GenCon 2017, Day +1 Report
Here is the report of the seventh, and last day, of the trip to GenCon 2017. The report on the sixth day can be found in this journal entry.
August 21st, 2017
I woke up on the last day of the trip to Indy feeling somewhat out of sorts and rather sore in various parts of my body. Not to be unexpected, given everything that happened on Saturday. However, today was the day to fly home to Ottawa, so it was time to get up and at 'em (as they say). Woke up relatively early, since there was a lot to do in the morning before heading for the airport. I was having a rough morning of it, cramps or nerve pain in my left underthigh and you-know-where from the awkward leg position from long periods in the wheelchair. Standard, generic wheelchairs aren't designed for people with long legs. I suspected some of that pain would only get worse as the day wore on. Needless to say, my feet were hurting and the blisters were...there. The feet were...pretty swollen. So I figured that flying would be... difficult, to say the least.
I showered and shaved, and then spross took care of the dressing on my right foot. We went down to Shula's and had our usual breakfast. I had wanted pancakes or oatmeal, but the carb load would have been too much for me this day and I didn't want to take any chances. In any event, I had come to conclude that the breakfast was too expensive if not eating from the buffet and if one has special, dietary needs. After eating, we returned back to the hotel room to finish the morning ablutions and pack the rest of the toiletries away in the check-in bags. I checked us out of the hotel and collected the bill on our way to the airport (there was no line at the Westin Indianapolis front desk). Check-out was a breeze. We headed for the airport around 11:45 am. Here's a picture of me getting ready to head out of the hotel room for the last time.
Me in wheechair leaving hotel room for last time
We arrived at the Indy airport, and after getting me a wheelchair (a bit more comfortable than the one in the hotel, but still manual), we checked-in for the flight, and then made our way through American security and over to the gate area, where the kind lady who wheeled me all the way through everything left me in the care of an agent there. SteveR and I learned that we would be pre-boarding ahead of everyone else because of my inability to walk. During our trip from the ticketing area to the security area, before the gate entry, we saw the gaming area for GenCon attendees that the Indy airport folks had put together.
Indy airport gaming area
Once at the gate area, the agent took us over to a small bistro-like restaurant, Au Bon Pain, and had a delicious, fresh Caesar wrap and some soup and water there for lunch. It was really good, and hit the spot. We returned to the gate from which the plane would depart, and sat and relaxed for a little while before the pre-boarding began. I'm not going to say much about it, but one gets through the jetway in the wheelchair and then trundled onto what is called an aisle seat and strapped down as if straightjacketed, and then taken ass backwards onto the plane. Humiliating, and somewhat painful.
Once the flight from Indianapolis to Toronto got underway, it was comforting. Here's a pic outside the window.
View from 31,000 feet on the Indy to Toronto flight
I don't remember what we did for food, if anything, once we got to the Toronto International airport, but we went through the process of an agent wheeling me through to the gate area, though this time taking longer because of tag-team wheeling with two other passengers through the Canadian Customs part of the trip. Once at the gate area for the Toronto to Ottawa flight, we sat back and relaxed there.
The flight home from Toronto had a similar pattern to that of getting aboard the plane in Indy, but to be honest, this time we barely made the flight and I got aisle seated into the plane with a good number of passengers already aboard. No doubt almost late for the flight due to the tag-team business I mentioned above, but also because SteveR and I were the last passengers off the flight from Indy to Toronto.
On the tarmac, waiting to leave Toronto
We arrived in Ottawa, and SteveR's parents met us at the airport. My mom was at my place, waiting for me to get home. We didn't have any problems with the baggage and the like in Ottawa, as it was already whirling around on the baggage carousel, as I was helped off the plane and into a wheelchair, again the last folks off the flight. We decided to go to Boston Pizza for supper, since it was close to 7:30 pm by this time, and neither SteveR nor I had eaten since lunch, other than some snack food we'd brought with us and some ginger ale and pretzels on the two flights. It was when we got to the Boston Pizza location at Walkley and Conroy that I remembered I'd have to walk from the parking lot at the rear of the building to the front entrance! That was the longest, most painful walk I've made in a while. But I think the food was worth it! I had the half-rack of ribs with a salad, and a beer. Goddess knows I needed it by then.
After the late supper at Boston Pizza, SteveR's parents drove me home, and SteveR helped bring in the luggage for me. Another incredibly painful walk from the car up the stairs into my house. Mom was there waiting for me, and after she helped me do some of the unpacking (notably the toiletries and the laundry from the suitcase and overnight bag), she headed home. I took a couple of Tylenol before crawling into the bed. I was so tired, that I had a good night's sleep despite the pain in my feet. I woke up around 9:00 am on Tuesday, the 22nd, and made a doctor's appointment for that afternoon.
And that's it, the final entry about the actual trip to Indianapolis and the events of GenCon 2017. This was a very long Monday, due to the medical issues I was dealing with, and I'm glad that I got home that evening.
In any event, I'll be writing just one or two more posts about this year's GenCon, a retrospective of sorts, some thoughts on the convention, and some photos of my loot from the convention.
As always, thoughts and comments are much appreciated. :)
August 21st, 2017
I woke up on the last day of the trip to Indy feeling somewhat out of sorts and rather sore in various parts of my body. Not to be unexpected, given everything that happened on Saturday. However, today was the day to fly home to Ottawa, so it was time to get up and at 'em (as they say). Woke up relatively early, since there was a lot to do in the morning before heading for the airport. I was having a rough morning of it, cramps or nerve pain in my left underthigh and you-know-where from the awkward leg position from long periods in the wheelchair. Standard, generic wheelchairs aren't designed for people with long legs. I suspected some of that pain would only get worse as the day wore on. Needless to say, my feet were hurting and the blisters were...there. The feet were...pretty swollen. So I figured that flying would be... difficult, to say the least.
I showered and shaved, and then spross took care of the dressing on my right foot. We went down to Shula's and had our usual breakfast. I had wanted pancakes or oatmeal, but the carb load would have been too much for me this day and I didn't want to take any chances. In any event, I had come to conclude that the breakfast was too expensive if not eating from the buffet and if one has special, dietary needs. After eating, we returned back to the hotel room to finish the morning ablutions and pack the rest of the toiletries away in the check-in bags. I checked us out of the hotel and collected the bill on our way to the airport (there was no line at the Westin Indianapolis front desk). Check-out was a breeze. We headed for the airport around 11:45 am. Here's a picture of me getting ready to head out of the hotel room for the last time.
Me in wheechair leaving hotel room for last time
We arrived at the Indy airport, and after getting me a wheelchair (a bit more comfortable than the one in the hotel, but still manual), we checked-in for the flight, and then made our way through American security and over to the gate area, where the kind lady who wheeled me all the way through everything left me in the care of an agent there. SteveR and I learned that we would be pre-boarding ahead of everyone else because of my inability to walk. During our trip from the ticketing area to the security area, before the gate entry, we saw the gaming area for GenCon attendees that the Indy airport folks had put together.
Indy airport gaming area
Once at the gate area, the agent took us over to a small bistro-like restaurant, Au Bon Pain, and had a delicious, fresh Caesar wrap and some soup and water there for lunch. It was really good, and hit the spot. We returned to the gate from which the plane would depart, and sat and relaxed for a little while before the pre-boarding began. I'm not going to say much about it, but one gets through the jetway in the wheelchair and then trundled onto what is called an aisle seat and strapped down as if straightjacketed, and then taken ass backwards onto the plane. Humiliating, and somewhat painful.
Once the flight from Indianapolis to Toronto got underway, it was comforting. Here's a pic outside the window.
View from 31,000 feet on the Indy to Toronto flight
I don't remember what we did for food, if anything, once we got to the Toronto International airport, but we went through the process of an agent wheeling me through to the gate area, though this time taking longer because of tag-team wheeling with two other passengers through the Canadian Customs part of the trip. Once at the gate area for the Toronto to Ottawa flight, we sat back and relaxed there.
The flight home from Toronto had a similar pattern to that of getting aboard the plane in Indy, but to be honest, this time we barely made the flight and I got aisle seated into the plane with a good number of passengers already aboard. No doubt almost late for the flight due to the tag-team business I mentioned above, but also because SteveR and I were the last passengers off the flight from Indy to Toronto.
On the tarmac, waiting to leave Toronto
We arrived in Ottawa, and SteveR's parents met us at the airport. My mom was at my place, waiting for me to get home. We didn't have any problems with the baggage and the like in Ottawa, as it was already whirling around on the baggage carousel, as I was helped off the plane and into a wheelchair, again the last folks off the flight. We decided to go to Boston Pizza for supper, since it was close to 7:30 pm by this time, and neither SteveR nor I had eaten since lunch, other than some snack food we'd brought with us and some ginger ale and pretzels on the two flights. It was when we got to the Boston Pizza location at Walkley and Conroy that I remembered I'd have to walk from the parking lot at the rear of the building to the front entrance! That was the longest, most painful walk I've made in a while. But I think the food was worth it! I had the half-rack of ribs with a salad, and a beer. Goddess knows I needed it by then.
After the late supper at Boston Pizza, SteveR's parents drove me home, and SteveR helped bring in the luggage for me. Another incredibly painful walk from the car up the stairs into my house. Mom was there waiting for me, and after she helped me do some of the unpacking (notably the toiletries and the laundry from the suitcase and overnight bag), she headed home. I took a couple of Tylenol before crawling into the bed. I was so tired, that I had a good night's sleep despite the pain in my feet. I woke up around 9:00 am on Tuesday, the 22nd, and made a doctor's appointment for that afternoon.
And that's it, the final entry about the actual trip to Indianapolis and the events of GenCon 2017. This was a very long Monday, due to the medical issues I was dealing with, and I'm glad that I got home that evening.
In any event, I'll be writing just one or two more posts about this year's GenCon, a retrospective of sorts, some thoughts on the convention, and some photos of my loot from the convention.
As always, thoughts and comments are much appreciated. :)