I rode up Mt. Magazine with some friends and members of the Arkansas Bicycle Club. Jim, the club president scheduled the ride. There were 7 of us that made the ride. Some folks spent the night on the mountain at the Lodge. They rode down the mountain the next morning and rode back up with the rest of us. I drove from home, which took about an hour and 45 minutes. We started up the mountain at 10:30.
It was a beautiful day for a ride. The temperature was in the 80’s and got cooler as we rode higher up the mountain and was in the 70’s before we reached the top.
We parked at Havana, a small town at the foot of the mountain in Yell County. The mountain is visible from quite a distance before Havana.
A view of Mt. Magazine from Highway 10 near Danville.
The road up the mountain is a paved two-lane road but is pretty rough in places, although I was thankful there were very few big pot holes. Everyone rode at their own speed, which meant that we all rode most of the way alone. Jim stopped and waited for me a couple of times, which gave me a reason to stop and rest.
Many cracks in the road but not many potholes
The road went through the woods. Only after I got near the top could I see anything below. The view, although not very open, granted me encouragement because I knew the top would not be very far away.
I can see the valley below.
After about 8 miles I reached the overlook. Jim waited for me there, and I took some pictures and rested a few minutes. We rode to the Lodge together. It was another 4 miles to the Lodge. There were some more hills to climb, but the worst part was over.
Looking south from the top of Mt. Magazine.
We had lunch at the Lodge at the top of the mountain. It’s a gorgeous place; Ann and I stayed there once. The rooms are very nice, though expensive.
Lunch at the LodgeView from the LodgeSelfie from outside the Lodge
After lunch, Ted and I rode down the mountain together. It took over 45 minutes to get down. We averaged about 16 miles per hour. We could have gone a lot faster, of course, but we braked a lot and arrived safely.
It was a difficult ride for me to say the least. It took me over 2 hours to cover the 12 miles to the Lodge. I stopped 3 times to rest for a couple of minutes. I was exhausted and sort of hurt all over by the time I finished.
I measured stuff and recorded data about the ride. I broke the data into 2 parts—the ride up and the ride down. During the ride up, my heart rate averaged 145 beats/minute. I’ve never recorded my average heart rate that high before. My maximum heart rate during the ride up was 159, and that’s about as high as it ever gets. Basically, my heart rate was at almost 90% of my maximum rate for 2 hours while riding up the mountain. That’s enough to make any old man tired. The average speed going up the mountain was about 6 mph. However, much of the time my speed was 4 or below, which is the speed necessary to keep the bike upright.
I rode up the mountain one other time. I remember that it was a hard ride but not nearly as hard as yesterday. Reasons for the ride being harder now is that at 75 years old, I’m 7 years older and 17 pounds heavier than when I rode it the first time. I can’t get any younger, but I hope to lose some weight if I ever decide to ride up the mountain again.
I crashed my bike on January 5. You can read about the crash here.
After the crash I didn’t realize anything might be wrong. I continued to ride my bike as I usually do. But, on February 20 I noticed that something was not quite right. I went for a 25-mile bike ride that afternoon and noticed a couple of things that didn’t seem right. First, as I was starting the ride, I had a hard time clipping in, so I got off the bike to check if anything was wrong. There was nothing, but when I started to get on the bike I almost fell. If I had been clipped in, I would have fallen. I just felt a little clumsy. Second, on the way back, I felt that it was harder to keep the bike on a straight path–I kept feeling like I was going to run off the road on the right side. With about 1 mile left, I did run off the road but was able to stop without falling.
Four days later on February 24 I went with Ann for a 2-mile walk in the neighborhood. I felt off-balance, and I tended to shuffle my feet. My right leg seemed to drag a little. Ann commented on my awkward walking. I also felt unusually lethargic after the walk. That’s the day I realized that something was definitely wrong with me. That night, I fell while getting up out of a chair. It seemed a little hard to get up. I felt clumsy and my movements seemed slow. Another sign that something was wrong.
The next day on February 25, I felt a little shaky on my feet but was not very concerned. I went to the fitness center and lifted weights without any problems. That afternoon I decided against going for a ride, because my legs felt odd, and I was a little unsteady on my feet. So, I rode the trainer in the garage for about 1 hour. When I started to get off the bike, I swung my leg over the saddle. I fell when my foot hit something next to the bike. I don’t think hitting something with my foot would ordinarily cause me to fall.
The next day, February 26, I decided to ride with the retired riders group. I didn’t feel bad but noticed right away that I tended to veer to the right while riding. We rode across the Big Dam Bridge (BDB), and I had no problem going over the bridge, although I rode slowly. After riding over the bridge and into Burns Park, I realized I could not make the entire ride.
Coreen and Ray were behind me, and Coreen wrote this in an email.
“I was observing you from behind today and you were running to the right. A couple of times, I was afraid you were headed toward the river. I mentioned to Ray that maybe you shouldn’t go up the big hill. That is about when you turned around.”
On the way back to my car, I ran off the trail about 4 time and fell once, though I had pretty much stopped by the time I fell. At the BDB I didn’t find it hard to peddle up the bridge, although I was not going very fast. About ¾ of the way to the top, I fell into the guard rail. I got off and pushed the bike to the top of BDB. I got back on the bike and rode back to my car without a problem. I noticed when I looked straight down while riding, the bike was leaning to the left quite noticeably. When I forced myself to position the bike so it was straight, it didn’t feel right. At the car, I had a hard time getting off my bike. I couldn’t seem to get my leg high enough to clear the seat.
When I got home, I sent my PCP a note on MyChart saying that something was wrong with me and that I needed to see a doctor. He said I should come to the clinic as a work-in with someone or go to the emergency department.
I went to the clinic, hoping to talk to my PCP. After waiting over an hour I was finally able to see the doctor. He examined me but found nothing obviously wrong. I asked him to watch me walk, and he also noticed that the movement of my right my was odd. He arranged for me to have carotid doppler test and an MRI of the brain (scheduled for a month away). He did standard blood tests, which were all normal.
The following 2 days I didn’t do any exercise. By the end of the second day, I decided to go to the ER for a couple of reasons. First, my walk seemed to be worsening, and second I didn’t want to wait a month for the MRI.
It’s not clear to me when I realized that the problems I was having walking and riding my bike were related to the crash I had in January. I don’t think I made the connection at first. But, on the day I rode with the group, Bill, a riding buddy, sent an email to our riding group to say that he was going into the hospital that day to receive treatment for a subdural hematoma. Certainly by then, I figured that my problems were related to the bike wreck. So, when I went to the ER, I had prepared a 2-page summary and timeline of the bike wreck and symptoms I had had.
So, on March 1,
I went to the ER at UAMS. We got there about 10:30,
and there
was nobody in front of us so I went right in. I
saw a doctor right away, and he ordered a couple of tests. One was a
CT of the head. When the results came back, it was clear to
the ER doctor that
I had blood on the brain and
that I should see someone from neurology.
First Two Holes In My Head
The first person that I saw from neurology (actually from the Neurosurgery Clinic) was a resident who told me I had a subdural hematoma and that I needed to have a procedure to remove the blood. She said there were two possibilities. The least invasive treatment would be to insert tubes in my head to drain the blood. This procedure could be done at the bedside. The other procedure would be done in the operating room, where a hole would be bored in the skull and the blood removed. She said the attending physician would decide the treatment.
The attending physician decided to do the least invasive treatment, which was to put 2 drains in my skull. That procedure would be done at the bedside in the ICU. In the ICU everything was prepared using sterile conditions before the procedure started and cloth was draped over my head and face. During the procedure, I couldn’t see who was in the room or who actually did the procedure. The two doctors I remember being there was a 6th year resident and a first year resident. The person who did most of the talking to me was the first year resident. I’m not sure if she did the procedure but I don’t think the attending physician was there.
After being prepared for the procedure, I had to wait about an hour or more in order to receive an injection of platelets. Since I had been taking a low-dose aspirin, the doctor wanted to minimize the risk of bleeding by giving me platelets. I was also given Fentanyl and Ativan to “take the edge off” and dampen my anxiety during the procedure. The doctor also injected lidocaine in the skin where holes were to be drilled. The procedure didn’t hurt, and I could hardly tell that I was sedated. I heard the drilling, which was loud as promised.
The doctor drilled a hole on either side of my head near the front and screwed in metal drain ports.
The doctor attached rubber tubes that extended a couple of feet from my head. The tube terminated in an oval-shaped reservoir to collect the blood that drained out.
I wasn’t very worried about the procedure. It’s not rocket science I told myself; it’s drilling. How hard can it be to drill holes in the skull.
WTF! No, it’s not rocket science, it’s brain surgery! If you give me a couple of minutes, I’m sure I can come up with 5 or 6 things that could go wrong. But, by the time the drilling started the Fentynal and Ativan had kicked in, and I was pretty relaxed and mellow. I hoped that the resident had taken a shop class in high school and that she made an A in DRILLING.
I stayed in the ICU for 4 days. I had to lie flat in the bed so the blood could drain out. I was allowed to sit up a little for short periods to eat. As far as I know the only drugs I was given while in the hospital (other than what I usually take at home) was Keppra (an anti-seizure medicine) and Dexamethasone, a steroid. On the fourth day I was started on an antibiotic, because my white blood count was a little low, though in the normal range.
While in the ICU, I got lots of attention from the nurses. They came in my room periodically throughout the day and night to evaluate me by shining a light in my eyes, having me squeeze their finger, move my arms and legs against resistance, and asking me questions. Each day in the ICU I got a CT scan at about 4:00 am. A resident from the neurosurgery group rounded each morning at about 5:30. A doctor from the ICU also came by each day to see how I was doing.
Bedpans and Urinals
It eventually came the time that I needed to use the commode and there was one in my room. So, I asked the nurse if he would help me to the commode. He fetched a bedpan and placed it on the bed and said, no, you must use the bedpan. Seeing the bedpan instantly caused me anxiety, and I started to whine to the nurse. Do you see the size of my ass and the size of that bedpan? There’s no way I will be able to get up on it. Also, not only is it barely wide enough, it appears not be deep enough. I’m about halfway weak with the holes in my head and I’m connected to all these wires. Even if I could get up on it, I don’t believe I can balance myself on it. The nurse said, first, you are not going to get-up-on-it. (Oh, no!) Second, you will have to use the bedpan while lying mostly horizontal in the bed, according to the doctor’s orders. (Really!) When you are ready, let me know and I will help you. Without going into details, it worked out pretty well. It wasn’t his first bedpan rodeo so we made it fine. However, I hope I never have to use a bedpan again!
On the other hand, a urinal for a man is a fine apparatus. Light weight and easy to use without assistance; it can be used without sitting up; and it takes no specialized training to use it. There was always one within arm’s reach on my bed. I even took one home with me when I left the hospital. I put it on the night stand next to my bed. It was reassuring to know, if I woke up at night and needed to pee, I had the option of using the urinal or walking to the bathroom and risk falling. I used it a few times to be sure.
On the last day I was in the ICU, a resident removed the drains from my head. He said he could give me some lidocaine before stitching me up, but he said I probably wouldn’t need it. He was so cavalier about the situation, that I said no, I won’t need any lidocaine. That was a mistake. It wasn’t very painful when he unscrewed the metal drains, but it hurt like hell when he wiped around the drains and when he stitched up the hole.
I was evaluated by an occupational
therapist and a physical therapist before I left the ICU. The
occupational therapist concluded that I wouldn’t need any
assistance after leaving the hospital. The physical therapist
thought I had good strength but noted that I was wobbly when I
walked.
After the 4th day I left the ICU and spent one night in a regular room for observation. I didn’t get as much attention in the new room as in the ICU, but at least I was able to take a shower.
After five days in the hospital, I went home. I filled prescription for Dexamethasone (a steroid) and Keppra (anti-seizure). The steroid ensured that I wouldn’t sleep very well; I didn’t have a good night’s sleep for a long time.
A couple days after I got home, I called the neurosurgery clinic and asked if I could go for a walk. The answer was yes, but I should go slowly. So, we started to walk several days a week. I was lightheaded and walked pretty slowly and got tired easily. After being home about a week, I started to see improvement. The loss of dexterity in my right hand had improved and I felt stronger when walking and my right leg seemed more or less normal.
About 20 days (March 25) after leaving the hospital I had an appointment for a CT scan. The Sunday before the CT scan on Monday, I had a terrible headache and I noticed that I had neurological symptoms in my left hand—loss of dexterity. After having the CT scan, I went to the ER and explained that I was having problems with loss of dexterity in my hand. I also got an MRI. I was told the CT scan was normal (no change from the last one) and the MRI was also clear (no changes from the last one a few years ago). However, the doctors decided I should spend the night in the hospital for observation. I was moved to an observation ward where several residents from the Neurology Clinic came by and examined me.
I was released from the hospital after one night and got home about 3:00 the next afternoon. About dinner time I received a call from someone from the Neurology Clinic (I didn’t catch her name) who said a final reading of the MRI showed some abnormalities and that I should come to the ER! I told her I had just spent the previous night in the ER and surely this problem could be dealt with the next day. However, after a second thought and a call to my son, the doctor, I took his advice and went to the ER that night.
Big Hole In My Head
The ER was full, and we had to wait a long time. Since I couldn’t remember the name of the doctor that called me, it took some time to track her down. I saw the ER doctor but he said I should see someone from “neuro”. When that doctor from “neuro” came he said it would probably better if someone from Neurosurgery came to assess my case, and he promised to go find someone. Before long a doctor that I recognized from the Neurosurgery Clinic came by. Within several minutes he decided I would need additional surgery. He said there was a little change for the worse that showed up on the CT scan. With several back and forth visits with the attending physician, they decided I should have burr surgery. (Basically a couple of holes bored in the head to flush out the blood.) With that decision we were discharged from the ER. We got home a little before midnight Tuesday night with instructions to wait for a call to schedule the surgery.
The surgery was scheduled for Friday. So, nothing much happened
Wednesday and Thursday. My symptoms in my right hand worsened. I
seemed more lethargic and slower in my movements. I had unusual
headaches. The headaches were in the right frontal lobe and seem to
pulsate from time to time, but they were not very severe.
I had to be at the hospital at 5 am on Friday. I bathed using
antibacterial soap as instructed. My niece, Sara, the nurse, came to
take us. We got there on time, and Sara knew where and how to check
in.
It was frustrating from that point on, because we had to wait quite a while before going back to the pre-op area. We spent some time in the pre-op area getting ready for surgery–gown, IV, etc. I was in the OR for several minutes while they prepared things. The last thing I remember was a nurse saying she was going to put a mask over my face.
I don’t remember much about waking up or the early parts of
recovery. I don’t remember being in any pain, although I did have a
headache off and on for the rest of the day. I took pain medicine
(Dilaudid, Tylenol and Morphine, I think) in the morning after
surgery. Also, in the evening just before bed I had a dose of
Oxycodone.
After several hours in post-op, I was moved to a room. I had
a typical night on steroids—no sleep. I rested okay, but I don’t
think I slept any at all, until early in the morning.
One of the Chief residents and three other residents rounded about 8:30 the next morning (Saturday). I asked them a lot of questions. Later in the morning, Dr. Rodriguez, the attending surgeon, came by and spent a long time with us. I’m pretty sure she did the surgery. She said they first drilled 2 holes, but because the blood was a very thick clotted mass, they couldn’t extract the blood. So, they cut a larger hole. I said with a jigsaw? She said it was very similar–a lot of our tools are like ones in your garage. She described the saw as having a “foot” on the bottom that went below the skull that acted as a guide to avoid going to deep. After making a larger hole they were able to clean out all the accumulated blood.
While I was still in the recovery room, Dr. Rodrequez showed Ann a
picture of the hole in my head she had taken during the surgery.
Ann described the hole as a round silver dollar-sized hole. I
asked the doctor how the hole was covered. She said they
inserted the skull pieces back in place and secured them with tiny
titanium screws. It won’t set off alarms at the airport. The
surgery was on the left side (left side controls the right side
movements). The doctor said the blood that is still left on the
right side will probably slowly reabsorb. She also said the
“abnormal” area on the MRI was the original hematoma.
After spending only one night in the hospital, I was discharged with the same instructions as before—no driving, no lifting more than 10 pounds, no bending over from the waist, no pushing, pulling or straining until after I the post-op visit with the neurosurgeon. We got home on Saturday a little before noon. I went home with a dressing over the wound, and I was told to not remove it until the second day, at which time I could gently wash the incision with baby shampoo.
About a week after surgery, I went to see a nurse at the Neurosurgery Clinic, who examined the incision and removed the stitches. I told her that I had been sleeping during the daytime much more than usual. She encouraged me to rest and sleep whenever possible because that would facilitate recovery.
Almost immediately after the surgery,
I could tell the dexterity in my hands was much improved. Dr.
Rodriguez said it might take a week to for my hands to feel
completely normal.
For most of the month after surgery, I
still felt weak, I tired easily and I was lightheaded. However, I
didn’t have much neurological problems like loss of dexterity in my
hands or trouble walking. I had trouble sleeping (I was still taking
steroids) and woke up often with a headache. I was prescribed
several 5 mg tablets of Oxycodone, and I took several of them or
Tylenol at night so I could sleep.
During the first couple of weeks in
April I didn’t feel like exercising. But, I gradually started to
feel stronger and started walking more often. During the first 2
weeks in May I rode the trainer (stationary bike) in the garage or
walked almost every day.
On May 15, I had a CT scan and met
with the neurosurgeon. About a week before that I started to feel
almost “normal”. The doctor showed me the CT scans before
surgery, right after surgery, and the current scan. The before
surgery scan showed a lot of blood between the brain and scalp. The
scan right after surgery showed a small pocket of blood on the left
side, and the last scan showed no blood at all.
Dr. Rodriguez said I could resume normal activities but encouraged me to go slowly. So, the next day I went to the fitness center and rode the stationary bike and lifted weights. The next day I went for a 16-mile bicycle ride! I felt pretty good while riding, though I could tell I was slightly out of shape. I rode 100 miles the week after I saw Dr. Rodriguez.
It was a good day for a ride on January 5th—clear but a little chilly (mid-forties when we left). Several of us old timers met near the Clinton Presidential Museum at 9:00 for a ride of about 30 miles. We biked through downtown Little Rock, south toward College Station and Sweethome. I made it only about 4.25 miles before I crashed.
From left to Right: Coreen, Mike, Janice, Scott, me, Carl; our ride leader, Jim, took the picture
One question, actually the biggest question, is what caused me to fall. One possible cause was syncope, which is a temporary loss of consciousness from insufficient blood flow to the brain–fainting. The doctor in the ER mentioned this as a possibility, and I saw the word several times on my medical chart. From my health record at UAMS the doctor knew I had had an episode of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), which is a very fast heart rhythm. Syncope can be caused by SVT. However, I don’t think that SVT could have caused me to pass out, because I believe I would have felt it coming on.
Blue line at the bottom is speed
I ride with at Garmin 820 Edge bike computer. I have a chest strap that syncs with the Garmin to record my heart rate. The Garmin collects heart rate data, GPS and other data. The data automatically syncs with a Garmin website where I can review the uploaded data. From this data I can gain insight into what happened at the moment of the crash.
I’m pretty sure I would have recognized a symptom of SVT (weakness, when I had it before). I usually keep my Garmin set on a screen that shows heart rate, distance, speed, average speed, cadence, and grade. If I had felt anything unusual, I would have looked at my heart rate monitor to see what my heart rate was. The Garmin data supports my theory. My heart rate at the time of the crash was 111 bpm, and there was no indication that my heart rate got anywhere near the SVT range (176 bpm during my previous episode). Several minutes before I crashed my heart rate was 150. That’s pretty high for me, but not unusual. And it came down quickly when we stopped for a bit to wait for some riders behind us. It is interesting to examine the graph of my speed at the time of the crash. The data show that the speed drops precipitously to about 3 mph, and that it took another 40 seconds to reach zero. I assume that after I crashed the rear wheel continue to spin, which would explain why the Garmin recorded speed even after I had apparently crashed. I was traveling about 20 mph at the time of the crash; we had just gone down a pretty steep hill, which would account for our fast speed, although the spot of the crash was rather flat. Hitting the ground at that speed could hurt a fellow.
The only other way to evaluate what could have caused the fall is from eyewitness reports. Jim and Scott were ahead of us and didn’t see the crash. I was just ahead of Janice, so she saw what happened. She texted me her account:
You might want to also tell the doctor that when I got to you (immediately ) you were on your back and you were unconscious. Your eyes were partially open, but not awake. Your breathing was shallow and irregular and sounded raspy, noisy, (like low pitched snorting or snoring) and did not not sound normal. Also you were foaming at the mouth, drooling a little. Coreen probably has a record of how long she was on the phone with 911 which might give you a better estimate of how long before you recovered and gained consciousness.
In a second text, she added more insight:
In talking, the group is concerned that maybe you fell off the bike because you passed out. I was so close that I didn’t have time to really see. There was a dip in the road, but it looked like all of a sudden you fell off the bike. Coreen and Mike were behind me and they had a different perspective. But you were unconscious several minutes. It seemed like a long time.
When I talked to Mike and Coreen, who were a bit behind me but saw the crash, they thought that I just fell over for no obvious reason–syncope.
Carl was the other eyewitness. He was just behind Janice. He visited me in the ER, and we talked about what he saw. He also described a dip in the road associated with a pothole that could have been hard to see.
Dip in the Road/Pothole (Click on the picture to see a larger view)
I went back to the place where I crashed to look for the dip in the road. I was able to locate the crash site pretty precisely using the Garmin GPS data and pictures that Jim took at the site. I believe I found the “dip in the road” that Janice and Carl described. It’s not a huge pothole, but certainly big enough to cause a wreck if I hit it unexpectedly. We will never know for sure. I hope the pothole was the cause; I would hate to think I could pass out for no obvious reason. What about while driving a car?
I have no recollection of anything before or after the crash. I remember being in the ambulance. Apparently, I sat on the tailgate of a pickup truck while waiting on the ambulance, but I don’t remember that. In the ambulance the EMT asked me who the President was. My answer was Obama, either because I was really confused or I was wishfully thinking of times past. In a few minutes I realized that I had given the wrong answer and told the EMT; I’m sure he didn’t change his assessment about my confusion.
To have had such a concussion-producing crash, I wasn’t in much pain. I had a small abrasion near my right elbow, which hardly bled. My right shoulder was sore for a time, but not that much. I had a sore place on my right rib cage that I didn’t even notice at first. After a few days my rib cage started to hurt–it hurt to take a deep breath or to move very much or exercise the muscles like doing a sit-up. But, that pain only lasted one or two days.
I was taken to UAMS ER where I was given the following tests:
ECG 12-Lead—Normal
Basic Metabolic Panel blood test—All tests results were in normal except my glucose was a little high
CBC without Differential—All tests results were in normal range
CT Head WO Contrast—Basically normal. No intracranial hemorrhage or drainable fluid collection is seen.
X-ray of my shoulder was normal
X-ray of my chest was normal
3 time-sequence tests of troponin—These tests show whether I had had a heart attack. I had not.
I was taken to the Clinical Decision Unit, another area in the ER where you go for observation, and I thought I might stay there all night. But, when the third and final result for troponin was normal, they let me come home with instructions to followup with my PCP and to have a nuclear stress test. The stress test conducted 2 days after leaving the ER was normal.
When I saw my PCP 5 days after the crash, he decided that I should wear a heart monitor for a month. I did that, and what a pain in the ass that was. The monitor consists of 4 electrode leads stuck to my chest connected to a battery pack and control module. I wore it 24/7. I only took it off to shower. Of course, sleep was frequently interrupted when I would roll over on the control module or pull off an electrode, causing the thing to beep. The results didn’t show any problems: No arrhythmias were detected in this 30-day event monitor.
Few small tears on Jacket
There was very little damage to my clothing. My outer jacket was torn in a couple of places. There were no scuffs on my gloves. (Click on the image to see a larger version).
My helmet was also broken. I noticed a small crack and an indentation in the helmet on the back of the right side.
Later, I noticed the foam padding inside the helmet was cracked. Even before I noticed the crack, I bought another helmet, because I had heard that if you ever crash with your helmet you should buy another whether you see damage or not. I believe I have a good helmet, which is equipped with MIPS (Multi-directional Impact Protection System) Brain Protection System.
My bike was not seriously damaged, thank goodness, because it’s a new beautiful bike. It’s an Allied Alpha with just about everything made of carbon and is light as a feather. I took it Meteor Bike Shop to have it checked for damage. The right brake lever was twisted but not broken. There was a scratch on the seat and on the brake handle but nothing major. The mechanic said I must have sacrificed my body for the bike, because there was so little damage.
After the crash, I didn’t ride for a few days. One reason was that I had a migraine headache that I don’t think was related to the accident. I have a history of having migraines, and this one seemed to be a normal one for me. For the next month, I kept a normal winter riding schedule. I rode the trainer in the garage or the stationary bike at the fitness center when the weather was bad. I rode outside if the weather was good. I missed several days when we were in Hawaii and a few days when I had a cold.
I noticed no decrease in my performance, and I felt fine until February 20. That’s when the shit hit the fan.
Story to be continued. You can read the rest of the story here.
As we were sitting on the patio enjoying a glass of wine last night, we heard a loud pounding on the back door. To my surprise, it was a police officer, looking for Ann. He said a woman tried to purchase some furniture at the Big Lots store in south Little Rock with a check and used Ann’s driver’s license for identification. When the clerk questioned the woman about not looking like the picture on the driver’s license, she ran away. Big Lots called the police, who took the license and check.
The policeman showed Ann the license that was used, and, of course, it was hers. He asked if he could keep it for evidence. Since Ann already had another license, she agreed. The officer said he searched the police database for Ann’s name looking for a report of a stolen driver’s license, but for some unknown reason he didn’t find the report about her stolen wallet. So, his report is a new case, but he said he would link it to the previous report. He said he asked for and got special permission from his supervisor to come to our house, because west Little Rock is not part of his territory. I’m glad he came to discuss the case with us face-to-face.
We asked if we could see the check. He said we could see it but we couldn’t touch it. He put on rubber gloves to handle the check. I wanted to make sure that it wasn’t another check from Ann’s mother’s account. But, it wasn’t. The check looked authentic to me. It had Ann’s name and address in the upper left corner. The officer said that on close inspection there were some indications that it was a fake—slightly misaligned margins, for example. The woman signed the check, Marilyn Bridges. So, the woman didn’t even try to copy Ann’s signature. Ann usually signs Ann Bridges, and that how she signed her driver’s license.
We asked if the woman who tried to use the check was black, because the woman who distracted Ann while looking for the Chow-Chow was black. The officer said the woman who tried to pass the check at Big Lots was white. Who knows how she got Ann’s driver’s license.
It happened in aisle 6 in the Kroger store. A woman distracted Ann for a moment, while a man grabbed her wallet and ran away. This happened a couple of weeks ago.
She had her wallet in a large purse, which was in the shopping cart and wide open so the wallet was visible. A women sidled up to Ann and asked if she knew where the Chow-Chow was. Ann took a couple of steps away from her shopping cart. As she pointed toward the Chow-Chow, a man came by and made a “thumbs-up” sign to the woman. Ann immediately recognized that something was wrong: the woman didn’t make a move to reach for the Chow-Chow, and the man motioned to his accomplice as he ran by. Ann quickly went back to her cart and discovered her wallet was missing. She started yelling loudly, “That man took my wallet!” She followed him to the end of the isle but by then he was out of sight.
I was out for a bike ride with a group of friends, and we were just finishing our coffee break at Panera, when Ann called me. Obviously, I could tell she was very upset, but I told her I was only a couple of miles away from my car and could be to the Kroger store in a few minutes. When I got to my car, I called her back to she how she was doing and suggested that I not come to Kroger but rather go home and cancel her credit cards. She agreed that was a good plan.
So, within an hour I had canceled her debit card and her credit card. For these cards, I spoke to a person who assured me that the cards would be canceled and that we would not responsible for any charges. Since I can see on line all transactions as they are posted for both cards, I could tell that the cards had not been used.
While I was canceling the credit cards, Ann talked to the assistant store manager that day. He helped her call the police. Ann described both perpetrators to two detectives who took information for a report. The detectives weren’t very optimistic that the thieves would be caught. By the time I got to Kroger, the detectives were gone. I paid for the groceries and we came home.
Ann tried to remember what was in her wallet. She remembered 4 more credit cards—one from Belk’s, one from JC Penney’s, one from Sears, and one from Steinmart. I called all these places and got almost identical responses from all—everything was automated. All the cards were issued by Syncrony Bank, and I never spoke to a person. Even though I didn’t have the credit card number, I was able to provide enough information for the cards to be canceled. The automated “person” said the cards would be canceled and new cards would be issued.
She also had a Sam’s Club card (not a credit card) and a Kroger card (not a credit card). Also, health insurance card, and a Medicare card. Up until last year, your Medicare number was the same as your social security number. That causes us some concern to know the thieves know her social security number. She also had some checks (possibly only 2) from her mother’s checkbook. Ann is on her mother’s bank account, but seldom needs to write a check so she only had a couple in her wallet. Thank goodness her main checkbook was not in the wallet. But, she didn’t remember that she had any checks in her wallet.
We discovered that she had some checks stolen when we were alerted by email by Ann’s mother’s bank that she had bounced a check. Ann’s sister, Kay, and I both have on line access to monitor that bank account. When I learned that a check had bounced, I went on line to discover that two checks had been written—one for a bit over $1200 and one for over $1400. The checks were written to Sam’s club. As you may know, you can’t get into Sam’s Club store without a Sam’s card, but, of course, the thieves had Ann’s Sam’s card. The robbery didn’t cost Ann’s mother any money, because she didn’t have that much money in her account at that time, so the first check bounced. When we told the bank that some checks were stolen, they refunded the fee for a bounced check. Kay eventually closed that account and opened another account to be sure we had no further problems.
Although we had canceled all the credit cards within an hour or so of the theft, the thieves were able to use one of the cards anyway. We discovered this when we received an email alert from Equifax—one of the three big credit reporting companies in the country. These credit companies receive information any time something changes about your credit. For example, when you pay your credit card bill, Equifax will send an alert that the balance on that card when from $XXX to $0. Ann received a free subscription to the Equifax alert system, when some of her information “may” have been compromised. I think it was when lots of information, including Ann’s, was hacked from Target a year or so ago. Nevertheless, we received an alert from Equifax that Ann’s Penney’s account changed from $0 to ~$1200. That caught my attention, because I had canceled that card 4 days before. These charges were made at Walmart.
I immediately called the fraud department for the Penney’s card. At first, the person I talked to offered apologies for our loss but said we had not canceled the card immediately after learning that is was stolen. I won’t go into what I told this guy, but after checking for several minutes with others he finally said that he could see that the card had been canceled promptly using the automated system, but it was not actually canceled for several days later. He assured us that we would not be responsible for the charges. Since then, we have received a bill showing that we owed the money, and the next day we received another bill showing we owed nothing.
By the way, she had $65 cash in her wallet. But, if I charged very much per hour for the time I spent clearing this up, it would be a lot more than $65.
Some lessons
Crime pays. As far as I can determine the thieves made off with about $4000 for their efforts. The detectives called Ann a couple of days later with an update. No, they had not found the thieves, but they might check with Kroger to get the surveillance videos to help in their investigation. Yes, they sometimes do catch some of the thieves. However, the thieves usually make bail and are out on the street the next day.
Be careful. Don’t provide an opportunity for the thieves to have easy access to your purse or wallet. A couple of days ago we spoke to the manage of our Kroger store. He says that he admonishes people all the time to not leave their purse in the cart and walk away. He often tells them of the risks of that behavior. He said that some appreciate the advice, and some get huffy as if to indicate that it is nobody’s business how they shop. I’m pretty sure they haven’t had their purse stolen yet.
Memorize what is in your wallet. Ann knew almost everything. That allowed us to act quickly to cancel credit cards. She didn’t remember the checks, but that really didn’t matter. If we had known about the checks, we would have had the bank stop accepting checks. But, for all intents an purposes, that’s what they did. The checks bounced. Sam’s Club is who lost money.
Be vigilant and wary. This is good advice for all. You never know who might try to do you harm.
[stextbox id=”black”]How about carrying a gun? No, not a good idea in this case. First, the thief might have stolen the gun, had it been in your purse by your wallet. Then, the thief could have shot you with it. Second, it all happened so fast that you would not have had time to retrieve the gun and shoot. Third, if you did shoot, you could have killed or wounded an innocent person. Fourth, even if you could have shot and wounded or killed one or both of the thieves, would you have wanted to? Then, the rest of your life you would carry the burden of wounding or killing someone for $65. No, please don’t carry a gun.[/stextbox]
A couple of days ago, we were in Kroger and by chance we saw the store manager as we entered the store. Ann mentioned to him that she was the person who had her wallet stolen and wondered if he had any information about the crime. He said he didn’t think so (the police usually handle everything) but he would check and catch us before we left. As we were checking out, he came up to Ann and gave her a beautiful flower arrangement. That made her/our day. Of course, it was not Kroger’s fault. But, there is a lesson here. When a business screws up, it is often the way they handle the situation that is remembered. If they seem to go out of their way to make things right (even if they can’t), that’s what will often be remembered.
Last Saturday, I participated in the Big Dam Bridge 100, the largest biking event in Arkansas. I was one of about 3000 participants.
On Friday I went to a large vendor expo at the Convention Center in downtown Little Rock. You could buy stuff there (I admired a $7000 bike on display), but it was also the place to pick up your packet of information for and about the ride. I pre-ordered an event jersey and and also got my free tee shirt. After that, I oiled my bike chain and pumped up the tires and psyched myself up, so it was ready to roll the next morning.
Early morning, all set to go!
The ride started in North Little Rock on a street next to the river. I had no trouble finding a parking spot. I got there before sunup; it was kind of strange to be riding around before daylight. But, soon before we started the ride, daylight appeared.
I was lined up and ready to go as the sun came up
The ride started at 6:35 am, but with so many riders, we couldn’t all start at once. We were staged along the street according to our predicted speed, which we estimated during registration. My group started a little after 7:00.
There were bike riders as far as you could see in either direction
I started the ride with several member of the Mello Vela biking club. It’s a local club and I know several members, although I am not a member. I rode with members of this club from time to time throughout the ride.Ready to go!
The pace was very slow at the start as we all tried to avoid running into another bike. I saw a few close calls, but nobody went down. We rode west from North Little Rock along the Arkansas River Trail to the Big Dam Bridge.
Riding over the Big Dam Bridge with many other people
It appears that I’m riding alone as I cross the Big Dam Bridge, but I can assure you I was not. Throughout the ride I was seldom more than several feet away from another rider.
We rode across another pedestrian/biking bridge that spans the Little Maumelle River into Two Rivers Park.
Photographers were located along the route to photograph riders as they passed. They took 18 pictures of me, which were available for sale a couple of days after the ride. I bought a few. (One of the photographers was my first cousin once removed, Jamie. She said the photographers took over 30,000 photos).
One stretch of the Arkansas River Trail goes through a beautiful wooded area that we call the emerald forest. It is very shady and dark along that stretch, and the photographer used a flash while taking pictures.
The ride took me a little over 3 hours of riding time. My average speed was 17.1 mph, not counting the time I was stopped at the rest stops. I stopped twice at rest stops to fill up my bottles with Gatorade, eat some cookies and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and drink some pickle juice (helps with leg cramps). My speed was not a world record or a personal best, but it was pretty good for me. I rode the same course in April in another ride and averaged 16.2 mph. I was in pretty good shape for the ride, having ridden over 1200 miles during the past 3 months.
Finished!
At the finish line someone called out the names of riders as they finished. They knew our name because each rider was given a tag to attach to their bike with an embedded sensor. I suppose our name was displayed on a computer somewhere near the finish line so we could be acknowledged as we came by.
After the ride there was food (mostly hot dogs and cookies and other sweet stuff) and drinks.
There were long racks to hang our bikes on while we enjoyed the refreshments.
I drank plenty of water after I finished, but also enjoyed a couple of cold beers. I’m told beer is a good recovery drink, and I believe that to be true.
A live band added to the festive atmosphere
Each participant received a medal.
I really enjoyed this ride. It is one of my favorites.
Last Saturday, we went to McGehee (population 4500) so I could ride in the Tour de Hoot. It was a hoot! We had a great time. This ride was organized to support the Boys and Girls Club of McGehee. By the way, I believe the reason it’s called the Tour de Hoot is because the high school mascot is the owls. Get it.
McGehee is a two-hour drive from Little Rock and the ride started at 9:00. We could have driven there early in the morning, but we choose to spend the night. That was a good plan, especially since Ann went with me. On Friday night we met up with several friends from Little Rock. We had a nice dinner together and enjoyed the company.
The next morning we saw another of my biking friends who had driven from Little Rock that morning. He brought his wife, whom we also know. She and Ann spent the morning together. They had a good time while we were riding. They spend some time at the Japanese American Internment Museum, which is in McGehee.
McGehee is in southeast Arkansas not very far from the Mississippi River. The terrain is flat, very flat. There wasn’t much scenery but farm fields. The most talked about feature of the ride this year was the wind. The forecast was for 10 – 20 mph winds and I believe the wind was, indeed, blowing about 20 mph from the north. The course was roughly a rectangular pattern, so except for the last 16 or so miles we rode in a ferocious crosswind or head wind. We were thankful the last part of the ride included a tailwind. With the tailwind, I reached speeds of up to 24 mph. A headwind at the end would have been cruel.
It was dam-near a gale-force windThere were about 60 folks who participated in the ride. The temperature at the start was in the upper 50’s, and with the wind, it felt kind of cold. Most people, like me, wore a windbreaker.
Here we go! It took me a few seconds to resent my odometer and heart rate monitor. I like to capture accurate data.
My legs felt tired when I first started and some people passed me whom ordinarily I could keep up with. But, after about 16 miles there was a rest stop, and I was rejuvenated after that. Then, I rode with some friends and was able to draft behind someone the rest of the way. Drafting was most beneficial when riding directly into the wind. There were several/many miles when the wind was at about a 45 degree angle from head-on. That made drafting very difficult. Even professional riders hate this kind of situation. When drafting in a crosswind, riders use what is called an echelon to draft. The drafting rider rides to the side and slightly behind the rider in front. This causes the pace line to spread out across the road. Since we were riding on narrow country roads, only 2 – 3 people could draft without riding in the oncoming traffic lane.
I enjoyed the ride a lot—not quite as much as last week’s Big Dam Bridge Ride. It’s hard to match the experience of riding with 3000 other riders. I finished this ride in less than four hours of riding time. My average speed, thanks to Brad, who pulled us most of the way, was 15.2. We stopped at all four rest stops to recharge. I’ll put this ride on my calendar for next year.
I felt great after the ride, and as usual, was high as a kite. The tiredness didn’t set in for a couple of hours later after the endorphins had diminished.
Today I rode about 52 miles today in the Big Dam Bridge 100, the largest cycling tour in Arkansas. About 3000 people participated. Participants could choose to ride 100, 52, or 32 miles. It was a great day for a ride. I felt great; no headaches or other medical issues that I sometimes have.
The ride was very well organized; otherwise, it would have be chaos with 3000 people riding at once. Riders were grouped in “corrals” based on their predicted riding time. My group left shortly after 7:00 am.
Riders were everywhere, about as far as I could see.
The ride started in North Little Rock and went west along the Arkansas River Trail. We crossed the Big Dam Bridges and another bicycle/pedestrian bridge, the Two Rivers Bridge. My route went to Roland, a small town west of Little Rock, and back.
The first part of the ride was sloooow! We crept along until the mass of riders spread out along the street and the River Trail. After about 5 miles the peloton slowed to a crawl again as we rode over a narrow bridge on the trail. As is my usual modus operandi in rides like this, I pick out a good-sized guy who I can keep up with and stick to him like glue. It is so much easier to ride when you can draft behind another rider. But, as we crossed the Big Dam Bridge, the big guy was a bit faster than I on the assent and he pulled ahead of me. There were so many riders in my way, I could never catch him again. Nevertheless, I was able to find several riders to draft behind throughout the ride (lots of people to choose from).
As is sometimes the case in rides like this, I saw a couple of wrecks. One happened a short distance in front of me. I heard it before I saw anything. It looked like a couple of guys ran off the road and crashed into the ditch. They seemed to be fine. The other accident looked more serious. I saw an ambulance come to the scene.
Rest stops were great with lots of Gatorade, water, and stuff to eat—pickles, cookies, peanut butter and jelly, bananas, orange wedges. I stopped at only one rest stop to rehydrate, eat a little, and use the port-a-potty.
About 10 or 12 miles from the finish, I was having a bit of a hard time finding a good person to draft behind. But, I got lucky when a young guy came by that I could keep up with—but barely. So, I followed him the rest of the way. When there was no traffic or other impediments, he (we) were riding at speeds up to 20 mph. As we crossed the Two Rivers Bridges, surprisingly he did not pull away from me (I’m not that strong of a rider up hills). Then, he slowed down and unclipped from the pedals and rubbed his leg. As I passed him, I asked if he was having cramps. Yes, he was. So, I rode the next couple of miles alone, until he passed me again! I locked on to him again and rode the last several miles with my heart rate at near maximum. My endorphins were peaking, and I was as high as a kite. I loved every minute of it!
I went up to the guy after finishing to thank him for allowing me to draft behind him for so long. He looked confused and just kind of said “Wow, you stayed with me a long time”. He was half my age.
As I crossed the finish line, I heard someone call my name. That’s because each rider was equipped with an electronic sensor attached to the sticker we put on our bikes. Using that technology, they recorded our times and knew our names.
The sticker showing the bib number placed under the seat had an electronic sensor so riders could be tracked.
At the finish line a band played some blues and rock and roll. There was plenty of food, and each rider got one free beer. I believe beer is a good post ride recovery drink.
I completed the 52-mile course in a little over 3 hours. My average speed was 16.8, which doesn’t consider the time I was stopped at the rest stop. My heart rate was above 80% of maximum for 34% of the time (I keep these kinds of statistics). The last 10 miles when I was trying to keep up with the young man I was drafting behind, my heart rate was around 140 most of the time.
I have not ridden a bicycle tour like this nor have I ridden that far since April of 2014. It felt good.
A few months ago we went on a music cruise to the Caribbean. The cruise was organized by Delbert McClinton and featured him and many other bands that play similar music. If you like blues music with a bit of honky-tonk, country, and rock and roll, you probably would have enjoyed the cruise. McClinton won a Grammy several years ago for the Best Contemporary Blues Album. He also won a Grammy with Bonnie Raitt in 1992 for best rock vocal duo (“Good Man, Good Woman”). Being on the cruise was like going to a blues concert all day and night for a week. We loved it.
One of the musicians that I learned to like a lot on this cruise was Red Young. He’s an exceptional pianist and organist, but you won’t find a lot of records he’s made. I’m not sure he has a regular band, and he didn’t lead a band on this cruise. However, he played with just about every band that performed. It seemed like every concert we heard, he was sitting in with the band. He usually played the B3 but sometimes played a keyboard. I really developed an appreciation for his music when I attended a late-night session where he was the main attraction. He played more blues and jazz, which I really love.
After that late concert I spotted Red on the pool deck and asked him if I could take a picture. I handed my phone to a stranger who was nice enough to take the picture. After the picture, I blurted out “I love you, man”.
I’m not sure why I wasn’t able to come up with a more erudite statement or question, but that’s what came out. After I said that, I was embarrassed and was at a loss for words. So, I just walked away. I went back to the spot where we were watching the concert and had another beer.
It goes something like this. Congratulations you have just won the sweepstakes (lottery, etc.). All you need to do is send us some money to cover the taxes (processing, legal fees, etc.), and we will bring you the money. This recently happened to my 91-year-old mother-in-law (MIL).
We became aware of this crime when my sister-in-law reviewed her mother’s bank account on line, which showed a withdrawal of $4000 from a saving account. She called the bank and the teller confirmed that MIL had withdrawn the money on Tuesday. MIL told the clerk she was sending the money to a person in Colorado and gave the teller the mailing address for that person—Ruby Ridley in Aurora, CO. Although the teller suggested that she use a cashier’s check rather than sending cash, she insisted on having cash.
Her daughters talked to their mother on Tuesday afternoon by phone about the withdrawal of money. At first she refused to discuss the transaction and urged the girls not to worry. She was very nonchalant at this point and would not say why she withdrew money. She said that everything was fine, there was no need to worry; everything would be over the next day.
By Wednesday we had gotten more information from her about the scam. She thought that she had won about $70,000. Apparently, she had been talking to the scammers for several weeks. The plan was that after they received the money, someone would meet her at her bank to bring her the money. That transaction was supposed to occur on Thursday. She still didn’t understand then, and probably for several days, that she had been duped. She wanted someone to go with her to receive the money, so my brother-in-law went there on Thursday. Of course, we were certain that no money would arrive. Sure enough, someone called her on Thursday morning to say that they would not be able to bring the money until later.
MIL had talked to her nephew’s daughter’s husband who is a lawyer before she sent the money describing to him what she was thinking of doing. Of course, he told her under no circumstances should she send any cash through the mail. She did it anyway.
She sent the money by US Postal Service overnight mail. It arrived the next day, on Wednesday. We were not able to get the tracking number until it was too late to intercept the package.
After the scammers received the money, they continued to call, saying they needed more money to continue processing the award. Surprise, surprise!
One of her daughters called the phone number a couple of times that was frequently used to call MIL. A person always answered, but the conversation was never pleasant. He said MIL was his friend and she gave him the money. He claimed to be in New York City, although his phone number area code was 876, which is probably in Jamaica. Apparently, scam calls from this area code are very common. My sister-in-law told him to stop calling her mother—we are on to your scam! He was defiant. He once told her that he would stop calling her mother if she would send him $500. He once told her that if she were in Haiti, he would have her smothered. He called her back once to say, “You will pay…”
Right away, we knew the address of where she sent the money, because she left the address with the bank teller. She also kept the receipt from the post office which had the address and a tracking number.
The address was an apartment building in Aurora, CO. It seemed to be a legitimate place, because I could find it on the Internet. I called the post office in Aurora and talked to a supervisor. I explained what had happened and asked for his help. Because at that time I didn’t have the tracking number, there wasn’t much he could do. I didn’t realize at this point that the money had already been delivered. However, he offered to try to intercept the money by alerting the mail carrier to watch for a package from Arkansas.
I called the Police Department in Aurora for assistance. The dispatcher said there was nothing they could do and advised me to call the Attorney General’s Office in my state, which I had already done.
I called the Postal Inspector’s Office and filed a report. They suggested that I also file a report with the Federal Trade Commission, which I did. I talked several times with the Arkansas Attorney General’s office. They provided advice about how to avoid being scammed, but they did not file a report.
When the scammers continued to call after receiving the money, it became clear that they would try to get more money. If so, why not set a trap, so to speak. I thought the police, Postal Inspector, or someone from the Federal Trade Commission could go to the address in Colorado when the next “payment” was due to arrive. So, I called all these folks back with this proposition—let’s catch them in the act! However, they all said they couldn’t do anything like that. Since I had already filed a report, that’s all I could do.
I fantasized about having Eugene or Vinny show up there with a baseball bat or a double-bladed ax. Perhaps, a few broken bones would send these bastards a message.
We learned much later that MIL had sent two overnight packages to the same address in Colorado. The first time was about three days before she sent $4000 in cash. We don’t know how much she sent the first time, because she doesn’t remember. We believe she probably sent about $200. We monitor her bank account withdrawals, and there was only one unexplained withdrawal—a $200 check written to “Cash”.
We are resigned to the fact that the scammer will not be caught. We arranged to limit the amount of money MIL has access to. We monitor her credit card and bank accounts. If she is scammed again, they won’t be able to get very much money.
One month after I filed a report with the Office of the Postal Inspector, an Inspector called me to say they planned to visit Ruby Ridley in Aurora, CO as part of their investigation. They promised to call me back with an update. I hope they take a baseball bat with them…
This episode emphasizes an unfortunate truth. The elderly are very vulnerable to these kinds of scams. Changes in their brain make them more prone to act in irrational ways. It’s our responsibility to assist our elderly loved ones so they won’t be victimized. If we have to break a few legs along the way, so be it.
