I realized that I owe my readers an explanation of why I have been Missing In Action for the last two months. The short answer is that I have been physically and mentally out of touch.
After I finished my Yarn trek in the Dayton area, I returned home, to be struck by a urinary tract infection. I had a fever of 103 for several days. Of course I went to the doctor, and the third antibiotic was a winner. My temperature had been normal for a few days when it came time to participate in the Pedal Across Lower Michigan ride. I had been waiting for three years for this. I had paid my registration fee after the last ride, then the ride was cancelled for two years due to COVID.
Unfortunately, just before we were to pack for Michigan, a tornado touched down near us, and our power went out. It was out for 5 days. My husband hooked up the generator, and we were OK, but we had to wait until the power came back on until we could leave. I checked with the volunteer organizers for the ride, and they said it would be fine to start the ride at any point along the way. So, when the power came back on, we headed north. I looked at the map for the 2nd day of the ride and realized there were a lot of hills. Probably more than I wanted after having been sick for more than a week. But the third day of the ride was a 55 mile ride that was mostly flat and slightly downhill. I thought that would be a great day to start. So my husband dropped me off in Clare, Michigan and I set up my tent.
Morning came bright and early. Michigan weather is so nice for bike rides. There is usually low humidity and moderate temperatures. The sky is usually blue and the grass is green.
The ride went through Coleman, Michigan, which is where we used to buy grass-fed beef.
Midland is the home of Cathy Guisewite, the comic artist responsible for the strip "Cathy". Cathy is featured in a mural under a bride, as are several of the city's other highlights.
Midland is the home of the Tridge, or three-way bridge. I had to cross it. I walked, but several riders rode even though there were a lot of pedestrians.
The route for the day followed the Pere Marquette Rail-Trail and it is one of the nicest trails I have ever ridden. Recently paved, broad and smooth.
I was pedalling fairly slowly. I stopped at a restuarant, the Creek Grill, for lunch and it was really good salmon on a salad. Maybe the best I had ever had. Or maybe I was just really hungry.
I finished the ride, at the tail end, followed by the SAG drivers. I found my tent and luggage and picked a campsite on the school property in Bay City. I showered and then ate dinner inside the school. As I was putting up my tent, one of the volunteers came by and was telling everyone to make sure and lock up bikes because the security in the area wasn't the best. Well, that's OK, but with 400 other cyclists on the ride, I was sure there were probably better bikes than mine. Regardless, I locked up my bike and settled in to sleep.
I thought I would sleep really well because of the exercise. But I ended up tossing and turning all night. My Fitbit recorded that I slept only two hours. I couldn't believe that, but it did record a heartbeat all night so I know that the battery wasn't dead and it was making contact with my arm.
In the morning, I woke up just before the sun was rising. I tapped my fitbit to check the time, and I saw a multicolored explosion. I thought "Oh, crap, I got it wet in the shower last night and now its ruined." I rolled over and went back to sleep. When I woke again, the sun was peeking over the horizon. I got up and opened my tent flap and I realized that I could not see out of my right eye. The image below is similar to what I saw out of that eye, only instead of poppies in the background I saw tents and cyclists.
Photo Credit: Vision Center
I wasn't sure what was going on. I was pretty close to the luggage truck and I asked the volunteers standing there if there was any medical support for the ride. They said they would be happy to call me an ambulance. That seemed a little bit like overkill, so I thought I would wait a few minutes and see if it cleared up. I went inside the school building, and it did seem better. I later learned that in the dim building, my pupil probably opened up and allowed more of the peripheral vision in. I ate breakfast, and when I went back out again, the spot was still there. I decided to pack up my tent and get my luggage on the bus and then figure out what to do. When I bent over to fold up my tent, and straighted up, my vision cleared up as if the grey spot had been washed away! So now there was really no need to call the ambulance.
Since it was still early, I rode my bike to the first rest stop. I called my opthamologist. She said if I could see, it wasn't a medical emergency. I took the SAG wagon to the next school, and my husband came and came and picked me up. This set up a cascading series of medical appointments over the next month. I've seen opthamologic specialists, cardiac specialists, neurologists and vascular specialists. I had a biopsy and a Doppler test. I was in a general state of anxiety, afraid they would find something and afraid they would not find anything. I was told this event was similar to a stroke and I was possibly at higher risk for a stroke. So far they've found nothing serious.
I did manage to go on several short group bike rides. I've ridden my regular Tuesday rides with my local group of friends, as well as Shelby Bicycle Days in northern Richland County on July 9. We rode flat roads past country fields where they had just harvested the grain.
I rode with my husband and his friend around Kelly's Island.
This isn't our boat but I thought it was clever the way the bikes were loaded and stored.
And I've taken a few short rides from our farm into town in Southwestern Michigan.
I am glad to still have my sight and overall health. As it turns out, I'm actually pretty healthy for my age. My BP and lipids are normal, and there isn't any neurological issues. I have been reading several books about sugar in the diet and whether or not it causes metabolic syndrome. I guess the jury is out on that question. Further research is needed. In the meantime, I will be doing everything possible to scrutinize my diet for added sugars and saturated fats. And I'll be monitoring the Nutrition conference at the White House in September.
