with Gary's back? A couple weeks ago the physical rehab specialist told him she could not see any specific areas in his back (from the recent bone scan) that she could target for additional injections of steroids to give him pain relief. What a bummer to have a doctor tell you they can't figure out what to do for you. She did refer him to one of her colleagues for a second opinion but we are not holding our breathe for them to come up with something new. Instead we are being proactive and resorting to what Gary calls "Voodoo, Witch Doctors"...based on one short acupuncture experience Gary had in November we are pursuing a number of sessions with a local acupuncture doctor and it seems to be making some small differences after just two sessions. Either that or Gary's stubborn determination is taking over. We will wait and see.

We had some special fun today participating with our local Veteran's motorcycle group in the Newport Loyalty Days parade. Good turn out for parade participants as well as spectators in spite of the on again off again rain we had. At least it dried up for the actual parade and a good time was had by all. Too many noisy Harleys for me but they were having a great time and the crowd loved us all. Nothing like a small town parade!

We are busy planning out adventures to come this summer so stay tuned and I will try to update more often and not wait so long for something "profound" to happen.

Life continues to be an adventure,
Linda