On the day I got back from this mini-tour, I was feeling lethargic.  The Feeshko and I went out for dinner because I didn't feel like cooking.  That's unusual for me.  Another unusual thing for me was going to bed soon after dinner.  One more unusual thing for me was waking up the next day with a runny nose, an intermittent cough, and a scratchy throat.  I'm a Tough Guy.  I don't get sick--especially in the summer.

I'm not a medical doctor--I'm just a modest bike rider--yet somehow I was 100% certain I had contracted the Coronavirus.  Others have gotten it while on tour recently, so why not me?  A home test kit confirmed my suspicions.

But WHERE?  And HOW?  I was riding alone, camping alone, and I had no contact with other people.  Well, I should say, ALMOST no contact.  I quickly remembered a couple of short, seemingly harmless encounters with humans at the taco truck and the beer store.  

I guess it doesn't really matter where, or how, I might have gotten the virus.  I don't blame anybody but myself.  Like many Americans lately, I've let my guard down.

Fortunately, my symptoms have been embarrassingly mild throughout the duration of my quarantine period. [See footnote]  I thank my vaccines, boosters, immune system, and active lifestyle for that.  In fact, I've been able to go out on short bike rides every day, safe in the knowledge that I could keep hundreds of feet between me and any other people.

Anyway, I simply want to tell anybody reading this:  Be careful out there.

[Footnote] Admittedly, my official quarantine period has one day to go, but I feel completely normal today.  I think I'm out of the woods.  And thank goodness, I haven't infected The Feeshko.  As soon as I saw the positive test, we separated--she's living upstairs, I'm living downstairs.  We wear our masks and go to separate corners whenever invading each other's territory.