Asheville, Day 2

Gaitlinburg via Blue Ridge park way and Smoky Mountains plus the Roaring Camp Motor Trail, then back to Asheville is 210 miles. That's a challenge for an EV with 210 mile range. I was going to charge up at Cherokee Welcome Center, but their Tesla charger was broken. I had to use J1772 and only got 15 miles in an hour or so. No matter, it was a beautiful place with Oconalofutee river in the back -- if you're gonna to get stuck, this is the place to be stuck in. We munched on free popcorn, enjoyed scenery and rested. At the end, we made back to Asheville with 24 miles left in the tank.

A sickly fatigue set in on the way. It's a familiar feeling: an evervating ache on triceps and a struggle to hold up the steering wheel. It must've been the effect of 4 push-ups I did the night before. My upper body was getting emaciated, I had to restart the push-ups.  I bounced back once we got to the Cherokee center though. It could've been time to bounce back anyway. Or seeing the river could have perked me up. It happened again in the Roaring Camp. I was fatigued out, not only with the EV range anxiety but also with the disappointment on the way up. There wasn't much to see unless you got out and hiked to one of the waterfalls. Then we found a beautiful spot along the creek on the way down and played there for a while. That was enough to wash away the fatigue.

It's a limited effect though, for sure. It wouldn't have made a difference when I was the sickest in 2008 or 2010. The stress of moving to different places back then only made my condition worse. But the novelty of traveling has become beneficial once my CFS had become stable enough. There always is that danger of over-doing, especially for patients with extremely limited energy envelope. But the emotional stimulation within the limit could well be helpful. And that is the basis for my Tesla treatment. If I come out of this travel substantially recovered from CFS, that could be a proof enough even if it is only anecdotal.