but first...
DJ Falcon - So much love to give
start loving live...
I think Danny left off in Yuma. Yuma is the border town in Arizona on I-8 which took us into California. We started fairly late that day because we stopped at Johnny Yuma's bicycles. We got a pair of reinforced plastic strips and some industrial tubes to help eliminate the flats we've been getting. I'm not sure the double redundancy is necessary, but since we purchased the thicker tubes my tire has been penetrated several times and I've yet to change any tubes so I'm content with our decision. I feel that since these tires are heavier and more robust than their predecessors it makes accelerating more difficult because of the way torque and angular momentum work. I have no interest in delving into the physics at this point. Alas, I can definitely differentiate between the different types of tubes, but once you find your cruising speed and you don't decelerate too much, there isn't that much of a difference. So we made it into California about an hour before sunset. Here is a picture from the state line:
Entering California
A 1/4 mile down the road there was a new sign indicating that we were entering the pacific time zone, where I suggested that we both do a dance under the sign. I will upload the hilarity later. So we kept riding that night - there was supposed to be a rest stop about 12 miles down the road. It was a short ride so we decided to throw on the lights and do some night riding.
So we ride down I-8 and and approach the Algadones Dunes which are somewhat eerie at night. The heavy headwind kept whipping sand in our faces and drifts of sand kept appearing on the road because the winds were so high. Small drifts we can coast through, but anything over an inch we had to react quickly and swerve around to prevent wiping out. So we made it to the rest stop and rolled out the sleeping bags under a desert tree. The wind finally died down and I slept all right, but I'm not so sure Danny did. The nights have been incredibly comfortable, never dropping below 80 degrees.
We woke up early that morning to start our ride. The dunes were amazing during the day, and we're going to ride through them again on our way out of California so I'll try to remember to take pictures this time. I just hope it's not as windy the second tme through. We skated across the border for a day until we hit the Coyote Mountains, sometimes coming within a mile of the border fence. We went through El Centro, Plaster City (which was completely barren except for one factory appropriately named "Plaster Factory"), and Ocotillo before we started climbing the coyotes.
As far as climbs go, this one was pretty intense. We went up about 3,000 feet at a 6% grade in 10-12 miles. I don't know exactly how long the climb was, but it was at the end of our ride and it was pitch dark (<-- inside joke). Finally there was a couple mile downhill into Jacumba where there was a Subway/Shell combo competing with a Chevron across the street which had no fast food counterpart. In fact, the border patrol person we talked to during our climb never even mentioned a Chevron. Anyway, we stealth camped it outside the gas station near I-8 in a small clearing. We woke up early and to our surprise border patrol never questioned us once, I guess if we were jumping the border we'd have to be mad to camp in such a stupid spot.
Coyotes Mts, CA
As we descended out of the Coyote Mts there was a 16 mile downhill with a 6% grade. Anytime there is an extended downhill it's a blast to ride down. It's hard to describe, but coasting at 35mph+ is extremely exhilarating when you've been climbing at 8mph for hours. I was in such a good mood that day because I knew we were going to make it into San Diego. I was singing "Jacumba Matata" during the ride I was so excited. I then proceeded to recite other Disney songs and busted out a little Bob Marley as well. We rode through Pine Valley so fast I can't even remember it (we were going downhill). Then into El Cajon and finally La Mesa where we had to get off the interstate because the highway patrolman was yelling at us with a megaphone.
It was about another 15 mile ride to the surfer's house we were staying at. San Diego is an incredibly hilly city, and we had to go up several hills to get to Lance's house. The most notable hill was Fletcher Hill because it was about a 12% grade and the last big climb into San Diego. I called our host, Matt, and he was downtown so we ended up riding to his friend Lance's place. Lance wasn't our intended host but Kim was at work so we stashed our bikes in his garage for the first night. Lance is a true San Diego native, a vibrant personality, incredibly outgoing, happy and generous person. He has a beautiful home at the top of Mission Valley drive, about a mile from the Charger's stadium. We promptly showered and shortly after Matt and Lance arrived at his place.
We were at the will of our hosts that night. Danny and I were both exhausted and just wanted to relax. Downtown was packed because of the holiday even though it was a Tuesday. We met at "The Local" which is a bar in downtown San Diego where the couch surfers from the area hang out for "Tipsy Tuesdays". We met several surfers and shared a few drinks and ended the night with a fun but competitive game of pool with both Matts. I had Matt D on my team, who is the epitome of awesome but I was still carrying our team. I think Matt D might have been slightly intoxicated. Danny and Matt G developed the hilarious strategy of booty shaking on whichever hole I was aiming for, which completely threw me off because of how hilarious it was. Danny and Matt were moving as one brandishing their pool sticks between their legs. Gentle thrusts through the entire game, like clockwork. It was a completely synchronous motion and I regret not bringing the camera that night because the image is now ingrained in my brain only and I can't share it with all of you. Needless to say both Matts are incredibly awesome and I'll miss them both.
The next day we lounged around for a bit and Lance showed us around town. One particular part of town I enjoyed was Point Loma, which is displayed below:
*Point Loma on Mt. Soledad -- located in La Jolla community
I think Danny left off in Yuma. Yuma is the border town in Arizona on I-8 which took us into California. We started fairly late that day because we stopped at Johnny Yuma's bicycles. We got a pair of reinforced plastic strips and some industrial tubes to help eliminate the flats we've been getting. I'm not sure the double redundancy is necessary, but since we purchased the thicker tubes my tire has been penetrated several times and I've yet to change any tubes so I'm content with our decision. I feel that since these tires are heavier and more robust than their predecessors it makes accelerating more difficult because of the way torque and angular momentum work. I have no interest in delving into the physics at this point. Alas, I can definitely differentiate between the different types of tubes, but once you find your cruising speed and you don't decelerate too much, there isn't that much of a difference. So we made it into California about an hour before sunset. Here is a picture from the state line:
Entering CaliforniaSo we ride down I-8 and and approach the Algadones Dunes which are somewhat eerie at night. The heavy headwind kept whipping sand in our faces and drifts of sand kept appearing on the road because the winds were so high. Small drifts we can coast through, but anything over an inch we had to react quickly and swerve around to prevent wiping out. So we made it to the rest stop and rolled out the sleeping bags under a desert tree. The wind finally died down and I slept all right, but I'm not so sure Danny did. The nights have been incredibly comfortable, never dropping below 80 degrees.
We woke up early that morning to start our ride. The dunes were amazing during the day, and we're going to ride through them again on our way out of California so I'll try to remember to take pictures this time. I just hope it's not as windy the second tme through. We skated across the border for a day until we hit the Coyote Mountains, sometimes coming within a mile of the border fence. We went through El Centro, Plaster City (which was completely barren except for one factory appropriately named "Plaster Factory"), and Ocotillo before we started climbing the coyotes.
As far as climbs go, this one was pretty intense. We went up about 3,000 feet at a 6% grade in 10-12 miles. I don't know exactly how long the climb was, but it was at the end of our ride and it was pitch dark (<-- inside joke). Finally there was a couple mile downhill into Jacumba where there was a Subway/Shell combo competing with a Chevron across the street which had no fast food counterpart. In fact, the border patrol person we talked to during our climb never even mentioned a Chevron. Anyway, we stealth camped it outside the gas station near I-8 in a small clearing. We woke up early and to our surprise border patrol never questioned us once, I guess if we were jumping the border we'd have to be mad to camp in such a stupid spot.
Coyotes Mts, CAWe started early because we wanted to get into San Diego by the 5th. In fact, we both toasted on getting to San Diego by the 5th so I wasn't going to let anything stop us from getting there for Cinco de Mayo. There were three climbs on our way into San Diego County. We entered Cleveland National Park that day, which is full of canyons, valleys, and wildlife. Some of the canyons were so vastly deep it was a little unnerving riding across them. After we past Laguna Summit the landscape transformed into a lush green valley with trees as far as the eye can see. A dramatic contrast from the other side of the mountains, which were covered by a layer giant stone boulders giving them a really distinct look. This look was amplified by the fact that there was almost no plant life on the eastern side of the mountains. Two of the peaks were just above 4,000ft. I snapped a photo of Danny during our lunch break at the top of our last climb up Mt. Laguna.
Lunch break at Laguna Summit
Lunch break at Laguna SummitIt was about another 15 mile ride to the surfer's house we were staying at. San Diego is an incredibly hilly city, and we had to go up several hills to get to Lance's house. The most notable hill was Fletcher Hill because it was about a 12% grade and the last big climb into San Diego. I called our host, Matt, and he was downtown so we ended up riding to his friend Lance's place. Lance wasn't our intended host but Kim was at work so we stashed our bikes in his garage for the first night. Lance is a true San Diego native, a vibrant personality, incredibly outgoing, happy and generous person. He has a beautiful home at the top of Mission Valley drive, about a mile from the Charger's stadium. We promptly showered and shortly after Matt and Lance arrived at his place.
We were at the will of our hosts that night. Danny and I were both exhausted and just wanted to relax. Downtown was packed because of the holiday even though it was a Tuesday. We met at "The Local" which is a bar in downtown San Diego where the couch surfers from the area hang out for "Tipsy Tuesdays". We met several surfers and shared a few drinks and ended the night with a fun but competitive game of pool with both Matts. I had Matt D on my team, who is the epitome of awesome but I was still carrying our team. I think Matt D might have been slightly intoxicated. Danny and Matt G developed the hilarious strategy of booty shaking on whichever hole I was aiming for, which completely threw me off because of how hilarious it was. Danny and Matt were moving as one brandishing their pool sticks between their legs. Gentle thrusts through the entire game, like clockwork. It was a completely synchronous motion and I regret not bringing the camera that night because the image is now ingrained in my brain only and I can't share it with all of you. Needless to say both Matts are incredibly awesome and I'll miss them both.
The next day we lounged around for a bit and Lance showed us around town. One particular part of town I enjoyed was Point Loma, which is displayed below:
*Point Loma on Mt. Soledad -- located in La Jolla communityPart of the La Jolla community, Point Loma rests on Mt. Soledad. A small hill atop an even bigger hill that gives you a 360 degree view of the city. Including the college campuses, the downtown skyline, and San Diego Bay. On a clear day you can see as far south as Mexico. We lounged at Lance's mother's house for a few hours, which was probably one of the nicest homes with the nicest views I've ever seen. She owns a ridiculously adorable chihuahua named Molly, who is love with Lance's dog, Cody. Unfortunately Molly has epilepsy and has to take a medication that increases her weight. The pudginess only adds to the dogs overall cuteness. Again, I wish I had pictures of Lance's home and his mother's home and dog, but we didn't want to carry around the camera!
After leaving La Jolla community we headed towards OB (Ocean Beach) to check out the farmer's market. San Diego natives have developed a comprehensive list of acronyms for the beaches and landmarks in their beautiful city. OB is Ocean Beach, MB is Mission Beach, and PB is Pacific Beach. There are more but I can't remember them. We scanned the farmers market and indulged in a few free samples but didn't buy anything because it was pricey! We both ate a delicious teriyaki steak sandwich for lunch and sat on the beach for a bit until it was time to play some Bocce Ball. We met at Balboa Park, which is San Diego's biggest and most beautiful park. Minutes from downtown, it's definitely worth visiting and has a plethora of activities to partake in. From Bocce Ball courts, to a world class frisbee golf course, this park has it all. We played a couple rounds of Bocce Ball then went back to lances for the night where we indulged in a few rounds of a good ol' midwestern classic, Euchre.
The next day we rode our bikes back to Matt and Kim's apartment. We wanted to spend a day at one of the beaches so we decided to go to OB again as it's closest to the Hostel where Matt works. A very nice hostel, which I'm happy to plug http://www.sandiegohostels.org/ptloma.shtml . We borrowed some towels and a surf board from the hostel and walked to the beach. We left our valuables at the hostel because we all planned on swimming so unfortunately I have no pictures from our excursion to the beach, but here is what OB looks like (sometimes called the hippie beach, or dog beach). There were strong rip currents that day, so the lifeguards were yelling at us because apparently we're terrible surfers. On our first attempt to go through the break I clocked danny in the ear during a large set where i lost the grip on my longboard. It was a large set and the waves were breaking pretty hard. Poor Danny just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and I felt terrible. We went back to check on him and he had a gash on his ear, but appeared to be all right so Matt and I continued surfing.
*Beautiful Ocean Beach
I was not wearing shorts with a drawstring so they kept coming down to my knees, making my parts available to anyone who was watching us boogie board. This made getting through the break incredibly hard as I kept losing my shorts. I had to swim with one hand and hold my shorts up with the other. However, the constant flood of "oooos" and "ahhhs" from the countless beautiful women on the beach didn't help, no matter how flattering it may have been. I must note that my license to exercise hyperbole may be in use here, but we're are bronze gods at this point, which begs the question: HOW CAN YOU NOT WHISTLE AT US???
That night we went the the "Whistle Stop" which has crappy music night the first Thursday of every month. I can't begin to describe this night. The place was packed with hipsters smoking cigarettes. It had a nice feel to it though, and the music was definitely crappy. We all conversed about what song to request and decided not to hit the dance floor until they played Ace of Base. It took about an hour, but once Ace of Base came on we hit the dance floor hard and fast, and let me tell you, jaws were dropping son, oh yes they were. Our dance moves literally created their own light and the transition into "Boom Boom Boom" by the Vengaboys could not have been more perfect. It was truly magical. We have some video from this night but it didn't turn out so I'm not going to upload it. Needless to say, we all had a blast that night. I think Kim might have had too much fun!
I guess this brings us to our final day in San Diego. We were having such a blast we didn't want to leave, but it was time to move on so we did our laundry and packed up our stuff. Kim and Matt asked us to go camping with them in Anza-Borrego state park. Obviously we couldn't resist so we threw our bikes in Matt D's truck and rode out with them. Anza-Borrego is a huge state park, but we were going to the Mud Caves, which is about 30 miles north of Ocotillo down a long dirt rode. It's hard to describe how unique this place is, and I'm surprised that more people don't know about it because it was breathtakingly beautiful. Deep in the desert the desolate washes carve this mud valley creating a series of passageways and caves. Sometimes these caves have vast caverns with 70ft ceilings. The ground is soft enough to make climbing the 1000ft walls easy without repelling gear. When spelunking a headlamp or flashlight is necessary because of how long these passageways are.
I'm the dot at the top!
Here is a shot with all of us on top of the hill. These are the people we spent the majority of our time with in San Diego. The only person missing is Lance who didn't come on the camping trip. Joel is taking this photo for us.
After leaving La Jolla community we headed towards OB (Ocean Beach) to check out the farmer's market. San Diego natives have developed a comprehensive list of acronyms for the beaches and landmarks in their beautiful city. OB is Ocean Beach, MB is Mission Beach, and PB is Pacific Beach. There are more but I can't remember them. We scanned the farmers market and indulged in a few free samples but didn't buy anything because it was pricey! We both ate a delicious teriyaki steak sandwich for lunch and sat on the beach for a bit until it was time to play some Bocce Ball. We met at Balboa Park, which is San Diego's biggest and most beautiful park. Minutes from downtown, it's definitely worth visiting and has a plethora of activities to partake in. From Bocce Ball courts, to a world class frisbee golf course, this park has it all. We played a couple rounds of Bocce Ball then went back to lances for the night where we indulged in a few rounds of a good ol' midwestern classic, Euchre.
The next day we rode our bikes back to Matt and Kim's apartment. We wanted to spend a day at one of the beaches so we decided to go to OB again as it's closest to the Hostel where Matt works. A very nice hostel, which I'm happy to plug http://www.sandiegohostels.org/ptloma.shtml . We borrowed some towels and a surf board from the hostel and walked to the beach. We left our valuables at the hostel because we all planned on swimming so unfortunately I have no pictures from our excursion to the beach, but here is what OB looks like (sometimes called the hippie beach, or dog beach). There were strong rip currents that day, so the lifeguards were yelling at us because apparently we're terrible surfers. On our first attempt to go through the break I clocked danny in the ear during a large set where i lost the grip on my longboard. It was a large set and the waves were breaking pretty hard. Poor Danny just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and I felt terrible. We went back to check on him and he had a gash on his ear, but appeared to be all right so Matt and I continued surfing.
*Beautiful Ocean BeachI was not wearing shorts with a drawstring so they kept coming down to my knees, making my parts available to anyone who was watching us boogie board. This made getting through the break incredibly hard as I kept losing my shorts. I had to swim with one hand and hold my shorts up with the other. However, the constant flood of "oooos" and "ahhhs" from the countless beautiful women on the beach didn't help, no matter how flattering it may have been. I must note that my license to exercise hyperbole may be in use here, but we're are bronze gods at this point, which begs the question: HOW CAN YOU NOT WHISTLE AT US???
That night we went the the "Whistle Stop" which has crappy music night the first Thursday of every month. I can't begin to describe this night. The place was packed with hipsters smoking cigarettes. It had a nice feel to it though, and the music was definitely crappy. We all conversed about what song to request and decided not to hit the dance floor until they played Ace of Base. It took about an hour, but once Ace of Base came on we hit the dance floor hard and fast, and let me tell you, jaws were dropping son, oh yes they were. Our dance moves literally created their own light and the transition into "Boom Boom Boom" by the Vengaboys could not have been more perfect. It was truly magical. We have some video from this night but it didn't turn out so I'm not going to upload it. Needless to say, we all had a blast that night. I think Kim might have had too much fun!
I guess this brings us to our final day in San Diego. We were having such a blast we didn't want to leave, but it was time to move on so we did our laundry and packed up our stuff. Kim and Matt asked us to go camping with them in Anza-Borrego state park. Obviously we couldn't resist so we threw our bikes in Matt D's truck and rode out with them. Anza-Borrego is a huge state park, but we were going to the Mud Caves, which is about 30 miles north of Ocotillo down a long dirt rode. It's hard to describe how unique this place is, and I'm surprised that more people don't know about it because it was breathtakingly beautiful. Deep in the desert the desolate washes carve this mud valley creating a series of passageways and caves. Sometimes these caves have vast caverns with 70ft ceilings. The ground is soft enough to make climbing the 1000ft walls easy without repelling gear. When spelunking a headlamp or flashlight is necessary because of how long these passageways are.
I'm the dot at the top!I wanted to find a good place to watch the sunset so I climbed this giant hill and took a look. I gave it two thumbs up and suggested that everyone come up with me. Danny snapped this photo from the bottom of the wash. During Danny's climb he snapped this shot which I really liked.
Danny snapped a nice shot during his climb
Danny snapped a nice shot during his climb
From the left: Me, Kim, Matt G, Shane, Matt D, Blake, Danny
Danny and I were commissioned to help find firewood by Matt D so Danny handed off the camera to Kim. It was a long journey for firewood but we found a few dead logs. On the way back Matt D made a series of signs to help the other couch surfers find their way -- what a resourceful guy! Our site was a large dirt bowl about 50ft up from the wash. It was a perfect spot to watch the moon rise. The moon slowly rose above the high desert walls and finally lit up the desert floor like a flashlight. Danny and I went to sleep early but the others went on a late night spelunking expedition exploring the many caves in the area.
Danny and I were commissioned to help find firewood by Matt D so Danny handed off the camera to Kim. It was a long journey for firewood but we found a few dead logs. On the way back Matt D made a series of signs to help the other couch surfers find their way -- what a resourceful guy! Our site was a large dirt bowl about 50ft up from the wash. It was a perfect spot to watch the moon rise. The moon slowly rose above the high desert walls and finally lit up the desert floor like a flashlight. Danny and I went to sleep early but the others went on a late night spelunking expedition exploring the many caves in the area.
View of the wash from the top of the Mud CavesThe next day we ate a good breakfast and took the dirt rode back out to S2. Kim and I rode in the back of the truck which was a somewhat bumpy ride. Kim and Matt D played a game of desert hockey while Danny and I rounded up our gear. We said our goodbyes then took S2 North to 78 East to Ocotillo Wells.
Desert Hockey is the New Thing!
There was a beautiful downhill coming out of Anza-Borrego and we were making good time until hot sun started beating down on us. We stopped at an RV Resort to take a break during high sun and continued on our way. The following story is probably the scariest of the trip and Danny is doing fine now but we have to be careful when riding in the desert heat. So we were coming up on the Saltan Sea, which I later found out is actually nearly as low as Death Valley. The Saltan Sea smells terrible and being below sea level made us bake in the hot sun like never before. I believe the temperature was 106 at the time, down 3 degrees from previous day. Needless to say it was hot, and Danny was slowing down right after we took our break which I was somewhat concerned about because he usually is a pretty strong rider after our breaks. He stopped at this place called the Blu-Inn and filled up is water bottles.
So a few miles down the road I was going at a steady pace, I think it was about 15-18mph. There was a gentle tail wind and the road was straight. I was cruising and hadn't looked back for a couple minutes until it was too late. I noticed Danny wasn't behind me and sprinted back until I found his bike. He was sitting under the shadow of a rock by this ranch in the middle of no where. He was out of it and I was concerned. I asked him if he was sweating and he said no and that he had a headache and that he was dizzy and dry heaving. At that point I knew something was wrong and suggested calling 911. He urged against it and I said that I was going to ride back to the Blu-Inn and see if I could find help. He was conscious at this point but definitely not in any shape to ride. I found a mechanic at the Inn and he said he couldn't help but gave me the number for the Anza-Borrego Ranger Station which was closer too us than the Brawley ambulance (about 8 miles away). I made the call and told him that I thought my friend had heat exhaustion and he said he'd be right out.
I sprinted back to Danny to check on him. He was still conscious but wasn't drinking. The park ranger got there quickly and I waved him down. He immediately started asking Danny questions. He didn't have any heat cramps so his electrolytes were surprisingly fine, but he definitely wasn't drinking enough water and was severely dehydrated. The fact that he wasn't sweating was the reason he overheated. The park ranger urged Danny to take an ambulance to Brawley hospital so he could rehydrated and get his body temperature down. It took a few minutes for the EMT's to get there and I wasn't allowed in the ambulance. We threw the bikes in the back of the park ranger's truck and he gave me a ride down the rode to Brawley hospital. I thanked the park ranger for his help and parked the bikes in back of the hospital. I then went to check on Danny. He was out of it but doing better. I brought him some food but he was mostly just tired and cold. I ended up sleeping in the waiting room that night.
Heat exhaustion is very dangerous and Danny was on the verge of getting heat stroke. From now on we'll have to keep a more watchful eye on any symptoms of heat exhaustion and find shade to stand in if we're overheating. The symptoms that Danny displayed were all very clear and it's not hard to diagnose. We will exercise extreme caution when riding through the desert now. Danny will probably post an aside to share his perspective on the whole thing. I'm just glad he's ok. The doctor told him not to exercise in the heat for 24 hours, and he's more susceptible to heat exhaustion now, so we have to be extra careful. They released him from the hospital at like 1am in the morning and we had no place to stay. So we just camped out in the hospital waiting room but there was a guy snoring so Danny slept by the bikes.
I guess that's it for now. Next blog will be from Flagstaff or Moab.
Desert Hockey is the New Thing!There was a beautiful downhill coming out of Anza-Borrego and we were making good time until hot sun started beating down on us. We stopped at an RV Resort to take a break during high sun and continued on our way. The following story is probably the scariest of the trip and Danny is doing fine now but we have to be careful when riding in the desert heat. So we were coming up on the Saltan Sea, which I later found out is actually nearly as low as Death Valley. The Saltan Sea smells terrible and being below sea level made us bake in the hot sun like never before. I believe the temperature was 106 at the time, down 3 degrees from previous day. Needless to say it was hot, and Danny was slowing down right after we took our break which I was somewhat concerned about because he usually is a pretty strong rider after our breaks. He stopped at this place called the Blu-Inn and filled up is water bottles.
So a few miles down the road I was going at a steady pace, I think it was about 15-18mph. There was a gentle tail wind and the road was straight. I was cruising and hadn't looked back for a couple minutes until it was too late. I noticed Danny wasn't behind me and sprinted back until I found his bike. He was sitting under the shadow of a rock by this ranch in the middle of no where. He was out of it and I was concerned. I asked him if he was sweating and he said no and that he had a headache and that he was dizzy and dry heaving. At that point I knew something was wrong and suggested calling 911. He urged against it and I said that I was going to ride back to the Blu-Inn and see if I could find help. He was conscious at this point but definitely not in any shape to ride. I found a mechanic at the Inn and he said he couldn't help but gave me the number for the Anza-Borrego Ranger Station which was closer too us than the Brawley ambulance (about 8 miles away). I made the call and told him that I thought my friend had heat exhaustion and he said he'd be right out.
I sprinted back to Danny to check on him. He was still conscious but wasn't drinking. The park ranger got there quickly and I waved him down. He immediately started asking Danny questions. He didn't have any heat cramps so his electrolytes were surprisingly fine, but he definitely wasn't drinking enough water and was severely dehydrated. The fact that he wasn't sweating was the reason he overheated. The park ranger urged Danny to take an ambulance to Brawley hospital so he could rehydrated and get his body temperature down. It took a few minutes for the EMT's to get there and I wasn't allowed in the ambulance. We threw the bikes in the back of the park ranger's truck and he gave me a ride down the rode to Brawley hospital. I thanked the park ranger for his help and parked the bikes in back of the hospital. I then went to check on Danny. He was out of it but doing better. I brought him some food but he was mostly just tired and cold. I ended up sleeping in the waiting room that night.
Heat exhaustion is very dangerous and Danny was on the verge of getting heat stroke. From now on we'll have to keep a more watchful eye on any symptoms of heat exhaustion and find shade to stand in if we're overheating. The symptoms that Danny displayed were all very clear and it's not hard to diagnose. We will exercise extreme caution when riding through the desert now. Danny will probably post an aside to share his perspective on the whole thing. I'm just glad he's ok. The doctor told him not to exercise in the heat for 24 hours, and he's more susceptible to heat exhaustion now, so we have to be extra careful. They released him from the hospital at like 1am in the morning and we had no place to stay. So we just camped out in the hospital waiting room but there was a guy snoring so Danny slept by the bikes.
I guess that's it for now. Next blog will be from Flagstaff or Moab.
*Image courtesy of google because we didn't bring our camera out in San Diego much
I would've whistled...
ReplyDeleteNext time, engage the secondary reactor coolants faster.
BRONZE GODS.
ReplyDeletei am glad the scare wasn't any scarier. though i'm sure it was scary enough.
see you in flagstaff/moab!
I'm quite sure I fall short of the "bronze god" description -- I hope that Greg will whistle anyway.
ReplyDelete