Written by Dave

We are in Carson City, Nevada to visit my family and some old friends (and more snow – 2-3 feet!).  This week Nancy got some good news, two thumbs up on recovery progress from Tahoe Fracture and Orthopedic.  Well, not all of Tahoe Fracture, but rather two of my old friends who have ended up at Tahoe Fracture as orthopedic doctors.  I’ve know Pete Costa and Mike Edmunds since we were all about 10 years old, growing up together in Carson City.  Mike has done some great work on several of my family members, repairing various knees and hips and we joined the Mike club when he worked us in to his busy schedule for a visit on Monday to check on how the collar bone recovery was progressing.  

Nancy had an x-ray taken and Mike confirmed new bone growth was starting and things were looking good at the 5-week mark.  Pete also took a look at the x-rays and agreed.  Nancy and I were a little stunned to see EIGHT screws but we were told that this is all normal.  The x-ray clearly shows new bone growth filling in the fracture gaps (light grey colour).  An early April start for our ride when we return to Oz is still possible – review of final x-rays when we return will be key. 

 Lots of calcium and vitamin D on the menu now.  We also got some range of motion exercises to do so I have another way to torture Nancy for the next few weeks.  Nancy is diligently riding an exercise bike each day and we are taking long walks around the neighborhood – which is harder than it sounds when you are doing it at 5500ft and you are used to living at sea level!  We did see a bobcat the other day, and lots of deer roaming about so at least there is something to distract us as we huff and puff up the hills. 

Funnily enough, Tahoe Fracture has been a common companion for Nancy and I through the years.  As you can see in the photos below from previous trips in NZ and Australia, one of Nancy’s all-time favourite jerseys comes from Tahoe Fracture, courtesy of Pete several years ago.  Of course, we never really expected to use the services of the clinic, but it’s nice to have good friends in the right places when you need them!

The other great thing about visiting Carson City is to remember what I looked like with hair.  Below is a photo from Pete’s wedding almost 20 years ago.  Ok, it’s not a lot of hair but more than I have now!  Left to right in the photo is Mike, me, Hank Gardner and Pete.  Hank was in Carson City this week also.  It was great to catch up with him as well.  Nancy was mildly entertained attending a couple of our BS sessions.  The four of us have known each other for 40 years – and some of the old stories no doubt have taken on mythical proportions through the years.

So, things are looking good – we will enjoy a few more weeks with our families before we finally start the big adventure.

One more photo, here’s Nancy showing off her new collar bone and the snow!