I didn't know that birding trip, caffeine withdrawl headaches were so
common. Now I know that I'm not so out of the ordinary.

I have suffered terribly on some trips where my usual morning coffee hasn't
happened and those around me have suffered equally, as crankiness is a major
symptom for me.

On car trips, we are now accompanied by a portable cappuccino machine and
all the fixin's. We grind the beans just before we leave. On fly/drive
trips, I have to resort to those nasty little packets of instant espresso or
if those aren't available, the ones with pretend milk will do.

On one trip to the southwest, I was so desperate that I added one of those
powdered cappuccinos to a MacDonald's chocolate milkshake. Not recommended.
We finally arrived in Moab, Utah where there was a stand on the corner
outside a bike shop. What a welcome sight. It had been 3 whole days without
a real coffee.

We are spoiled here in the PacNW, with something on every corner, not to
mention the drive through stands in the middle of nowhere. Thank goodness
for them!

Off to Arizona on Monday. I'll have to stock up on instant espresso before I
leave. Thanks for the reminder.

Ingrid Lae

ilae at scienceworld.bc.ca