We’ve been meaning to write some travel posts for the last couple of weeks, but things keep changing and now it all seems so superficial with this Coronavirus thing going on.
We are somewhat doing the self-quarantine thing, we’re just 2 of us in our van, and we’re not going where crowds of people are (we just turned around and left Carlsbad Caverns Visitor Center because it was crawling with tourists), but some things are more difficult for us…
We need to buy diesel regularly, that’s not too bad until the pump doesn’t work and we need to run inside to get help from the attendant).
Buying food is also a challenge – my brother and his wife back home are doing all their shopping at midnight, when the stores are not crowded. But we’re needing places to park the van for the night and it’s not easy to find a place after dark (or maintain dibs on one if we leave to go shopping), so this is one we’re struggling with. We just try not to stand too near anyone in any grocery store, and we diligently wash our hands after shopping.
But what about the virus remaining viable in the air for several hours after a person coughs or sneezes? That’s the scariest part. So we’re self-distancing as much as possible, but sometimes I worry if that’s enough.
Also, filling up with water – it’s already not the easiest thing to find on the road (how many times have you seen a highway sign that says “GAS FOOD LODGING WATER – NEXT RIGHT”?) but we’re making do somehow, and again, washing hands after filling up.
And now we’re having new thoughts: Shannon’s upcoming gig in Iowa is for Interventional Radiology which is usually a kind of elective procedure. Will hospitals cancel elective procedures as the pandemic expands? Are we driving all the way to Iowa only to find when we get there that her contract has been cancelled? Will they try to pull her into the Emergency Room or ICU to work with Covid-19 patients?
We don’t know how this is going to play out and it gets a little more uncertain every day.
But for now we’re healthy and feeling good and trying to enjoy the road. We’ll see what happens as the days go by…