My vaccine: 35K miles and a mile high – Priceless!!!

While I was in Nazaré for a week last month, I seen that several of my friends on our expat WhatsApp group chat were stating that they were going back to the US for their vaccinations. Knowing that I wasn’t going to be eligible for mine, here in Portugal, until July or August, I cut my giant-wave Nazaré getaway short to plan my own vaccination vacation.

I scheduled a flight to Atlanta for that weekend to get the single dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. That’s the shot for me – one and done! Who would schedule the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine and have to fly across the Atlantic, twice???

I had to rush, just a little, but everything fell into place nicely. It was all scheduled; my PT covid test in Atlanta, my round-trip flight, my Atlanta AirBnB, and my Johnson & Johnson vaccination appointment. I was ready to be vaccinated! The plan was running smoothly, or so it seemed.

THEN, just six hours before I was to board my flight, unbelievably, the J&J shot was paused in the US over safety concerns! WHAT?! I wasn’t sure what to do. I guess, rescheduling my flight makes sense. So, I called the airline, but was informed that my flight was non-refundable. Ok, keep calm and carry on… Option B. I got on the flight and scheduled my Pfizer vaccination when I arrived in Atlanta, which meant I would be flying back 3 weeks later for the second! My health and the health of my friends and the people I have contact with is priceless and worth the extra effort. And besides, I’m retired, so why not?!

While in Atlanta for my first shot, I really enjoyed visiting friends and a few of my old favorite hang-outs. The time went pretty quick and before I knew it, I was once again heading for Atlanta, for my second dose. This time, I had also booked a flight to Denver to see my nephew Sean, who invited me for a visit and some hiking in the Rockies! I have never been to Denver and I hadn’t seen Sean in a little over a year. So, how could I resist?!

In Denver, the weather was kind of crappy for a couple of days, but then the sun parted the clouds as if sending us a signal, a personal message… “Head for the mountains!”

So, that we did, and it was amazing! The nature and hiking was truly incredible! I’m not even going to try to describe the beauty because I don’t believe that it can be done with only words! I will say this about our hikes, I’m glad I trained for it while home in Lisbon, and I’m proud of myself for being able to keep up with the young whipper-snapper!! Maybe he did take it a little easy on me, I’m not sure, but, I’ll find out because I plan on returning!

I hope you enjoy the video! Also, I took a lot of video of the Rocky Mountain hiking and will put something together for you to see, soon.

Until next time!