In SF, I've never turned on the heater. The first night in Sacramento, I borrowed a space heater from the landlord and had it run all night long. Its a little colder in winter and the old building with hardly an insulation didn't help. I don't see staying here too long, though we chose it knowingly because of the midtown location. I don't need the location, but wife who doesn't drive does.
And all that moving didn't help my health. This second story walkup has a narrow and steep stairs in the back and carrying a few stuff on the first day was enough to throw me into a post-exertional sickness for 4 days. It's always the quads -- a few squat used to be enough to trigger the sickness so I stopped it long time ago. Apparently it hasn't improved. And the triceps still ache when quads over-work.
Why is it that the triceps ache when quads over-work and vice-versa? It's as if they are somehow connected. With what, I'm not sure. One possibility is the inflammation. Though the muscular inflammation is supposed to be local, the inflammation the day after may not. The cleaning up of cellular debris has to be global since the debris are circulating in the blood stream. That global inflammation could trigger the ache in the triceps. And why triceps and quads? They may have gotten sensitized by the years of judo, perhaps by sprouting more inflammation receptors. Anyway, these are all speculations. All I know for now is that use of quads triggers the sickness and quads and triceps are highly sensitive.
Coming back to the walkup, having to go up and down stairs everyday will reduce my margin of error. Managing CFS can only be done statistically -- there are so many unknowns and measurements are imprecise -- and not having enough margin of error will make the post-exertional sickness more frequent if I don't reduce stress elsewhere. I'll have to pace more carefully and keep it below 90 steps per minute all the time. Distance probably won't get effected -- it's always the sustained speed/intensity that triggers the post-exertional sickness.
Tuesday, November 21, 2017
Monday, November 13, 2017
Back at Home
The air feels just different here. It's fresher and crisper. That's what I feel every time I come back to the Bay Area. And the blue sky too. Paris was swell, but the air wasn't much better than Korea that constantly suffer from smog blown over from China.
Anyway, I slept 9 hours, then was fed and pooped. Now I feel like a million in bucks, the day after the ordeal of 18 hour flight. And my pace was up to 98 per second this morning on my way to retrieve the car from the garage. No jet leg for now, it seems. Will I be suffering from the post-trip struggle again? I already paid the price in Paris and this leg of the trip from Paris to SF lasted only one day really. So, I'm thinking I shouldn't get another one. We'll see.
Saturday, October 28, 2017
Rethinking Post-Exercise Fatigue vs Post-Exertional Sickness
I've been classifying the fatigue lasting less than 48 hours as post-exercise fatigue rather than post-exertional sickness. I reasoned that a day of fatigue after a heavy activity is normal even for a healthy person. It is a happy fatigue flush with endorphin. But the fatigue on 10/3 was not a happy fatigue even though it lasted only a day; it was a sick, wallowing fatigue. That made me wonder if the duration was the correct criteria for the distinction, or if the distinction is meaningful at all.
Frequent post-exertional sickness means that you are over-reaching. And knowing that is imperative in managing CFS. So the duration and frequency of post-exertional sickness must be measured and recorded. But the normal post-exercise fatigue should not be included in it because, well, it is normal. More importantly, post-exercise fatigue is not disabling; my mind actually works better when I'm having post-exercise fatigue. So the distinction between post-exertional sickness and post-exercise fatigue is still meaningful and useful.
The problem is, again, there are one-day fatigues that are not happy post-exercise fatigues: the one-day-up-next-day-down pattern during a post-trip struggle is not post-exercise fatigues even though they last one day. So the duration-base classification can end up with false negatives (for post-exertional sickness) and under-register the struggle. I could remedy the problem by adding the happy/sick feeling as a criteria, but that is yet another subjectivity that I don't need.
Since post-exercise fatigue usually last one day and post-exertional sickness usually multiple days, the current classification by the duration is probably still useful enough. I'll stick to it for now till I find a better way to cull out the post-exercise fatigue from the post-exertional sickness. For post-trip struggles, enough multi-day post-exertional sickness also occur, so ignoring one day sickness may not be a big problem.
Post-trip Struggle in Paris, Over
We went to Louvre yesterday evening, after doing the Rodin Museum the day before. And today I'm still up and writing this blog after registering 10,000 steps, two days in a row. I only have a happy post-exercise fatigue for now, though I may crash in the evening when the 24 hour probation of post-exertional sickness is up.
This week has been fairly trouble-free even though my activity is up -- I already registered 48,000 steps and I still have one more day to go. As such, I'm declaring the post-trip struggle in Paris over. That makes it the struggle of 3 weeks, about same as the one in NYC or maybe a little shorter.
By now, there is no doubt that the elevation effect of traveling and ensuing post-trip struggles are real. I know that not only from the repeated observation, but because I predicted the effect before this trip started and the trip proved it correct. That makes it more than anecdotal. What I still don't know is whether the exercise tolerance threshold after the post-trip struggle is higher than the pre-trip one. For now, the trips doesn't seem to have lowered the tolerance, as I have feared before I started out on this experiment. So, I can at least continue with this "travel treatment" and see if I can eventually cure myself.
This week has been fairly trouble-free even though my activity is up -- I already registered 48,000 steps and I still have one more day to go. As such, I'm declaring the post-trip struggle in Paris over. That makes it the struggle of 3 weeks, about same as the one in NYC or maybe a little shorter.
By now, there is no doubt that the elevation effect of traveling and ensuing post-trip struggles are real. I know that not only from the repeated observation, but because I predicted the effect before this trip started and the trip proved it correct. That makes it more than anecdotal. What I still don't know is whether the exercise tolerance threshold after the post-trip struggle is higher than the pre-trip one. For now, the trips doesn't seem to have lowered the tolerance, as I have feared before I started out on this experiment. So, I can at least continue with this "travel treatment" and see if I can eventually cure myself.
Sunday, October 15, 2017
Post-trip Struggle in Paris, Not Over Yet
The battery died on me again. I went out to Place de Bastille and Rue St-Antoine and the camera gave up after take a dozen shots. The battery is so small that I have to keep recharging it every night and I keep forgetting it.
I had to go out despite the post-exertional sickness in the afternoon. Yesterday was the first sunny day in Paris since we arrived and it felt like summer. People were sunbathing in Place des Vosges in shorts. I felt like walking on and on following the St-Antoine till it ends. But I knew better; I turned around when my fitbit pedometer hit about 5000. This morning I feel OK. and I don't think I'll crap out this afternoon either since I reined in on the distance.
And, yes, I did crap out in the afternoon of 10/13 as I thought I would. I felt worse yesterday afternoon, making it a post-exertional sickness, not post-exercise fatigue. So, it seems, the post-trip struggle in Paris is not over yet.
You can't really tell if the struggle is over until it is well over. I figured it is over if I could walk 2 days in a row. But the struggle means frequent post-exertional sicknesses. So, the end of the post-trip struggle should really be defined as when the normal post-exertional sickness frequency returns. And I wouldn't know that till at least one month has past from the end, since my normal pre-trip frequency is currently one a month. (In Paris, I had 2 so far).
Back to Paris. I keep thinking Paris has a lot in common with Seoul. You forget historic and architectural difference, and the street scenes looks much much the same. The bus ride to Place de Bastille was no exception. It looked just like alley ways in Sinchon or Sang-il dong with millions people coming and going in narrow streets with shops on both sides. Add to that the Norman demeanor, it has more more commonality with Seoul than, say, Chicago. (I was going to say New York, but New York is so multicultural, it has a little bit of Seoul and Paris mixed in it).
I had to go out despite the post-exertional sickness in the afternoon. Yesterday was the first sunny day in Paris since we arrived and it felt like summer. People were sunbathing in Place des Vosges in shorts. I felt like walking on and on following the St-Antoine till it ends. But I knew better; I turned around when my fitbit pedometer hit about 5000. This morning I feel OK. and I don't think I'll crap out this afternoon either since I reined in on the distance.
And, yes, I did crap out in the afternoon of 10/13 as I thought I would. I felt worse yesterday afternoon, making it a post-exertional sickness, not post-exercise fatigue. So, it seems, the post-trip struggle in Paris is not over yet.
You can't really tell if the struggle is over until it is well over. I figured it is over if I could walk 2 days in a row. But the struggle means frequent post-exertional sicknesses. So, the end of the post-trip struggle should really be defined as when the normal post-exertional sickness frequency returns. And I wouldn't know that till at least one month has past from the end, since my normal pre-trip frequency is currently one a month. (In Paris, I had 2 so far).
Back to Paris. I keep thinking Paris has a lot in common with Seoul. You forget historic and architectural difference, and the street scenes looks much much the same. The bus ride to Place de Bastille was no exception. It looked just like alley ways in Sinchon or Sang-il dong with millions people coming and going in narrow streets with shops on both sides. Add to that the Norman demeanor, it has more more commonality with Seoul than, say, Chicago. (I was going to say New York, but New York is so multicultural, it has a little bit of Seoul and Paris mixed in it).
Friday, October 13, 2017
Is the Post-trip Struggle in Paris Over?
This isn't the Paris I knew. When I was here some 25 years ago, there were only a few guards in front of the gate of Elysee Palace. I even took a picture with one of them. Now there are a slew of them all around it, in military fatigue and armed with Uzis. The alley ways around it was block off and I had to track back to Marigny to get to Champs-Elysee Clemenceau station. The recent terror attacks must have had some effect.
On the health front, the post-trip struggle in Paris seems to be be over. I went out for two days in a row and I'm OK today, though I'll probably crap out this afternoon. We'll have to wait and find out.
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| Ave. Marigny |
Tuesday, October 10, 2017
Post-trip Struggle in Paris
The familiar pattern of one-day-up-next-day-down continues. I walked 7,000 steps going up and down three stations on Metro 9 taking photos yesterday. St Ambrosia, Oberkampf and Republique, I think. That's nothing compared to 12,000 steps and 600 feet elevation that I took on Navajo trail in Brice Canyon. Or 16,000 steps on Misty trail in Yosemite. Yet, I stayed home all day with fatigue today. I'll have recovered from this post-trip struggle when I can go out 2 days in a row.
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
Big Crash, Finally
This was just about the worst post-exertional sickness I've had since I started out on this trip in April. I still was under the influence of Benadryl, with some sluggishness and muscular resistance. We went out to Notre Dame and Latin Quarter and I ended up registering 12,000 steps. I've done more than that in this trip and didn't get sick. This time, I stayed in bed all day.
This makes me think that Benadryl has the opposite effect of Sudafed on CFS: it lowers the exercise tolerance. Now, it could well be just coincidence, and there are other factors like jet lag and colder weather here in Paris, or the walk pattern/pace was more taxing. You wouldn't know till you do controlled trial. I could try Benadryl again and experiment, but I don't think I ever will. It has bad effect the next day, period, even if it doesn't lower the exercise tolerance of CFS.
Even if Sudafed and Benadryl have effect on my exercise tolerance, it does not mean that they do on other patients. Even for me, I didn't notice the effect till recently. I've been taking Sudafed since 2009, but only noticed that it partially relieves the ache and fatigue; its effect on the exercise tolerance was not noticed. It could be that my tolerance has increased and became flexible that I'm starting to notice the effect, where as the threshold was a brick wall back then.
This makes me think that Benadryl has the opposite effect of Sudafed on CFS: it lowers the exercise tolerance. Now, it could well be just coincidence, and there are other factors like jet lag and colder weather here in Paris, or the walk pattern/pace was more taxing. You wouldn't know till you do controlled trial. I could try Benadryl again and experiment, but I don't think I ever will. It has bad effect the next day, period, even if it doesn't lower the exercise tolerance of CFS.
Even if Sudafed and Benadryl have effect on my exercise tolerance, it does not mean that they do on other patients. Even for me, I didn't notice the effect till recently. I've been taking Sudafed since 2009, but only noticed that it partially relieves the ache and fatigue; its effect on the exercise tolerance was not noticed. It could be that my tolerance has increased and became flexible that I'm starting to notice the effect, where as the threshold was a brick wall back then.
Monday, October 2, 2017
Paris, Day 3
I'm still struggling with the jet lag. I swallowed a Benadryl to help sleep and my CFS worsened yesterday. It was like good old days: weakness, ache and draining fatigue returned in full force and I had to frequently sit down while out, and lie down while in. Too bad it didn't help much with the jet lag itself. Jet lag will take a finite amount of time no matter what, just like the post-exertional sickness, and the sleeping pill only makes it easier to endure by letting you sleep during that period. It doesn't shorten the jet lag.
The trip itself I handled very well. We checked out of Union Hotel at 11:30, hung out in SF till 4 PM and then I fetched the car to load up our stuff. I then returned the car to the garage and we took BART to the airport. The red eye flight wasn't till 10:30, so we hung out some more in the airport. I spent most of 16 hours flight drifting in and out of sleep. I didn't get up at all except once to go to the bathroom. We arrived at our rental home at 10:30 and I slept fine to make up for the deficit. This was about the best handling of long flight ever, before or after CFS.
The trip itself I handled very well. We checked out of Union Hotel at 11:30, hung out in SF till 4 PM and then I fetched the car to load up our stuff. I then returned the car to the garage and we took BART to the airport. The red eye flight wasn't till 10:30, so we hung out some more in the airport. I spent most of 16 hours flight drifting in and out of sleep. I didn't get up at all except once to go to the bathroom. We arrived at our rental home at 10:30 and I slept fine to make up for the deficit. This was about the best handling of long flight ever, before or after CFS.
Thursday, September 28, 2017
SF, Day 2
Some post-exercise fatigue, but no crash after 2 km walk yesterday. In fact my pace was faster than usual in the afternoon on the way to Sunset for the haircut line and I had to consciously slow down to about 94. So, I'm tempted to declare my post-trip struggle over. Except that I'm not really settled in yet. I won't be till November, thanks to the unexpected trip aboard.
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
SF
The trip is now officially over. Sacramento was supposed to be the end, but it wasn't home. Not yet, anyway. The ding ding sound of F train, the smell of joints on the street and the sight of homeless poop marked the true home coming. And I was back in my element.
I walked 1.3 miles, or about 2 km, from the car garage to the hotel in Mission District. My phone buzzed all the while with the heat warning. It's only 85 in SF, yet they were treating it like a natural disaster. Any case, I must've finally recovered from the 3 day post-trip crash. If I don't crash again tomorrow, I'll declare the post-trip struggle over. 2 km is the normal distance I was walking before the trip, which means my exercise threshold is no worse than before the trip. That will be only a week of post-trip struggle. A promising start to the post-trip phase if that materializes.
I have to go abroad for a month in a few days. It's a long, private family story, so don't ask. I'll have to treat this as part of the "travel treatment" and then observe the after-effect when I return. So the conclusion about this experiment will have to wait for at least for another month.
I walked 1.3 miles, or about 2 km, from the car garage to the hotel in Mission District. My phone buzzed all the while with the heat warning. It's only 85 in SF, yet they were treating it like a natural disaster. Any case, I must've finally recovered from the 3 day post-trip crash. If I don't crash again tomorrow, I'll declare the post-trip struggle over. 2 km is the normal distance I was walking before the trip, which means my exercise threshold is no worse than before the trip. That will be only a week of post-trip struggle. A promising start to the post-trip phase if that materializes.
I have to go abroad for a month in a few days. It's a long, private family story, so don't ask. I'll have to treat this as part of the "travel treatment" and then observe the after-effect when I return. So the conclusion about this experiment will have to wait for at least for another month.
Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Post-trip Observation
A week since we settled in Sacramento, and the post-trip struggle continues. I felt a little better on the 24th after struggling for a few days, so swam 5 laps. That seems to have put me on downward spiral and I've been feeling debilitated since. How is that possible that I could take 16,000 steps and 600 feet elevation gain and still function while traveling, and yet I conk out only with 5 laps slow swim? I haven't taken more than 4000 steps a day either.
The travelling clearly have had an effect on my condition. I had lip sores that I haven't had since I got sick with CFS. That means my exercise threshold went way up that I did not keel over by the physical stress that was enough to trigger lip blisters. And I didn't lie down, not once, while charging the car on the return trip whereas I had to frequently when I started out on the trip. That's an improvement. But that could be because I was in a more stimulated state on the return trip from NYC than when I started out before. NYC was still a new environment when I left.
Now that I settled back in, however, the familiar struggle returned. It will last another month or so if the past is any indication. The real question is, will this long trip have any lasting effect? I wouldn't know for a few months, but chances are that it won't. The past trips haven't made much difference. They had only temporary lifting effects while travelling, just like Caffeine or Sudafed, only to end up with post-trip struggles. This one may end up the same. We'll see.
The travelling clearly have had an effect on my condition. I had lip sores that I haven't had since I got sick with CFS. That means my exercise threshold went way up that I did not keel over by the physical stress that was enough to trigger lip blisters. And I didn't lie down, not once, while charging the car on the return trip whereas I had to frequently when I started out on the trip. That's an improvement. But that could be because I was in a more stimulated state on the return trip from NYC than when I started out before. NYC was still a new environment when I left.
Now that I settled back in, however, the familiar struggle returned. It will last another month or so if the past is any indication. The real question is, will this long trip have any lasting effect? I wouldn't know for a few months, but chances are that it won't. The past trips haven't made much difference. They had only temporary lifting effects while travelling, just like Caffeine or Sudafed, only to end up with post-trip struggles. This one may end up the same. We'll see.
Saturday, September 23, 2017
Sacramento, CA, Day 4
It happened again. I pooped out the next day we arrived and it got worse progressively. Yesterday, I was debilitated and vegetated all day. After 9 hour sleep I feel better this morning, though my legs are still achy and and tired. I may be finally coming out of the post-trip fatigue. Will I struggle for another month or two with lowered exertion tolerance? I'll test the threshold in a few days. Meanwhile, I need to rest a bit more just to make sure that I'm out of the post-trip fatigue.
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
Sacramento, CA
There is no elevation gain, the shuttle driver said. But Misty Trail along Mercer river started to climb shortly after it started and it went up and up. We were going to get to as far as the Vernal Fall Bridge for about a mile. Another two tenth of mile and I would've made it. But it became steeper and I turned around, again. So we only made to the Yosemite fall when we planned to hit all three -- we missed the Bridalveil fall too: the return traffic in the afternoon was too heavy and I didn't want to make a side trip while getting out of the park.
We started out the day by driving to Yosemite Lodge and parking the car there. I originally planned to park at the Vistor's Center, but the lot was under construction and we couldn't park there. From Yosemite Lodge, we took the shuttle to Half Dome/CurryVillage. We marbled at the granite cliffs there and then circled back to Yosemite Fall, marking the Misty Trail to come back to after Yosemite Fall. In between we went out to El Capitan Crossing and took a shot of rock climbers. They weren't visible in naked eyes, but zoom lens caught them, barely.
On the way to Sacramento, the car's navigation took us through Jackson across Route 88 that I took about a million times before going to skiing at Kirkwood. And it was just like returning from skiing too, with the sky turned dark pink and the silhouette of Oak trees dotting the horizon. A scenery I've forgotten for 9 years. Will I be able to return to skiing this winter? I can only dream about it. We got to Sacramento after 8PM. We had dinner at a Korean restaurant and were home at Rodeway Inn in West Sacramento after 10 PM.
We started out the day by driving to Yosemite Lodge and parking the car there. I originally planned to park at the Vistor's Center, but the lot was under construction and we couldn't park there. From Yosemite Lodge, we took the shuttle to Half Dome/CurryVillage. We marbled at the granite cliffs there and then circled back to Yosemite Fall, marking the Misty Trail to come back to after Yosemite Fall. In between we went out to El Capitan Crossing and took a shot of rock climbers. They weren't visible in naked eyes, but zoom lens caught them, barely.
On the way to Sacramento, the car's navigation took us through Jackson across Route 88 that I took about a million times before going to skiing at Kirkwood. And it was just like returning from skiing too, with the sky turned dark pink and the silhouette of Oak trees dotting the horizon. A scenery I've forgotten for 9 years. Will I be able to return to skiing this winter? I can only dream about it. We got to Sacramento after 8PM. We had dinner at a Korean restaurant and were home at Rodeway Inn in West Sacramento after 10 PM.
Monday, September 18, 2017
Mamoth Lakes, CA, Day 2
I attempted another 2 mile, 400 feet elevation hike in Tuolumne Grove. And I again aborted after about 1 km. I felt ambitious at the top and then wasn't confident enough when my legs felt shaky. Upshot was that we just wasted 1 hour there and didn't make it back to Mono Lake before the sun went down. And I may not be able to hike tomorrow.
The plan was to do the driving route from Mono Lake to Fish Camp and back today. Then do the Yosemite Valley tomorrow. I figured we'd get to the Fish Camp supercharger around 1 PM and then be back at Mono Lake around 5 PM. In reality, it was well past 7 PM when we made it back. The sun already set and there was no point in walking the access trail. I just took a few shots at the water's edge and then came back.
In retrospect, we should've stayed in Yosemite Lodge after doing the driving route. It was a lot of work coming back to Mammoth Lake and we'll have to drive back tomorrow morning bright and early. Staying in Yosemite Valley would've saved us total 5 hours and 200 miles. Plus not having to worry about parking. That would've been well worth the extra $150.
The plan was to do the driving route from Mono Lake to Fish Camp and back today. Then do the Yosemite Valley tomorrow. I figured we'd get to the Fish Camp supercharger around 1 PM and then be back at Mono Lake around 5 PM. In reality, it was well past 7 PM when we made it back. The sun already set and there was no point in walking the access trail. I just took a few shots at the water's edge and then came back.
In retrospect, we should've stayed in Yosemite Lodge after doing the driving route. It was a lot of work coming back to Mammoth Lake and we'll have to drive back tomorrow morning bright and early. Staying in Yosemite Valley would've saved us total 5 hours and 200 miles. Plus not having to worry about parking. That would've been well worth the extra $150.
Sunday, September 17, 2017
Mammoth Lakes, CA
The circle is now complete and it sure feels like coming home. We started with Death Valley, Beatty and Las Vegas and we closed the loop by coming back to Las Vegas, Beatty and finally Mammoth Lake via Death Valley. Nothing was forgotten, the memories only slept. And they all came rushing back. The bench across the street from the Stovepipe Well general store that I laid down to get some relief from fatigue was still there. The restroom line in the General Store. I remembered them like yesterday.
I didn't have to lie down and rest this time. I obviously am in a better shape than when I started. I lied down several times while recharging when we started. None on the return trip. So the Tesla Treatment must have worked. And yes, I recovered from the latest crash yesterday afternoon. I gulped down a large coffee and the sick fatigue lifted shortly. Dunno if it was coffee or it was time to recover after 3 days though.
Death Valley was about as hot as it was in April. Only hazier. (I didn't notice it first, but wife said so). Then we got to Mammoth Lakes and it was winter. And it is only about 100 miles away from Death Valley.
West is my home, no doubt. As much as I liked NYC I still felt like an outsider there. As we got closer to the West it felt more and more home. And now in CA, I'm in my own water. If I'm not settling back in SF, maybe I should find a small town in CA, say Lone Pine, and take refugee there. At least till the housing price settled back in the Bay Area.
I didn't have to lie down and rest this time. I obviously am in a better shape than when I started. I lied down several times while recharging when we started. None on the return trip. So the Tesla Treatment must have worked. And yes, I recovered from the latest crash yesterday afternoon. I gulped down a large coffee and the sick fatigue lifted shortly. Dunno if it was coffee or it was time to recover after 3 days though.
Death Valley was about as hot as it was in April. Only hazier. (I didn't notice it first, but wife said so). Then we got to Mammoth Lakes and it was winter. And it is only about 100 miles away from Death Valley.
West is my home, no doubt. As much as I liked NYC I still felt like an outsider there. As we got closer to the West it felt more and more home. And now in CA, I'm in my own water. If I'm not settling back in SF, maybe I should find a small town in CA, say Lone Pine, and take refugee there. At least till the housing price settled back in the Bay Area.
Saturday, September 16, 2017
Mesquite, NV, Day 5
Day 3 of the crash and I'm reduced to taking elevators to and from the room. I took a dip in the pool in the afternoon and then I was unable to take shower. I just collapsed on the bed after lunch. It's night and day. I descended 600 feet and then came back up in Bryce Canyon, and was just fine. Now, just walking up a few flights puts me in the doghouse.
Friday, September 15, 2017
Mesquite, NV, Day 4
It happened again; I settled in and I crashed. The day after we arrived here I took a day off to rest. And I was feeling fine the next day. My pace was over 100 steps/min and I was walking up and down the stairs. The day after, I wallowed in fatigue. Today, I'm feeling even worse and my pace dropped to 90.
The Navajo Loop hike in Bryce Canyon took me 600 feet down and back up. My fitbit even congratulated me for climbing 50 stories. The activities in the second day here was nothing compared to that. Yet it triggered crash. This just about confirms my suspicion that travelling raises the threshold and it collapses back when I settle in.
Does it collapse to a lower level than before the travel started? So far the answer seems to be yes. I struggled for almost 2 months after the Thanksgiving trip to Southern California last year. It wasn't as bad in NYC after the cross-country trip, but I still racked up 2 crashes in June. That's higher than 1 a month that I averaged before the trip.
We'll be back on the road on Sunday, so I won't have enough time in Mesquite to observe the settling effect. But I'm predicting that the threshold will go back up and I'll do just fine in Yosemite. Then I'll observe the settling effect when I get to Central Valley or Bay Area.
The Navajo Loop hike in Bryce Canyon took me 600 feet down and back up. My fitbit even congratulated me for climbing 50 stories. The activities in the second day here was nothing compared to that. Yet it triggered crash. This just about confirms my suspicion that travelling raises the threshold and it collapses back when I settle in.
Does it collapse to a lower level than before the travel started? So far the answer seems to be yes. I struggled for almost 2 months after the Thanksgiving trip to Southern California last year. It wasn't as bad in NYC after the cross-country trip, but I still racked up 2 crashes in June. That's higher than 1 a month that I averaged before the trip.
We'll be back on the road on Sunday, so I won't have enough time in Mesquite to observe the settling effect. But I'm predicting that the threshold will go back up and I'll do just fine in Yosemite. Then I'll observe the settling effect when I get to Central Valley or Bay Area.
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
Mesquite, NV
It must've been about 25 years since I've been to Zion national park and it has changed. The Scenic Drive used to run right through the Great Arch that formed semi-tunnel over the road. Now the road is way below it. Though it could be my memory that is faulty. But I'm pretty sure the Virgin River was clear and I have a photo somewhere to prove it. Now it is cloudy.Actually, I may have thrown away the photo album. I just couldn't handle packing when I was moving to Korea in 2010, and I left most of my belongings in a pile and just left. The apartment cleaned them up and charged me $50.
The lots were all full when we got to the Vistor's Center. But they had EV charging stations and I took advantage even though I had enough to get to St. George. I paid $5 and parked the car there all day. And I didn't have to stop at St. George to charge either.
We first went all the way to Temple Sinawava and hiked The Narrows. I wasn't sure how I was going to feel, so we had to do the important ones first. We didn't go all the way up, but we did manage to go quite a bit up before turning around. I figure it was almost 2 miles round trip. After it, I was done. We took shuttle back to the Vistor's Center skipping the Emerald Pool and Zion Lodge.
So, that was hiking 2 days in a row. And I'm up writing the blog the next day. How is that even possible?
Panguitch, UT
Another moron pulled into 2B when my car was charging in 2A. A and B share the circuit and the charging power gets halved when both are in use. You'd think all Tesla driver know that. Yet I ran into these morons 2 days in a row. He moved his car when I pointed that out and he started chatting. He's apparently a Trump voter from Southern California. He railed all over about North Korea and China when he learned that I was originally from Korea. Giving him a lesson about geopolitics and the mainstream view was of no use -- he got more agitated. His Taiwanese wife probably doesn't care about politics or disrespect; just happy that she has made it to the West, like many Asian brides. The West is a status symbol to them.
Bryce Canyon is about 2 hours drive from Richfield and we got there around noon. I plugged the car in at Ruby's campground and we took shuttle to various points in Bryce Canyon. We got back after 6 PM, had buffet dinner at Best Western Ruby's Inn, and the car was good to go.
We did hike down Navajo trail as I planned. It's yet another sign of improvement that I'm less apprehensive about taking chance than when I started this trip. The loop was less than 2 miles, and we made it shorter by turning around at near the bottom. My legs were wobbly and I wasn't confident I could make the loop. It was my first hiking in 9 years. Nothing like 10 miles and 3000 feet elevation like I used to, but it did drop 600 feet. That's way more than a CFS patient should be able to handle.
The resting day in Salinas was a struggle. It's the same pattern: I travel, and the activity level goes up and yet I don't crash; I stop, and I pay the price. It's as if the stimulation of travelling temporarily lifts exertion threshold and then returns to normal when the stimulation is gone. The crash in Fancy Gap was probably the same thing. I thought it was caused by romping up and down the creek, but that shouldn't have been enough to cause a crash. The crash probably happened even if I rested as soon as I arrived there, just like I now struggle when I rest from the trip.
Bryce Canyon is about 2 hours drive from Richfield and we got there around noon. I plugged the car in at Ruby's campground and we took shuttle to various points in Bryce Canyon. We got back after 6 PM, had buffet dinner at Best Western Ruby's Inn, and the car was good to go.
We did hike down Navajo trail as I planned. It's yet another sign of improvement that I'm less apprehensive about taking chance than when I started this trip. The loop was less than 2 miles, and we made it shorter by turning around at near the bottom. My legs were wobbly and I wasn't confident I could make the loop. It was my first hiking in 9 years. Nothing like 10 miles and 3000 feet elevation like I used to, but it did drop 600 feet. That's way more than a CFS patient should be able to handle.The resting day in Salinas was a struggle. It's the same pattern: I travel, and the activity level goes up and yet I don't crash; I stop, and I pay the price. It's as if the stimulation of travelling temporarily lifts exertion threshold and then returns to normal when the stimulation is gone. The crash in Fancy Gap was probably the same thing. I thought it was caused by romping up and down the creek, but that shouldn't have been enough to cause a crash. The crash probably happened even if I rested as soon as I arrived there, just like I now struggle when I rest from the trip.
Saturday, September 9, 2017
Salina, UT
It must've been the late 1980s. The company I worked for was acquired by Novell, and I visited Provo for business shortly after. The big grey mountains made an impression on me then. And the children running around the company cafeteria; this is a Mormon country. It must've been in the winter time too. I remember skiing on one of the many skiing resorts here. I think it was Snowbird or Alta, I'm not sure. It was a long time ago.
The plan was to drive straight to Salt Lake City from Logan after refueling the car at Tremonton supercharger and make it a easy day. Then I looked at the map and found that Antelope State Park is on the way and that it crossed the Salt Lake. I had to make a stop. And I'm glad I did. Not only did it provide the view of the vast Salt Lake, but it was also the home of 600 free-ranging buffalo. A great photo opportunity. After that, a brief stop at Utah State Capitol and Temple Square.
Then the rear passenger tire leaked again after refueling at Tesla Center in Salt Lake City. I had to turn around and come back to the Tesla Center. Fortunately, the Discount Tire store was right across and the good folks there patched it up for free. A nail got in, probably while driving through that nasty Moose-Wilson road to and from Teton Village.
The route from then on took us through the Utah Valley past Provo on Route 89. The sun was setting by then and made the desolate stretch more desolate. By the time we got to Salina, it was way past 8 PM. This time I booked for 2 nights to make sure we get some rest, in yet another roach motel named Rodeway Inn. And yet another bedbug problem. Wife's got bitten again, we had to move to another room. So much for resting.
The plan was to drive straight to Salt Lake City from Logan after refueling the car at Tremonton supercharger and make it a easy day. Then I looked at the map and found that Antelope State Park is on the way and that it crossed the Salt Lake. I had to make a stop. And I'm glad I did. Not only did it provide the view of the vast Salt Lake, but it was also the home of 600 free-ranging buffalo. A great photo opportunity. After that, a brief stop at Utah State Capitol and Temple Square.
Then the rear passenger tire leaked again after refueling at Tesla Center in Salt Lake City. I had to turn around and come back to the Tesla Center. Fortunately, the Discount Tire store was right across and the good folks there patched it up for free. A nail got in, probably while driving through that nasty Moose-Wilson road to and from Teton Village.
The route from then on took us through the Utah Valley past Provo on Route 89. The sun was setting by then and made the desolate stretch more desolate. By the time we got to Salina, it was way past 8 PM. This time I booked for 2 nights to make sure we get some rest, in yet another roach motel named Rodeway Inn. And yet another bedbug problem. Wife's got bitten again, we had to move to another room. So much for resting.
Thursday, September 7, 2017
Teton Village, WY
I sure would've liked to stay for another day and rest in West Yellowstone. But this is an expensive country so we decided to soldier on till we get to Utah. And I ended up with a cold sore on my lip. It is yet another sign that I'm recovering. I'll have fully recovered if I start catching cold regularly. (Yeah, as strange as it might sound, I enjoy saying that I used to get sick often before I got sick).
The route took us back into the Yellowstone National Park and out through the south entrance. Shortly after, Snake River and Teton Mountains appeared. The tall granite mountains soaring above the desert basin and the lake would've stunned anybody except my wife who slept through it. But the majestic mountains appeared flat and hazy in the midday sun unfortunately. The famed Jackson Lake Overlook on Signal Mountain did not provide a better view either.
I aborted the plan to go up to Snake River Overlook and then stop for charging at Jackson. I was too tired. We instead went directly to Teton Mountain Lodge from Moose. I still have 100 miles left in the tank and we'll go back up tomorrow and then move south after a fueling stop at Jackson.
The route took us back into the Yellowstone National Park and out through the south entrance. Shortly after, Snake River and Teton Mountains appeared. The tall granite mountains soaring above the desert basin and the lake would've stunned anybody except my wife who slept through it. But the majestic mountains appeared flat and hazy in the midday sun unfortunately. The famed Jackson Lake Overlook on Signal Mountain did not provide a better view either.
I aborted the plan to go up to Snake River Overlook and then stop for charging at Jackson. I was too tired. We instead went directly to Teton Mountain Lodge from Moose. I still have 100 miles left in the tank and we'll go back up tomorrow and then move south after a fueling stop at Jackson.
Monday, September 4, 2017
Belgrade, MT
So much for avoiding cold and snow. Yellowstone sunny and scorching -- the heat from above and heat from below, it was Colter's Hell alright. I left my hat and water in the car at Midway Geyser Basin and I almost fainted. I guess some years it gets cold early. This year certainly wasn't one.
There are four ways to enter Yellowstone. None are more impressive as the Eastern one. From Cody, it looks reminiscent of Yosemite. It is the entrance to Buffalo Bill State Park to be exact; you have to go through it before you get to Yellowstone. The original access road to Yellowstone is still hugging the cliffs of Shoshone canyon around Buffalo Bill Dam.
Past Buffalo Bill Reservoir it meanders through Yellowstone mountains till you get to the Yellowstone Lake. We took this route to arrive at Old Faithful after 1 PM stopping at various vista points. We plugged our car behind Snow Lodge and went for the 2:14 eruption. It apparently was not as regular today and went off after 2:19.
Black Sands Basin near Old Faith was not on the Reader's Digest route. But it provided the most interesting color among all. Then we went on to the Midway, Fire Hole Lake and Fire Hole Canyon. Yellowstone is famous for hot springs and geysers, but there are lots of cold streams and rivers meandering through meadows and canyons. They regularly meet each other at the river's shore. I'd love to dip in the hot spring and flow into the cold river, but you probably will scald quickly in reality. The spring water is boiling. Lots of sulfur too. The name Yellowstone probably come from the sulfuric limestone. You can smell that suffocating smell while you walk among the springs and geysers.
There is no yellow stone in Fire Hole Canyon. It is a granite canyon with Flatbed River running through it. It is the look of Yellowstone many people don't know. And Fire Hole Canyon is the preview of Yellowstone Canyon that we'll visit tomorrow.
The day ended with 15,000 steps registered on my fitbit. Add all the driving and getting in and out of the car, it is one of the most active days since I got CFS. It's practically a recovery. We took a day off here in Belgrade to recuperate and I just feel fatigued, not sick. It is the post-exertional fatigue, flush with happy chemicals. Tomorrow, I'll probably get post-exertional funk -- it has been a regular pattern lately in this trip. But I'll recover in the afternoon. That has been the pattern too.
There are four ways to enter Yellowstone. None are more impressive as the Eastern one. From Cody, it looks reminiscent of Yosemite. It is the entrance to Buffalo Bill State Park to be exact; you have to go through it before you get to Yellowstone. The original access road to Yellowstone is still hugging the cliffs of Shoshone canyon around Buffalo Bill Dam.
Past Buffalo Bill Reservoir it meanders through Yellowstone mountains till you get to the Yellowstone Lake. We took this route to arrive at Old Faithful after 1 PM stopping at various vista points. We plugged our car behind Snow Lodge and went for the 2:14 eruption. It apparently was not as regular today and went off after 2:19.
Black Sands Basin near Old Faith was not on the Reader's Digest route. But it provided the most interesting color among all. Then we went on to the Midway, Fire Hole Lake and Fire Hole Canyon. Yellowstone is famous for hot springs and geysers, but there are lots of cold streams and rivers meandering through meadows and canyons. They regularly meet each other at the river's shore. I'd love to dip in the hot spring and flow into the cold river, but you probably will scald quickly in reality. The spring water is boiling. Lots of sulfur too. The name Yellowstone probably come from the sulfuric limestone. You can smell that suffocating smell while you walk among the springs and geysers.
There is no yellow stone in Fire Hole Canyon. It is a granite canyon with Flatbed River running through it. It is the look of Yellowstone many people don't know. And Fire Hole Canyon is the preview of Yellowstone Canyon that we'll visit tomorrow.
The day ended with 15,000 steps registered on my fitbit. Add all the driving and getting in and out of the car, it is one of the most active days since I got CFS. It's practically a recovery. We took a day off here in Belgrade to recuperate and I just feel fatigued, not sick. It is the post-exertional fatigue, flush with happy chemicals. Tomorrow, I'll probably get post-exertional funk -- it has been a regular pattern lately in this trip. But I'll recover in the afternoon. That has been the pattern too.
Sunday, September 3, 2017
Cody, WY
A skinny biker with full beard pulled behind me as I pulled over to take picture of the town of Cody. He asked where I would charge an EV around here. I told him he could charge in RV park. He went aha! and said that someone was asking where she could charge in Cody. It must mean that EV is becoming mainstream if a redneck biker in the wild west knows something about it.
The landscape turns decidedly desert west of Gillette. Then big mountains appear as you approach Sheridan past Buffalo on I-90. It is Bighorn National Forest that you have to climb over before you get to Yellowstone.
The steep climb over Bighorn mountain drained the car quite a bit. I knew that I'd get it all back on descension, but I wasn't going to take chance the same. We skipped all points of interests and headed directly to Cody. No matter, the drive still provided beautiful views of the vast Bighorn basin. The other side of the mountain on descension was a mixture of forest, meadow, streams and desert. Then cornfield reappeared near Lovell after crossing over the Bighorn lake. The clouds must be dumping its load there before climbing the Bighorn mountain.
I'm glad we took 14A through the mountain to Cody rather than continuing on I-90 around the mountains to Bozeman or West Yellowstone following the supercharger network. Only thing I missed on this route was the waterfalls along the Sheep Mountain Road. And I remedied the lack of supercharger on this route by camping at Parkway RV park in Cody.
Camping is a lot of work under the best circumstance. It is not something a CFS patient can undertake for sure. Unloading stuff from the car, making the bed and then returning the car back to the drive-worthy state takes a lot of work and I was totally exhausted by the time we left Cody. Amazingly, I partially recovered by the time we left Cody after breakfast at Wild Horse Cafe across the Cody Rodeo Stadium. Yet another sign that I am recovering.
The landscape turns decidedly desert west of Gillette. Then big mountains appear as you approach Sheridan past Buffalo on I-90. It is Bighorn National Forest that you have to climb over before you get to Yellowstone.
The steep climb over Bighorn mountain drained the car quite a bit. I knew that I'd get it all back on descension, but I wasn't going to take chance the same. We skipped all points of interests and headed directly to Cody. No matter, the drive still provided beautiful views of the vast Bighorn basin. The other side of the mountain on descension was a mixture of forest, meadow, streams and desert. Then cornfield reappeared near Lovell after crossing over the Bighorn lake. The clouds must be dumping its load there before climbing the Bighorn mountain.
I'm glad we took 14A through the mountain to Cody rather than continuing on I-90 around the mountains to Bozeman or West Yellowstone following the supercharger network. Only thing I missed on this route was the waterfalls along the Sheep Mountain Road. And I remedied the lack of supercharger on this route by camping at Parkway RV park in Cody.
Camping is a lot of work under the best circumstance. It is not something a CFS patient can undertake for sure. Unloading stuff from the car, making the bed and then returning the car back to the drive-worthy state takes a lot of work and I was totally exhausted by the time we left Cody. Amazingly, I partially recovered by the time we left Cody after breakfast at Wild Horse Cafe across the Cody Rodeo Stadium. Yet another sign that I am recovering.
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
Kadoka, SD
The scenery in late morning and the early afternoon sun is not as scintillating: the high sun makes everything flat. The clear sky with overcast horizon did not help the matter. Our journey along I-90 resumed as such this morning.
The scenery looked like a continuation of what we saw yesterday till we got close to the Missouri River. The land turned drier and cornfield thinned out as we crossed it. Soon sunflower fields appeared and they too thinned out when sage brushes appeared. Then the cattle farms as the grass turned brown. By now, it decidedly looked West. You couldn't have told it from the Central Valley if the land were a bit more parched. Missouri River, so it seems, is the starting line of the West.
Here in Kadoka, there is no grass to be found. It is all parched gravel. Terribly hot too. The coolness of Sioux Falls is nowhere to be found.
I didn't sleep well last night despite whirlwind activities 4 days in a row. Yesterday I was pretty high. Today I'm pooped out. It was just like June last year when my activities suddenly picked up and I was unable to sleep more than 6 hours. Not sleeping well and not getting sick. These are the signs that I'm improving. And I'm getting a bit more confident everyday that I am recovering.
The scenery looked like a continuation of what we saw yesterday till we got close to the Missouri River. The land turned drier and cornfield thinned out as we crossed it. Soon sunflower fields appeared and they too thinned out when sage brushes appeared. Then the cattle farms as the grass turned brown. By now, it decidedly looked West. You couldn't have told it from the Central Valley if the land were a bit more parched. Missouri River, so it seems, is the starting line of the West.
Here in Kadoka, there is no grass to be found. It is all parched gravel. Terribly hot too. The coolness of Sioux Falls is nowhere to be found.
I didn't sleep well last night despite whirlwind activities 4 days in a row. Yesterday I was pretty high. Today I'm pooped out. It was just like June last year when my activities suddenly picked up and I was unable to sleep more than 6 hours. Not sleeping well and not getting sick. These are the signs that I'm improving. And I'm getting a bit more confident everyday that I am recovering.
Monday, August 28, 2017
Sioux Falls, SD
The endless corn fields undulates gently, throwing shadows and lights in turn on the corn canopy. The reddish brown and yellow hue of corn husks on the deep green stalks and leaves. This sea of cornfield stretched out along I-90 all the way to Sioux Falls. Incredible pictures came and went, and I couldn't back up to capture them on the freeway that flew by at 75 mph. A real artist may have. I instead put the car on autopilot and shot while driving.
A dead wolf on the roadside shortly after Albert Lea, MN. This is the home of Timber Wolves. There are quite a few grey wolves in this part of the country since the reintroduction.
It showered shortly after we left Madison. The road got washed clean and fresh. The afternoon light poured in at an angle and the after-storm cloud floated all around. They all added to the sense of vastness. We drove on into that vast space called mid-west chasing the sun till it finally set at 9:01 PM in Worthington where we pulled in for the final charging. This town is at the edge of the Central time zone -- it changes to Mountain time after Sioux Falls. Then we drove into the night with bugs pelting the windshield just like in Texas. The humid night was palpably cooler than Texas though.
After 13 hours of drive, we were at Holiday Inn in Sioux Falls. And I wasn't too tired. Not nearly as much as I was after the drive in Texas from Albuquerque to Austin. Maybe because this one was shorter. Or maybe because I have improved since. We went for the hot tub and swimming after the check in. And I have enough energy left to write a blog. That's enough for me to believe more than ever that I am recovering.
A dead wolf on the roadside shortly after Albert Lea, MN. This is the home of Timber Wolves. There are quite a few grey wolves in this part of the country since the reintroduction.
It showered shortly after we left Madison. The road got washed clean and fresh. The afternoon light poured in at an angle and the after-storm cloud floated all around. They all added to the sense of vastness. We drove on into that vast space called mid-west chasing the sun till it finally set at 9:01 PM in Worthington where we pulled in for the final charging. This town is at the edge of the Central time zone -- it changes to Mountain time after Sioux Falls. Then we drove into the night with bugs pelting the windshield just like in Texas. The humid night was palpably cooler than Texas though.
After 13 hours of drive, we were at Holiday Inn in Sioux Falls. And I wasn't too tired. Not nearly as much as I was after the drive in Texas from Albuquerque to Austin. Maybe because this one was shorter. Or maybe because I have improved since. We went for the hot tub and swimming after the check in. And I have enough energy left to write a blog. That's enough for me to believe more than ever that I am recovering.
Saturday, August 26, 2017
Chicago, Day 2
Something exploded and then a burning smell ensued. The blue line train we were on then got stuck in the dark for 30 minutes. Good thing that happened shortly after we left the station. The train eventually rolled back about a hundred yard to the station and we made a mad dash to the train on the next platform. Then we got on the #65 bus in the wrong direction when we got off the train. I thought it was running a circular route to Navy Pier from the Grand station of the blue line, but it went across the town in the other direction. It took me about 10 minutes before I realized my mistake and we got off the bus. In all, it took us 3 hours to get to Navy Pier from the hotel.
The Architectural Cruise was worth the trouble though. It went down Chicago river from Navy Pier and then back, for the total of 75 minutes. Along the way were numerous buildings of architectural significance of Chicago school and others. It's the best way to see the Chicago downtown, hands down.
We were going to hang out in Magnificent Mile in the afternoon after the cruise, but it was late, thanks to all the snafu in the morning. We left it for tomorrow and returned to catch 5:15 shuttle back to hotel.
After 12,000 steps yesterday at a decent pace, I was pretty tired this morning. But I managed OK with another 10,000 steps. And that's 3 days of nonstop activities.I'll sleep in tomorrow and start the commute at 11AM.
The Architectural Cruise was worth the trouble though. It went down Chicago river from Navy Pier and then back, for the total of 75 minutes. Along the way were numerous buildings of architectural significance of Chicago school and others. It's the best way to see the Chicago downtown, hands down.
We were going to hang out in Magnificent Mile in the afternoon after the cruise, but it was late, thanks to all the snafu in the morning. We left it for tomorrow and returned to catch 5:15 shuttle back to hotel.
After 12,000 steps yesterday at a decent pace, I was pretty tired this morning. But I managed OK with another 10,000 steps. And that's 3 days of nonstop activities.I'll sleep in tomorrow and start the commute at 11AM.
Friday, August 25, 2017
Chicago, IL
Tailgaters and lane weavers. The drivers got more aggressive as we got closer to Chicago. They started to appear in Gary IN, well before Chicago. They are practically driving like Californians. I wonder why people here are more aggressive than New Yorkers -- I rarely saw them in or around NYC. (The real question, I suppose, is why New Yorkers are so tamed these days).
We checked out of Days Inn in Whitehall around 11 AM and drove straight to Chicago after a fueling stop in Country Club Hill, a misnamed working class neighborhood with a large Black population. A grocery stop in Walmart near the charging station, and we were at Extended Stay in Des Plaines at around 4 PM. We'll commute to Chicago for a few days from here.
My pace picked up quite a bit for a few days since the outing in Mackinac Island. The resistance in the form of constant fatigue has disappeared and it wasn't easy to restrain myself. It was enough for me to think maybe I recovered from CFS. It was just like last June when the sudden improvement appeared. Then the fatigue returned in full force yesterday. I couldn't keep my eyes open while driving despite a full day's rest and 8 hours of sleep. And my legs got heavy and achy again this morning. The faster pace must have taken the toll. I'll have to slow down again. Not all the way back to 90 steps/min, but 94 steps may be safe enough.
We checked out of Days Inn in Whitehall around 11 AM and drove straight to Chicago after a fueling stop in Country Club Hill, a misnamed working class neighborhood with a large Black population. A grocery stop in Walmart near the charging station, and we were at Extended Stay in Des Plaines at around 4 PM. We'll commute to Chicago for a few days from here.
My pace picked up quite a bit for a few days since the outing in Mackinac Island. The resistance in the form of constant fatigue has disappeared and it wasn't easy to restrain myself. It was enough for me to think maybe I recovered from CFS. It was just like last June when the sudden improvement appeared. Then the fatigue returned in full force yesterday. I couldn't keep my eyes open while driving despite a full day's rest and 8 hours of sleep. And my legs got heavy and achy again this morning. The faster pace must have taken the toll. I'll have to slow down again. Not all the way back to 90 steps/min, but 94 steps may be safe enough.
Monday, August 21, 2017
Mackinow City, MI
The day is getting shorter. The sun now rises after 7 PM and the car is soaked with the morning dew. We'll have to hurry; we need to get the Yellow Stone before it gets cold.
We checked out of Gratiot View motel in Saginow yesterday and drove to Roberts Landing campground in Cheboygan yesterday, following the lakefront Hwy 23. All along the route was the beaches and marsh lands. They were mostly deserted too, especially ones around Rogers City that were totally vacant.
Today I aborted the plan to camp in Munising. Not because we wanted to speed up the trip, but I'm dead tired from camping last night and charging wasn't too convenient on the Munising route. From Munising to the next supercharger is 250 miles, and there isn't a good place to charge in between.
And I'm damn glad we changed the plan. we took a rest at Waterfront Motel till 2 PM and went to Mackinac Island on Shepler ferry -- the solar eclipse was at the peak of the solar eclipse by the time we got on board. It's almost like the ferry to Angel Island in the San Francisco Bay, complete with the suspension bridge to the left and all. Huron Lake is not a bay, however. It is an ocean.
It is about the size of Angel Island too. We wanted to go the Arch Rock, but it was 2 miles away. We rented a tandem bike and ended up riding it all the way around the island. Yes, I'm instinctively feeling that confident these days. I haven't had any post-exertional sickness since June and have been regularly taking 50,000 steps per week. And I'm pretty sure I'm not going to crash from this bike ride. (Wife did most pedaling, to be honest, though I took over whenever she was losing the balance.)
This road-side motel had both the beach and spa. We soaked in the hot tub, swam a couple of lap and I feel like a million bucks now. We'll see what tomorrow brings.
We checked out of Gratiot View motel in Saginow yesterday and drove to Roberts Landing campground in Cheboygan yesterday, following the lakefront Hwy 23. All along the route was the beaches and marsh lands. They were mostly deserted too, especially ones around Rogers City that were totally vacant.
And I'm damn glad we changed the plan. we took a rest at Waterfront Motel till 2 PM and went to Mackinac Island on Shepler ferry -- the solar eclipse was at the peak of the solar eclipse by the time we got on board. It's almost like the ferry to Angel Island in the San Francisco Bay, complete with the suspension bridge to the left and all. Huron Lake is not a bay, however. It is an ocean.
It is about the size of Angel Island too. We wanted to go the Arch Rock, but it was 2 miles away. We rented a tandem bike and ended up riding it all the way around the island. Yes, I'm instinctively feeling that confident these days. I haven't had any post-exertional sickness since June and have been regularly taking 50,000 steps per week. And I'm pretty sure I'm not going to crash from this bike ride. (Wife did most pedaling, to be honest, though I took over whenever she was losing the balance.)
This road-side motel had both the beach and spa. We soaked in the hot tub, swam a couple of lap and I feel like a million bucks now. We'll see what tomorrow brings.
Saturday, August 19, 2017
Saginaw, MI
The plan to rest in Auburn Hill didn't work out. The price of Extended Stay shot up to $110 overnight and we moved to Saginaw. That's OK as long as we are moving along our route: the Saginaw Bay is the jump off point for the Sunrise trail to Cheboygan. We'll rest here today. It's actually good to hang out in a small town see how locals live.
The problem though, is packing and unpacking takes quite a bit of energy and that undoes the plan for the rest. I'll have to remind myself, once again, to book 2 nights when planning for the rest. I'm still doing OK, however. And my walking pace is still up, faster than I would like, so I have to consciously slow down. The next 2 days will be a challenge though. If I'm still doing OK afterward, I'll be tempted to declare a recovery. It will be a recovery enough if I can do everything except strenuous exercise.
The problem though, is packing and unpacking takes quite a bit of energy and that undoes the plan for the rest. I'll have to remind myself, once again, to book 2 nights when planning for the rest. I'm still doing OK, however. And my walking pace is still up, faster than I would like, so I have to consciously slow down. The next 2 days will be a challenge though. If I'm still doing OK afterward, I'll be tempted to declare a recovery. It will be a recovery enough if I can do everything except strenuous exercise.
Friday, August 18, 2017
Detroit, MI
No question other than where we live and where we have been. The scary looking guy at the border was more interested in my car than checking out our paper works. He was fairly knowledgeable too. He knew that 30 minute charging for 150 miles is enough because you have to rest anyway after 2 hours of driving. And like that, we were back in the US soil again.
This is the town where Vincent Chin was murdered with baseball bat by two laid off Chrysler workers in the 80s. They ended up with suspended sentenced by a racist judge who later said "These weren't the kind of men you send to jail". Maybe teaching everybody in China this will stop them from practicing white supremacy over there.
We ended up in another flea motel in the form of Days Inn. a couple of hours of nap, and wife ended up with multiple bedbug bites all over her body. We switched the room and we ended up with a dump in an open corridor. I had my doubt, but I booked it anyway because of the pool. Now I redouble my resolve to avoid flea motels.
Niagara Falls, Toronto and then drive to Detroit. It's been 4 days of nonstop activities. And yet I'm still up and running. My pace has been picking up too. That's enough for me to start imagining the recovery once again. I should experiment with a new pace while I'm still travelling despite the risk of getting sick, to see if the pace, as well as the amount of activities, are better tolerated while travelling. I need a day of rest for now though make sure that I don't get sick. Maybe I'll jack up the pace after that. We are going to camp out for 2-3 days, so that could be a good opportunity.
This is the town where Vincent Chin was murdered with baseball bat by two laid off Chrysler workers in the 80s. They ended up with suspended sentenced by a racist judge who later said "These weren't the kind of men you send to jail". Maybe teaching everybody in China this will stop them from practicing white supremacy over there.
We ended up in another flea motel in the form of Days Inn. a couple of hours of nap, and wife ended up with multiple bedbug bites all over her body. We switched the room and we ended up with a dump in an open corridor. I had my doubt, but I booked it anyway because of the pool. Now I redouble my resolve to avoid flea motels.
Niagara Falls, Toronto and then drive to Detroit. It's been 4 days of nonstop activities. And yet I'm still up and running. My pace has been picking up too. That's enough for me to start imagining the recovery once again. I should experiment with a new pace while I'm still travelling despite the risk of getting sick, to see if the pace, as well as the amount of activities, are better tolerated while travelling. I need a day of rest for now though make sure that I don't get sick. Maybe I'll jack up the pace after that. We are going to camp out for 2-3 days, so that could be a good opportunity.
Wednesday, August 16, 2017
Toronoto, ON
Mississauga and Oakville, actually. It's cheaper here and the "gas" is free, so we decided to lodge here. We stayed one night in home stay in Mississauga and then came to a Residence and Conference center in Oakville yesterday. They gave us two bedroom suit in what appears to be part of Sheridan college.
Toronto is more Vancouver than Montreal. No industrial complexes, no historical towns. It is full of blue condo buildings spread over a vast area, just like Vancouver. It seems the only difference is the lake Ontario instead of the Vancouver bay. Winter will be much harsher though, I suppose. And house prices are proportionally cheaper, though it is still substantially more expensive than Montreal.
We went to CN tower yesterday, but the line was impossibly long. So we went to St Lawrence Market after taking some pictures and hanging around the tower. Today we tried CN tower again. I meant to go before 9AM to avoid the line, but we overslept and we got there at 10 instead. No matter, there was no line and we went right up.
Toronto Island was the next destination. It's must like the ferry ride to Staten Island. You jump off from Jack Layton terminal in the thick of the downtown, just as you would from Whiteall terminal in Manhattan downtown. Then you click away at the downtown skyline as you sail away.
Toronto is more Vancouver than Montreal. No industrial complexes, no historical towns. It is full of blue condo buildings spread over a vast area, just like Vancouver. It seems the only difference is the lake Ontario instead of the Vancouver bay. Winter will be much harsher though, I suppose. And house prices are proportionally cheaper, though it is still substantially more expensive than Montreal.
We went to CN tower yesterday, but the line was impossibly long. So we went to St Lawrence Market after taking some pictures and hanging around the tower. Today we tried CN tower again. I meant to go before 9AM to avoid the line, but we overslept and we got there at 10 instead. No matter, there was no line and we went right up.
Toronto Island was the next destination. It's must like the ferry ride to Staten Island. You jump off from Jack Layton terminal in the thick of the downtown, just as you would from Whiteall terminal in Manhattan downtown. Then you click away at the downtown skyline as you sail away.
Saturday, August 12, 2017
Rochester, NY
Sacket's Harbor, Southwick Beach, Fair Haven past Oswego, Sodus Point Lighthouse. The drive along Rt 3 and then 104 was today's route,a continuation on the Great Lakes Seaway Trail. I thought we left Sodus Bay behind when we left Fair Haven, only to find another Sodus Bay at Sodus Point. It turns out there are multiple Sodus bays with different names. This one was the real Sodus Bay and Fair Haven was on Little Sodus. There is Blind Sodus as well.
A terrible looking storm brewed when we stopped for lunch at McDonald between Fair Haven and Sodus Point. By the time we got out, I could smell that indelible scent of rain. It barely wetted the pavement where we were, but it must dumped a shower further down. Fog was rising from the asphalt and warm humidity permeated the air. I was back in NC again. Only with achy and sickly body in an electric rather than 16 year old in 68 Rambler.
We arrived Rochester Extended Stay before 4 PM. The original plan was to make it to Toronto after stopping at Niagara, but that was too ambitious. Hotels were cheaper in Rochester too, so we decided to rest here. It was too early to bed down for the night though. We took some rest and drove to High Fall and then Eastman Museum of Photography and Film. Museum closed at 5, so we were out of luck. We charged up the car and came back at 7PM.
Yesterday was a struggle for some reason, despite the rest day before. Then I recovered today. It's as if the effect of the rest was delayed 48 hours rather than 24. Likewise the effect of activities of 8/8-8/9 taking effect yesterday after 48 hours. Not sure if the lingering effect of cold has anything to do with it. There are so many unknown variables that effects the conditions, I only can get 25-50% correlation between the activities and fatigue the next day. The signal to noise ratio is not high enough to make a good prediction.
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| Sackett's Harbor |
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| Fair Haven |
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| Sodus Point |
We arrived Rochester Extended Stay before 4 PM. The original plan was to make it to Toronto after stopping at Niagara, but that was too ambitious. Hotels were cheaper in Rochester too, so we decided to rest here. It was too early to bed down for the night though. We took some rest and drove to High Fall and then Eastman Museum of Photography and Film. Museum closed at 5, so we were out of luck. We charged up the car and came back at 7PM.
Yesterday was a struggle for some reason, despite the rest day before. Then I recovered today. It's as if the effect of the rest was delayed 48 hours rather than 24. Likewise the effect of activities of 8/8-8/9 taking effect yesterday after 48 hours. Not sure if the lingering effect of cold has anything to do with it. There are so many unknown variables that effects the conditions, I only can get 25-50% correlation between the activities and fatigue the next day. The signal to noise ratio is not high enough to make a good prediction.
Friday, August 11, 2017
Watertown, NY
We made a full circle back to NY. Half circle, actually. It's been almost 2 weeks and we still haven't escaped the North East. But we'll be past Buffalo tomorrow, so we'll be in the Midwest in no time.
We checked out of Motel du Paysan this morning. After about 10 minutes of charging the car in Montreal station, we were off to Cornwall for full charging and lunch at Tim Horton's. Tim Horton's is fast becoming wife's favorite. Cornwall was the jump off point for the Great Lakes Seaway Trail drive and the Tesla station was conveniently located on the route.
This drive took us along the St Lawrence river. I was planning to make it to Cape Vincent before detouring to Watertown for charging and lodging. But the car ran out of juice after Wellesley Island. I still could've made it with a few miles to spare, but I didn't want to risk getting stranded and it was past 6 PM. So we went to charging station and had dinner at Flaming Wok at the mall while charging the car. We got the Motel 6 in Calcium after 8 PM.
We checked out of Motel du Paysan this morning. After about 10 minutes of charging the car in Montreal station, we were off to Cornwall for full charging and lunch at Tim Horton's. Tim Horton's is fast becoming wife's favorite. Cornwall was the jump off point for the Great Lakes Seaway Trail drive and the Tesla station was conveniently located on the route.
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| Wellesley Island |
This drive took us along the St Lawrence river. I was planning to make it to Cape Vincent before detouring to Watertown for charging and lodging. But the car ran out of juice after Wellesley Island. I still could've made it with a few miles to spare, but I didn't want to risk getting stranded and it was past 6 PM. So we went to charging station and had dinner at Flaming Wok at the mall while charging the car. We got the Motel 6 in Calcium after 8 PM.
Thursday, August 10, 2017
Montreal, QC
On the surface, it seemed like any other big North American city if it weren't for French speaking. And Old Montreal, the Montreal version of French Quarter that is only more upscale -- no seedy Bourbon street. Industrial buildings and Valero refineries dotted the outskirt of the city. Then we went to Jean Talon Market that looked more like a traditional Korean outdoor market than North American. And the mannerisms and attitude of people are definitely more French than American.
The phone stopped working as soon as we crossed the border. I postponed booking a room just to make sure that we don't run into a problem at the border and we had to scramble to find a public wi-fi. We were going to Universite Shebrooke dorm, but it was 20 miles out of the way. So we settled for Motel du Paysan, a cheap roadside motel. No roaches, but it had refrige and microwave making it easier to cook.
2 days of whirlwind coming up from White River Junction along "Quiet Corners of Vermont" followed by an Montreal tour, and I was pretty tired this morning. So we are staying here for one more day to rest. Two days of activities followed by one day rest seems to work well these days. And that is an improvement from the original plan of one day activity and one day rest.
The phone stopped working as soon as we crossed the border. I postponed booking a room just to make sure that we don't run into a problem at the border and we had to scramble to find a public wi-fi. We were going to Universite Shebrooke dorm, but it was 20 miles out of the way. So we settled for Motel du Paysan, a cheap roadside motel. No roaches, but it had refrige and microwave making it easier to cook.
2 days of whirlwind coming up from White River Junction along "Quiet Corners of Vermont" followed by an Montreal tour, and I was pretty tired this morning. So we are staying here for one more day to rest. Two days of activities followed by one day rest seems to work well these days. And that is an improvement from the original plan of one day activity and one day rest.
Monday, August 7, 2017
White River Junction, VT
Boston was anticlimactic. I suppose any city would be after NYC. The Freedom Trail was the main attraction and I can't walk 2 miles. But I've done it decades ago, so I haven't missed it much. So we drove to a few spots instead -- Bunker Hill, Boston Common, etc -- after visiting Harvard Square and then called it a day. Then we visited MIT and Boston Harbor the next day before heading north to White Water Junction bypassing New Hampshire.
It actually was cold when we arrived last night. We must be quite a ways up north. We settled in Super 8 motel in White Water Junction for a couple of nights to rest. It's rather airy motel in an airy place. A bit of road noise when you leave the door open, but it feels rather home.
We rolled around all morning and then visited Quechee Gorge in the afternoon. We'll rest the rest of the day and then head up north along the RD drive #93, Quaint Corners of Vermont. We'll charge up the car in Magog QC and then bed down somewhere near Montreal.
It actually was cold when we arrived last night. We must be quite a ways up north. We settled in Super 8 motel in White Water Junction for a couple of nights to rest. It's rather airy motel in an airy place. A bit of road noise when you leave the door open, but it feels rather home.We rolled around all morning and then visited Quechee Gorge in the afternoon. We'll rest the rest of the day and then head up north along the RD drive #93, Quaint Corners of Vermont. We'll charge up the car in Magog QC and then bed down somewhere near Montreal.
Saturday, August 5, 2017
Waltham, MA
The trip along the RI coastline costed me 11,000 steps and I was back to my normal CFS self today. That plus the lingering cold. Still, it's an amazing feat not to be bed-bound with all those maladies. I definitely recovered from NYC lull since we started out on the return journey.
I sure would've liked to have rested one day in Wickford but the price at Extended Stay shot up for the weekend. So we packed up and headed to Cape Cod as planned. The first stop was Tesla Supercharger at Sagamore at the mouth of Cape Cod. I plugged car in, ordered food at Dunkin Dounut, stopped at the bathroom, and the car was all charged up. Super fast for some reason. Same thing repeated in Dedham. The charging speed must went up since the last update. Or it could be a coincidence.
From Sagamore, we followed the RD drive #99. We skept several between Sandwich and Dennis. It was already past 1 PM and we still had a long way to go.
I'm glad we didn't skip Orleans though. We arrived during the low tide and the water at Rock Harbor was way out over the horizon. The tidal pools and sand stretched out as far as eye can see. I couldn't walk all the way out of course, but I managed to take some spectacular pictures.
From there we went up as far as Wellfeet before turning around. By the time we got to Waltham Extended Stay, it was past 9PM.
I sure would've liked to have rested one day in Wickford but the price at Extended Stay shot up for the weekend. So we packed up and headed to Cape Cod as planned. The first stop was Tesla Supercharger at Sagamore at the mouth of Cape Cod. I plugged car in, ordered food at Dunkin Dounut, stopped at the bathroom, and the car was all charged up. Super fast for some reason. Same thing repeated in Dedham. The charging speed must went up since the last update. Or it could be a coincidence.
From Sagamore, we followed the RD drive #99. We skept several between Sandwich and Dennis. It was already past 1 PM and we still had a long way to go.
I'm glad we didn't skip Orleans though. We arrived during the low tide and the water at Rock Harbor was way out over the horizon. The tidal pools and sand stretched out as far as eye can see. I couldn't walk all the way out of course, but I managed to take some spectacular pictures.
From there we went up as far as Wellfeet before turning around. By the time we got to Waltham Extended Stay, it was past 9PM.
Thursday, August 3, 2017
Warwick, RI
A swing of one end to the other today. Morning started out sickly with the cold worse than yesterday. It was a complete exhaustion that made just holding arms up difficult. It was just like, well, CFS. By the time we got Westerly, I started to improve. And by the time we left Napa Tree Point, I'm almost as good as a CFS patient could ever be. No idea if the activity helped or it's just that the cold was waning. It improved yesterday after the outing to New London, only to get worse this morning, so it could be the latter. We'll find out tomorrow morning. Today's outing plays out that registered 10,000 steps.The weather started out cloudy too and then turned sunny. The sun was too hot in Napa Tree Point, I gave up on the idea of laying around on the beach. We came back to the bay side, rested for a while, took some more pics and then went into the town. An ice cream break and we were on our way to Ninigret Nature Preserve. There wasn't much of bird there -- it's too early for bird migration. We moved on to Galilee.
Lobster role lunch in Galilee. Then we swept along Sand Hill Cove Road, stopped at Salty Brine Beach. There must be a retirement community near by. Lots of old people with sagging lumps were lounging there. After that was the Judith Hill light house. It looked just like Santa Cruz, I swear, complete with surfers. And drive from there to Narangasett was just like Pacific Grove.
We closed out they day in Wickford, another quaint town along the RI coastline. We took a few pics around the Wickford Cove, hung out in the town for a while and then arrived at Extended Stay in Warwick in the evening.
Wednesday, August 2, 2017
Groton, CT
It's filthy as hell, but it's big and has a long picture window looking out to greenery. Decent continental breakfast too. All for $42. It has kitchenette, compete with everything except for a cooktop, so we'll cook for lunch and dinner today. Good thing we are carrying a portable stove.
We are stuck here in Econo Lodge for a couple of days. I contracted a cold while moving out of NYC and it has already moved from my nose half way down to my throat. I'll have to rest and stop the progression. Else it'll move to my lung and I'll be coughing for 2 months. And I left Bronchaid at home -- I wasn't counting on getting sick.
We left NYC on 7/31. We drove north after charging the car in Tarrytown, along the Hudson river following the Reader's Digest drive #99 to Beacon. Then we drove East to Hartford. It was getting late by the time we left Kent, so we just drove through Litchfield and other towns without stopping. I would've liked to stop and take pics in those picturesque New England towns. I was going to go as far as Warwick following the RD drive #101 along the RI coastline, but it was after 8PM by the time we were done with the dinner and charging the car. So slept in Holiday Inn in East Hartford, a 3.5 star hotel which was about 2 stars in reality. The next day we drove here to rest and get ready to tackle RI coastline and Cape Cod.
I felt fine yesterday despite the beginning of cold and after registering 12,000 steps while moving. Today, I'm sickly. Not sure if it is the effect of moving out after 48 hour delay, or the cold. It's hard to tell when you are constantly sickly.
We are stuck here in Econo Lodge for a couple of days. I contracted a cold while moving out of NYC and it has already moved from my nose half way down to my throat. I'll have to rest and stop the progression. Else it'll move to my lung and I'll be coughing for 2 months. And I left Bronchaid at home -- I wasn't counting on getting sick.
We left NYC on 7/31. We drove north after charging the car in Tarrytown, along the Hudson river following the Reader's Digest drive #99 to Beacon. Then we drove East to Hartford. It was getting late by the time we left Kent, so we just drove through Litchfield and other towns without stopping. I would've liked to stop and take pics in those picturesque New England towns. I was going to go as far as Warwick following the RD drive #101 along the RI coastline, but it was after 8PM by the time we were done with the dinner and charging the car. So slept in Holiday Inn in East Hartford, a 3.5 star hotel which was about 2 stars in reality. The next day we drove here to rest and get ready to tackle RI coastline and Cape Cod.
I felt fine yesterday despite the beginning of cold and after registering 12,000 steps while moving. Today, I'm sickly. Not sure if it is the effect of moving out after 48 hour delay, or the cold. It's hard to tell when you are constantly sickly.
Thursday, July 27, 2017
The End Is Near
Yes, our time in NYC is coming to an end. We'll pack up on Monday and get back on the road. I haven't finalized the itinerary yet. But we'll head north, probably toward Boston and Vermont. Then westward or continue north to Canada. Chicago and Yellow Stone is definite after that. The rest, we'll research as we go along.
For a while after the novelty faded, I felt homeless in NYC. Now that we are about to leave, NYC feels like home. It took about a month to get comfortable once the excitement was gone. And now coming back here for good is a possibility. We'll see. For now, we need to go back West and take care of some businesses.
I may get a job and make a living again when we get back to SF. Not that I need money, but I need to rebuild my life. My social connection was all but gone since I got sick. And I need to work again to get re-rooted. If I can handle, that is. And if I can find a meaningful work, like solving CFS. I'm still manage only about 4 hours a day, but I might be able to push it if I cut down my daily walking. These are all ideas for now though. I'll decide when I get back to CA.
Meanwhile, photography has been sucking up a lot of my time. It's tough to get 2 hobbies going at the same time and my writing has been suffering as result. It's even tougher when you are up for only a few hours a day on average. Writing gets the priority, so I'll just have to cut down my time on photoing. I'll select just one picture a day, work on it, and upload to my collection. No more than 1 hour, and the rest goes to writing.
These are a few pics from the Bronx outing on 7/23. I took 2 train to Grand Concourse and then 5 train to Yankee Stadium. Then I stopped by Molino Rojo for a quick bite, walked back to Grand Concourse, took Bx12 bus to 149th Street.
For a while after the novelty faded, I felt homeless in NYC. Now that we are about to leave, NYC feels like home. It took about a month to get comfortable once the excitement was gone. And now coming back here for good is a possibility. We'll see. For now, we need to go back West and take care of some businesses.
I may get a job and make a living again when we get back to SF. Not that I need money, but I need to rebuild my life. My social connection was all but gone since I got sick. And I need to work again to get re-rooted. If I can handle, that is. And if I can find a meaningful work, like solving CFS. I'm still manage only about 4 hours a day, but I might be able to push it if I cut down my daily walking. These are all ideas for now though. I'll decide when I get back to CA.
Meanwhile, photography has been sucking up a lot of my time. It's tough to get 2 hobbies going at the same time and my writing has been suffering as result. It's even tougher when you are up for only a few hours a day on average. Writing gets the priority, so I'll just have to cut down my time on photoing. I'll select just one picture a day, work on it, and upload to my collection. No more than 1 hour, and the rest goes to writing.
Friday, July 21, 2017
Harlem Street Photography
I've been improving. I got sick three times in June after we settled in after a long journey. Another case of post-trip struggle. I've been walking more since then, and I managed not to get sick, so far. It's same pattern as before: hyper activity during the trip followed by post-trip struggle and then rebound settling somewhere in between the during-trip and post-trip level.
Today I went back to Harlem, for photography this time. I took M11 bus to La Salle and then walked up St Nicholas before switching over to Frederick Douglas around 130th. I walked up some more and then finally walked down Malcolm X. I was gonna stop and take the bus, and then I got over-ambitious and walked all the way down to 110th. It was a nice hot day and my NYC days are drawing near. I figure I may never have another chance, so I decided to walk down the whole length. A total of 8000 step days. That after 10,000 step day and 7000 steps the day before.
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