Fort Worth HOG- Cranfills Gap, June 2014

A few weeks back we took a group ride with our HOG Chapter. We were sitting at home bored, I didn't have a ride planned, and Margaret wanted to ride. She was pushing me to come up with a destination but I didn't want to have to think, lead, make decisions on turns or food. Sometimes you just want to ride without taking responsibility for other riders.

I pulled up our Chapters calendar and behold: Cranfills Gap! As I've stated before, this is always a good ride destination. At first Margaret was hesitant about going. It had been quite awhile since she went on a Chapter ride and she isn't used to riding in larger groups. However, once we arrived at the dealership we noticed some friends of ours, Bill and Beth. That was the turning point in her hesitation. They are a wonderful couple and we have always enjoyed spending time with them. They had not been to any rides for a long time and this was the first in many months for them. We figured this was one of those "it was meant to be situations" since both Margaret and Beth are somewhat new riders and both happened to show up for the ride.

All of us lined up for group 3 so we could stay together for the duration of the ride. The day was beautiful, our road captains did a fantastic job of leading and trailing our group. We had plenty of break stops to hydrate since it was pretty warm. As always, the food at the Horny Toad was wonderful. The ride also took us on some roads Margaret and I had not traveled before and that was nice in itself.

Our Chapters Activity Officer Don has done superb planning for Chapter rides. Since he began planning activities he has made a change in our rides that I really like. We used to ride nice roads to get to the destination, eat, and rush back to the dealership on the most direct and fastest road that could be taken. Under Don's leadership for activities, we now take a nice route to the destination and a scenic route back as well. To me doing this completes the days ride in a positive way. Good Job Don!

Fort Worth HOG- Cranfills Gap, June 2014 Video

Dehydration While Riding

Being well into June 2014 I thought it might be a good idea to address dehydration while riding. Temperatures are already hitting the high 90's and the heat is quite noticeable while riding. The sun is beating down on your body from above, the engine heat is baking you from below, and during all of this your body is sweating to stay cool by releasing water. As the body uses that water it needs fluid replenishment. I have personally witnessed people in the horrible condition of dehydration while riding. It's not a pretty sight and can be dangerous to the point of hospitalization or even death if a rider doesn't address the possibility with preventative measures.

What is Dehydration?

Dehydration occurs when more water and fluids are exiting the body than are entering the body. With about 75% of the body made up of water found inside cells, within blood vessels, and between cells, survival requires a rather sophisticated water management system. Luckily, our bodies have such a system, and our thirst mechanism tells us when we need to increase fluid intake. Although water is lost constantly throughout the day as we breathe, sweat, urinate, and defecate, we can replenish the water in our body by drinking fluids. The body can also shift water around to areas where it is more needed if dehydration begins to occur.

What causes Dehydration?

The immediate causes of dehydration include not enough water, too much water loss, or some combination of the two. Sometimes it is not possible to consume enough fluids because we are too busy, lack the facilities or strength to drink, or are in an area without potable water (while hiking or camping, for example).

What are the symptoms of Dehydration?

Dry Mouth

Lethargy

Weakness in muscles
Muscle cramps
Confusion
Agitation
Convulsions

Headache

Dizziness

Lack of sweating

Sunken eyes

Shriveled and dry skin

Low blood pressure

Increased heart beat

Fever

Delirium

Unconsciousness

This may seem like a lot to try and remember but it's quite important to be familiar with the signs. Once dehydration begins setting in you may not even realize it's happening to you depending on the severity. Knowing the signs is also something everyone you are riding with should have a basic understanding of. If everyone knows about dehydration and what to look for,  there will be more eyes to catch it before it becomes extreme.

If someone becomes dehydrated how should you treat it?

Dehydration must be treated by replenishing the fluid level in the body. This can be done by consuming clear fluids such as water, clear broths, frozen water, ice pops, or sports drinks (such as Gatorade). Lay the person in shade and elevate their feet. Remove as much clothing as possible, pour cold water over the person, apply ice to their skin to help cool their body, and monitor their breathing. Some dehydration patients, however, will require intravenous fluids in order to rehydrate. People who are dehydrated should avoid drinks containing caffeine such as coffee, tea, and sodas.

Obviously the best practice is just not become dehydrated. Preventative measures are the best practice and the most important. If you know your going to be riding the next day, begin hydrating the day before. I drink water throughout the day regularly but if I know were going somewhere the next day and it's going to be hot, I'll drink more water and eat more fruit and vegetables since they contain high water content. I'll also pay attention to the coloration of my urine, the darker it is, the more dehydrated your body is. If your about to take off on a ride and your urine is dark yellow or brownish in color, you might want to reconsider going out for the day.

Alcohol is also a major contributor to dehydration. Have you ever noticed when you go to a restaurant and order a drink they will usually bring you a glass of water? It's to help prevent dehydration from the alcohol. Alcohol has a dehydrating effect by causing increased urine production. Approximately 100 ml of additional urine output occurs for every 10g alcohol consumed. This translates to you losing an enormous amount of water in comparison to what your putting in your body while drinking alcohol. Try not to drink alcohol the day before a ride or at least limit the amount of alcohol if you do and you will greatly decrease the risk of dehydration.

Something I do to prevent dehydration while on the road is to keep a half gallon thermos full of ice water in my saddlebag. Our Chapter rides are planned with plenty of stops at which time I'll pull out my thermos and start drinking. It always surprises me that I am the only person that does this. Not even once have I ever seen another rider pull out a thermos and drink water. I'll walk around talking to people sucking down water from my thermos while they are sipping from the bottle of water they just bought from the convenience store. How much do they spend throughout the day on all those bottles of water? Enough to have bought lunch? And we have all seen the ads that say "Every year enough water bottles are discarded to wrap around the planet". They have those big saddlebags they could put a thermos in, save money from buying water, and decrease the amount of disposable bottles that end up in the environment. I'll fill mine before leaving the house, and refill with ice and water from the soda fountains inside gas stations and even at restaurants. Another good thing about carrying a thermos of water is availability along the road if something happens. If you break down, get thirsty, another rider needs water, whatever, I have water for emergencies that could happen. To me it just makes sense.

The point to be made is just stay hydrated. It's not hard to prevent dehydration if you consider the possibility during your ride preparations. Unless some horrible situation happens where you become stranded miles away from anything with no hope of finding water there really is no excuse for a relatively healthy person to suffer from dehydration. The average rider is not taking trips to remote destinations where water might be difficult to find. Most riders plan day trips or weekend trips where there are plenty of watering holes along the way. The largest problem of dehydration with riders occurs because of personal neglect to their own bodies. They just don't think dehydration is happening until its too late and they didn't take preventative measures beforehand.

Ride Strong Ride Safe

Talimena Scenic Byway May 2014

We had been planning to ride the Talimena Scenic Byway for months and finally found a good time to do it. Memorial Day weekend provided us with a three day weekend that was perfect for the ride. Margaret reserved a room for us a couple weeks in advance so we wouldn't have any issues trying to find a place for the night. As Saturday approached though we began seeing an increase for the chance of rain. We became disheartened late Friday evening when the chance for rain in Mena, AR was showing 50%. Since the reservation was already paid for we reluctantly made the decision that we would just drive instead. We stopped packing our bikes and bags and went to bed. Were early risers because of my long work commute everyday so at about 5:30 am I pulled up the weather report and now it was only showing a 30% chance of rain for the day and only for a short time in the afternoon. It took some persuasion but Margaret finally agreed to make the ride instead of driving under threat that I would be in serious trouble if we got caught in a thunderstorm.

The ride to get to the byway was uneventful for the most part. No rain, it was cool and sunny, no heavy wind, just nice comfortable riding. I took some video of the ride to the destination but didn't use it, other than some beautiful long straight lonely roads there really wasn't any video taken that I could use. We did stop and take some still shots that are included in the slideshow. On one long expanse of road I hit a sizable rock which I didn't see it since it blended in with the pavement. I sure felt it though, especially when my handlebars jerked and I got some front end wobbles from it for a few seconds. All was good though, no tire damage and the rock shot out to the side and didn't hit any other part of the bike or Margaret behind me.

When we arrived at the head of the byway we met a couple of riders that just happened to be from Fort Worth as well! Not only that, but it turns out they even live within a few miles of where we do. We headed up the winding byway stopping at pull over vistas occasionally to enjoy the magnificent views. The landscape stretched before us for miles and mountain tops faded behind mountain tops in varying colors of purple, blue, and white. It was overcast at this point and we were in the area that fell into that 30% chance of rain so the vistas had sinister appearance with some of the darker cloud formations that hovered over the mountain tops in the distance. There was also some fog sitting lower in the valleys that stood out prominently as we looked down from above. Although the weather gave a darker view instead of a nice crisp clean sunny outlook it was still awesome. We didn't spend a lot of time at the various vista stops for a couple reasons.

First, we were going to ride it again Sunday when it was going to be sunny.

Second: We were closing in on our check in time for our room.

Third: The Talimena was at the end of our ride and we were getting tired. On Sunday it would be the beginning of the ride when we were refreshed and could take more time to enjoy it.

Before leaving one of the vistas we happened to look over to the road and saw some people on downhill skateboards roll by. I happened to have the GoPro in my hand and managed to get a quick clip of a couple of them laying on their backs on their skateboards as they flew down the road. I didn't expect to see more or I would have gotten off the bike and captured more footage from a stationary position. We headed up the road and saw more of them coming down the mountain. I managed to video them as we passed. Further up the road they had a staging point and a U-Haul truck that they were using to drive down the road to pick them up and bring them back to do it again. It was totally unexpected and exciting to see.

Upon arrival in Mena, AR we headed to the Carriage House Inn where our reservations were held. This is a beautiful home and the inn keepers Scott and Ashley greeted us as we rode up. They were a wonderful couple and had a beautiful family which we were honored to meet. The house we stayed in was originally a barn that had been restored into a small cottage. It had a living area, dining area, kitchen, bath, and an upstairs loft bedroom that had at one time in its history been used to store hay. They had done a remarkable restoration and made us feel completely at home. They also provided us with a bottle of Pinot Noir which we drank as we spent the evening exploring their garden and taking pictures of the flowers. I honestly believe this was one of the best nights of rest I have ever experienced on the road.

Before leaving Mena, AR we had breakfast and spent some time taking pictures of some of the local architecture and sights. We weren't in any hurry knowing we could roll in to home at anytime during the evening. We headed back on the Talimena to ride it in the opposite direction this time. By now the chance of rain was almost gone and the sun was attempting to peak out through the clouds. This made for a few very beautiful pictures where we managed to capture the sun rays shooting down from the clouds with some beautiful vista back drops. Something interesting we saw this time were turtles in the road. Turtles? Up in the mountains? They were walking across the street taking an early morning walk. I wouldn't have expected to see turtles at the top of the mountains. Glad we didn't run over any of them.

This time I began to take notice of the road condition. I saw the sides of the road were left to grow naturally. Normally on roads the state keeps the grass mowed and sprays the edge to keep anything from growing into the pavement. Not here though. They let nature grow right up and even over the road. There were often long stretches where these tall grass like shoots would hang out into the street. Whatever pine needles fell from trees were left and often provided an interesting shoulder of color and texture. The guard rails were even painted a deep reddish brown to blend in with the landscape. All of this gave the road an natural aspect that allowed it to "Fit" into the landscape instead of dominate the scenery. The return ride was more enjoyable for us since we were rested and had the time available to stop more and enjoy the sights. We met a lot of other riders this time as well and it was nice to share riding stories and find out where they came from.

We stopped in Talihina, OK at the end of the Talimena ride for lunch at a local diner called the Hateful Hussy. Even though the food was good something weird happened to me about an hour down the road. I began getting blurry visioned and lethargic to the point I wasn't riding safely. I knew something was wrong because I began having difficulties maintaining a constant speed and I kept drifting back and forth within the lane. When we came to a stop sign Margaret mentioned she noticed I wasn't riding normal. We pulled over to get fuel and rested for awhile until the effects subsided. I never got cramps, sick, or nauseated though, just a drugged feeling. It was almost like someone stuck a psychedelic mushroom on my burger to give me a "trip" for the ride home.

When we got close to the Texas state line we began to notice the landscape ahead was dark with storm clouds. These weren't the pretty puffy ones we saw on our first day, this monster was a storm front and solid as far as you could see into the horizon. I decided to take a different route using FM 51 from Gainesville, TX which would take us south west into Decatur and keep us from riding directly into the storm. This worked pretty good for most of the ride home! We could feel the moisture, smell the rain, and the winds were pushing towards us from the storm front the whole time. We managed to get to Decatur and skirted that part of the storm the entire time. We decided to stop in Decatur for dinner where we ate at Sweetie Pies Ribeyes. It's a bit pricy but well worth it and the service was great. While we were eating a small amount of rain came through and thoroughly drenched the roads. We could look to the south west where we were headed and see more storm ahead. We wouldn't get away from it this time. The storm caught us in Springtown, TX and we finished the last hour riding home in a torrential downpour.

Talimena Scenic Byway Video- Day 1

Talimena Scenic Byway Video- Day 2

Talimena Scenic Byway Slideshow

Carriage House Inn- Mena, Arkansas