Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Illness and hiking: Perfect together

Not like anyone gives a rip, but I've been sick as a frelling dog. Lung hacking. Head throbbing. Voice rasping. Nose running. Oh yeah, I've been a real treasure to deal with lately. And least we forget the blood I've been hacking up.

I was sent home from work Thursday morning because I was coughing so hard. I was borderline bronchitis into pneumonia. I was a mess.

So what does any logical person such as myself do at times like this?

Go on holiday and go hiking, of course.

We left last Thursday and didn't come home until Saturday night ... late. Not a big vacation but a get-away none the less.

The hotel we stayed at, the Shannon Inn and Pub in the Poconos, was a dive in the making. You could tell that, at one point in it's existence, it was nice. It was average to me. Geo hated it. Then again, Geo hates everything. Dinker was indifferent, but what else would you expect from a three year old?

We travelled to Scranton to check out Steamtown. That was cool. All these old trains and cars everywhere. Geo nicked some lumps of coal for me (isn't he sweet?) The Dinker got a wooden train whistle and a railroad crossing lollipop sign for her bedroom. We got there too late to take the full blown tour, so we'll probably go back again.

And of course, do you think anyone rememebered to bring a camera to Steamtown? Stupid family.

We also went to Stroudsburg. Not a damn thing exciting there.

The hit of the trip was Bushkill Falls. It is beautiful there. It was the perfect day to hike, too - cool air amplified by nature and no rain. I want to go back again and hike the full trail. We would have this time but none of us were properly dressed to do a 2.5 mile hike (Dink and I in terrain sandals and Geo in his flip flops). Guaranteed, we will go back there.

The Dinker held her own trudging up and down the mountainside. Geo took a lot of really nice shots with his new Rebel XT. I was making sure I didn't fall over and pass out from coughing. That moist air from the falls did wonders for my lungs. Seriously. I think that's how I coughed the infection staright out of me.

If you like nature, hiking, or just looking at pretty flowing water, I strongly recommend Bushkill Falls.

So there you have it. Our Family Vacation by Maidink.

You can stop yawning now.


5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Did your hacking go away on the vacation then?
It's no fun to be coughing in a seedy motel.

CrankyProf said...

If you'd traveled a few more miles up rt. 209, to Milford, you could have explored the area I lived in when I went to HS. (Actually, I went to a Catholic HS in East Stroudsburg...) Oh, and in Milford, the seediest of motels is the Sherilyn -- the local no-tell motel. I was the night manager there for a bit right after I got my undergrad degree.

Maidy said...

Whinger ~ Nope. Hacking stayed with me for the duration. Doc FINALLY prescribed heavy duty kick-butt drugs. Much better now.

CP ~ That might have been a fun gig. Was it the kind of motel that charged by the hour and pro-rated porn for the minutes you really needed it?

CrankyProf said...

Yeah -- the slaze was already cued up to "the good parts." And all the free kleenex you could use!

Maidy said...

CP ~ Ewww!