#7 Oacoma, SD to Fairmont, MN
Traveling today was
more of the same: standing water, fields
of old corn stalks, a few of hay fields, cattle grazing, bright green grass
covered hills, and more silos and farm houses shrouded by trees.
Lots more road
construction with traffic being funneled to the east or west bound highway to
share with the oncoming traffic.
Lots and Lots of BUGS!! Bugs continue to fill the air. The James river looks swollen beyond the multitude of bugs on the window.
Even inside, I
showered with a gang of gnats and one green bug , none of whom survived the
meeting.
The roads in South
Dakota were well paved and easy driving.
As soon as we crossed the Minnesota state line the roads deteriorated
into a very rough ride.
Minnesota farms cover
miles and miles of land. The soil is
rich and dark.
When we crossed the
Minnesota border I received a call from the orthopedic office saying I could
come early this morning because of cancellations. I thanked her, but said we were just crossing
the border. I did call as soon as we got in about 12:30 and they said come in.
The Fairmont, MN city sign shows a population of about 10,666 people. This little town has 18 orthopedic
doctors. It has two major clinics, one
of which is Mayo. I researched the
doctors on Google and chose Dr. Corey Welchlin at the Center for Specialty
Care. I was very impressed talking to
the receptionist. She made me feel like I made a good choice. The nurse Linda was a hoot. She wanted to
join us, as so many people have said before.
Doctor Welchlin said
my x-rays show no knee damage. I may
have a cartilage problem, but needs an MRI.
He said the pain was from a cluster of nerves being squeezed by
calcification. Both he and my hip doctor also said the pain could be from my
back. This is why I decided to see a
chiropractor here in this medically savvy community on our second day
here. Dr. Welchlin gave me a cortisone
injection into my knee, and we on our way. I had no severe pain. Everyone was amazed we were from Washington,
and wondered why we were in Fairmont.
While talking with Dr. Welchlin he asked about where we were from in
Washington. He said he had lived in Seattle.
Not only that! It turns out he
interned at Harborview in Seattle under Dr. Hansen, the god of orthopedics, who
did my ankle fusion. That statement let
us know he was and outstanding doctor if he worked with Dr. Hansen. Small
world! He asked lots of question about
why I chose to come to him. Then he asked his son who runs marketing to visit
with us. We took a photo with Derrille,
the doctor and me that may show up on Facebook.
It was quite a day!
The owner of our
Flying Goose RV Park not only gets annual fees from RVers that keep their rigs
here year round, on a lake, but also farms corn. He said the weather has been so bad that he
has only about 30% of the crop. Some fields are too wet. Unfortunately because
of the fall frost date, farmers cannot plant the rest of the crop and hope to
harvest it. He could plant a different crop;
however he only carries insurance for corn.
Fairmont rates as typical
small town America. We found the people very friendly.
The downtown streets
feature angled parking.
An old church graced a
corner of the street.
The Martin County
Courthouse stood in simple grandeur. Down a ways we found the
Red Rock Center for the Arts.
Both Dr. Welchlin and
my hip doctor suggested the pain could come from my back. So on day two in
Fairmont I experienced another great doctor.
Dr. Buris fixed my back and helped my leg. I believe I will now be able to walk on the
rest of the trip with ice and exercise. The office had some interesting
technology to help him see what I needed.
He even used an interesting technique I found effective but very
different. It was a lovely office with
another awesome staff.
This stop had an
extra day for rest and laundry.
So far the plan to
drive, drive, drive and rest seems to be working.
Tomorrow we head for
Wisconsin.
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