ADVENTURES IN MOBILITY

This afternoon, we embark on a new adventure – a two-week trip to Alaska and Canada.

It will be somewhat different from what we envisioned when we planned it a year and a half ago. Back then, we had no idea that my personal mobility would be severely diminished. But, as the old saying goes, men tracht und Gott lacht: people plan, and God laughs.

I can still walk, but for journeys of more than a few feet, I need to rely on my new Nitro rollator, which is a walker with four wheels and a seat. It gives me a comforting sense of balance, while simultaneously allowing me to stand more-or-less vertically as I walk. It’s a sort of hot-rod for paralytics.

My Nitro won’t help me navigate three airports in a single day, however. For that, I will have to do something for the very first time: ride a wheelchair.

I will have to get about with the tools available to me and deal with a series of hotel rooms before arriving at our cruise ship a week from now. It will be an adventure in more ways than one. But, hey - you can’t spell Alaska without ALS, am I right?

Think of it! I will finally get to see more of the 49th State than just the Anchorage airport, where I spent one hour making a connection from Seoul to Paris twenty-plus years ago. More than the view from 40,000 feet on my trips to and from Asia.

Dee and I will stand at the foot of Denali... see the view from the Inner Passage... perhaps even get a glimpse of the Aurora Borealis. It’s a real bucket list trip, and I’m happy that we planned it when we did.

If I’m posting less frequently over the next two weeks, that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.