Now that I am grown and controlled by Parkinson's, riding in the car had become a terrorizing experience. We had a 1990 Ford Taurus that was so uncomfortable I would be in tears by the end of a half hour trip. The seat hit me wrong and my legs would cramp. I  would try every adjustment there was to try to stay comfortable, all to no avail. So when we went shopping for a new car I insisted on a passenger power seat. What a difference! Seems strange that around the same time that we invested in a comfortable car, I had DBS surgery so it is hard to say which had more influence on my comfort. They both cost about the same.
   
I still love to travel and especially in the car, I have found some tips that really help make the trip more enjoyable. Always take a bottle of fresh water, it can help prevent constipation by keeping you full of liquids and it is handy for taking pills. On a long trip spread out the driving so that you have time to get out of the car at least every hour. If you don't need a bathroom break, stop and take some pictures, buy a souvenir, get a snack.

  
We like to get up early and go then stop by 3:00 or 4:00 PM. The traffic is much lighter in the morning. Rarely do we drive after our dinner meal. That is my husband's nap time. Early in our marriage I found the only way to get to go to San Francisco was to take an interest in the Giants (the 49ers would have had the same effect but the Giants tickets were much cheaper and easier to find) Last week we drove to San Francisco and attended a Giant game. We used to take my mother-in-law and one year I wrote for tickets for all of us asking for the best seats available since she was 88 years old and a fan. They gave us seats behind home plate, 8 rows up! I continue to tell my mother-in-law that even when she is gone we will use her to get the best seats available. It is sad she can't go any longer even though she is still with us, she turns 99 this year.

    
We have stayed in the historic hotels downtown but this trip we opted for less expensive hotels, one night in Pleasant Hill Courtyard, and the other night at the Sheridan in Concord, each cost $55.00 on priceline. Rather than drive downtown we took BART. We went to a day game at PacBell park, our first visit. They must have an especially strong security system because it turned my stimulator off. Fortunately I usually have my magnet with me. My husband was carrying it in a back pack with our coats, camera, and our BART tickets. Well, my magnet are really strong too and they demagnetized my BART ticket! I was saved by a less than understanding ticket master thought "She will never return, no, she will never return, her fate is still unknown......".

The second day we were there, we went shopping at China Town and bought two gorgeous table clothes and two matching serving bowls. Also found a large wooden jewelry box with eight compartments. I just couldn't live without a large bamboo steamer. The stores in China town are wonderful, I could have bought a lot more but my husband was really loaded down. It was really handy to have taken a back pack to carry the serving bowls and table cloths.

What fun, but then again we always have fun when we travel. Next month look for our adventure from the Alaskan cruise for Parkinson's.

jjjane

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