Life is a Circus Going Somewhere to Happen or How I learned to Love Roller Coasters ~ Sept 25, 2014

Exciting News:The floors are getting redone starting on Monday so we're packing up and moving everything to my studio and the garage. It's the perfect time to sift out the flotsam and jetsam and thin the collection. So far we've donated four boxes of books, a box of collectibles that have been in a drawer for 6 years, clothing, gewgaws, knickknacks and throw pillows. They are dropping off 43 boxes of laminate in the living room this morning so it can "acclimate". Good thing we're off to an overnight adventure this afternoon, headed to the Kelseyville Pear Festival to see Dave Stamey.

My Studio

Outstanding News: I was diagnosed with breast cancer in August 2011. It was caught early due to an annual mammogram. At the time I had a lumpectomy and a four week course of radiation. I had my anniversary mammogram last week and am delighted to report there is no sign of it's return. This means I'm 3 years clear, two go. 

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Icing on the midweek's cake: Our plumbing backed up Wednesday evening. Good thing we have no qualms about peeing in a bucket for the night. Our great neighbors gave us access to their facilities once the sun was up and until Santa Rosa Plumbing solved the problem late afternoon. 

Life is a Journey ~ Enjoy the Ride

Top of the Sixth ~ Life Takes a 180 or Maybe Not ~ Sept 9, 2014

Sorry about the dearth of updates on the the De-Liver Me tour. I was shocked to see my last update was Top of the Fifth dated June 8th. Most of June we were on the Great Northwest Tour, but July and August, that's another story. I didn't feel much like writing and I wanted to wait until I had the whole story before I committed anything to paper. Call it the Summer Smack Down, Sparing with Ali or Who Wrote this Script Anyway? 

July 8th ~ TACE #5  I won't say it was the Comedy of Errors, but the day's journey left me scratching my head more than a few times. This wasn't my first Hospital Rodeo, so to speak, but a new patient going through this procedure for the first time might have been taken aback. 

Cowboy Kitty

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When you change from street clothes to hospital gear you get a stylish set that includes a mismatched set of draw string pants, a top and a light robe. Part of the fashion package should include a pair of skid proof socks. They were out of hospital issue so I had to walk around in my own socks. Good thing I didn't wear sandals that day. 

I walked down to the procedure room with my nurse and hopped up on the table. Oh darn, the mechanical and modified computer interface isn't working.  I'm listening to the two guys, squatting under the table, discussing options. Might have to change rooms, but they're pretty sure they can get it fixed. Seriously? Kudos to said geek squad they got things up and running in no time. 

The nurse who is setting up for the procedure and a soon to be sterile environment was grousing to someone in the background that the supplies hadn't been restocked. The person who usually takes care of these details is on vacation. Really, no one to fill in? This so instills confidence. 

The procedure goes well and I'm moved to the outpatient recovery dorm. I'm at the opposite end of the room from the feral ice machine and the self closing door that slams. There is a goddess after all, or so I thought. About 4 am a woman arrives from the Emergency Room, she too has been sentenced to an overnight for observation and is in the bed next to me. As she's being set up with monitoring equipment all possible alarms are going off. The irony of a poster on the wall that says "Shhhh, Healing in Progress" is not lost on any of the other inmates, I mean patients.

Not whining just observations, I can find humor and silver linings in most every situation. The staff, doctors and nurses are outstanding: efficient, friendly and supportive. It just seems like they are sometimes working in less than optimum conditions.  It was just one of those days, no harm no foul and some blog fodder to boot. 

I left UCSF on the 9th feeling a little under the weather, but that's nothing unusual. These treatments are all in my best interests, but it doesn't mean I have to like it. It only took me a couple of weeks to recover and I'm thinking I'm a pretty tough cookie. 

One Tough Cookie

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July 31st ~ I had a follow up MRI scan and that revealed "numerous additional foci of enhancement". In English that means nine, yes nine, little points of light that may be additional hepatocellular carcinomas. Shit oh dear, not what I wanted to hear. 

August 5th ~ TACE#6  The plan was to be very aggressive with these newcomers. At the time I wasn't sure how that would translate, but all I can say is No Shit Sherlock, it's taken me five weeks to recover. One of the recurrent and amusing side effects of the TACE treatments is that you suddenly have the attention span of a six year old and reading or writing aren't really an option. However, a three week regimen of sleeping and of daytime television will force you out of the barcalounger and on with life, no matter how much it hurts. It was definitely time to cowboy up, dust myself off and move on. In case you didn't know were fans of Professional Bull Riding.

Bull Rider
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The UCSF Tumor Board recommended follow up CT scan in early September. There was a concern that these were new tumors and if so there was a chance I would no longer be eligible to be on the transplant list. They coded me as "pink" for the month of August, which meant was that if a liver offer came up I would not be eligible. As hard as that sounds they must weigh the benefits and risks and my number is only at a 33, not yet high enough to qualify. I have the most common blood type "O" and transplant numbers often need to be between 35 and 38 before you're at the top of the list.

I was supposed to start Hep C medication in late August. Since the Code Pink took me out of the running for a month I asked my doc if I could delay the Hep C meds until late September. That would give me time to recover from TACE #6 and get in a few adventures while I was feeling good. She said absolutely. Ah, a breather and further evidence that (1) it never hurts to ask and (2) always be your own advocate.  

September 3rd ~ The follow up CT scan and THE WAIT until the 9th when the Tumor Board meets. 

September 9th ~ Got a phone call from my doc in the late afternoon. The CT was clear, no evidence of my posse of lights. I'm to have another CT scan in December. She said she hoped I would have my liver transplant by then. Yeah Team! It could be mid December if the numbers work out. If that's the case I'm thinking Trisha's birthday on December 15th. I'm just going to put that out there and see what happens. 

Jump for Joy

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What's next:

Time Out ~  Three days at Emandal Farm outside of Willits for Not Just Cowboy Poetry and the annual Apple Pie Smackdown (must taste many pies and vote on winner) and then to the family cabin at Stinson Beach for a few days. More on these adventures to come.

Clear the Decks ~ Once I have the transplant I'll be on immunosuppressents for life. The things that now wouldn't normally be of concern now because of my healthy immune system will become an issue. Our carpets are 40 years old and the linoleum we installed in 19 ought 90 needs to be buried. In late September we move everything out of the house for a few days while a local company installs the flooring. We box up the books and small stuff they move the big stuff. My first major post TACE workout and maybe a good time to thin out our stuff. 

Getting back to normal ~  The hard part of the TACEs and recovery is being so out of shape. I'm back at my high school weight, which is fine with me, but my muscles are following me around like pets instead of actually working with me. Back to walking 1-2 miles a day, but need to look into creating some upper body strength over the next few months. Damn, it's the no excuses tour!

On the medical side ~ In early October I'll start the new drug regimen of Ribivarin and Sovaldi to make the Hepatitis C virus undetectable in my blood. This will continue until the transplant so that the new liver won't have to contend with the virus. 

Food for Thought ~ I've learned a lot about myself and those around me: family, friends, doctors, nurses, acquaintances and even strangers with whom I've had brief conversations. All have had something positive to share including prayers. Though I am not a religious person I truly believe the universe watches over me. 

From Burney to Home ~ June 26-28, 2014

Sorry for the delay in finishing the Great Northwest Tour story. Life has a habit of getting in the way now and then. More on that later. Glad you could come along for the ride. 

Up to Burney Falls after breakfast. A light rain just before we arrived left that wonderful fresh smell and jewels on all the trail side sentries. We took the Falls Trail down Burney Creek to Lake Britton. The loop is about 3.4 miles. 

Falls Overlook

Burney Creek

If you've never been to McArthur Burney Falls put it on your bucket list. We posted a short movie on youtube. The link is: http://YouTube/-TEqxkQ_4G8

From Burney we backtrack a few miles to pick up Hwy 89 south to Lassen National Park. There is little or no traffic throughout the park. We pulled over at Devastation to read about the May 1915 eruption. 

Photo Credit National Park Service

Several groups of hot springs and fumaroles, remnants of former volcanic activity, exist in the park: Bumpass Hell (love the name) and the Sulphur Works are two of the better known. We stopped at the Works to read about it's history. Pillars of steam from fumaroles billow across the road, the mudpot bubbles next to the sidewalk. Ah, the smell of sulphur in the morning.

The brilliant coloration of the area is from clay minerals, formed when hot, acidic water percolates through the volcanic rock. Standing next to the mudpot visitors are actually standing in middle of an ancient volcano called Mt. Tehama that once towered at 11,000 feet half a million years ago. Five miles below the ground lies a giant pool of magma. 

Head down out of the mountains on Hwy 89 to Chester and Lake Almanor for the night. The clouds have pulled back to reveal a beautiful afternoon drive.  

June 27th ~ We leave Chester in the morning and head south on Hwy 89 to pick up Hwy 119 west: a varied terrain of lava, woods, wildflowers and stunning views to the west as you come down out of the mountains.

When we come in along the eastern side of Lake Oroville we are totally shocked. The waterline seems to be at least 100 feet below the dam, it's under 35% of capacity. Further evidence of drought conditions in the West. 

Last stop on this adventure is a visit with my Aunt Betty and her husband Bob in Durham. We have a delightful dinner with them and spend the night in Chico.

June 28th ~ Time to head home on our last set of back roads: miles of walnut, olive and fruit groves, rolling hills, aqueducts and farmland. Hwy 45 to Hwy 20 to Hwy 29 to Hwy 12 and home. 

We've been on the ultimate full circle tour of almost three weeks: 23 rural highways in California and Oregon. From the ocean to the high desert, along the Cascades and Sierras, from sea level to 9,000 feet. A grand adventure and a superb time out: songwriters Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Huesen may have said it best lyrics excerpted from their song It's Nice to go Traveling:

It's oh, so nice to go trav'ling, 

But it's so much nicer, 

Yes, it's so much nicer to come home.

It's oh, so nice just to wander,

But it's so much nicer

Yes it's oh, so nice to wander back.

Back into California ~ June 25, 2014

We took off from Klammath this morning and continue south on 97. The weather is cloudy and warm, great for driving and walking. Another side trip is in the offing. We head east on 161 to Tule Lake and Lava Beds National Monument. 

On the way into the park, before the ranger station, we stopped at this wildlife overlook with the idea of doing a little bird watching. Rod started to get out of the rig and I yelled at him to close the door. There were swarms, clouds, coruscating columns of mosquitoes all around us. Made me think of a scene out of "The Birds" except this was "The Mosquitoes". When we reached the ranger station we asked about it. She said the swallows were working overtime and that the migrating bats were due back in a couple of days. Too long as far as many were concerned. 

We head northeast to Petroglyph Point to photograph some of the primitive art of the Modoc and do a little bird watching. The petroglyphs are carved along the face of a former island of the ancient Tule Lake. Most estimates date the carvings back to between 2,000 and 6,000 years. Up to 14 species of birds have been recorded roosting in spring and summer: Barn Owl, Great Horned Owl, Prairie Falcon, Red Tailed Hawk, American Kestrel and Canadian Geese to name a few. 

The Big Picture

Photo Credit ~ Scott Harris

At the end of the fence line, protecting the petroglyphs from the public, I started chatting with a woman named Rosalee who just moved to Oregon. I asked her where she moved from and she told me Healdsburg (20 miles from my home). When I told her I was from Sebastopol she said "I kind of got that kinda vibe". We both had a good chuckle, wished each other well and headed off in separate directions.

On the way south we stopped at the Lava Beds Visitor Center. Both of us have achy knees today so we decided we'd do some cave exploring next time. Descending out of high desert the vistas are incredible. Snow capped mountains, ponderosa, sage brush sea, mountain silhouettes, Just stunning, no traffic.

We head south to pick up Hwy 139, then Hwy 91 to Hwy 299. Back roads one and all. Our destination for the night is the small town of Burney. We plan to visit McArthur Burney Falls in the morning and do some hiking. We've been there a number of times and never get tired of the experience. 

Burney ~ small town USA

Okay time to listen up ~ if you are 62 and don't know about the U.S. National Park Service Senior Pass you are missing out on a great opportunity. For $10 you get a lifetime pass into National Parks and Federal Recreation Sites. We got ours on a trip to Montana years ago and have used it many times. You can pick up one a National Park entrance or on line. 

Time Out for the Fair ~ July 31, 2014

Today I'll let the pictures do the talking. A perfect day for the Sonoma County Fair. It was 75 degrees and breezy. Back to the 1960's for us grey beards with a peace, love and free admission. There are perks to aging!

 This could be anywhere in Cazadero according to Rod

 The murals are stunning

 Go Ask Alice

 Blue Meanies

 The Love Bug

I could dream this into the back yard

Homage to the Grateful Dead

Logged two miles wandering around the fair. Sat in the shade to share a corn dog and french fries. Good music and people watching at its best. Dessert was our annual vanilla bar dipped in dark chocolate and nuts from the Ginsu Knife Building. Bottom line the Hall of Flowers stole the show. A delightful way to spend an afternoon.

Into the Volcanic Zone ~ June 24, 2014

It's definitely about the journey and not the destination. There are stunning views and history at every bend in the road. After breakfast we pick up Hwy 97 south. It's partly cloudy and a lot cooler than it could have been out here in the Sage Brush Sea. To our right are some of the snow capped mountains of the Cascades: Three Fingered Jack, Mt. Washington, Sisters, and Broken Top.

We crossed over a deep gorge you can't see until you're in the middle of the bridge. Simply had to turn back and take a closer look. We find three stunning bridges arching over a 300 foot gorge and the Crooked River. There is a beautiful park out here in the middle of nowhere with historical signage, miles of trails and a large picnic area. 

The railroad bridge was completed in 1911. The incentive for the crossing was to reach vast stands of timber to the north. It's 320 feet above the river and is the second highest railroad bridge in the US. 

High Bridge 

Photo Credit Michael Goff

The Crooked River High Bridge was completed in 1926. It was the old Hwy 97 bridge and now it's a footbridge within the park, providing a one of a kind observation platform. 

The Rex T. Barber Veteran's Memorial Bridge was completed in 2000 to replace the High Bridge which could no longer handle modern traffic. It's named for a local war hero who, in 1943, achieved World War II fame as the fighter pilot who shot down the airplane carrying Japanese Admiral Yamamoto, mastermind of the Pearl Harbor attack. 

As is our habit, we chat with other travelers. One told us if we haven't been to Smith Rock, it was a must stop. Since it was just down the road we turned left at Terrabonne and headed east to the park. It was as described and more. Volcanic activity expresses itself in a myriad of ways and this spot will take your breath away. There are trails for all skill levels. It's also a popular spot for climbers. Truly worth a stop and a walkabout. Bring a picnic. 

Smith Rock Park

One of the Smith Rock Park Trails

After our picnic at Smith Rock we head south again. Next stop is Lava Lands just south of Bend. It seems a desolate place at first, but when you slow down and take a second look there is a lot to discover. There is signage throughout the park to explain the history and dynamics of the area. 

 Local Denizen

Mountain Spray

 Lava Snow Balls

Lava Ness Monster

A full day to say the least. We found a great spot to stay in Klammath Falls, called it a day and curled up and read after dinner.  Off to California tomorrow.

The Back Road's Back Road ~ June 23, 2014

June 23, 2014 ~ No Interstates need apply today, we are headed for roads way less traveled. After breakfast we pick up Hwy 211 outside Mollala. Near the junction of Hwy 213, along Macksburg Road, Rod points out a row of trees, on the left in this photo. They were planted by his Pop in 1960 at the Publisher's Lumber Mill. 

Must be a poem about logging trucks and horse trailers, seem to be the prevalent vehicles out here. We continue on Hwy 211 to Estacada to pick up Hwy 224 to the south east along the Clackamas River. Incredible views around every turn. 

Hwy 224

Lazy Bend - Clackamas River

Clackamas River

Stopped at Indian Henry near one of the bridges for a picnic above the river. Next turn is onto Hwy 57, then Hwy 58 towards Mt. Hood. This is the back road to the back road. We see no cars for 20 plus miles. 

 Mystery Flower

Rhodies in late June

 Mt Hood

Changed our minds about going to Mt. Hood and headed south on Hwy 26. In 50 miles the landscape transitioned from forests with greenery down to pavement edge to high desert, buttes, rim rock, and sage brush. 

Mt. Jefferson

Mt Jefferson an hour further south

The temperature went from a pleasant 75 to 90 plus degrees as we descended out of mountains. Time to get out of the heat. The Inn at Cross Keys Station had been recommended by someone we met in Warm Springs earlier in the day so we decided to stop there for an overnight. Turned out to be a nice place to stay and close to town for dining.

We'll pick up Hwy 97 tomorrow and start the journey towards home. This has been a grand adventure so far and we still have some gorgeous country to explore.