And the verdict is.....

7:02 am - Saturday - July 27th - LPG&RVR - 61° F, humidity 35%, wind 4 mph out of the northeast.....smokey, cloudy skies continue with a forecast high of 84° F.  On this date in 2012 TLE were on US-101 crossing the Olympic Peninsula....we stopped at a turnout by Crescent Lake for a break.....

 

.....the view this morning.....

Ash on our umbrella and dining canopy from the local fires

As you know I had an appointment at Great Basin Orthopedics set for Friday at 10:45 am.  It takes around 2 hours and 40 minutes to make the 150 mile drive, so we were up early, and on the road by 7:30 am.  As we drove west on Jess Valley Road to US-395 I happened to glance at the gas gauge and was slightly alarmed to see that we had just over 1/4 tank.  This meant we had just over 4 gallons of gas left in our 12 gallon tank.  Theoretically we get around 28-30 mpg, so that meant we would have to get gasoline well before we reached Reno.  The nearest gas station south of Likely is in Standish....70 miles away.  To the north, in Alturas, are gas stations, but that would be a 40 mile round trip, and have us arriving in Reno right at my appointment time.....too close for comfort.  We rarely ever let the tank get below 1/4 tank, and rarely, if ever have we seen the low gas warning light flash in the 10 years we have owned the 2001 VW Beetle.  The reading on the odometer was 262 miles, and we have been over 300 on a single tank of bas before, but to reach Standish we would see the odometer exceed 330 miles for the first time we have ever owned this vehicle.  How accurate is the gas gauge, right?  

As we neared US-395 I made the decision to turn left, and head south for Standish, hoping we would not run out of gas.  Well, to make a long story a tad shorter the low gas warning light came on about 1 mile from the gas station in Standish, so we probably had around 1 gallon left....maybe a little more.  Gas prices in Northern California for premium unleaded are quite high, and at the Standard Station in Standish it was $5.89/gallon, so I took on just enough gas to get us to Reno with a couple gallons to spare.  The same gas is around $4.59/gallon in Reno.

We arrived at Great Basin Orthopedics around 10:10 am for the 10:45 am appointment, and I'm glad we did, because my name was called around 10:25 am, and by 10:30 am I was getting my knee XRAYed.  By 10:40 am Dr. Hyda entered the small room to give me the diagnosis of what is causing my kneed pain.  In my mind I was imagining a torn meniscus, or the Baker's Cyst some thought I had.  What I heard was none of those things.  I have some minor arthritis in my kneed, plus some bone on bone contact on the left side of my knee joint.  Dr. Hyda indicated I was a long way from needing a knee replacement.....Thank You Jesus!  He opted to give me a cortisone shot, which would 'calm' everything down in the knee, which should be good for 6 months.  That will relieve the swelling, plus abate the pain.  He is referring me to a physical therapist in Alturas, and wants me to continue walking, and riding my bike.  Within 30 seconds of administering the shot the pain and stiffness began to recede, and by the time we finished our shopping at the local Smith's I was walking normally again......double WOW!!!  As I write this morning the swelling on the front and back of my knee is gone, and I have ZERO pain.....my cup runneth over!

After shopping we filled the tank with $4.59/gallon premium unleaded (a full $1.30/gallon less than California), headed over to TJ's to get a few things, then began the 2 hour and 40 minute drive home arriving without incident around 2:40 pm....just a tad over 7 hours after leaving LPG&RVR.....not bad!  The air quality in Reno was exceptional, but as we entered the Madeline Plains, just south of Likely, the smoke returned.  It almost has the nuclear winter kind of look right now.

We spent the evening with Charles and Phyllis eating good food, sipping good wine, and talking non-stop as we always do.  When you've got two Houghtaling (Hoteling) girls in the room, there is never a shortage of conversation.....lol!

In just hours I am going to play 18 holes with Charles (another thing Dr. Hyda said I could do), and I am really looking forward to doing that with no pain in my knee for a change.  Age catches us with us all, eventually, but here I am at almost age 75 with very few joint problems....my hips feel great, as do my ankles.  Until a few months ago I could have said the same about my knees.

Thanks for stopping by!