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I had been waiting in Inverness for about six weeks for my eye to improve. There was marked improvement which was encouraging, and kept me thinking “maybe just a week more” over and over. I was doing whatever I could to help it along. I slept a lot, kept written notes on my medication schedule, and started taking multivitamins. I had made up deadlines and dates that I would be hopefully be back on my way, but I had no real control. The entire time doctors told it me it would be “months” for a full recovery, and it looked more and more like that would in fact be the case. I was unrealistically optimistic that my recovery would be shorter. With this, the changing weather, and the upcoming holiday season, I decided to go back to the US to recover and spend Christmas with my family.

This was not altogether an easy decision. At first I thought of finishing my medication on the road once I could see well enough to ride, but it became clear that my situation was too unstable and could lead to further complication of remittance if not monitored carefully. With the nature of such a trip, this seemed like an unnecessary risk to add to the portfolio. The idea of coming home was comforting, and my family and friends offered to host me. A harder decision was what to do with my bicycle. I could have brought it back to the states and ended the trip right there. I do feel grateful that I was able to do as much as I did, and have a lot of stories, good and bad, to share about my travels. I can honestly say I've done more real living in the past few months then years of working in a state office. But I didn't want to end the trip on such a bad note, and frankly, there's still more I want to see. In thinking of the long term, I thought it easier to ride a bit more now then go get real job then the other way around. And, I want to do the most traveling I can for the sacrifices I've already made. Fortunately, the hostel where I last stopped had room in their garage for my bicycle, and they kindly agreed to store it for me until I am able to resume in the spring. I hope to ride on from exactly where I left off.

Coming home has had some ups and downs. It was certainly comforting to come home, see my family, have my own room, eat home cooked meals, and generally have an easier time with life. It was fun to hear Scottish and southern accents in the same day, and this made the world feel a whole lot smaller. Sweet tea and grits are real things. I joked about a kilt-tastic Christmas when I returned from Scotland, but did in fact pick up a few small things for my niece and nephew. Getting here was a big change in healthcare. My travel insurance is no longer in effect and I've been wading through governmental healthcare options. Doctors often refer me elsewhere or otherwise don't want to take on the case, leaving me without much guidance. The medications are starting to have collateral damage against my cornea, reducing my vision and increasing sensitivity were I struggle on sunny days. I've learned this could be a six month processes, which has reduced my concern about slow or ineffective treatments.

Fortunately the cornea should regrow after medications are eventually reduced, but this needs close observation to avoid potential problems. I am still looking for a good, local doctor that will see me regularly. Compare this with Scotland where I was seeing top doctors several times a week. I half jokingly talked about going to back to get good healthcare. If you're reading this, you are missed!

Lastly, I have a bit of a chip on my shoulder about my living situation, being 30, unemployed, and living with my parents. I feel a bit guilty letting them buy me meals, but I try to do chores around the house and help out where I can. My insurance application says “no permanent address” which makes me sound like a drifter or something. I'm also a little self conscious being all squinty one-eyed in public, but makes me appreciate what some people have to go through. Besides going through health stuff, I've resurrected an old RC sailboat from storage. Working on it brings me back to my real sailboat days with less stress, expense, but a sense of melancholy. I think I will do some volunteer work or non-committal seasonal type of work when I am able, if only to pay for return flights, get out of the house, and perhaps do something different.

So that's about all for my bike travels for now. I could change the name of the blog to “Keith's crazy eyeball adventure,” but thought it simpler to go offline until I am able to get going again. Thank you all for reading and following. Please check back in the spring, February or March, for more updates and travels still to come.