October 2026

Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, and New York

There were four states that we covered in the month of October. We moved from Maine to see the leaves in Vermont, then bumped over to Massachusetts and the last two days of the month were in New York. The month kicked off with another visit to a vet. Lucky was still obviously in pain and we were concerned about her. We were able to get her examined at Boothbay Animal Hospital where they put her on a cocktail of drugs which included pain medication and a muscle relaxant. We were able to spend a short period of time at  Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. We wish we had more time to see more of it, but what we saw was great. After we left Boothbay, ME, we drove to Freeport, Maine where free camping was available in a lot close to the L.L. Bean Flagship store. The flagship store is open 24 hours! We've never been to a retail shop that is open 24/7 so it was really neat to check it. The store has recently been renovated and is a beautiful space.

One Saturday was spent exploring Rockport, Massachusetts. The day after, on Sunday, October 11th, Lucky was yelping in pain and we took her to her third urgent care clinic. It was apparent to us that she didn't only have a strain or sprain. The vet that we saw recommended that we take her to Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital. Before we left, they gave Lucky a shot to help with the pain and it made her very sedated. We spoke with Massachusetts Veterinary Referral Hospital and their neurology team does not work on Sundays. It was recommended that we return on Monday, October 12th to get her seen. We opted to stay the night at a hotel nearby (Boston Marriott Burlington) and took Lucky back to the hospital first thing in the morning. The vets wanted to do an MRI, which we consented to. We thought Lucky would get released Monday night, but the vet said she was still very sedated and not ready to be released into our care. We asked the staff if we could stay in the parking lot of the hospital, which they were fine with. 

The following day, Tuesday, October 13th, we learned that Lucky had a pinched nerve in her spine. She has a condition called diffuse idiopathic spinal hyperostosis (DISH). This means calcium salts build up in tendons and ligaments and harden. The suggested care was six weeks of steroids, two weeks of limited mobility, and some pain medication. We decided to rent an Airbnb for two weeks in Eastham, MA so we could all decompress. We wanted Lucky to have space to sprawl and be comfortable. It was a quiet time for us and in a lot of ways reminded me of Covid quarantine. 

Eastham was a nice area to stay in as the beach was a short walk away and the neighborhood had nice homes. The Airbnb was stayed at had three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and an outdoor firepit with wood provided. Several nights were spent enjoying a fire. We enjoyed the space and amenities of a house (like our own washer and dryer!).  Towards the end of the month we needed to make headway to New York, so we stayed at our first cabin at a KOA in Connecticut.  We were nervous about putting Lucky back in the van full time and wanted her to still have space to move about. The cabin was comfortable enough and we both really enjoyed the swinging bench on the patio. 

We arrived in Brooklyn, NY on Friday, October 30th.  We used the app Trucker Path to avoid low bridges. Trucks are only allowed on expressways, not parkways. What is challegning is signs that say "passenger cars only" don't specify if it's a height, length, and/or weight restriction. We don't want to collide with any bridges or cause any problems, so we follow the truck routes. The night we arrived in Brooklyn we went out for pizza and then Hailey packed for her early morning flight to Seattle. Hailey flew to Seattle on Halloween to go trick or treating with her almost five year old niece and was able to meet her almost four month old nephew for the first time! Josh enjoyed Halloween with Lucky in Brooklyn's Greenpont neighborhood.