On the Road to New Orleans

I've decided that if I'm going to blog about a trip, now it's only going to be the highlights and pertinent details of the day instead of doing the exhaustive and exhausting list of Everything that happened and Everything we ran into and Everything we did...

That said our start to the trip to New Orleans almost didn't happen this time around. A week ago I'd had to have a crown replaced because a cavity had crept under it, and the bite just wasn't working. I'd already gone back once to get it fixed and was in considerable pain last night and despairing. I usually need a couple of weeks after a crown to get the bite to work again. I don't know why, exactly, but they never seem to get it right at the very first, other than one really lucky time. But John called them this morning and they had an early morning Emergency slot and they fit me into it. The bite got adjusted again and I asked for the Big Guns of something to get the nerves to calm down. It's basically a Big Pack of steroids that start BIG and then ramp down fiercely, but also affect my bloodwork for the next six month.

Given that I was going off for two weeks, it felt warranted. If worst comes to worst, I'll even try to get it adjusted again in New Orleans after we get there, if there's a need still. There are dentists everywhere.

Luckily, the dentist also tested with a cold test to see if a root canal was really needed, and given that I was completely off painkillers first thing in the morning, the test was pretty definitive about NOT needing a root canal so that is very good news. 

We also had a rash of good luck this morning. I found a reusable tissue I'd lost a week ago (it went into the laundry, basically little handkerchiefs that go in a neat little silicon pack), my prescription was ready before we got out the door, we were on the road before 10 am, we didn't get pulled over on the way to the car wash because John had lost the rear license plate off the Eurovan the other day and had called the car wash this morning and, best of luck, they had it there waiting for us. So we pulled over into their parking lot and got legal again.

Then I basically passed out in the car. I hadn't slept well for the last week. I'd been hung up on the tooth and obsessing about other things as well, and decided that the video game, Hades, was just the thing to stop my brain, and it worked a little too well. I actually finished ALL the Steam achievements for Hades the night before we left.

So I slept. Until noon. When we stopped for some lunch at a rest stop and I drove for an hour or so, got sleepy, told John and he said that we had one stop to make right then.

It was the biggest painting easel in the world. *laughs* As part of a Van Gogh museum in Goodland, Kansas. Just out in the middle of nowhere...

It was a fun way to stretch the legs and stare for a while and wonder what had inspired them to do this. There was another couple out there too, taking pictures as well. The western half of Kansas and the eastern half of Colorado are very similar, all flat high plains that are mostly suited to feed corn and winter wheat and hay production. We saw a lot of all of that along with some feed lots.

After our little venture, I fell asleep again. This time, I didn't wake up until the sun was nearly sinking, and when I offered to drive, John said that there was only half an hour left to the trip. 

He offered the view out my window as a consolation prize.  It was worth it.

We soon found our hotel, checked in, and unloaded. With the two road trips in October and December we had a system, with bags we'd packed individually, a bathroom case, a dirty clothes duffle, and a cooler with our breakfast, it all fit easily on a cart and went in no problem. 

So we freshened up and headed toward a place John had found in advance.

The Hickory Hut was something John had been anticipating before we left, and it was well worth it! John and I shared both a chicken and a ribs dinner and just split the mains. It was SOOooooooo good. Definitely go if you ever get the chance in Salina, KS. The ribs were to die for, the chicken dark meat was divine, but the breast was a little cottony for my tastes. The wing was tasty though, and the spices they use for the chicken rub was worthwhile. 

I was worried about my tooth, and the chewing wasn't painful but it wasn't quite as comfortable as I wanted. I'm afraid there's still more to be done with the bite, but the drugs are working in that I'm not really feeling it too badly. 

And I'll likely get to sleep well tonight.