On the Road Again...

The DH and I have embarked on another adventure. For Father's Day, he got a camper trailer. Best Father's Day Present Ever, right?

But he didn't want it for selfish reasons. He was thinking about me. (For more about that, check my Second Wind blog! I've posted the floorplan of our new "tiny house" there.)

I've always been a proponent of "ziptrips"--quick visits to nearby locales you might ordinarily overlook. So once we got all hooked up, we took our new rig on a "shake-down cruise," driving about a hundred miles to camp out for a couple of days and see a few sights.

Along with relaxing, reading & lounging by the campground pool, we toured Fantastic Caverns. This is not for hard core spelunkers. It's as tame a cave as I could wish. We enjoyed a well lit, guided tour that actually let us ride through in a jeep on an ancient dry riverbed.

But that doesn't mean it isn't fascinating.

The cave was discovered by a farmer's hunting dog who chased small game down a large hole. The existence of the cave was a closely guarded secret through the Civil War because its owner realized it would be a huge source of bat guano (a key ingredient in salt peter, which was used to make gun powder.) He didn't want it to be confiscated by either side of the conflict. He also didn't feel up to the challenge of exploring the cave either.

So after the war ended, he put an advertisement in the paper asking for someone to survey and map the cave. The only ones intrepid enough to tackle it was a group of 12 WOMEN! As you can see from the picture, their names are carved on one of the limestone walls.

Call me a fraidy-cat, but I can't imagine poking around in a cave using only a kerosene lamp--especially since the explorers had no idea that there were two massive sinkholes in the cave, one 20 feet deep and other 50! In addition to bats, there are pools in the cavern that are home to species of blind fish and salamanders.

During prohibition, the cave was used as a speakeasy and Buck Rogers, a country western singer from the old Hee-Haw show, along with a number of groups that now perform in Branson, have given concerts in the big cavern. Of course, as amplifiers became more powerful, concerts were suspended to preserve the delicate formations in the cave. Now in addition to tours like the one we went on, this family-owned business offers educational programs to schools as well.

Our Coachman camper was perfect for this little getaway and we look forward to more adventures this summer and fall!

Do you camp? Where is your favorite "ziptrip" spot?

Control Freaks Rule!

Ok, I'll admit it. I used to be a control freak. If I was traveling with a group, I wanted to drive. If my kids didn't lay the tableware correctly, I'd come behind them and rearrange the knives, spoons and forks. As I've grown older, I've mellowed a bit, but there are a few things where my "Control Issues" are still helpful.

One is in maintaining a clean, healthy environment now that the meds I take to keep my NSIP at bay have weakened my immune system.  It's easy when I'm at home. We have no carpet in our house, so regular swiffering keeps dust down. Since I'm a minimalist at heart, keeping the clutter at bay is not a problem. At home, I can control the quality and quantity of food I eat. My water is filtered and no matter how muggy it gets outside, the AC keeps the air inside from becoming too "chewy" for me to comfortably breathe.

No problem, right?

Not until I want to travel, which is something I've always loved. In high school, my English teacher had us write a letter to our older selves to remind us of what we felt was important for our lives. I wanted to see the world.

I still do.  

But on our recent cruise to the South Pacific, I picked up a respiratory bug that had me coughing and cacking for over a month. The ship was scrupulously clean, but whenever you have that many people in an enclosed environment, you have potential for infection. So even though we are hoping to do a Norwegian cruise next year, my Dear Husband decided we needed to change how we travel when our feet are dry.

Instead of hopping from one hotel to another, we decided to buy a Coachman Freedom Express by Forest River--a green RV company that uses products that don't "out-gas." Formaldehyde found in many RVs is a problem for people with respiratory issues like me.

There's no carpeting in our "tiny house" so it's a snap to keep clean. I can sleep on my own bed, on sheets that have been laundered in scent free detergent, and use my own clean bathroom along the way. We'll pack up the tiny kitchen with the foods we're used to and fill the tanks with our own filtered water.

Our little RV is my ticket to keep rolling as long as I can.

When I was first diagnosed with NSIP, I realized the disease was something completely out of my control--a sobering thought for a control freak. My attitude toward what was happening was all I could call mine. Since I can't be in control, I decided then to consciously choose gratitude as my default position. I am so thankful for the people in my life, for the prayers of my family and friends, and for all the technologies and meds available to help me live as normally as possible.

And I'm also thankful that my world is not shrinking. I'm not done having adventures.

Our first big trip is up to Mayo Clinic in Rochester. I'm having my regular breathing tests, plus a high altitude evaluation to make sure I can stand an international flight for our Norway trip. On a domestic flight, the cabin pressure is like being at 8000 ft. On a flight overseas, the pressure heads up to 10,000. I hope Herkimer (my beloved portable oxygen concentrator) is up to the challenge.

If I can get an internet connection while we camp, I'll post updates on the road!