... naked people have little or not influence in society - Mark Twain
So, we dressed up in our first responder clothes and went off to the mountains to provide medical support for a 120 mile bike ride with 3000+ riders. Samara & I ended up at different points on the course, so she'll have to tell her own story. In addition to the station that I worked, I also got to make a run to one of the other stations to deliver equipment & also help out with KP. (I am somewhat prone to not being prone, but to be doing something).
The first aid duties at our station were slow - a little road rash here & there being the chief complaint; providing sunscreen being the major activity of the First Aid Station. Our youth run team started off a bit rocky, but became quite proficient before the day was out.
Our pit stop was moved rather last minute (thanks to the nameless local big city closing down access to the road that ran along one of their dams - "security"). The locals were not too happy with big city closing down one of three major roads in their county. Our station was relocated to a small parking lot just outside of a marina instead of large school parking lot because of adjustments needed to keep the ride at 120 miles.
There was a bike path / road crossing that was a bit of a nuisance - recreational traffic had the right of way (no stop sign), but there were 3000+ bikers that wanted to cross, and a number of which were blowing through their stop sign. For a 4 hour shift, we had a representative of the local Sheriff's dept directing traffic. For breaks & a couple of hours after his shift, I put on my yellow web vest (hence - clothes make the man) and played traffic cop. Most drivers cooperated with my directions (better than the pedestrians and cyclists) although one driver gave me a what appeared to be a subtle but courteous one finger wave.
Many bikers thanked us for being there; we in turn thanked them for not needing our services. Some other stations saw a bit more activity than we did.
Afterwords we all met in a big park for a VERY nice catered picnic. The poultry had a very nice crusted herb seasoning, and the lemonade was all you can drink (which was needed).
Mileage Trivia:
7/8: Church - 8.6
7/9: Park & Church 10 mi
7/11-7/13: Odometer: 233793-234094:Triple Bypass/Support & Church/Interviews=301 mi
July to date: 350.5 miles
2 comments:
Pedestrians are pretty bad about traffic direction. Drivers are usually more manageable, except for the occasional savage who tries to drive around you... :)
It's also fun when you're flagging vehicle traffic on and the driver's waiving the pedestrians on.
That and the bicyclists that stop and dismount in the middle of the street to hug family crossing the street to meet them. Kind of like a family reunion in the middle of an intersection.
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