Anyone who has ever participated in a BAK knows that if you are going to make it to your destination, you MUST leave before 7am. Otherwise, you are out in the worst heat of the day and often don't arrive until dinner time. I was up, dressed and ready to go at 6:30am. Seeing that I forgot to set my alarm clock, I was pretty proud of this accomplishment. Breakfast was provided by the Greeley Co 4H and they had a variety of offerings that made for a delicious meal. Since I was on the road by 6:30, I was sure that I would get to Dighton, KS in a fairly timely manner, but not the last person in.
As I traveled down the road, songs from musicals kept popping into my head, which I sang at the cadence I was pedaling. I don't have any kind of portable speaker on my bike, so my brain has to provide all of my musical entertainment. Thank goodness I hear the entire band or orchestra complete w/ soloist and back up singers. It's like my very own radio in my head, and I can play any genre I like. Maybe the aliens implanted a radio transmitter/receiver in my head?!? But, I digress. While pedaling past miles and miles of wheat, I could hear Dakota from The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band, and Oklahoma from Oklahoma. And of course, every time I would pass a field full of cows, I would hear Home on the Range. In addition, I had lots of different songs running through my head, all different genere and types, some in slow and others in fast forward, as I was not willing to change the tempo of my cadence.
I have learned that I care about people. I don't always like people, but I care about people. You could be my best friend or worst enemy and I am going to give you the best possible treatment that I can. This is a strength, and a weakness. About 30 miles into my day, I came across a gentleman who didn't look good. Since I volunteer as a SAG Medic (we are all Paramedics, Nurses, Nurse Practitioners, and Doctors - but to make it easier they call us the Medics. We are not in any way slighting the Paramedic professionals and know that their jobs are very important), I stopped and asked him about his symptoms. Unfortunately, he was having left sided chest pain and palpatations. This means an immediate trip to the Emergency Department, like it or not. I had him sit down and I called 911 - walked up to the nearest mile marker to identify our location and then went back to sit with him. Since he had a previous CVA or Stroke, his words were somewhat jumbled, he had memory deficits and residual one sided weakness. Talk about making it difficult. He could remember his name, but not his birthday, and after looking through all of his pockets and bike bags, determined that he did not have any identification on him. Word to the wise... if you are going to be riding your bike across kansas, or doing anything for that matter, please take your ID and insurance card, at the very least. I was also in contact with the BAK emergency number to let them know what was going on. Leoti Volunteer Emergency Medical Service sent out their finest. One young man, on his way to a funeral, turned his family around to respond. The Fire Chief also arrived on-scene, both in their own private vehicles. Once the ambulance arrived and the gentleman was packaged up, his bike on the back of one of their trucks, they ran up the road to the Wichita County Health Center, where they took great care of him. I know because they called me later that morning to get report on his presenting symptoms and an update on his status. No HIPAA violations occurred.
Once he was all taken care of, I was about an hour behind. But, being daunted by nothing, I set out to continue on my way. About 33 miles into the day, I came across another casualty. Two young ladies were overheated and out of water. They had been riding in 95 degree heat with only one 24oz un-insulated water bottle. They were in a pretty bad way and needed immediate assistance again. I provided water and got in contact with the SAG, who happened to be in the area. After getting these ladies into the air conditioned vehicle, water bottles filled & bikes loaded, I was more than 2 hours behind. At that point, it was in the heat of the day and I would not have made it to the next stop in a timely or safe manner. At that point, I joined the SAG and spent the rest of the day picking up injured and overheated riders. At the end of the day, one of the riders said that the heat coming off of the road was 105 degrees!! That's hot!!
When I got into Dighton, I was able to see just how the heat had affected everyone. Tent city didn't get set up completely until very late in the afternoon because the workers had to take frequent breaks. We crowded into the air conditioned gym to cool down. It took a lot NG time for everyone to become rejuvenated after all the heat. It was quite the day.
So, you've read all the way through and are thinking, "What in the world is ESI?" When I came out here this year, I was under the thought process that I would need to ride the entire thing... all 522 miles, to prove that I did it. I learned that is called an ESI rider. In polite terms, it stands for Every Stinking Inch (I changed the acronym to fit he audience). There are riders in this world who believe that you have not completed an event if you have not participated in every single part of the planned route. Meaning that if you got off your bike at mile marker 127 and rode up to a restroom break at mile marker 135, those miles in between didn't count, unless you went back to mile marker 127 and started from there again. Now, this is not how I feel about BAK, but the conversation got me thinking... I don't have to do every single mile to be successful. In fact, I was just as successful in helping people as I was in riding, even though I only got to ride half way. I was able to educate a whole slew of people about hydration because of the mistake of a few.
I will say that in this experience, I have met many more people than I would have expected and can imagine that we will remember each other for years to come. Good night from Dighton, KS.
When I got into Dighton, I was able to see just how the heat had affected everyone. Tent city didn't get set up completely until very late in the afternoon because the workers had to take frequent breaks. We crowded into the air conditioned gym to cool down. It took a lot NG time for everyone to become rejuvenated after all the heat. It was quite the day.
So, you've read all the way through and are thinking, "What in the world is ESI?" When I came out here this year, I was under the thought process that I would need to ride the entire thing... all 522 miles, to prove that I did it. I learned that is called an ESI rider. In polite terms, it stands for Every Stinking Inch (I changed the acronym to fit he audience). There are riders in this world who believe that you have not completed an event if you have not participated in every single part of the planned route. Meaning that if you got off your bike at mile marker 127 and rode up to a restroom break at mile marker 135, those miles in between didn't count, unless you went back to mile marker 127 and started from there again. Now, this is not how I feel about BAK, but the conversation got me thinking... I don't have to do every single mile to be successful. In fact, I was just as successful in helping people as I was in riding, even though I only got to ride half way. I was able to educate a whole slew of people about hydration because of the mistake of a few.
Something else I learned is that it's not always all or nothing. Sometimes it's in the in-between that we are the biggest blessing to others or become blessed ourselves. It's not always perfection or the pursuit of perfection that is most important. It is in giving our best in every possible situation, whether it turns out the way we want it to, or not.
I will say that in this experience, I have met many more people than I would have expected and can imagine that we will remember each other for years to come. Good night from Dighton, KS.
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