Typing Furiously Trying to catch up the Blog!

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As you have probably realized we are back on the road again… But, with the events of the past week we are woefully behind on updating the Blog. So, in this episode, we will try and catch everyone up on what happened when the Blog temporarily dropped off the face of the earth! Our plan had been to travel to Connecticut for a long weekend; return to Kansas to take the dog to the vet in Wichita, catch up with some friends then resume The Odyssey… unfortunately, things didn’t go exactly according to plan.

Statistics

Time Frame: November 1st - November 13th
Starting Destination: Saint George, Kansas
Ending Destination: Saint George, Kansas
Ending Destination GPS: Pending
Miles Driven: 1,224.7

Going East…

As we were running tight on time, we decided to temporarily trade in our trusty steed (the truck) for seats on several airplanes flying between Kansas City and Hartford. With 20:20 hindsight this was a good plan… Carl has been doing most of the driving, but for this trip he was violently ill most of the way. So much so that he spent most of the trip between Chicago and Hartford sitting in his own private suite - the toilet in the back of the plane. Carl reported that the flight attendants only had to take one look at him before laying down the red carpet into said suite!! This was not a very auspicious way to start out a visit with friends… Thankfully, they were very understanding, as Carl slept most of the first 36 hours of the visit - until we figured out that it was the Codeine in the pain medication the doctor had given him for his back that was the culprit!! After the “cease and desist” action on the pain medication, it took Carl about 12 hours to get his stomach back to “Normal.” Then we were able to enjoy the weekend… hanging out, attending horse riding lessons and basketball tryouts, eating out, watching movies and “experiencing” a Hockey Game—the Bridgeport Sound Tigers vs. Hartford Wolf Pack. Sadly, the correct team - Bridgeport - didn’t win, but it was a pretty good game if you discount the first 5 minutes when Bridgeport let Hartford score 2 goals!! Carl has always been a fan of Hockey, Maria thinks that it is too full of gratuitous fighting - but in this case, she was pleasantly surprised. We both enjoyed the weekend immensely, mostly the catching up with friends, but also the being able to stay in one place for more than one day, not having to pack up every morning or be out of the room by 11am!!

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In Memoriam

Our weekend in Connecticut ended abruptly with the news that Carl’s brother had been killed in a single motorcycle accident. He was riding his motorbike home Sunday night after spending the day with friends when the accident happened. As best we can determine a deer attempted to get out of the way at the last minute and jumped into Kevin, causing him to loose control of his bike. Carl knew exactly where the accident happened - a known deer crossing; in fact there was a car/deer accident in the same general location earlier the same evening. It is a little after the fact, but there was a rosary Thursday night with services and burial on Friday morning at 10:30am. Kevin will be missed; his passing will leave a huge hole in the life of those close to him who are left behind… Thank you to everyone for their support during this difficult time, we really appreciate your help, thoughts and prayers. May Kevin be remembered as an occasionally stubborn, gentle giant who went through life marching to the tune of his own drummer - through good times and bad, he always managed focus on the best in people.

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Moving Forward

After all life-changing events it is often difficult to think about moving forward… but life goes on. In Carl and Maria’s case, moving on involved a whirlwind visit to Wichita to make sure the dog gets the correct certifications for his upcoming trip to Australia. Next, we will be driving to San Diego for Thanksgiving with Carl’s second Family… Stay tuned for updates on our adventures along the way.

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Carl’s Travel Trivia

Yesterday’s Answer: On our travels we have followed the “Lewis & Clark” Trail, Oregon Trail, Santa Fe Trail, Nez Perce Trail and several others… including the Chisholm Trail which passed through Wichita.
Today’s Question: What is the Nickname for the State of Connecticut?

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