Knowing When to Fold ‘Em

Journal Entry #30

May 28, 2022

It’s Memorial Day weekend. Right now I am sitting on a bed in a nondescript hotel room on the outskirts of Bend. Normally known as a bright sunny town, I am watching today’s washed-out skies, its surrounding mountains shrouded in gray. I am listening to the rain outside and the dull sound of traffic going by. I’m also listening to my own hacking cough. And blowing my sore, red-chapped nose. I’m sick. No, it’s not Covid-19; I tested just to be sure. But it’s the sickest I’ve been in over a year. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I have had a sinus-killing, throat-ripping, head-aching, chest-whomping cold like this.

Actually, Tom got it first about two weeks ago when we were in Olympic National Park. We suspected he had picked up something in Seattle. It was certainly the most populated place we had been in months and months, and while most of the time we were outside (it was absolutely-and unusually- beautiful while we were there) we still spent time in restaurants, museums and the very packed Pike Place market.

Perfect weather in Seattle (where our travails began?)

Tom has an amazing constitution and is rarely ever sick. We knew it was bad in Cape Disappointment (kind of an apt name for location to be sick, eh?) when I suggested that we try a hike to the nearby lighthouse after lunch. He agreed but, blowing his nose, said that he’d like to “take a quick, five minute nap” first. Four hours later, I woke him up and joked, “so, how about that five minute nap?” He was sick enough to completely miss the joke. He said, “Oh, yes please” and proceeded to lay back down to sleep again. He needed more rest. I took a solo hike that day. Later that evening, he tested himself for Covid-19. Negative, which was a good thing, but the fact that he thought he should test meant he was feeling pretty bad.

Solo hike to North Head in Cape Disappointment, WA

All told, it took about 7 days from start for finish for Tom, with one “completely out of commission” day.  I was still healthy but this boded badly for me. First, we live ON TOP OF EACH OTHER. There was very little likelihood that I would avoid this illness. Second, I always get sicker/more symptomatic than Tom. Put simply, it never stays “just a head cold” when I get these things. They always move to my chest and knock me out.

Still smiling, but runny nose underway…Deschutes River Trail, OR

Holding my hat- was it the breeze or was my head beginning to ache? Painted Hills, OR

Sun going down over our campsite in the Painted Hills (and I am also “going down” at this point)

Still, six days later, I had a whisper of hope. Nothing. Maybe I had somehow been spared? Perhaps my immune system had seen this particular virus before?  I shouldn’t have thought to tentatively congratulate myself. Because, on the seventh day, the cold and flu fates visited me. The first day, a runny nose on our bike trip down the Deschutes River. The second day and third day, my head was heavy, my throat was itchy and I was carrying tissues. I soldiered on, taking some OTC meds and managing a few hikes. By the fourth day, I had slowed to a crawl and was coughing. We were camped in the Ochoco National Forest where I managed a gentle walk around Walton Lake. But the night was a beast. I drugged myself up and -both to try to sleep and to have mercy on Tom- I created a sleeping nest, reclining in my van passenger seat, multiple pillows to prop up my head, and our storage ottoman out for a footrest.  Did I sleep? Not sure. I think I managed a cough-addled three hours.

That’s us, tucked away at Walton Lake in the Ochoco Forest, OR (van nested in trees, I am nested in my passenger seat, hacking away!)

Sunset on Walton Lake, OR (with the next day’s sunrise, I would wave the white flag! I wish I could have enjoyed this place more…)

It was bad timing. That day (yesterday) we were due to roll into S and A’s place, old friends of Tom from his Dow Chemical days back in Midland. They had graciously offered us their place in the foothills of the Sisters mountains just North of Bend to stay and spread out for a few days, hang with them and generally relax. We had been eagerly looking forward to this visit for months (and especially after a solid month of mostly dry camping). I was looking forward to meeting them both, particularly A, who had been following our blog and social media and always had fun, kind comments, the last being, “can’t wait to have you here.”

We knew that after our visit they were having family in to celebrate their younger son’s graduation from high school. Their oldest was home from college. The holiday weekend was a busy one but they had extended their hospitality in the middle of all of it.

As we drove down to Bend and back into cell signal we knew what the right answer was. We just couldn’t stay with them. I was sick and miserable, and though I was also Covid negative, I was hacking and runny nosed and surely contagious. At this point, all I wanted to do was sleep and try to recover.

So, we pulled over somewhere outside of Prineville and Tom made the bad news call. We also decided, for the first time ever on our journey to have an unplanned “bailout” on the van. I needed a bath and a larger bed and just to hold still for a while and maybe nap and watch a TV. We have always said if we needed to bailout for a hotel or motel (for any reason) we would give ourselves permission to do it. And so, nearly ten months into the trip, I raised the white flag. Our first true bailout.

Unfortunately, along with missing a highly anticipated friends visit, it was also Memorial Day weekend. This meant that the cheapest hotel, a downscale version of a Marriott Residence Inn outside of Bend, was ridiculously expensive. So be it.  On our way, we stopped in what looked to be the hipster-cool side of downtown Bend, and while I hacked, Tom took our month’s worth of dirty clothing to the laundromat. We then moved to the hotel and even though all of groovy Bend was potentially at our disposal, instead, we DoorDashed some Five Guy’s burgers. That’s all we could manage. I took a bath. I managed to sleep a bit more last night. Today, I feel a bit better (but honestly, only marginally so.) Yes, it hit me harder than Tom and it will likely take me a bit longer to recover.

Sometimes you’ve got to know when to fold them.

Convalescing room in Bend

Today, I insisted that Tom go visit and hang out with his friends. No sense in him sitting here in the hotel room. I am taking full advantage of our bailout option, watching the rain and resting hoping that I have a better day tomorrow.

“Weathering the storm” and hoping for a brighter skies