Today, I went to Corbin, Kentucky. Not because it’s the birthplace of KFC (which they claim it is), but for the Corbin Pinball Museum. These guys supposedly have over 100 pinball machines that are maintained for YOU to play. I didn’t actually count, but I … Continue reading Kentucky 2026 Trip Report (Day 4)
(continued from Day 2) When I woke up, shortly after 4 AM, I was still lying on the tile floor in the dark. I carefully relocated to the bed. This was not the painful experience I had feared. In fact, I felt fine. Which is … Continue reading Kentucky 2026 Trip Report (Day 3)
I slept in again today. The plan was to visit Hensley Settlement in the afternoon. “What is Hensley Settlement?” you ask. Well, you’re asking the wrong guy, because I never got there. Y’see, my GPS software apparently decided it was time for another battle of wits. I didn’t have an address or longitude / latitude for Hensley Settlement; I just browsed the area on Google Maps, and tapped the Hensley Settlement icon.
The GPS started by having me take the main road out of town (Middlesboro, KY). Then it had me take a very sharp right turn (probably about 160 degrees) onto an alleged state highway. This was a seriously winding, hilly, and narrow road. After several miles, this road ended at a junction with another seriously winding, hilly, and narrow “state highway”. I drove several more miles on this road before the GPS told me to turn right onto an even crazier road. This road was also seriously twisty and hilly, but it was only one lane (and it didn’t claim to be a state highway).
I kept my eyes peeled for potential pull-out and/or turn-around spots along the way but did not spot any before the road morphed into someone’s driveway, and I was surrounded by a pack of barking dogs. As if it wasn’t hard enough to get turned around while a pack of dogs is all around your vehicle, one little shit (a schnauzer) kept darting under my vehicle. Fortunately, the lady of the household popped her head out the front door and bellowed a mighty “HUSH!” And just like that, there were no more dogs, and I cleared the Hell outta there.
When I got back to the state highway, the GPS told me to head the way I had come from. Then it instructed me to turn right (the opposite side of the road from the driveway it had just sent me on). I took a quick glimpse. This road looked even steeper, windier, and narrower than that driveway. On top of that, I hadn’t seen a single road sign mentioning Hensley Settlement. So, with tears in my eyes and my money on my mind, I decided to call it a day and just wander aimlessly around southeast Kentucky to see what I could find.
Nothing. I found nothing. I eventually returned to Middlesboro, where I had some cheap Mexican food for dinner before retreating to my hotel. Once in my hotel room, I did some stuff on my laptop. In the name of convenience (i.e., not having to move hotel furniture around), I got myself into a somewhat uncomfortable position while using the laptop. So, I was not terribly surprised when I couldn’t get to sleep due to pain in my back.
What did surprise me was the fact that the pain started spreading. I applied approximately 2.35 buttloads of IcyHot to the area where the pain seemed to be originating. This did nothing. In fact, at this point, my whole body felt cramped. I took an extra dose of Carbidopa / Levodopa and a couple of Ibuprofen tablets. Still, it got worse. Soon, not only did I feel cramped all over, I also felt like I could vomit or experience explosive diarrhea at any moment.
At this point, I started debating whether to go to a hospital. But I quite convincingly told myself it was chilly enough outside that I would need to get dressed, and I didn’t think I could dress myself at that point. So, no horse pistol for me. After hovering over the toilet for a few minutes, I actually began to feel better. Soon, only the original back pain remained. And it felt like it would be eased just by laying on my back on a hard, flat surface.
So, I put my back on the tile portion of the hotel room floor and did my best to relax … (to be continued) …
On day one, I did what most people do on a vacation. I rested. Yes, I slept until 11 AM! Still felt weak and tired, though. Eventually, I got myself together and drove in to Cumberland Gap National Historic Park. I started with the winding, … Continue reading Kentucky 2026 Trip Report (Day 1)
Over the course of the last month and a half, I have on three seperate occasions accidentally thwacked my right elbow on a door frame or door. This first two times, it hurt for a few minutes then it was OK. This last time has been a different story. I now experience a flare-up of pain in that elbow whenever I try to lift anything with that arm. This is especially ungood when you realize my right arm is my “good arm”. The left arm is already weak.
So, as I was packing for my drive to Kentucky, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to lift my own luggage. Ultimately, I ended up loading the luggage into the space between the front and back seats of my minivan, rather than in the pit behind the back row as planned. This was probably a good call. I probably could’ve gotten everything into the pit OK, but I doubt I could have lifted the big bag back out. In fact, when I got to my hotel room, I absolutely could not lift that bag onto the bed. So, for now it sits on the floor between the beds. Open…so I have to squat to get things out of it. But I need to be doing more squats, so perhaps it all works out for the better.
Day 7: Question: Did you know that the railroads in the game of Monopoly were actual railroads? Answer (circle one): Yes No I ask because my destination on Day 7 of this here Maryland trip was the B & O Railroad Museum. And, folks, this … Continue reading Maryland 2025 Trip Report (The Last Several Days)
Day 4: I had set aside Day 4 as a beach day. Just hangin’ out on the beach, reading a book, occasionally splashin’ around on the water a bit. But I hadn’t brought a beach chair with me, and I didn’t see anywhere to get … Continue reading Maryland 2025 Trip Report (Days 4 through 6)
Day 2: One of the items that was on my list of things to do in Maryland was to drive the Harriett Tubman Underground Railway Byway. To me, beginning this trek at the nearby Harriett Tubman Museum seemed sensible. Now, I already knew Harriet Tubman … Continue reading Maryland 2025 Trip Report (Days 2 and 3)
Day One of this trip was dedicated to the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad (WMSR). WMSR offers multiple trips on their system. I opted for the Frostburg Flyer. This route runs from Cumberland, Maryland to Frostbite Falls, Minnesota. Wait a minute, that doesn’t sound right. Lemme … Continue reading Maryland 2025 Trip Report (Day 1)
This trip did not start well. While packing yesterday, I couldn’t find my neck pillow. Fortunately, today’s flight is a short one, so I’m hoping my neck will be OK. On the drive to the airport, I had a collision. Specifically, the sideview mirror on the passenger side collided with a road construction sign that was sticking out from the curb. Lucky for me that my mirrors can be folded inward. I was afraid the mirror was damaged, but I stopped to check it out, I found it had just been partly folded inward. It was fine once I manhandled it back into place.
After two more near-collisions, I got to the Charlotte airport, where I chose to make use of the wheelchair service. My pusher got me to the TSA checkpoint and helped me unload all the stuff that needed to go through the X-ray machines. He then waited in the recombobulation area while I went into a private screening room for the full pat-down. Now that I have the pat-down down pat, it didn’t take long until I was back in the wheelchair. The pusher didn’t start pushing right away, so I figured he was just giving me more time to recombobulate. So, I got my belt, shoes, phone, etc. all in place and fastened. Again, though, no response from the pusher.
After waiting a moment longer, I formally announced that I was ready to head to the gate. The pusher asked whether I was certain; I confirmed, and off we went to the gate. Gate A24. Those of you who are frequent flyers based in Charlotte know what this means. Y’see, gate 24 is part of a recently completed extension of an existing concourse. This new area is a LONG walk from the terminal.
As I was de-wheelchairing, I went to grab my carry-on bag from the rack at the back of the wheelchair. It wasn’t there. A brief conversation with the pusher man revealed that one pair of TSA employees had been inspecting my carry-on while another pair was inspecting me in the privacy of the screening room. Apparently, the bag inspectors had not finished by the time I was ready to go.
Despite my morning mirror mishap, I still had plenty of time left before my flight. Wheelchair man undertook the long walk back to the TSA checkpoint, leaving the wheelchair with me as collateral. The TSA folks let him take the bag and haul it all the way out to gate A24 and a waiting Cedric. And so, I recognize that I have another…
PD Travel Tip:
Always keep track of your own bag(s). Specifically, don’t trust airport or TSA employees to track your bags for you, even if you are required to leave a bag in their custody.
I boarded the plane normally and, despite not having a neck pillow, I also slept normally.
After picking up my rental car, I made the 2.5-hour drive to Cumberland, Maryland. I found a Mexican restaurant there called El Rio Grande. This turns out to be a small chain, that has no relation to the small chain of restaurants in Colorado that use the same name. Unlike the Colorado chain, the one here in Maryland does not put insane amounts of alcohol in their margaritas. But they make up for it by serving HUGE margaritas. I could only drink about half of one. Oh, yeah. Food was excellent, too.
Tomorrow’s destination: A scenic train ride.
