Winter in the Desert, Summer in the Mtns: Williwaw cg

It’s a lot easier to write about sunny days filled with blue-green water and purple mountains than to write about the other less pleasant times. This past week was filled with bad weather and pain, hubby’s physical pain and my emotional challenges.

It started with the rain in Seward, one week ago. Bone chilling buckets of water forcing us to stay inside. Then the wind blew howling in off the bay. The problems with David’s shoulder were worsening; he’s constantly rubbing his shoulder and arm with pain on his face. On Monday, he finds me at the library and we head to the Steward general store that’s selling Alaskan style rainproof coats for 50% off. Our Tennessee rain jackets were not doing the job! Then we drove to Exit Glacier to see the national park.

Posing at Exit Glacier in the new waterproof jacket. (Feeling good at that moment.)

City park next to our campsite in Seward.

View 0n Monday from the Casita in Seward

Tuesday

Breaking camp rain-free is a blessing and we are heading toward the Chugach National Forest and Portage Valley. A side trip to the town of Hope provides some scenic vistas.

The Williwaw campground honors our senior pass thus costing $9 for the night. Hubby grills halibut, shooing off mosquitoes with one hand and holding his shoulder with the other, all in the pouring rain.

This is no fun! There’s lots of hiking trails here and wonderful new plants to see in the forest but we pack up and head out trying to find warmer, drier weather. And it’s become apparent that medical help is needed as the pain just keeps getting worse.

Wednesday is just awful! Some comfort sounds good after the days of cold and wet and we opt for a site with an electric hookup in Anchorage. Ship Creek RV Park is in downtown and the helpful work-campers recommend an orthopedic clinic. We unhook and David tries to drive while I read road signs and interpret directions to the doctor. It’s a nerve-wrecking trip as the pain has increased to an unbearable level.

The doctor gives him steroid shots and prescriptions for pain pills, anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxers. The shots do nothing to ease the pain and he is walking out the door in the same distress.

This is where I am just about to lose it. Over 5,000 miles from home and trying to care for someone I love in the tiny trailer!

(I hesitate to elaborate on this unpleasantness….but decide to keep it in the story as it’s the truth, though not pretty.)

The next two days are rest days for him and chore days for me with laundry and grocery shopping. And I learn how to navigate Anchorage using the voice directions on my smarter –than-me phone.

Flower beds in downtown Anchorage.

Smart Car and trailer that caught my eye…envious of their gas mpg!

All the meds seem to be working…..not working great but he’s in much less discomfort. By Saturday we are heading toward Denali National Park and Fairbanks. The weather forecast for Fairbanks looks much, much better. Maybe some sun and warmth will help the patient.

Talkeetna is about a hundred miles north of Wasilla and there’s several campgrounds there. We arrive and flee the town within 45 minutes! Can’t drive as the tiny town is full of people in the streets… After all, it is still the holiday weekend.

New plan is to spend the night on the side of the road. We love the price and after 3 nights of $36, we feel like economizing.

Crossing a bridge, we notice several small motorhomes on the river’s gravel bar. With a little exploring and a lot of guts (or stupidity to travel such a bad road) we arrive at our new boon docking site.

I’ll let the pictures tell this story. This is the Susitna River, 5 miles north of Talkeetna.