I lit out of Minocqua at 7:00 a.m. Monday morning, enroute to my first appointment at Northwestern Cancer Center in Warrenville, IL. We live 18 miles west of town, off WI70, on Bo DI Lac Dr. I was told by a couple of older tribal gentleman that "Bo Di Lac" means "by the lake" in the Chippewa language. There are so many lakes around here (earning this region the title, "Land of Lakes") that any street could be called "by the lake".
After twenty fire minutes heading east, I made a right turn to head south on US51. My Southern Illinois family and friends might be interested to know that this US51, which is the main street of Minocqua, WI is the same US51 that is the main street of both Du Quoin, IL and Carbondale, IL.
About 620 miles apart, that could make for an interesting, but very long trip. I can imagine in it's hay day, heading south, you would come across small town after small town. Signs pointing towards their local attractions, and mom & pop shops with anything you might need, including souvenirs. Best of all, small town diners and cafes serving fresh, home style meals.
We took a trip like that, when I was 8 years old in 1970. My Grandma & Grandpa McLeish were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary, back in Clinton, IN. My Dad, Mom, and all five of us kids piled into the 1967 Ford F100, and took off from Poway, CA on a cross-country trip. I was prone to motion sickness, so I got to drive up front with dad and mom. The others rode in the back, under the cap, on a twin size mattress. For me, it was the greatest adventure of my young life.
It seems that Covid-19 may have re-kindled that spirit in the American dream. I know that up here, there is not a single cabin on the market. People from Minneapolis, Milwaukee, and Chicago bought up every one available as a way to escape from the lock-down. Camper and travel trailer sales are booming. Maybe this is what we need to save the small town American economy.
It took 6 hours to reach Warrenville. The 2:00 p.m. appointment didn't give me enough time to grab lunch first, so I drove around for a little while, just to kill time.
Today's appointment was an MRI. I checked in at the center and was ushered back to the waiting area. A nurse handed me a pair of scrub pants and pointed me towards the changing room. "Keep your tee shirt on, but everything else off".
The plan was to have a high resolution MRI of my head and neck. Today would only be my neck. I told the tech that I've had head and neck MRI's in the past, and asked why not do them both at the same time. He said it would be too much time to be in for one scan. In my macho mind I'm thinking, "Come on, I can handle it, I sleep through most of them anyway."
The neck scan took about 45 minutes. It was long and boring, but manageable. Little did I know what I had instore for the head scan the following day.
After the appointment, my stomach was pointing me to the nearest Chick-Fil-A. My affection to this particular establishment has nothing to do with anything you may have read in the news. I just like the Spicy Deluxe Chicken sandwich. So, within minutes, my craving was satisfied. I can't get them up North, so I get them when I can.
Tony and Cindy graciously offered to put me up for the night. I can't thank them enough.
Tuesday will be a busy day. First appointment is at 9:00 a.m. I better get a good night's sleep.
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