June 17, 2025
Espanola to Albuquerque

Well, today was another busy day involving lots of bus travel and more difficulty navigating the medical system. First thing this morning, we walked to the bus transit centre, then took a bus back to the hospital. We arrived in time to get breakfast in the cafeteria, and then we headed back to the Same Day Clinic, which had provided care yesterday. The helpful nurse agreed to re-send the prescriptions to Walmart and to phone to check they arrived.

Off we went again by bus to Walmart.  Again, we were told that the prescription hadn’t arrived. More waiting, then finally we were given the steroid tablets for 5 days, a new salbutamol aerosol, and a steroid/ long-acting bronchodilator aerosol medication. This was a generic brand equivalent of symbicort, and we were shocked to hear the cost – US$168 for that alone! We hope our travel insurance will reimburse us.

The next step was to get back to the bus transit centre. It was again a hot day, so walking around town and waiting at the bus stops was draining. One good thing is that the buses around town are free.

We have decided to have a few days in a safer place while giving Rob time to get better on the medication. Espanola is a low SE area, and we have heard stories of gun violence and drug use. We travelled by bus to Santa Fe, then took a train to Albuquerque. The total cost of all this travel was only US$8. Rob booked a room in downtown Albuquerque on airbnb and this seems to be very comfortable.

Our current plan, assuming Rob improves in the next few days, is to fly to Tri Cities airport and reconnect with the Appalachian Trail where we left off in 2022. This track is at a lower elevation, and  we won’t have the snow issues that linger on the CDT in Colorado. The logistics and distances between resupplies is also generally better. But for now, we will be resting and recovering. That included tonight’s dinner – one of the best pizzas we have ever had.