The world according to IdRatherBeSkiing

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

So some changes in vacation plans.

We had booked a Sandals trip to Grenada for the 2 of us next week. However, due to my wife having lost her PR card, we could not fly out of Canada. So we looked at Buffalo. The flights were not great and I kept thinking there has to be something better and/or cheaper. So I waited and then there wasn't even anything as good as the bad flights we had before. So I rescheduled it for December. Will work on her PR card by then hopefully.

So the new plan is we are doing a "farewell" tour to North Carolina. We are also taking our son. A good old fashioned family vacation.

I was going to try to get tickets to a NHL playoff game in Raleigh. The ticket prices were surprisingly reasonable. However I found out you can't buy them if you don't live in NC, SC or some parts of VA. Pisser.

 

[scotchandcigar]

I think the weather in NC will be exactly halfway between Buffalo and Grenada.

 

[sadchild]

you can't buy them if you don't live in NC, SC or some parts of VA

Wha??

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

Wha??

That was our reaction too. Specifically they said the tickets would be cancelled at any time without warning or refund.

 

[HecticArt]

Wha??

Dafuq?

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

Update: I wrote the ticket office. on Sunday not expecting much to come of it. But they wrote back. The geo-lock is time limited. They put it there to keep tickets out of the hands of brokers/scalpers and give their local fans 'first crack'. He thought it would be off by now but it wasn't. But he gave me his number to call if I still had difficulty. I called him and he put through the tickets. So we will be going to the game UNLESS Carolina sweeps the Islanders. I say it that way as Carolina won game 1.

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

I never updated about my trip. It was good. We had some adventures. On the way down we were driving through WV and the van (a 2005 Ford Freestar -- modified to take a wheelchair) started acting strangely. Then the check engine lite came on. We struggled into the next town and found someone that had a code reader. Code was something about fuel system. We called my sister-in-law who found us a mechanic. We pulled in there (5:30PM on Friday) and of course the technicians were already gone but the manager got his computer and tried to figure out exactly what part was malfunctioning. He couldn't do it. He cleared the light and fiddled around and couldn't figure it out. They of course were closed on the weekend. So we decided to press on. We were in a town of 20k in WV so options were limited. The van showed no further symptoms for the rest of the trip and the check engine light never came back on.

The hockey game was good. It was interesting to see how other teams handle the games. Carolina lost so they did not clinch. But it was good. We also did late supper at Denny's and breakfast at The Waffle House so we pretty much immersed ourselves in American Culture.

My wife saw her sister and 2 of her friends she wanted to see and the weather at the beach was wonderful. We ate at a Cracker Barrel (Dumfries, VA), Olive Garden (Scranton, PA) and Golden Corral (Syracuse, NY) on the way back up.

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

Which brings me to today's update. We are going on a 5 day cruise to Bermuda. Departs from New York this coming Saturday. We are planning to drive leaving Thursday. Very excited about it.

Small hickup. Going to WalMart yesterday with my wife the same issue we had happen with the van happened again. This time worse. It kept stalling out. I limped it to the local garage I use (only a couple of blocks from where it stalled). They are looking at it now. Today is a holiday here so won't get any news on it until tomorrow. I don't think it is serious but I expect it to be expensive.

 

[sadchild]

On the way down we were driving through WV

"Wow this place is absolutely beautiful" But then about an hour later you're like, "Hey, how come we haven't seen any people?" Because somebody took them, that's why. That's what they were saying four days ago.

 

[Aaron]

Did you get breakfast food or dinner food at the Cracker Barrel? I’ve tried quite a few things there and always enjoyed it.

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

Did you get breakfast food or dinner food at the Cracker Barrel? I’ve tried quite a few things there and always enjoyed it.

We had dinner with a friend of hers on our first night after leaving the condo.

 

[Channel98]

Cracker Barrel is one of my favorite restaurants – nothing fancy, just good ol' American food. And each Cracker Barrel is like a museum. The walls are covered with old record albums, photographs, posters, toys, games, tools, license plates, advertising signs and other memorabilia. Each restaurant also has a gift shop. And for anyone who can't get to a Cracker Barrel, there is this:

Shop Cracker Barrel Online Store - Cracker Barrel

Find must-have items from Cracker Barrel's extensive online assortment, including rocking chairs, quilts, pancake mix, peg games, and more!

shop.crackerbarrel.com

 

[HecticArt]

I despise Cracker Barrel. I call it Honky Bucket.

The freaking gift shop that they make you wait in is the tenth circle of hell!
There is literally no place to stand or sit that you aren't in the way of some idiot that needs to push you out of the way to see some cheap country-kitsch tchotchke that was made in India by child labor.

The food isn't bad, but I can't deal with the environment.

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

Which brings me to today's update. We are going on a 5 day cruise to Bermuda. Departs from New York this coming Saturday. We are planning to drive leaving Thursday. Very excited about it.

Small hickup. Going to WalMart yesterday with my wife the same issue we had happen with the van happened again. This time worse. It kept stalling out. I limped it to the local garage I use (only a couple of blocks from where it stalled). They are looking at it now. Today is a holiday here so won't get any news on it until tomorrow. I don't think it is serious but I expect it to be expensive.

The issue was with 5 sensors on the exhast and engine. The sensors were providing the computer incorrect reading causing it to add more fuel or restrict fuel when there was no need. I have the car back and it seems to be working fine. I hope that this is all that is wrong as we head out tomorrow. And I was correct, it was expensive. $1300 Canadian.

 

[HecticArt]

That’s a lotta quiche!
Good luck getting on the road.

The tire pressure sensor light has been popping on from time to time on my car. It says that there is a sensor fault, but at least the tires themselves are fine. After hearing about your sensor costs, I’m not excited to find out how much my repair is.

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

Ok. I got an e-mail from @HecticArt wondering where I was. So here is an update. As the wifi I am on down here seems to block SMTP, I will respond here.

First off, the cruise and trip down were great. I will post details when I am not on hotel computer under a timer.

On the way back we docked in NJ (just south of the Statue of Liberty) @ 7AM on Thurday June 1st. We were off the ship by 9:30AM. Our first stop was a short distance -- Scranton, PA. We got here @ about 4PM (a 2.5 hour drive). Robin kept slipping down on her wheelchair and needed to be repositioned. We got her onto the bed here and she slept until the next morning. However, on Friday morning she was too weak to move or get back on her chair. Reluctantly I had to call 9-1-1. She was admitted to the Geisenger Comunity Medical Center here in Scranton, PA that day and has been there since. She has pnemonia, a UTI and sepsis. The first 2 are repsonding well to treatment although she still requires O2. It was a big case of pnemonia in both lungs. Here sepsis is resisting treatment.

The plan is that she will be transported back to an Ontario hospital as soon as she is medically stable to transport. This could be tommorow. The timing and method of transport will be at the whim of the insuance company. Their goal will be to get her to Ontario as soon as possible as then they are off the hook for the bills. But they have been good about approving tests and procedures so far. The hospital here is top notch. It is far and above any hospital I have ever seen in Canada. I am under no illusions that I could afford any of it without insurance.

My boss has been understanding as I have had an extra week (and counting) off work. The insurance company will recoup $150/day in expenses which should cover most of my hotel bills. I have been taking advantage of Apple Maps navigating around Scranton. I discovered that as long as you have WiFi/data when you enter the route, you don't need to be under data to be navigated. Nice feature.

So I hope to be back home as early as tommorow. My wife is looking at likely 2 more weeks in hospital somewhere at least.

A couple things about Scranton, PA:

• The Office was filmed here. I recognize several landmarks from the show. I guess when they were filming they integrated themselves into the communtity as well.
• Traffic lights in Scranton seem to be a suggestion. I have seen several people run red lights. Yellow lights mean hit the gas.
• People drive here like they did in Boston, if they feel like pulling out in front of you, they will.
• Most streets/avenues are named after Presidents including the current one. They have a Biden Street and a President Biden Expressway. My assumption is before 2021 they were Trump Street and President Trump Expressway but you never know. But there is a Madison, Jefferson, Washington, Harrison streets to name a few.

 

[Channel98]

Traffic lights in Scranton seem to be a suggestion. I have seen several people run red lights. Yellow lights mean hit the gas.

Sounds just like Glendale!

Joe Biden was born in Scranton. In July 2021, Scranton City Council unanimously approved renaming Spruce Street as Biden Street and renaming the Central Scranton Expressway as the President Joseph R. Biden Jr. Expressway. Scranton never had a Trump Street – but there is a Trump Drive in Kalispell, Montana. It was named for Donald Trump before he announced his bid for the Presidency. It is a short street with only 17 houses.

I am praying Mrs. IRBS gets well enough that she can be out of the hospital and back in her own home. And soon.

 

[HecticArt]

Dood! I hope she's feeling better soon! Tell her I said hi.
I had pneumonia before. It SUCKED!

Thanks for checking in. We thought that you were supposed to be back from vacation a little while ago.

 

[Aaron]

Hope she gets well again real soon, and back to your home!

 

[sadchild]

I had a feeling something was awry. Sorry to hear but I'm certainly glad to learn it wasn't something like a plane crash or sunken ship. Also glad to hear your wife is overcoming two of those three conditions so far.