whitewater rafting, biking on vacation, and getting ready for the msbike ride

ok... it has been over a month since I posted.  Life is flying by.  Next week is the MS Bike Ride, we are planning to ride on Saturday.  M has said she has decided to stick with me and make sure I finish, that I am ok, and that I have plenty of water/gaterade.  She is worried about the heat.  It is going to be hot.  It has been hot.  Why do they plan a MS bike ride for the hottest part of the summer? I suppose most of the participant riders don't actually have MS? who knows. 
We just got back from our vacation at Ohiopyle.  great place.  known for whitewater rafting and bicycle riding.  M & W and I rented a log cabin at a local camp ground.  Not exactly camping - but that was ok (great actually) we were there 5 days.  The cabin slept like 6 or 8, and had 2 bedrooms, one for me & M, and one for W.  Double-beds in each.  Also bunk beds but we didn't have anyone else along for this trip.  The cabin had AC which was great.  We ate all our meals at the cabin.  it had a kitchen, plus we brought a grill.  We got there on Monday 7/5.  Tuesday we went for a bike ride, and mistaking the instructions from the girl from checking in at the campground we turned right on the trail instead of left and travelled about 11miles downhill (2% grade) toward Connesville when we thought we were going uphill toward Confluence.  Easy ride, until we turned around.  we stopped for lunch figured out what went wrong and started making our way back.  That 2% grade was constant, and while it really wasn't enough to notice when we headed downhill, it made a difference going uphill.  I was struggling, so I let M & W head on and I was going to take my time and snap some pictures.  I was about 4.5 mi away from the car on the way back and had stopped to shoot some photo's of some rafters going down the rapids, when I heard a pfft and hssssssssssssssssssssssssssss, yep, I looked over at my bike, and the back tire was flatter than a pancake.  it was now riding on the rim.  no way I could ride it that way.  I started walking it back, and realized after about 1/2 mi that I was now only travelling about 2 mph.  Which meant with 4 mi left it would take me 2 hrs to get back to car.  I called M to warn her I was walking.  Sweet woman that she is, she pedalled back with a pump to try to pump my tire back up, but we found there was hole in tube and no stem showing.  So she walked my bike and let me pedal out on hers.  Saying she could walk it out faster than I could limp.  Very true.
I'm doing pretty good on the bike now.  It feels good to be back to riding.  I really need to focus on excersising and getting my strength back.  After doing the almost 22 miles last week on the vacation, I feel confident I will make the 25 miles next weekend for the MS Ride, just need to take plenty of water/gaterade.  My walking isn't so good.  Sometimes better than others.  My left leg is definitely weaker than the right.  Stairs are a problem.  For a change it is now harder going down stairs than climbing up.  Think that is the ankle.  I'm at the point that I am thinking seriously about planning to have a knee replacement next year.  I think it will help with quality of life.  Also, I'm thinking I want to have it done now while I can enjoy it, and be active before I might get hit with more mobility issues from the MS and maybe won't be able to do that much anyway. 
The vacation was great. On thursday we did a pedal and paddle, we rode bikes 9 miles up river, then rafted the 9 miles back down over some small rapids.  it was lots of work but also fun.  The water was low this time of year so we struggled a few times getting stuck on some rocks.  But we made it.  I felt sorry for M, she was stuck with most of the work travelling along with her 70 yr old dad, and gimp of a gf.  but we all did our best and we made it.
We had some sadness in the family right before we left for our trip.  M's dog was diagnosed with Lympoma a week prior, and we were hoping he would hang in there and make it the 4-8 months the vet predicted.  Hunter went downhill fast though.  We realized he wouldn't make it til we got back from our vacation.  M made the decision to put him down before we left.  We will all miss him.  The house is much quieter without him.  Even the cats all know something isn't right and I think they wonder where the big guy is.
M has been really taking it hard.  Hunter was her baby.  He was 11 and she raised him from a pup.  It is never easy losing someone close to you.  Even the animals who become such a part of our lives leave a big hole when they go.  I miss him too.  I also try to be understanding.  Sometimes that is easier said than done.  If you take two pre-menapausal (or menapausal - the pre may be debatable), emotional situations, it sometimes isn't pretty.  Most of the time I have a lot of patience.  Most of the time I can be very understanding.  but there are times when you can step on my last nerve and I can't handle any more.  Let's just say some days have been rough.  M is the type though to sleep and wake up and it is a new day and yesterday is forgotten.  I have trouble with that.  Because I know a lot of it is because of Hunter I try to let it go.  Also because of the various health conditions I have that are all exerbated by stress I try to let it go.
Focus on the good and let the bad slip away.
RIP Hunter Wood 1999-2010 - you will be missed.