Tales of Travelling Doc - Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico

During my stint as an OB/GYN in Carlsbad, New Mexico, I had the opportunity to visit the famous Carlsbad Caverns. I was blown away!

The trip from my hotel to the caverns took 30 minutes. I was off call that day, so I could take a deep breath and enjoy the scenery without my pager or cell phone interrupting me. Yay! I made the left turn at the sign for Carlsbad Caverns. At first I thought I had made the wrong turn as I didn't see anything that looked like caverns to me. But I kept driving along a winding road. About to turn back, I finally saw a sign. Yes, I was going in the right direction. More winding. More mountains (all rock). Aha, another sign to slow down. Up. Up. Up. I arrive at the State Park and loopty-loo into the parking lot where I park "my Mustang". Yee Haw. I've arrived.

I read on their website to bring a light jacket as the temperatures inside the caves are cool, around 50's F year round. So I grab my sweatshirt and camera. I'm off, along with all the other tourists.

My eyes widen. The entrance fee is only $6.00. In New York, 6 bucks won't get you very far. For this admission price, you can walk through  The Great Entrance (about 1.5 hours) and through The Big Room (1.5 hours). Actually you can spend the whole day there marveling at the stalagmites, stalactites, and formations that are breathtaking. For additional fees, one can take ranger guided tours of other parts of the caves. I took one of the King's Cave. It was informative but not stellar. I much preferred wandering through the massive Entrance and Big Room, reading all the illuminated signs with a description of what your looking at, the science behind it, and the history of the caves.

Between the two self-guided tours, I took a break in the cafeteria. The food was actually delicious and reasonably priced. I visited the bookstore and the gift shop.

Then I got a seat at the Bat Flight Amphitheater. Around 8:29 p.m. the bats swirled counterclockwise in groups from the cave and flew off to hunt insects for the night. They are such interesting mammals. The Bat Flight is absolutely free! No pictures are allowed, though, as the bats' ears are super-sensitive! After watching these fabulous creatures for about 45 minutes (it took that long for all the bats to exit), I had a pleasant walk back to "my Mustang" and drove back to the hotel tired, but thrilled at my exciting day trip to Carlsbad Caverns. Enjoy some pics I took there.

Tales of a Travelling Doc -Carlsbad, New Mexico

So I've been absent for a couple months. I've been busy finalizing the edits on my romantic suspense novel, IF MEMORY SERVES, due for release September 15, 2012 through Mitchell Morris Publishing, and guest blogging over at JordynRedwood.com. And yes, I have been travelling, too! Now to catch you up on my tales fron Carlsbad, New Mexico.

Carlsbad is in the southeast corner of New Mexico and soooo far away from my home in New York. To get to Carlsbad from NY is a mere 12 hour journey, not including the two hour time difference. After I cram everything in a carry on suitcase, which is a feat in itself because I refuse to check in any baggage (the subject of another blog), I board a plane in White Plains Airport (the subject of yet another blog) and fly to Hartsfield Airport in Atlanta Georgia. Hartsfield is huge airport but they have moving passengers from gate to gate perfected. Their awesome shuttle trains get you there on time. I give Hartsfield five stars. Plus their electronic boards with arrivals/departures are easy to read and updated.

From Atlanta, I fly to El Paso, Texas. Carlsbad, although a well known tourist destination for Carlsbad Caverns, does not have a significant airport. El Paso, to me, was a surprisingly small international airport. The outside looks quite dated with its green awnings, but the inside is nice, clean, and has multiple gift, food, miscellaneous shops.

From El Paso, I pick up a rental car. And, yee haw, so far I've driven a cherry red Mustang and a black Mustang (pics below.) Then it's a short three hour drive across 62/180. A lot of cacti and no bathrooms. I learned not to drink too much on this stretch. There is a rest stop with facilities, but the road is fairly desolate and I wouldn't risk going into a deserted woman's bathroom. I cross my legs a lot on this journey.

62/180 is picturesque, once I got over the fact that it's flat and not green (nothing like NY in the summer) I enjoyed the different topography. I discovered that there is a border patrol check point on the way from Texas to New Mexico, but not the over way. This was a change. I patiently stood in the line of vehicles until told to proceed forward. Of course I whipped out my NY driver's license as a border patrol agent rounded my Mustang with his German shepherd. Okay. I was allowed to proceed.

Onward down 62/180 which leads straight to Carlsbad, I gazed at majestic "rock" mountains. The pass through the Guadalupe Mountains is impressive.

So 3 hours later, I check into the hotel with legs crossed! Unpacking, I rest up for my stint as a locum tenens OB.

I learned to vent the car windows, having burned my hands on the steering wheel my first day there. Temperatures during the day ranges from 99-107 and at 5 p.m, it's about 102. On my nights not on call or if it's quiet at Carlsbad Medical Center, I like to walk along the paths surround the Pecos River, called, of course, the Pecos Riverwalk. I don't venture out there until dusk as the heat overwhelms me. The Riverwalk is scenic and well lit. I am among many out there in the evenings.

This is how my stint began. More to come. Stay tuned  and I'll catch you up on more of my adventures in New Mexico. For now, enjoy my pics.

Flesh Eating Disease

Hi There,

I'm guest blogging today about Necrotizing Fasciitis (Flesh Eating Disease) at www.jordynredwood.com. So if your medically inclined or just curious, stop on by!

The Death of a Child

Today I am filled with sorrow for the parent's of an eight year old child, Max, who died unexpectantly from meningitis. Memory Eternal. I dedicate The Lord's Prayer, chanted here so beautifully in Russian.

Tales of a Travelling Doctor - a trip to Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Factory

I'm still in Morrisville, Vermont but I've managed adventures not far  from this small town. For example, on Friday I took a quick trip to Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Factory in Waterbury, Vt. The snow on the the ground put me in the mood to seek ice cream, and there's definitely an upside to eating ice cream in the winter - it doesn't melt!

A straight shot down Vermont 100 south, I arrived at the ice cream kingdom shortly before noon. Parking ample, I was certainly not the first one there. Giddy at my uneventful drive, I popped out of my car, crunched over the snow, and ran up the outside stairs to the sign pointing me in the right direction. After snapping several pics of this palace, I burst through the main doors and skipped to to the cashier who was positioned in front of a VW van driven by a cow (not a real one, but a cardboard cut out just as cool). Oh yes! I want a ticket for the ice cream tour. The noon tour was sold out so I got into the 12:30 one. The nice guy behind the counter handed me my ticket (a whopping $4) and informed me to proceed to the tour door at the sound of a cow bell. Cool!

While I waited for my tour, I meandered about the gift shop, picking out my planned purchases after the tour. Ring a ding. Ring a ding. Ooh, it's that cow bell. Now I get to see how Cherry Garcia and Chunky Monkey are made!

My tour guide was a humorous, chubby guy. He gets to eat all the ice cream he wants! He led us to the first part of the tour, a mini-movie theater where we got a glimpse into the history of Ben and Jerry's.

I found out that Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield met in gym class in the 60's in Merrick, Long Island, both overweight boys and the object of ridicule. They've been friends ever since. Briefly separated during their college years, they reconnected after their lives didn't quite go as planned. Ben dropped out of college while Jerry was rejected by medical schools. In 1977 they took a $5 correspondence course with an open book exam. The rest is ice cream history. After spending their life savings, these two opened up their first store in a Burlington, Vt gas station. They were a hit. Unable to keep up with the demand for their funky and creative cones and sundaes, they needed bigger digs including renting space in an old bobbin mill. Ultimately, they left Burlington for their new found factory in Waterbury, Vt where they've become locally, nationally, and internationally known.

After the film, we were escorted to the "plant" area where we viewed the workers through a window above the production area. No pics allowed here. Our tour guide explained the steps your Ben and Jerry's pint of ice cream goes through. Wow! 250,000 pints per day are made! Ben and Jerry always socially conscience, the factory closes completely when workers are involved in any given community service.

The third and final part of the tour is the flavor lab where newest concoctions are dreamed of and tested. The free sample of the day was mint chocolate chunk. Everyone got a cup. And there were extras!

On my way out, I bought tee shirts, two stuffed cows (toys!), and ice cream flavored lip gloss. Of course I stopped at the ice cream shop where I ordered a small cup of the Jimmy Fallon inspired Late Night flavor, the newest Ben and Jerry addition featuring vanilla ice cream with chunks of chocolate covered potato chips and pretzels. Yum!

Tummy full and a bag of gift bag goodies in hand, I left Ben and Jerry's that much happier. Enjoy my pics of ice cream heaven.

Tales of a Travelling Doctor- Map Quest Snafu

I left Springfield, Vt confident I'd arrive at the Maple Inn B&B without any problem. My map quest showed told me it was only a one hour and 50 minutes drive. Looked pretty simple. By the way, I don't like listening to a GPS, nor do I trust it (recalculating! recalculating!). And all was going well. The roads were exactly as described. Oh, happy day! I pulled into Maple Street, an unplowed rural road. Something wasn't right. I'd seen pictures of the Bed and Breakfast that I had been booked at, but none of these homes looked like that.

Luckily there was a house with a car in the drive. Somebody must be home. I pulled in. I get out of my car and sink into snow. This would have not bothered me had I wore boots. But no! I'm from New York where aside from a freak October snowstorm, we've had unseasonably warm temperatures. So of course I wore my clogs. My clogs stuffed with snow, I ventured to the front door and knocked. The kindest woman answered. I showed her my map quest directions. We had a giggle. I inputted 103 Maple Street in Moretown, Vt instead of 103 Maple St in Morrisville Vt. Oh no. As Homer Simpson would say, "Doi!" She printed me a new map. I drove twenty miles in the wrong direction. Not so confident now, am I?

So off I went in the right direction. Things were back on track except....the large coffee I drank was knocking on my bladder. I scoured the roads for any place that might have a restroom, feeling every bump in the road while praying for relief. Aha! A gasoline station with a Dunkin' Doughnuts store. I thought of Homer Simpson. Legs crossed, I bolted inside and discovered a super clean bathroom. Thank you, Lord. Bladder situation under control, I got back on the road with a bag of Good and Plenty licorice I bought at the store to calm my frayed nerves.

The rest of the trip scenic, I found 103 Maple Street, MORRISVILLE without further incident. Here are some gorgeous pics of the B&B.

Tales of a Travelling Doctor - Springfield, Vt. Home of The Simpsons

I'm actually in Morrisville, Vt. now, having left Springfield Vermont yesterday. I was very busy delivering babies and seeing patients in the office so I could not post during that week. Today it's snowing in Morrisville and it's slow at the hospital.

Springfield, a small post industrial town such as Claremont, New Hampshire (less than a 30 minute drive), has it's high points, namely The Simpsons.  Springfield, Vt. was the chosen site for The Simpson Movie debut. It showed in the historic downtown theater.

I caught up with Homer and his family at the Springfield Chamber of Commerce. They were all very hospitable. Doughnuts were the order of the day.

When not in the hospital, I meandered about the town. Downtown is small, but quaint, with some restaurants and a few shops. You pretty much blink and you're through the downtown.

The highlight for me, other than The Simpsons, was worshiping at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, just right down the street from the hospital. Father Peter Carmichael and all the parishoners welcomed me. Sunday we celebrated Forgiveness, the last Sunday before Lent. I still can't do stairs without wincing as I kneeled and bowed my head to the floor about 50 times as I asked forgiveness from everyone there. A moving service. However, I'm not moving now. Sitting is OK.

So there you have it. I'll be posting about Morrisville, a stone's throw from Stowe this week. See you then. It's time for my Motrin!