Arizona

A Broken Tooth and Derailed Plans

by Ingrid

It’s 110 (bleeping) degrees Fahrenheit outside today without a cloud in the sky. It’s hot! Who would’ve thought Al and I would still be sitting in Phoenix, Arizona during the first week in June? Certainly not I. Thank goodness we have a flexible mindset and were able to readjust our plans after this most recent delay.

But it’s fricken hot 🥵 No sugar coating it by saying it’s a dry heat. Even an oven is a dry heat. Oh well, this ain’t our first rodeo experiencing extreme desert heat. We lived in Las Vegas, Nevada in the nineties. You learn to adjust.

a flowering saguaro cactus with a mountain backdrop

Our initial plan was to depart Phoenix in mid-May and point the RV toward Wisconsin, but a few things happened that derailed those plans. First and foremost is that nasty virus that shut the country down … shut the world down. We wanted to wait for some level of normalcy to return (even just a glimmer) before we hit the road.

In reality, we didn’t mind changing our departure date until after Memorial Day Weekend because one of Al’s sister’s recently (April) moved to Phoenix. We were enjoying visits with her and her husband and assisting any way we could as they settled into their new home. So a couple of extra weeks in the valley spent with family would actually be fun.

a bird with a quizzical look on a saguaro cactus

Extending our stay turned out to be a good thing, a very good thing, as I encountered a potential little hiccup in my health. A couple of medical tests later followed by a teleconference with my doctor and we were once again good to go and set a new departure date. (I’m fine BTW)

The truck was ready. The RV was ready. Al and I were ready, and after one final gathering with the family to say our goodbyes, we’d be hitting the road a couple of days later, or so we thought. The day prior to rolling, Al lost a crown while eating a relatively light lunch. No peanut brittle involved. Well, he didn’t exactly lose it, it ended up in his hand instead of being securely attached to the tooth in his mouth.

Poor Al! However, after three uncomfortable hours in the dental chair enduring some major work, he’s doing great and currently waiting on the permanent crown to be ready for installation. Turns out, that old crown and root canal were most likely older than the dentist. Now that’ll make ya feel old! 😆 So obviously, that tooth was something that needed to be taken care of before traveling and we’re glad we were still in the valley when the crown fell out.

saguaro cactus flower

As soon as Al gets his new crown installed, my crowned king and I will be hitting the road. Fingers crossed 🤞 we won’t encounter any more faux pas. We’ve already encountered one too many for my taste!

Happy trails!

94 thoughts on “A Broken Tooth and Derailed Plans”

  1. Oh wow! I’m glad you are better! I had two crowns fall off at the same time eating mashed potatoes so I know how Al felt! It is not fun! And I agree with you, hot is hot. But I will take three months of hot-is-hot over 8 months of cold and 3 feet snow any day! Well, if I was younger maybe I would take some snow, but… 🙂 I hope you enjoyed your visit with your sister! Have an awesome adventure out there and stay safe!

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    1. Eek, bummer on those crowns! I totally agree about taking the heat over the snow … we don’t have to shovel heat 😆. I loved a snowy winter when I was younger but not so much now and can always drive up to Flag if I need a snow fix. As long as my sister-in-law lives in northern Wisconsin, we have a place to escape the worst of the Phx summer heat. By the end of the Midwest summer humidity, I usually can’t wait to return to the arid desert southwest.🌵

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  3. Ingrid, Huge laugh on your “crowned king.” I was a Dental Hygienist for over 25 years so I have lots of tooth stories. Let’s just say, sometimes the lost crown does not initially end up in someone’s hand. It takes a couple of days and is retrieved from the other end. Yes, TMI. 🙂

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  4. As much as I’m an indoor girl, I want to be out in the beautiful weather…we just bought a mister, and it makes hanging out on the patio so much more enjoyable!!
    It’s amazing how our health doesn’t listen to our plans. I can’t wait to see where you’re going.
    XOXO
    Jodie

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    1. Those misters are wonderful and make sitting outdoors more enjoyable during the heat. We pulled out of Phoenix bright and early this morning and are heading toward northern WI 😊

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  5. Hoping to hear you’re more closer to your departure day now and Al has or is getting his crown any day. Love the blooming cactus, but if to see them I’d have to visit in the 100+ temps, I’ll settle for captures from you and others. 🙂

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    1. Yes, it is brutally hot right now. I have enjoyed seeing the saguaro blooming but now that I’ve done that, I’m more than ready to leave. We’re hoping to hit the road bright and early Saturday morning before the day has a chance to heat up.🤞

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    1. Rolling with the punches is usually how we approach life. I think, being able to do that is a prerequisite for RVing 😊

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  7. I’ve lived in Texas, so I know about this alleged “dry heat”, reality check, it’s stinkin’ hot!
    I’m glad you were able to get all the dental work sorted before heading out.
    Cheers, Amy

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  8. Jiggling with the jello, we rv’ers have that done to a science. Hope Al is all better soon and you can take off for cooler temps. Saw your pics on FB with ML & Steve, glad you were able to get a visit in before you left.

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    1. Al’s permanent crown still hasn’t come in and I’m afraid our intended Thursday take off will once again be postponed 😥 We’re now talking about just heading up to Flag and waiting. It’s getting just too darn hot for tin can living. My little red truck was put into storage this morning. She’s all tucked in for the summer and we’re really really really ready to hit the road.

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  9. Crowns. Yuck. Nice that you could spend time with family before heading out. Hope your travel begins smoothly and with cooler weather.

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    1. We finally hit the road today (Saturday) and dealt with winds and heat all day, but at least we’re traveling again 😁 Fortunately, Al’s new crown is working out wonderfully and we were glad he had the work done by a dentist he likes.

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  10. I saw in the news (while waiting for an eye exam) that it would be 112 degrees in Phoenix this week and I immediately thought about you, hoping you had managed to leave by now. Those darn health issues! But, good thing you were still on Arizona and not on the road yet. Now, the RV, the car, the king, and the queen will totally be ready for the summer move. Wishing you smooth travels.

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    1. Oh, how I wish we were on the road. Still in Phoenix waiting for the permanent crown to come in. However, we are grateful both our health issues occurred while we were still in Phoenix. Thank goodness for a full hook-up and great A/C.

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  11. We’re having similar problems getting away from here and yesterday I did some damage to my rotator cuff. Hopefully your issues are behind you now and a safe trip awaits.

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    1. Sorry to hear about the rotator cuff, Larry. On the upside, thank goodness our issues happened while we were near our doctors. But I sure am ready to start heading north.

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  12. Bill and I will miss you and wish you two safe travel to sister’s home. Love to you all..💕

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    1. Wish you could join us again for a week of fishing and fun. We’ll miss you guys too but will be back in the valley before ya know it.

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  14. 110F?!! It’s barely 60F here….and summer officially starts tomorrow.
    Perhaps we could do a bit of a sharing. You give us a spare 25F….and we both hover at around 85F. Sounds good to me!

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    1. Oh, wouldn’t that be fantastic to trade some temps. Fingers crossed we’ll be heading north by the end of the week. This heat is getting old 🥵

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  15. Last summer, on the day we were going to drive up to the port our cruise left from, my son’s bracket from his braces fell out while he was standing in the shower. Oops. There was a wire poking into his cheek too. After an emergency Sunday orthodontist visit, we were on our way with about a 7 hour delay. Still plenty of time to make the cruise, and we were so glad it hadn’t happened later while we were traveling. Glad yours worked out too!

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  16. Sorry to hear about Al’s tooth and your delay in hitting the road. Flexible is the best attitude to have. We will all get to where we want to go at some point before the year ends, she said with crossed fingers and toes.

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  17. You are correct it is really hot. We waited a month in Camp Verde to get a part for the RV and came down this week to Mesa to have the rig repaired. Unfortunately it is going to take much longer than planned and we are sitting in the repair facility. Our camper has never been in 110 degree heat and hopefully will not ever be again. You are so correct that they are not built for this high of temperature. Our absorption refrigerator especially does not like it.

    Love you blooming cactus photos. We had never seen them blooming before.

    Sorry to hear about Al’s tooth challenges and your delays. I am sure you want to leave as quickly as possible, as do we. Safe travels!

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    1. Eek, sorry to hear you’re in Mesa for repairs. The only upside to still being in the valley is seeing the saguaros in all their blooming glory, but I sure don’t feel a need to be here next year to see it.🌵

      Hope you get everything taken care of soon so you too can be heading north.

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  18. I swear, 2020 is like some sort of proof that humanity just pissed off some deity somewhere. It’s been one thing after another for everyone, everywhere. I sure hope things settle down and you guys can leave. It’s getting hot here, but not THAT hot. You’re right to compare the dry heat to an oven. I always think it will be better than this humid heat, but really – after a certain point, it’s just miserable. Fingers crossed for smoother sailing going forward.

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    1. Yeah, at a certain point, the heat is just down right miserable. Can’t wait to see where your travel plans take you guys this year. It’s gonna be a rough year. I’ve been trying to make reservations in northern MN and the UP without much luck. Fortunately, we can just stay on private property for the summer. 2020 is most definitely turning into a shit show 🥴

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  19. I am so happy to hear you health is good, you need to be healthy to stand up to those temperatures!

    Hopefully you are on your way to cooler temperatures soon.

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  21. You know it’s bad when those degrees start bleeping…even worse when they get to the “fricken hot” stage. Hang in there. You’ll be sippin’ wine on a pontoon boat in no time. Stay in touch. Joe

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    1. Ah yes, I can taste the margarita now … now if only I was on that pontoon boat 😆 Well, one thing we’ve realized living the nomadic life is everything is temporary and this too shall pass. Hope you guys have a great trip.

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  22. Agh! sizzling hot indeed. Oh well you can blame Al for the delay 🙂 It could also be a good thing with all the craziness in big cities although you probably are avoiding them. But tell him he should be proud being crowned the King!
    I hope you are feeling a lot better, and I’m surprised you decided not to take those pills. In my case I’d like my BP controlled and not get anxious about what will happen to me if I don’t :).

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    1. Yeah, I check my BP 3 times a day and it’s better than it has been in over a year. Maybe I just needed some sort of reset, but it sure was a scary episode. We will definitely avoid the major cities which we pretty much planned all along. We can’t wait to just hang out in the boonies away from all the craziness. We should be on the road by the end of the week 🤞

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  25. Love those saguaros! I’m so glad we got to higher ground and cooler climates. I don’t think we could survive 110 heat in our tiny van. I’m pretty sure Greg and I would kill each other!

    So sorry about the delays and dental problems. It isn’t right that we out live our teeth.

    Hope you get to hit the road soon!

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    1. I’m glad I was here to see the saguaros blooming at their peak, but now that I’ve seen them once, I don’t ever need to again 😆 because that means ‘hot weather’. Yep, you would not want to be around in this heat. We even thought of just heading up to Flagstaff until his permanent crown comes in. Who knows, we may still do that!

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  27. Life has a way of keeping us on our toes.so glad to hear that you are all right and that Al’s tooth will soon be good as new. As you say, thankfully it happened prior to departure. As to the age of health professionals it appears they are now graduating at the age of 10. 😊

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    1. Haha … yes, healthcare professionals do seem VERY young. Couldn’t possibly be that we’re getting old 😏 Fingers crossed, we’ll be on the road heading north by the end of the week. This heat is getting old real quick.

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  28. Yikes!! Sometimes life gets in the way, right? Hopefully you and King Al can get on the road and to cooler climates!!! It’s 70 degrees here in Sandwich right now…beautiful blue skies….Safe travels!

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    1. Oh, how I would love 70 degrees right now. Even the low overnight was 77 🙄 We’re hoping and praying that we’ll be on the road by the end of the week 🤞

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  29. That’s a beautiful bird photo! Sorry about your man’s tooth, better now than on the road as you said. I didn’t know you guys lived up here before. It was 108 three days ago! Be well.

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    1. Thank you John. When we lived in Las Vegas, we watched casinos like the Luxor and New York-NewYork being built and witnessed two old casino implosions making room for the new. It was a fun four years but as our son reached middle school age, we knew we didn’t want to continue raising our children there especially during the teenage years. By the time we moved, Las Vegas was in transition from their ‘family-friendly’ experiment to their ‘what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas’ experiment.

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  30. I guess we will stay tuned…. Plans get derailed, and become new plans. Crowns are important, whether on your head, or in your mouth! Lol I’m looking forward to your adventures this summer!

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  31. Oh my, what an ordeal for Al! Hans has also had issues with root canals over the years after poor dental work. Glad to read you are both feeling well, other than HOT, Ingrid. We had 105 heat most of last week, and thankfully fled to the delta for cool breezes for SUP-ping (me) Saturday and 40 mph winds for Hans to sail in, Friday.
    I’m looking forward to reading about your upcoming trip as you head to cooler climes! Safe travels, friend!

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    1. Sounds like you’re enduring some extreme temps as well. At least when you visit the Delta, the water and the breeze cools things off. SUP-ing is so much fun. I’m hoping I can borrow the neighbor’s SUP up in WI. If not, I may have to twist Al’s arm to get one.

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        1. Yes, I’ve looked at the SUPs at Costco. I’ve heard pros and cons regarding the inflatables which is why I never pulled the trigger. When we return to the valley in the fall, I hope to go kayaking with my sister-in-law now that she lives here. I’ll see how I like that. With my neck issue, I have to be careful with certain activities.

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  32. I hate in when that happens. I’ve chipped teeth and loosened crowns on the softest food. It just doesn’t seem right. Besides the dental work my dentist has done in recent years, most of my dental work is older than him. He never ceases to be amazed at what dentists used to in the Neanderthal days of dentistry. Beautiful photos, and I wish Al great going on the final fitting.

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    1. Thanks Tim. Al’s new crown is working out wonderfully. Yes, his dentist was kind of perplexed with his old crown. There was even part of a drill bit down in the root canal 🙄 Al had the work done during his Navy days in the ’70s. We finally hit the road this morning (Saturday) and are spending the night in Tucumcari.
      BTW … WP never ceases to surprise me. Your comment was in my spam folder 🤔

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      1. Broken teeth and Spam go together. Oh yes. Tucumcari that little white village in “For a Few Dollars More.” I think it was in Tucumcari where Lee Van Cleef lights a mitch on Klaus Kinski’s hunchback.

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  33. When I read your title, I thought “Oh no, they are not going to Wisconsin!” A delay is much better than a cancelation although a lost crown is never good. Safe travels and catch lots of big fish!

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    1. OMG … the thought of staying here all summer, is not something we even want to contemplate. Our poor A/C unit is working overtime. Yesterday hit 112 on our outdoor thermometer and inside the RV was 91. You and I both know these rigs aren’t insulated worth a darn. Al’s sister’s house is quite comfy. So we spent the day with her and her husband. We are really itching to hitch.

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  36. Holy Cow! If it can, it will…! Glad Al is getting crowned! And am happy to see he got into a dentist. I had a May 1st. Dental Cleaning… it was canceled by them because of Covid.

    I thought of you early this morning and was about to text you but realized it was 5:45 a.m.! I now am happy to see your post. Hugs!

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    1. 5:45 is indeed a tad early, but anytime after 6:00 a.m. is fine. 😎 I’m usually on my first cup. We were thrilled the dentist squeezed him it. The Tuesday after Memorial Day was their first day back to work after being closed for two months. The dentist worked on Al at 5:00 when the office closed. Poor Dr. had a very long day. Fingers crossed we can leave this week. These RV’s aren’t designed to live in during these kinds of temps.

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  37. Yikes! Glad Al was able to get his tooth fixed before you hit the road. I’m trying to imagine being in the rv in 110° weather though. The A/C would never stop. Safe travels and enjoy cool northern Wisconsin. We are having perfect summery weather in CO. Low 80s, afternoon rain, thousands of miller moths. Waiting for the moths to move on! LOL

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    1. I have to admit, we really enjoyed the weather (for the most part) along the Front Range and summers were always a joy. Oh, how I remember those millers. They created quite the mess during the home building process.

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      1. Yes, we stay here in the summer since the weather is hard to beat. If it gets too hot you can drive uphill! The moths are especially bad this year. I will be washing all the walls and windows when they’re gone. I’m not even going to look in the rv until then. We’ll need the shop vac. Yuck! And now the barn swallows are trying to build nests on our stucco. Fighting nature on 2 fronts! Soon things will settle down. 😀 But we do have bluebirds in one of our bird houses. And the lilting song of meadowlarks. Glad you got to see the saguaro bloom. Spectacular!

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  38. Our dentists and vets were all shut down for weeks by lack of protective equipment. All protective equipment was diverted to the hospital. No dental anything and no vet care except in life and death emergencies. (I honestly don’t know if a lost crown constitutes a life and death emergencies.) That order was only recently lifted here and the dentists are now doing urgent stuff but no regular checkups or cleanings. My pets are due for their shots in August so I haven’t even tried that yet. I am glad Al was able to get to a dentist and get his tooth fixed.

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    1. Our dentist here was closed, except for emergencies. I think, a lost crown would have constituted one. Our vet never closed, but one could not go in. One left the animal outside and they took it in while you waited outside. They did have the simple masks.

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    2. May 26th was the first day the dentist’s office reopened after a 2-month closure. The poor Dr. sure had a very long day back at work. We were grateful he took Al in at the end of the day to work on him after the office closed. However, the crown situation would’ve constituted as an ’emergency’. So, if Al had lost the crown 2 weeks early, he still could’ve had it worked on. AZ was never a super strict Covid state. Life is ‘almost’ back to normal in AZ but with some restrictions still in place.

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  39. Ouch! What a coincidence. My husband just lost his crown, too. Glad you are both okay and glad you are getting out of the heat. Up in Clarkdale, it’s a 100. I just walked early this morning and it was 70. As good as it will get! Drive safe. Looking forward to your future pictures. BTW, the picture in this post with the hawk on the Saguaro is stellar.

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    1. Yes, it is unusually hot throughout the state right now. Our dentist is located in Prescott, so when Al drove up there, he enjoyed a nice little reprieve from the Phoenix temps. Obviously, we can’t wait to hit the road in search of cooler weather.

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        1. The first time we spent our summer in Prescott (2017), Al had an emergency abscess and that’s when he discovered Dr. Barrett (Highland Dental). We’ve been very pleased with his work and thus it’s worth the hour drive.

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  41. So sorry your plans are derailed! Hope you can find a way to stay cool in the meantime. The title of your post applies to me, too! I saw my dentist two weeks ago about a broken tooth and get the temporary crown tomorrow. Yuck! And like everyone else, we have had to change plans and delay a very special event until next year. Good luck to Al with his new crown! Safe travels!

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    1. Thank you Beth. It sure has been a crazy few months. I’m looking forward to a summer spent in the north woods isolated from the rest of the world. I assure you, I won’t even be turning on the news 😎 Aaahhh …. I can hear the calming sounds of loons now!

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