Back in the Saddle

A little over a week ago, the morning of Wednesday, May27, I entered the Piedmont Hospital Fuqua Heart Instiute for a scheduled ablation surgical procedure. All went well and I was released later the same day. The preparation for the procedure started soon after my arrival at 9:30 am and included shaving what little chest hair I have and a gynecological consultation (little humor here) from a good friend and doctor who came by to check on me. Dr. Smith then took over and explained the procedure and let me know that I would have to wait a bit as he was running behind schedule. So, I finally got to the operating room, called a labratory, by noon and was back in the same room where the prep had taken place at 2:00 pm. The first step of recovery was the removal of three catheters from two 1/4 inch incisions in the upper right thigh and applying pressure for twenty minutes before dressing the wound. Remarkably none of this was uncomfortable, except for exposure to multiple nurses. I was required to lie quietly for another four hours while having vital signs monitored. Finally at around 7 pm my blood pressure was taken one last time while standing and the reading was normal. So, off I went home with a brief stop on the way to pick up dinner. I had not eaten in 24 hours and was ravenously hungry.

Joke: The anesthesiologist came by during the prep and asked among other things if I knew the difference between minor and major surgery. I replied, "No." He then told me that minor surgery is what everybody else has. So, now you know, major applies to any procedure done on you.

Dr. Smith came by and professed satisfaction with the process that included using electricity to create scaring that restores the malfunctioning circuit responsible for the heart flutter. I expressed my appreciation and admiration for the knowledge that electrical circuits exist in the heart. He said, of course, he had studied under the person who discovered the specific circuit tied to flutter. I thanked him and agreed to come back for a follow-up exam in August, when hopefully the need for a blood thinner will be eliminated.

I rested quietly at home for three days and actually took advice from my three sisters and wife not to ride until the fourth day. I am happy to report that my friend, Sam, and I rode briskly Sunday out and back on the Silver Comet Trail west of Atlanta 22 miles. We kept a steady pace on the flat trail such that we increased our heart rate and breathing. All felt fine and I experienced no discomfort. Yeah!

Still do not know when, how or if I will finish the C2C but am considering just going to Florida in the fall and ride on my own the final three days. Bubba sent me cue sheets for the routes.

Medical Update

It has been two weeks since I returned home. I have resumed my normal schedule which includes coffee (now decaffeinated) and reading a paper, as well as solving a Sudoko puzzle, each morning and two bike rides a week. All has felt well and I have been able to ride without any difficulties.

An appointment this morning with a local electrophysiologist confirmed that I am no longer exhibiting any signs of atrial arrhythmia. He felt my heart, which now had a resting pulse of 57 this morning, has returned to normal on its own without any impact from the prescribed medications. That's great news! However, I learned that an event such as I experienced in Florida can and will reoccur without warning and not necessarily be tied to any exertion. The alternatives, again as were explained earlier, are: 1) take medications to control heart rhythm but that are not considered effective; 2) ignore the condition but take a blood thinner to prevent strokes and which in my case could be just a daily aspirin; or 3) undergo an ablation surgical procedure which has a 97% effective rate of permanent prevention and elimination of a blood thiner after three months. Although I was tempted to choose Door #2, Nan and I agreed and have scheduled myself for an out-patient surgery on May 27.

Tallahassee Memorial Hospital and Home

Friday, April 24- Sunday, April 26

Feeling pretty bummed out at failing a second time to complete the Coast2Coast tour, now with only three riding days left to St Augustine, and not having had a chance to say, "Good-bye," to any of this year's Coasters I found myself in another hospital ER. I was finally admitted and taken to a non-emergency room at 2 am and slept, as might be expected, fitfully.

Friday was full of visits from doctors and nurses drawing blood and recording vital statistics. My heart rate remained normal but I learned that I was being treated as if I had a heart attack. In the afternoon I had a consultation with a cardiologist. He explained the what, when and where but admitted there was no clear why the heart has an arrhythmia. He recommended that I have a surgical procedure, called an ablation, to restore an electrical circuit that was most likely damaged. The alternative was to begin a life long dosage of a blood thinner. The risk was that a blood clot might form since the heart was not efficiently clearing blood and the clot might migrate into the brain causing a stroke. That caught my attention! We discussed the alternative of returning to Atlanta for the procedure upon which was agreed.

Saturday I was discharged but delays in filing paperwork resulted in my actual departure from the hospital not happening until 1 pm. Bad storms between Tallahassee and Atlanta suggested that we were better off staying another night in a motel. The extra time allowed us to enjoy a nice lunch at Food Glorious Food. I enjoyed some fantastic mac and cheese with bacon. Clearly all the medical issues were not interfering with my appetite.

Sunday we departed for Atlanta following a route directly north using US 41 between I-85 and I-75. Not the most scenic drive ever but a traffic and stress free alternative through Middle Georgia.

Day 48- Tallahassee to Madison

Thursday, April 23- 48 miles

Some pictures and lots of news today. Nan drove me out to the Coasters' motel on US 90 and the starting point for the day's ride. I was a little anxious about the difficulties that I encountered the prior day but wanted to ride since this route was short and quite flat. Rose and Judy chose to escort me in case I had any recurring problems. My guardian angels:

We began riding through an Allee of Live Oak trees completely overhanging the road and passed several nurseries and horse farms. The first stop was at Tupelo's Bakery in Monticello at mile 18.

After a leisurely iced coffee and bear claw pastry it was back on the road to Greenville. I was feeling OK but not great and had to stop frequently in the shade to hydrate and catch my breath. The next stop at mile 34 was a highlight as we all had a chance to make some music with Ray Charles in his hometown:

So, feeling refreshed we set off for Madison reaching there after a struggle for me up one last hill in time for lunch. As we finished eating Judy and Rose turned to me and announced that they were going to stand in for Nan and take me to a hospital. I did not argue as it was apparent that I was not able to ride or sustain a normal pace. We found Ed and Joyce who provided transportation for our bicycles and us to the North Florida Community College center housing the Coasters this evening. Rose drove me to the brand new hospital even though it was only 100 yards away.

Registration, quick admittance to the ER and I learned that I had a sustained heartbeat of 135, roughly double normal. It took multiple attempts using three different medications to lower the rate. In addition the EKG revealed that I had a regular arrhythmia, known as atrial flutter. So, the next move since the hospital in Madison did not have a cardiologist on staff was an ambulance ride back to Tallahassee's main hospital. 

Day 47- Marianna to Tallahassee

Wednesday, April 22- 75 miles

Again, no pictures but lots to report. The day and route started routinely when I met Murph and Alan on US 90 near the Lake Arrowhead campground. We continued eastwards crossing at mile 20 the Appalachacola River just below a dam forming Lake Seminole. We headed up an embankment into the town of Chatahoochee and a SAG stop at the Around the Corner Bakery. We did not linger but I noticed that I was still breathing hard after the climb and was experiencing some difficulty with the hills on the way out of town. I chose not to join, but waited for the group of riders that took a short detour to ride up into Georgia. We completed another 20 miles into Quincy where I took an extended rest stop drinking copious amounts of water and other liquids and eating a banana to regain strength.

Alan and Murph proceeded and I joined Judy's group as they were riding more slowly that day. Their lead rider, Ken W, was recovering from laser surgery on his left eye and they were willing to let me tag along. We left US 90 and proceeded along country lanes on a route recommended by local cyclists. I made it to the next stop and had some lunch in addition to more liquids, including a V8.

We left and soon headed into urban cycling across Tallahassee. Again, we were following a route suggested by local cyclists. However, I had forgotten how hilly the terrain is in that city. I had to stop frequently and once walked my bike up a hill. Judy's group was very kind and patiently waited for me as we slowly made our way to the eastern side of the city. We finally parted ways at mile 70 with the group going to their motel just outside the eastern edge of Tallahassee on US 90. I rode on making  one more stop to drink a large Coke and then to my motel.

This evening we completed a rendezvous, planned last year with Lee and Randy, friends from Winston-Salem and Atlanta. Rose, Murph and Judy joined Nan, Lee, Randy and me for a lovely dinner at the Cypress Restaurant. We all had lots to talk about and the evening was a nice break in routine. Finally got back to the hotel and in bed by 11 pm but sleep fitfully.

Day 46- DeFuniak Springs to Marianna

Tuesday, April 21- 69 miles

Sorry no pictures on this day. I met Rose, Murph and Alan at the town library. I rode up from a motel south of town and they rode in from the campground on the north side. Today's route took us around the small lake and through the historic district of DeFuniak Springs before resuming the easterly direction along US90. We made good time through much of the same route that I had traversed during the Bike Florida event, now three weeks ago.

We reached the lunch stop before 11 am, so we all decided to proceed on to Marianna and have lunch at Bistro Palms, the nice place JJ and I discovered two weeks earlier through Trip Advisor. We were not disappointed and enjoyed a leisurely lunch on their patio. Afterwards we proceeded to the Arrowhead Lake campground and the motel, a bit further south where Nan and I stayed. We returned, first for a frozen chocolate yogurt shake for me and then later a sumptuous dinner at the campground. Very pleasant day and evening.

Day 45- Milton to DeFuniak Springs

Monday, April 20, 2015- 55 miles

Nan and I stayed in a motel across from the KOA campground where the Coasters were spending one of their last nights in tents. So, in the morning it was a quick ride across a street to meet today's riding companions, Judy, Udi, Ken W and Lisa. These four riders had developed a disciplined pace line routine of switching leaders every two miles. My erratic riding style without an odometer presented all of us some challenges in getting into their rhythm. It all worked out and we enjoyed a pleasant, sunny ride east on US 90. Some readers may recall that this is the same highway that we used in Texas from Van Horne to Uvaldi.

We had one amusing stop and photo op at the Animal Tree along the way:

 No one knew the origin of this carved tree trunk featuring the heads of sheep and the initials, DCG.

We pedaled on stoping for lunch in Crestview. That's near Niceville. Simply Good Country Cooking BBQ featured a smash burger that included bacon and cheese all mushed together. Yummy! We soon reached, despite the heavy load of lunch, a fork in the road. My companions turned north towards the Paradise Island campground on a lake and I proceeded on to DeFuniak Springs and the motel south of town where I was to meet Nan. We spent a pleasant afternoon touring the historic part of the village. We learned that this town hosted the first Chautauqua Institute established in the late 19th century outside of its original western New York setting. The homes and and a library (first in Florida) were build around one of only two perfectly circular lakes in the world.

That afternoon I met John and his wife, Sue. They are from Milwaukee and know AD from the 2014 C2C. John is riding a recumbent bike solo across the country using Adventure Cycling's Southern Tier route. He left San Diego in early March before C2C and has ridden 40-50 miles a day with Sue driving support. As is the custom I invited John and Sue to join us for dinner. We all drove out to the campground and enjoyed a dinner hosted and prepared by the residents. Later we sat around a fire and listened to songs including a lively rendition of 'Bad to the Bone' by Chandler, despite his body brace, and 'Live your life as if you are Dying" led by Bubba.

Day 44- Dauphin Island, AL to Milton, FL

Sunday, April 19- 85 miles scheduled (46 miles completed)

The discipline of a daily post has escaped me. So, what is the story? All will be revealed as each day is described.

Nan and I rose early and departed after a hasty breakfast in a light rain. We drove south from Fairhope to meet the Coasters at the Fort Morgan eastern terminus of the ferry from Dauphin Island. We soon encountered heavy rain that required turning on the blinking safety lights. We did arrive just as the ferry was pulling into the dock. My iPhone camera crapped out as I went to take a picture of the boat full of riders and their bicycles. Perhaps, I should have taken this as an omen of future calamities that would occur this day.

The rain let up. Alan from Idaho, Murph from Colorado and regular companion on the 2014 C2C and I get set to begin the day's ride. We had fun raising our feet up like kids when we encountered flooded spots along the road. It was a splendid ride east along the coast, aka the Redneck Riviera.

We soon reached the beginning of the eighth and last state of the cross country ride. Here I am joined by Judy from Atlanta and the King Biking Group commemorating the accomplishment. So, all was good until we reached a small bridge over an inlet from the Gulf of Mexico where I was stopped by the first of four flat tires within the next seven miles. In frustration with #4 I refused to stop and rode an additional 10 yards which led to a painful fall on my left shoulder into oncoming traffic. I gathered myself and bicycle which at the time I was ready to throw into the ocean. Nevertheless Nan came to my rescue and transported the bike and me to the Bikes Plus shop in Pensacola. They administered emergency repairs, put on a new tire and sent me on. At that point I was happy to accept a car ride to our hotel in Milton, a delicious dinner from Chef Anne and a good night's sleep.

Day 43- Rest Day

Saturday, April 19, 2015

Nan and I started the day at a leisurely pace with breakfast at our hotel, pictured below:

This is Fairhope where California meets Alabama:

We departed for a brief look around Mobile before heading down the west side of the Bay. This is a restaurant and bar as well as a bike shop:

Nan spent the afternoon exploring the famous Bellingrath Gardens while I used the time to catch up with friends and staff from last year and meet the 2015 Coastsrs. Also included short ride on a borrowed bike for ice cream. Nan returned and we enjoyed our first dinner of chicken and beef fajitas prepared by Chef Anne. Then back to Fairhope to spend the night pondering the upcoming week of rides.

Returning to Coast2Coast

Friday, April 17- Drive from Atlanta to Fairhope, AL- 340 miles

Nan and I packed our luggage and biking gear in the morning and set out in a light rain from Atlanta. We drove southwest down I-85 towards Montgomery, the capital of Alabama. We stopped for a delightful lunch at the Amsterdam Cafe in Auburn. Nan used Trip Advisor to find this small spot near the Auburn Univ campus. We resumed our uneventful drive through Montgomery and then south towards Mobile. And that is when the skies opened up and we were deluged with rain. It was so heavy we pulled off the highway briefly and used our emergency blinking lights for much of the remainder of the journey. We left the Interstate before reaching Mobile as we were headed to the quaint village of Fairhope on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay. We settled into our hotel and then set off for dinner of oysters at Wintzell's.. Yummy. They were from Louisiana, but I did not ask if we should be concerned about any after effects of the BP spill.

Here are a couple of pictures from our hotel balcony of the old City Hall and a fire engine inside it:

Bike Florida- Day Six

Thursday, March 26- 41 miles

Rain was threatening from the outset so we tried to get off to an early start and chose the shorter option. However, not before getting all the Coasters (6 from 2014; 3 from 2013; 1 from 2010 and two Wolfpackers) in a group portrait:

The rain held off for two hours but finally came down heavily the last hour home. We were motivated to keep going while maintaining 20 mph in a pace line. Several of us bummed a ride by car back to Indian Pass (a true wide spot in the road) to feast on local oysters for lunch. Yummy!

That was followed by an afternoon of almost steady rain. Lil, Mike and I hid out in a nearby museum commemorating the signing of the Florida State Constitution. We learned that Port St Joe came within one vote of becoming the capital of Florida. That was all before the population of 12,000 in the 1820's was reduced to 4000 by Yellow Fever and then things really got bad. The remaining town was soon blown off the map by a hurricane, leaving behind no survivors.

Bobby, my ride home, proposed leaving early to avoid another day of riding in the rain. I readily agreed and we set off after indulging in a feast of jambalaya and ice cream. Bobby dropped me off in Atlanta around 12:45 am before heading to his home in Athens, GA.

What a perfect way to prepare physically and mentally to resume the Coast2Coast tour in April.

Bike Florida- Day Five

Wednesday, March 25- 85 miles

Another move day South from Marianna to Port St Joe. Mostly flat, light winds and cool weather made for an ideal day for cycling. Mike and I rode together again and were joined by Lil, another 2014 Coaster. Here's a picture of us with yet another 2014 Coster, Pete, at a rest stop near Wewahitchka, aka Wewa: 

Note: The UNC jersey was not enough to stop Wisconsin from winning in the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament the following night.

The ride ended with a 15 mile slog heading East into a headwind along the coast. We did finally reach camp safely and treated ourselves to a dinner out at the aptly named Sunset Grill. Here are a couple of pictures with the fading sun after dinner and with Wayne, a 2010 Coaster:

Bike Florida- Day Four

Tuesday, March 24- 58 miles
 (including minor detour off the route and trip to and back from a laundromat)

Circle route today to the West of Marianna. We began the day choosing the shorter of the two options, both of which brought us to another State Park and CCC project. This one Falling Waters, as seen in these pictures:

This area is another example of limestone erosion that in this case created a hundred foot chasm, or sinkhole, to capture water. This was, as might be expected, a popular site for the native Americans and early settlers unlike the caverns from yesterday that were dark and too narrow for habitation.

The ride itself was uneventful and the shorter duration allowed for an early return and time to do some much needed laundry. Several of us toured what to us was a surprisingly large and prosperous downtown Marianna after a dinner catered by Dixie Grill from Live Oak. 

Bike Florida- Day Three

Monday, March 23- 72 miles

Move day from Blountstown to Marianna; just 20 miles if you drive directly but we had three choices of 60, 72 and a 100. Mike and I chose the middle route. We set out in a cold misty rain that finally relented after two hours. Saw several horse farms and cattle grazing closer to Marianna. We also passed a number of lakes full of lily pads. Very little wildlife except the occasional roadkill of possum and armadillo.

This year's event is called Caverns to Coast Tour and in the afternoon we learned why. We took a shuttle bus out to a State Park on the Northern edge of Marianna. We joined a guided underground (40-50 ft) walk through limestone caverns. We learned the difference between a cave which is an opening underground a cavern which has formations of precipitated rock, known as stalagmites and stalactites. Which is which, I am still confused. These caverns were discovered quite by accident in the 1930's when a tree blew over in a storm and its root ball opened a cavity. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) took on the project of creating a tourist attraction by removing rock to open passageways from the existing 2 feet to 4-6 feet in height over a five year period. They also left behind a rock sided visitor center that is still in use as a gift shop. We saw a few sleeping tiny bats. Here are just a few pictures:

Bike Florida- Day Two

Sunday, March 22- 70 miles

Circle route started North and then headed West through fewer and lower hills and more agriculture than yesterday. We set out earlier as well to get back before the same rains did in fact occured again.

Mike and I rode with rest stops but at a brisk pace. We rode past several what appeared to be abandoned real estate developments around lakes. No pictures today, sorry.

We attended in the evening a presentation by an author of his book about growing up along the Appalachacola River basin.

Bike Florida- Day One

Saturday, March 21-62 miles

One of the appeals of this week's tour is that moves are limited to three. So, most days offer a selection of circle routes that begin and return to the starting point.

Today we rode East from Blountstown toward Tallahassee first crossing over the Appalachicola River on a wide, new bridge. We rode primarly through uninhabited pine forests after turning North from the main road. Nothing worth stopping for a picture.

There are seven of us (Mike, Lil, Linda, Bob, Pete, Hargy and me) who rode together on the 2014 Coast2Coast tour with Bubba. Here is a picture of six of us (Mike missing):

We saw longhorn cattle and buffalo here which prompted us to stop:

We rode on through what we all considered surpringly hilly terrain. The highlight was the rest stop at Torreya State Park. A very enthusiastic and knowledgeable ranger shared with us the following:

1. Torreya was the first state park in Florida established in 1935.

2. Torreya is a subspecies of cypress tree and only found in one location in the world. The Torrey pine found near San Diego, CA is similar but a different subspecies.

3.  A blight attacked the trees in the 1950's and reduced their number to just 80. The Atlanta Botanical Garden has helped develop trees that are resistant to the blight.

3. The CCC established a camp at the site and built the basic facilities and moved a plantation house from the West side of the river and rebuilt it over 5 years. The Gregory House now has a spectacular setting on limestone cliffs overlooking the river and rich agricultural land to the West.

We endured light showers and two heavy downpours after we returned to camp. Several tents were flooded and had to be moved. After dinner and the rain abated we walked to the little and charming downtown. There was a small festival and band playing. 

Then it was back to bed and a very much appreciated sleep.

Bike Florida

Friday, March 20

My friend, JJ, drove down with me from Atlanta. We took a route by Columbus, GA and across the Chattahoochee River into Alabama. We passed by Phinnix City and South through Eufaula, which appeared to be the bass fishing capital of the world with an historic downtown. We proceeded down by Dothan and on into the panhandle of Florida West of Tallahassee. We stopped in Marianna to split an excellent Greek pizza (lots of goat cheese, olives and ham) for dinner.

JJ tented overnight and returned my car to Atlanta in the morning. I checked into Bubba's Pampered Zone and found my tent for the upcoming week of rides in preparation to resume the Coast2Coast tour in mid-April.

Reminiscing

It has been sometime since I posted to this blog. Last week, I had the pleasure of being in San Diego, CA. I checked into a hotel overlooking Mission Bay, just to the North of downtown and the airport. I stepped onto a balcony to assess the view and what did I see but Dog Beach on Point Loma about a quarter mile away in the hazy sunshine. This is where the Coast2Coast bike adventure began just 11 months ago. I recognized the bike path along the San Diego River where we started the eastward trek into the mountains on the way to Alpine, the first overnight stop.

My friend, Phill, from Chapel Hill, NC and who did a prep ride with me last year around Newport Beach, came down by train from Seal Beach this year to visit a brother in San Diego. He stayed overnight and the following day we rode 21 miles on excellent rented road bikes around San Diego Bay from Coronado. We returned on a ferry boat that departed from the pier where the Midway aircraft carrier is moored as a museum. Here is an amusing sculptural display along the route:

Work, as such, began in the afternoon after the bike ride when the Road Scholar Board convened for two days of meetings. We had cookies celebrating the 40th anniversary of the non-profit beginning as Elderhostel offering continuing education programs.

The Board meeting was followed by a two and half day program exploring San Diego. Nan flew out with the cookies and to join the program. The first stop after a brief lecture on the history of the area was the Midway aircraft carrier.

We had dinner in Little Italy, fka The Tuna Capital of the World. The next day was spent in Balboa Park, a collection of Spanish inspired buildings and landscaping in the midst of modern San Diego and left over from two World exhibitions. Most of the group toured the art museums in the morning while Nan and I chose to stay outside to see the unusual redwood slat conservatory and explore the  folk art Mingei International Museum (www.mingei.org/). We spent the afternoon touring the adjacent, well-known zoo.

The last day we explored the Scripps Institute of Oceanography walking their pier and seeing their surprisingly modest research labs. We lunched at La Valencia hotel, aka The Pink Lady, and saw the quaint charms of La Jolla before flying home overnight.

Next month I plan to participate in a week long Bike Florida tour of North Florida as preparation for resumption of the Coast2Coast tour in April beginning from last year's departure point on Dauphin Island, AL. Of course, I will avail myself of Bubba's Pampered services in Florida. So, more posts to follow beginning in March.