Monday, March 5, 2018
Thursday, February 22, 2018
Ellis Health Update 180220
[Written by his wife Rosemary and
daughter Julia, then radically edited by his other daughter Diana.]
Ellis' pain had subsided during the
fall after the summer surgery in Houston, but it began to return at
the end of the year. The kids came for Christmas, so that took his
mind off the pain considerably.
Diana, Julia and Rick (Julia's husband
and Ellis' Marine hero) were all here, and Julia and Rick surprised
Ellis with a new television for his office, which made him very
happy. Diana got to accompany Ellis on one of his regular
neighborhood walks. She borrowed his extra cowboy hat and walking
stick so they would look alike.
On 9 January 2018, Ellis returned to
Houston for a checkup with Dr. David Sugarbaker. A CT scan of the
chest and a PT scan were performed. The tests revealed a tumor “the
size of a billiard ball”. Ellis felt discouraged after we got the
results. When we returned to Cottonwood, we anxiously awaited a
visit with the oncologist, Dr. Deborah Lindquist, to try a new
treatment: Opdivo (nivolumab).
The Opdivo treatment had many side
effects including a high white blood cell count, low electrolytes,
and a persistent high fever. On Sunday, 4 February 2018, paramedics
took him by ambulance to Verde Valley Medical Center. On Monday, he
aspirated fluid into his lungs and was rushed to ICU where he was put
on oxygen, antibiotics and steroids. Then he had several episodes of
A-fib, so heart medications were added. On Saturday night, 10
February 2018, he received two units of blood.
Diana came to Arizona on Monday, 5
February 2018 and Julia arrived the following Sunday. Once both of
his kids were here, Ellis declared that he was ready to go. We
shared favorite memories. The doctor didn't agree that it was time
for him to go and talked him out of it. So we spent another week of
testing, poking and prodding.
(Note from Diana: During Dad's illness,
we learned that Julie should have been a geriatric nurse. She
anticipated his needs and seemed to do everything at one time. He was
so relieved when she arrived. I did my best but mostly just told him
he was cute then pressed the call button or said “Julie!”. Julie
also seemed to know what all the machines and numbers and beeps were
about.)
It was finally determined that the
infection was in his port that was placed for chemo. The nurses
could no longer get access to his veins, so Ellis decided it was time
to give up and go home so he could get some rest. He's spending time
with the kids and is being cared for by Rosemary and Maggie's
Hospice.
Saturday, January 13, 2018
Skyliner Hikes for February 2018:
February
3: Dead Horse Loop
Distance:
7.7 miles
Difficulty:
Moderate
Description:
This hike is entirely within the boundaries of Dead Horse State
Park and there may be a small shared fee for entry to the park. Hike
from Lime Kiln trailhead to Thumper trail to Lower Raptor Hill trail
and back to parking lot.
Information:
Call Dave Beach at 928-593-9466
Distance:
4.9 miles
Difficulty:
Moderate
Description:
Drive to
VOC and take Verde Valley School road for 4 miles, turn left on dirt
road and drive 0.6
miles to trailhead 92 (Turkey Creek).
Meet:
0800 in
Cottonwood Safeway Parking Lot, outer perimeter, across from
OfficeMax.
Information:
Call Dave
Beach at 928-593-9466
February
17: Hike Doe Mountain and Cockscomb Trails
Distance:
6 miles
Difficulty:
Moderate (short sections of steep trail)
Description:
Hike to the top of Doe Mountain and around the periphery of the
mesa; hike up to the Cockscomb.
Meet:
0800 in Cottonwood Safeway Parking Lot, outer perimeter, across from
Office Max.
Information:
Call Dave Beach at 928-593-9466
February
24: House Mountain via Turkey Creek
Distance:
9 miles
Difficulty:
Moderate
Description:
Drive to VOC and
take Verde Valley School road for 4 miles, turn left on dirt road and
drive 0.6
miles to trailhead 92 (Turkey Creek). Hike Turkey Creek trail to
saddle and then across to House Mtn.
Meet:
0800 in
Cottonwood Safeway Parking Lot, outer perimeter, across from Office
Max.
Information:
Call Dave Beach at 928-593-9466
Saturday, December 23, 2017
Trekabout Walks for January 2018
TREKABOUT
WALKING CLUB-Jan 2018
Walks
are graded on a 1-4 scale (with 4 being the most difficult)
Meet
Every Tuesday - hikes starting at 9am (subject to change)
HIKING
SHOES RECOMMENDED/CARRY
WATER/DOGS
MUST BE ON LEASH
To
join TrekAbout Walking Club, please email at jen.mabery@yavapai.us
Or
call: 928-634-6877.
Get
up and get moving! And it’s free
Tuesday
January 2nd:
HAPPY
2018 PEOPLE! Do your own thing.
Tuesday,
January 9th
“Red
Rock Park” –
Let’s explore the trail systems! I am thinking we do the Eagles
Nest trail (1.9 miles with a 300-foot elevation gain) and maybe tack
on a side trail? Thinking we may walk a total of 2.0-3.0 miles.
Level
2.0
Directions:
From Cottonwood, drive towards Sedona on 89A then turn right onto
Lower Red Rock Loop Road. Follow Along and turn right into Red Rock
State Park.
Note:
You will need to either pay at entrance or if people have passes
let’s find a meet up area just before entrance.
Tuesday,
January 16th
Get
together with each other! We have a mandatory meeting so we can’t
join you
Tuesday,
January 23th
Hike
With Jens Parents!! See where all the silly comes from! Haha.
“The
Owl Trail” – A
really nice stroll along the verde river in combination with some of
the jail trail. We call this the Owl trail because of often
sightings!
Level
1.5
Directions:
From Cottonwood, drive to old town. Turn right into parking lot
across from Bocce. Same lot as jailtrail.
Tuesday,
January 30th
“Airport
Mesa Loop Trail” – What
a beautiful 3.5 mile loop trail! There are views all the way around
the loop. There is a short slick rock ledge at the start of the
trail. NOTE: Red Rock Pass
Level
2.5-3
Directions:
From
Cottonwood, Enter Sedona and turn right when get to Airport Rd
Traffic light. About half way up road (.2 tenths of a mile) pull out
parking on the left.
Remember:
Choose
the best hike for you! (Call 928-634-6877 or email:
jen.mabery@yavapai.us
with any questions), Carry plenty of water, Bring a snack, use sun
protection, consider walking stick(s), leave what you find, and most
importantly...HAVE A GOOD TIME!
Monday, December 18, 2017
Ellis Health Update - 171218
Saturday,
2 December 2017. I finished a day-and-a-half legal deposition this
morning and then managed to get in a very slow walk this afternoon.
The walk left me completely exhausted and I slept for an hour and a
half afterward. This was the first walk I have managed for several
days. Thursday was taken up by a visit to the dentist and an
attorney's meeting, and Friday and Saturday were consumed by the
deposition. I did finally resume walking on Sunday.
It
is now Monday, 18 December and we are preparing for the kids arrival
for a Christmas visit later this week. I had a few bad days recently
but am now back to my regular one-mile walk most days. The weather
has been cooperating and it has been sunny most of the time. We
haven't actually had any rain for several months now, but sometimes
it is cloudy and rather dreary. I do like the sun.
For
my regular mile-long walks, I choose between two separate routes.
One is a straightforward route to the end of a street, returning the
same way. The other utilizes several different streets in a sort of
loop and is a bit more interesting. Each route has a resting spot at
about the mid-point of the walk, a very welcome fixture. The
out-and-back walk resting spot is a conveniently-parked trailer
(right)
that I have seen moved only once in all the months I have walked this
way; it is usually bathed by the sun when I arrive and is thus a nice
place to stop on a winter day. 
The loop walk resting spot is an
upended rock (left) in the
edge of Bill the Boatman's yard. (the owner's name is Bill and I
call him the Boatman because he has several boats parked on his
property and does repairs for others).Wednesday, December 13, 2017
January 2018 Skyliner Hikes
Meet
at 0800 in Cottonwood Safeway Parking lot, outer perimeter, across
from OfficeMax for all hikes.
January
06: Oak
Creek/Verde River Confluence from Cornville Road
Distance: About
8 miles round trip
Difficulty: No
significant climbing. No real bushwhacking
Description: Essentially
level hiking along old roads and trails
Meet:
0800 in
Cottonwood Safeway Parking Lot, outer perimeter, across from
OfficeMax.
Information: Call
Dave Beach at 928-593-9466
January 13: Snoopy
Rock in Sedona
Distance: About
6 miles round trip
Difficulty: Maximum
elevation: 4869 feet; elevation gain: 785 feet.
Description: Start
at Sombart Lane parking lot and hike to Snoopy Rock, return to Marg's
Draw Trail, hike to Schnebly Hill Trailhead and return to the parking
lot at Sombart Lane
Meet:
0800 in Cottonwood
Safeway Parking Lot, outer perimeter, across from OfficeMax.
Information: Call
Dave Beach at 928-593-9466
January
20: Lo Lo Mai Indian Ruins off
Page Springs Road
Distance: About
5 miles total
Difficulty: Moderate
(some climbing in a few spots; trail is indistinct)
Description: Drive
north on Hwy 89A, turn on Page Springs Road and park at the
intersection with Hidden Valley Road. Hike up the ridge
that runs parallel to Page Springs Road and follow along the crest
for about 2.3 miles.
Meet:
0800 in Cottonwood Safeway Parking Lot, outer perimeter, across from
Office Max.
Information: Call
Jim Manning at 219-508-4158
January
27: Blodgett Basin Trail/loop
Distance: About
5 miles or 14 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
(climb 1700 feet) Some will hike the Blodgett Basin trail for about 5
miles and return. The other group will hike the entire loop of 14
miles.
Description: We
will drive east on Hwy 260 to Clear Creek, take FR 618 and FR 215 to
Bull Pen and park there.
Meet:
0800 in Cottonwood Safeway Parking Lot, outer perimeter, across
from Office Max.
Information: Call
Dave Beach at 928-593-9466
Friday, December 1, 2017
Trekabout Walks for December 2017
Walks
are graded on a 1-4 scale (with 4 being the most difficult)
Meet
Every Tuesday - hikes starting at 9:00am
at trail head (subject to change)
HIKING
SHOES RECOMMENDED/CARRY
WATER/DOGS
MUST BE ON LEASH
To
join TrekAbout Walking Club, please email at jen.mabery@yavapai.us
Or
call: 928-634-6877/928-301-6143
Get
up and get moving! And it’s free
Tuesday
December 5th
“Bell
Trail Loop Hike” - The
Hike around Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte is an enjoyable easy to
moderate 4.5 mile hike with some rock stair stepping. Great
views!
Level
2.5-3.0
Directions:
From
Cottonwood- Take 89A towards Sedona, turn right at Cornville road.
Then follow to Beaver Head Flats Road and turn left. Follow to HWY
179 and turn left. Follow into the Village of Oak Creek and turn
right into the Bell Trail parking lot area (shortly after the circle
K). Display a red rock pass.
.
Tuesday
December 12th
“Sycamore
Canyon” – Descend
into the beautiful Sycamore Canyon! And hike along the creek to a
beautiful pool of water at the end! This is a great about 5 mile
hike, on the way in is a steep but maintained trail, so remember we
will have to hike back up that.
Level
3.0
Directions:
From
Cottonwood- head through Old town Cottonwood like going to Clarkdale.
Turn right at Tuzigoot road. Then turn left on Sycamore Canyon road
(right after bridge). NOTE:
Let’s all meet at the sycamore canyon road pull out at 8:30 am to
do any carpooling and follow each other in. From
Sycamore canyon road we will drive another 8-10 miles to trail head
at end of road.
Tuesday
December 19th
“Baldwin
Trail” –
Another
great loop hike about 3 miles long, this
hike provides wonderful views of Cathedral Rock. It will take us down
towards red rock crossing to enjoy some sounds of the creek.
Level
2.5
Directions:
From
Cottonwood: Go through Cornville to beaver head flat road to village
of Oak creek. Then turn left at the Verde Valley School Rd round
about. Follow all the way out till road turns to dirt, then about a
mile in look for trail head lot on the left.
Merry
Christmas Everyone!!! No hike on the 26th
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