Trip so far

So far, this trip has been a disaster.

For the first time on any of my long road trips, I forgot something important: my cane. No big deal. I found a walking stick and was able to buy another cane along the way.

I came down with some kind of bug yesterday and have been relatively dysfunctional ever since. I don’t think I’ve ever had a cold—or whatever this is—as bad as the one I have now. Every hour or so, I break into a sneezing fit that lasts about 15 minutes. Tomorrow, I’ll take my temperature and a COVID test. I just had my flu and COVID shots last week, but they won’t be fully effective for another week or so.

Then Annie got sick. It’s not clear whether she has healed herself, but I should have a better idea tomorrow.

The rear storage shelves for the Grenadier never arrived at my home in time to be installed before I left. Apparently, they didn’t arrive at the INEOS dealer in Dublin, Ohio, today either, which means I may simply have to do without them.

No sooner had I pulled into the campsite tonight than it started raining like hell. Fortunately, I had covered the gear that has to be stored outside with a tarp. Whether the tarp actually held is something I’ll discover when the rain stops.

I was hopeful that the refrigerator and its charger would learn to accommodate each other on the road, but apparently they have decided not to cooperate. At the end of today’s long, hot drive, I checked the refrigerator and discovered that it had shut itself off because the battery was dead and it wasn’t receiving a charge from the charger. Right now, I have it plugged into the electrical outlet at the campsite—rain and all.

The weather has been absolutely miserable in terms of the heat. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced such a oppressive heat on any of my road trips as I have experienced these last two days..

These trips are supposed to be enjoyable. So far, this one has not been. And I’m less than two days into it.

The one enjoyable thing is being with Annie. But I get that at home, without all the hassle and disasters.