The Adventure South in Dora the Explorer

Day 11

Last night right before bed, Woody had another bad episode. He was panting, pacing, howling, and distressed, obviously in pain. The muscles near his shoulder and down his leg were contracting when I touched them. I tried massaging him, but he would have none of it.  I finally took him outside on the grass away from the other dogs and he seemed to walk it off. I have no clue what’s going on, but today he is fine. Fingers crossed that me remains okay.

Saturday, Wow! I have no idea what day it is until I call a friend and wonder why she’s not at work. In fact I call lots of friends and spend hours on my cell while driving 75 MPH down the freeway - 52 East which is essentially a two-lane highway, to I94 East, eventually heading south tomorrow morning on I90. I practice some cat-cow moves to keep my spine and neck supple; it’s easy to do when I’m on the phone and driving. It feels like I have been out of touch for months!  A blizzard is peppering snow down causing limited visibility on 52E, but that’s the norm in North Dakota. I know because I lived here for 18 months a few decades ago.

Clear highway

The morning starts off with a decline on my Wells Fargo card. Grrrr! It happened yesterday in Canada, I called and supposedly the problem was fixed and it wouldn’t happen again. But it did the very next time I used the card. I call again and they connect me to the fraud department. Apparently, even though I had the travel plan in effect they ‘flagged’ the account because I made multiple gas purchases in one day. Well, I am driving across country so yes I will have more than one gas purchase in a day. They assure me it is for my own protection. Well, okay but let’s get it straightened out because not only is it embarrassing when someone tells me my card is declined, making a phone call and being put on hold is time wasted that I could be driving. They apologize and say the account is no longer flagged. Let’s hope not!

The gas prices are a welcoming relief; some places are near $3/gallon – beats the hell out of $4.75+ in Homer! As I continue across North Dakota it keeps snowing and snowing and blowing. The good news is nothing is sticking to the road. I am finally able to drive out of it near the Minnesota border. Seems like snow follows me no matter where I go – I have been accused of bringing bad weather to places more than once.

the road east

 I can tell I’m in the Midwest because multiple radio stations are broadcasting college football games and I am passing racecars on the freeway headed to the track for Saturday night races. J I now feel like I am making progress on this journey. I cross two states today and am near the Wisconsin border. On to Chicago, Indiana and Ohio tomorrow to visit family, hopefully arriving in the Carolinas on Thursday after the Perfect Storm has passed.

Now that I don’t have to spend all my waking energy on road conditions, I’m able to brainstorm some ideas. A 6-bedroom, 4-bath house awaits me in the historical district of Hendersonville zoned commercial, essentially meaning the possibilities are endless. The house has an interesting history; built in the 20’s it was a naturopathic school in the 1940’s owned by Dr. Dahl, and is locally referred to as the Dahl House. I have lots of ideas for what to do with it, one being to continue the tradition and create a healing center. That might include a massage therapist, an acupuncturist, or maybe an energy healer. For me personally, I may convert the large living area into a yoga studio, and also offer art workshops. I will for sure have a guest room for anyone that wants to come for a visit. This reinvention/transformation is exciting. Who knows where this adventure may lead? Stay tuned for the Tales of the Dahl House blog.

Day 11 ends outside a Pilot’s Travel Plaza near Minneapolis where we are sandwiched between two semi-trucks in a parking lot full of tractor-trailers. We are grateful for a van named Dora that has kept us safe along this amazing journey Tomorrow we will cross 3, maybe even 4 states as we near the Perfect Storm.