My theory is that the high altitude, low humidity, and high pollen counts in the blooming desert caused my allergies to flare up in Flagstaff, Arizona on day 19 of our 39-day trip around the USA in the spring of 2023. Daytime was OK, but allergies made nights miserable, used tissues piling up on the floor next to my bed, the over-the-counter remedies doing little to help, me losing sleep. I kept thinking the allergies would go away.
Finally, in Las Vegas, I went to an urgent care center and got prescription medication. By then my diagnosis was bronchitis. (I tested negative for COVID-19.) My wife suffered as well, with a persistent cough that did not disappear for weeks, even though she went twice to urgent care. Happily we had a place to stay in Las Vegas while I got better. Then, having stayed put for a week, we took a fairly direct route home, all the while hoping my wife’s cough would cease. It did, days after we got back.
