A burger stop and a test for Spot 3/16/2014

[NevadaWolf]

Ugh, I have to get this story out of my head...

Saturday was forecasted to be beautiful, warm and clear. So decided it would be a good opportunity to see if I could extend my normal trip range from 160 to 180 miles between fill ups. Around town I can get that mileage easily, but when pushing 70mph on the freeway for hours on end, with added luggage, could my tank get me through?



From Fallon, Austin lies 110 miles east on Hwy 50. However, Eureka lies 180 miles east. That was my goal. And since I usually don't stop there, I sent a tweet to the nice social media lady for the Nevada Dept of Tourism for a recommendation. Instantly, the response came back to go to the Pony Express Deli. As a side note, this prompted a whole Twitter "Pick on NevadaWolf" session from various tourism agencies since I would be missing the Rocky Mountain Oyster Festival in Virginia City. There are humorous sides to following and being followed by tourism folks. LOL



The ride out was simply amazing. Clear blue sky, only some faint wisps of clouds, warm, and no wind to speak of. Kept my heated jacket on low as I started out in mid 30's and at speed even 60* weather has a bit of a nip to it. There was very little traffic (naturally) and zero motorcycles which I found odd.



Reached Eureka after just under 3 hours, 180 miles, and 4.05 gallons. Yay! It can be done. Made my way to the recommended restaurant and the first thing I see was the handful of patrol cars. Turns out this is a very good restaurant as several LEOs were all having lunch there as well as a couple local farmers. I ordered a burger that was OMG delicious! Highly recommend a stop here if you find yourself passing along Hwy 50 for breakfast or lunch. Yum yum!

I did learn a few things on this trip. Yes, I am crazy enough to ride nearly 200 miles simply for a hamburger. My bike will easily do 180 miles on a single tank while loaded down with gear. Three hours of solid riding is too far without a break for me. I dismounted tired, sore, and stiff from being on the road that long. The return trip had me shaking off the post lunch fuzziness so I opted to pull over and catch a quick nap. Luckily I knew a relatively quiet pull off.



Got back into Fallon, dropped off stuff from one ride and gathered up stuff for the next. Headed into Carson and watched a clear full moon rise over Rawe Peak.



Sunday morning, I had been invited to join the Lake Tahoe Blue Riders for their weekly ride. The route was southbound on a road I hadn't been on before going between Wellington and Bridgeport, before it turned to head north again. A stop at Walker for BBQ lunch and then top the day off with a ride over Monitor Pass. Epic, of course I will join.



I chose to meet everyone at the bottom of Kingsbury Grade, giving my lazy self more time to sleep in. This gave me plenty of time to admire the very very scenic Sierra Nevadas that rise above Carson Valley. I was expecting four or five riders to come down the pass. Imagine my surprise when a total of 12 others appeared! BMWs, Harleys, a KTM, a Yamaha, and a Triumph made up our motley crew.



We headed south and it soon became rapidly clear there was two distinct groups in this group ride, those who took the speed limit as law and those who took it as a suggestion. I ended up several minutes behind the lead group and heading up the rear group with one other rider keeping pace with me. I am a FIRM believer in riding your own ride, so as soon as I realized how fast the lead group was going, I backed off and watched them disappear into the distance. They stopped and waited at the major turns, but that was really the only time I saw them.

The turn south out of Wellington led to a nicely twisty canyon road called Sweetwater. Even crossed over Sweetwater Pass which was nothing more than a bump compared to the usual passes around here. The tail group had fallen behind me and I had only one headlight in my mirror. The lead is well out of sight. I had looked on the map and saw the road was the only one going to Bridgeport so the odds of getting lost were none and zero. I just kept cruising around 60 and taking the corners as they came.

A sign ahead indicated a lazy S turn ahead so I set my line and speed for the entry, watching the bend to gauge how it would unfold as the corner opened up. There was a huge dirt clearing on the inside of the second turn and across from it I could see a handful of riders pulled over. My brain had time to think "Regroup?" before I noticed one rider step out and start waving us over. I pulled up behind the other riders as my step dad shouted "Satellite phone?!?"

In a heartbeat, the reality hit. One bike down, on its side, forts bent in half, and heading the wrong way. My mom and the KTM rider knelt down in the dirt shoulder over someone. Two riders giving shade and moving gear and debris out of the way. Another in the road watching for traffic. I fumbled for half a second for the SPOT in my pocket before remembering the one on my tailbag. The button I prayed I would never use was pressed down and held until the green light lit up and signaled for help.





The tail group arrived as I got my gear off and my bike pushed off the road. I am useless for medical aid so I stood with two other riders in the road. I used the other SPOT to send a text to my Dad since he is my emergency contact if SPOT can't reach me. There was very little traffic and the first car to come towards us was about 3 minutes after we had stopped (18 minutes after the crash). A simple plain silver SUV. Three of us signaled it to slow down, the driver turned to look at us, and FLIPPED ON THE HIDDEN EMERGENCY LIGHTS! An unmarked patrol car! WAHOO what luck! He asked what happened and got three answers, "Rider down!" "Medical emergency!", "Call it in!"



Soon, the flood gates for first responders opened and we were swarmed!





Once the Good Guys arrived, those of us who were useless wandered over to see if we could make uneducated guesses.



The damage to the bike was severe, having struck a metal reflective marker and being sent airborne before crashing down and bouncing.



Originally my mom had found the rider unconscious and not breathing. But she came around and started breathing again a moment later. She was able to move fingers and feet but had short term memory loss and kept asking the same questions over and over. Later I would hear the paramedics also answering the same questions. The rider had three different groups of Good Guys taking care of her.

The first to arrive:


The second to arrive:


And finally:


The bike was collected later by a tow truck coming in from a neighboring town:



After watching Careflight head out with the rider, we all saddled up again and made our way to Bridgeport where we stopped for lunch and to process what had happened.





We finished the ride at a much more relaxed pace. The Yamaha rider who had been keeping up with me wound up in the lead so the speed was perfect. We reached the foot of Monitor Pass and headed up. If it hadn't been so windy coming up the twisty canyon I probably would have opened it up more but as it was I just muddled along trying to regain the fun of the day and not thinking too much on situation I could not change. The group began splitting up as we got nearer to folks home towns and I followed my step dad and mom till Woodfords before turning and heading back home.

It was a slow news day apparently. KTVN, KOLO, and SierraWave all carried the story.
http://www.sierrawave.net/29228/solo...ycle-accident/

A few things learned on this trip.

Yay! SPOT works! Though we did score on the lucky side by having the first car by be a sheriff, two officers later confirmed that the Spot call had gone through. Spot themselves tried calling me to verify the emergency but as I was out of cell signal, they reached out to the next contact. My memory was only a few moments passed between the SOS call and the text to my dad, in reality it was 10 minutes. In that time period, SPOT called him to confirm. I also got a call from law enforcement seeking an immediate response. But on site, another officer who arrived was on the radio and confirmed the SPOT call verbally with me. He then radioed it in to clear it or do whatever magic they do.

If you lead a group, keep the group together!! The leaders eventually turned around and made it back ... after the cops started arriving. Grrrr

WEAR GEAR! And wear it properly! Somehow, mysteriously, her helmet came off before she landed. But the strap was still cinched down. The jacket, gloves, chaps, and boots all did their job and outwardly she had very little injuries. I have not heard how she is doing internally.

I hope she heals up and is able to share the story of how she crashed on future rides. One of those "Remember when..." tales.

Link to original page on YouTube.

[Yakaru]

Wow, one heck of a story, I think I'm still processing it and I wasn't even there -- which SPOT device do you use? May be worth picking one up based on this tale.

[NevadaWolf]

I have a SPOT Gen3 on the tailbag (the orange thing in the top picture) that I typically use for tracking and general check in. Since it is not being blocked by my body, it has so far reliably sent out its message since I got it last September. It is what I used for SOS.

I also have the SPOT Communicator that goes with my DeLorme GPS. That one lives in my vest pocket for when I get separated from the bike and cannot return to the bike to use the other one. I've had this one for probably five years and it has worked though its position against my body blocks signals. It is what I used to send out a text that the emergency wasn't for me.

For more money, SPOT does have a satellite phone or DeLorme has an InReach. The InReach allows sending and receiving text messages while the Communicator/Connect only send messages.

[Motofool]

...................We headed south and it soon became rapidly clear there was two distinct groups in this group ride, those who took the speed limit as law and those who took it as a suggestion. I ended up several minutes behind the lead group and heading up the rear group with one other rider keeping pace with me..................[/QUOTE]

That is the problem with group rides; I don't like those, specially groups of more than three riders.



Teri, you should seriously consider some type of writing as a profession.
You have that gift to tell and document a story in a way that transports people (at least me) to that place, situation and time.

With more head-wind than what you had that morning, your mileage may have been cut down significantly.

It seems that she run wide and hit the sand and gravel of the edge; ............... poor girl.

As always, many thanks for taking me far from Florida this morning.

[NevadaWolf]

Originally Posted by Motofool

That is the problem with group rides; I don't like those, specially groups of more than three riders.

Due to a similar speed issue, i had previously decided that I would only join group rides by my mom or stepdad's invitation. I'm riding with those two, that happens to be at the same time as the rest of the group.

It really depends on who is leading. I've been on rides with the group that were brilliant. Slightly elevated speed (+5-10), responsible passing, close attention to the entire group, plenty of breaks, and a relaxed attitude.

Originally Posted by Motofool

Teri, you should seriously consider some type of writing as a profession.
You have that gift to tell and document a story in a way that transports people (at least me) to that place, situation and time.

Hehe, thanks. I dunno, if I get paid to write, the quality might suffer as its too much like work (it would be work!). If I get paid to ride and report back on what I experience, that might be fun. *thinkthinkthink*

Originally Posted by Motofool

It seems that she run wide and hit the sand and gravel of the edge; ............... poor girl.

What I heard the two riders behind her say was she was wide on the first corner. Speculation was somehow she was late in correcting that brought her wide into the second corner. Given the straight track to the marker, I fear target fixation happened after she ended up in the dirt. The track leading to the marker is also the only one dug in, all the other bikes just left impressions so I wonder if one of the brakes was locked up.

Hence why I said "uneducated guesses".

Originally Posted by Motofool

As always, many thanks for taking me far from Florida this morning.

Wish it was a more enjoyable trip. But that is a story on life, it is not perfect all the time.

[oblivion007]

Good read. Hope the lady turns out okay.

[misfitsailor]

Nicely reported. I hope that rider has a fast and full recovery.

[JohnnyBravo]

Nice write up, crappy luck for one rider... Full and speedy recovery to them an their bike

[LittleRedNinjette]

Wow, realy hope she's ok... Keep us posted if you hear anything on her...

[guambra2001]

Wow great story. This is very similar to what got me to buy a SPOT. I ended up with a group ride of more than 15+ people and the person in front of me crashed. When I stopped I thought I would see a person die right in front of me, of course no-one had cell reception so I flagged down a car and drove 7miles to the nearest town to call 911. Long story short that very same day I bought a SPOT realizing that we are far too vulnerable during rides not to have one if these! Everyone ride safe!

Also the guy made it, destroyed his bike, and broke left leg his femur, and a Couple of ribs. Made it though!

[jeffb502]

Your description of the group ride sounds like my first group ride last Wednesday, except at some points I didn't even have a headlight in the mirror. At one point the faster group was way ahead, and I had pulled away from the two slowest riders and the sweeper to the point where I was thinking to myself "I could probably crash in the middle of the group and if I wound up off the side of the road they might not find me for a while" lol.
@NevadaWolf I think you have convinced me to get a Spot. Quite frequently when I'm in a scenic spot and get off to snap some cell phone pics I notice I'm in an area with no cell reception. A quick search shows them on Amazon at $75 for the 1st gen and $150 for the 3rd gen. Are those fair prices? Do you think the 3rd gen is worth the extra money?

[EMSRacer07]

One thing I didnt get is that you only got like 50mpg. Thats pretty low on a 250.

Also, Hey im in Reno, we should go on some rides together

[NevadaWolf]

Originally Posted by jeffb502

A quick search shows them on Amazon at $75 for the 1st gen and $150 for the 3rd gen. Are those fair prices? Do you think the 3rd gen is worth the extra money?

I honestly don't know. I never had a Gen1 and am unsure on what improvements they made. Sorry I can't help.

Originally Posted by EMSRacer07

One thing I didnt get is that you only got like 50mpg. Thats pretty low on a 250.

Also, Hey im in Reno, we should go on some rides together

Once I go faster than 65 for a significant time, my mileage tanks. If i keep it below 60 all day I can get 60-odd mpg, but around 70-75 I tend to get mid to high 40s.

And absolutely! I tend to go riding every weekend. Shoot me a PM if you are free some Saturday or Sunday, I am totally up for a ride!

[LittleRedNinjette]

I never thought of NOT being able to call for help. There's not really anyplace in Jersey that you can't get some kind of signal. If you head ou to PA I think theres some patches but go another mile and you're good...

[NevadaWolf]

Originally Posted by LittleRedNinjette

I think theres some patches but go another mile and you're good...

The trick is the availability of getting in touch with someone. During those patches of dead air, how is the traffic? If you can reasonably expect someone to see that you have wrecked and stop then relying on a cell or SPOT can be a backup. But if you are in an area where traffic doesn't come along often, or the terrain is such that they may not see that you have wrecked, then having a primary means of getting attention does become vital.

[guambra2001]

Originally Posted by LittleRedNinjette

I never thought of NOT being able to call for help. There's not really anyplace in Jersey that you can't get some kind of signal. If you head ou to PA I think theres some patches but go another mile and you're good...

The feeling of helplesness when someone or yourself is suffering from an extreme emergency is nothing to scuff at, seeing that rider convulse, shake, and lie there helpless while everyone frantically tries to call for help was not something id like to do again. SPOT is just cheap insurance, not guaranteed but worth it just for the piece of mind b

[LittleRedNinjette]

Originally Posted by NevadaWolf

The trick is the availability of getting in touch with someone. During those patches of dead air, how is the traffic? If you can reasonably expect someone to see that you have wrecked and stop then relying on a cell or SPOT can be a backup. But if you are in an area where traffic doesn't come along often, or the terrain is such that they may not see that you have wrecked, then having a primary means of getting attention does become vital.

One of the only cases you would WANT traffic. Around me thats not to much of an issue. I would most certainly get one of the SPOT devices if i moved someplace where the population is more spread out. We tend to resemble sardines here though. I pray i never need to call for help in any case.

Originally Posted by guambra2001

The feeling of helplesness when someone or yourself is suffering from an extreme emergency is nothing to scuff at, seeing that rider convulse, shake, and lie there helpless while everyone frantically tries to call for help was not something id like to do again. SPOT is just cheap insurance, not guaranteed but worth it just for the piece of mind b

I wasn't scoffing. I WAS that someone once. Thankfully i was not badly hurt (bleeding out, unconscious or similar). Just in a lot of pain. In my case calling for help wasn't an issue, i was more reflecting that its something thats taken for granted in my neck of the woods.

[Josh_kcco]

a crazy story indeed. hope hes alright.
ive been threw fallon on my way up from socal to idaho. longs boring drive in a car lol

[NevadaWolf]

Originally Posted by Josh_kcco

a crazy story indeed. hope hes alright.
ive been threw fallon on my way up from socal to idaho. longs boring drive in a car lol

All depends on what you enjoy looking at. I find 80 uninteresting and while I will whine about 50, there is enough that i know about the region i am passing through to keep myself entertained. From history, to geology, to adventures I have had all over the state, really makes the miles pass.


I've updated the OP with a ride video from the weekend. No music yet since my iPad doesn't like that YouTube page. So if you prefer wind noise, now is the time to watch it.

[csmith12]

It's never any fun to see the heli land. Hoping for a speedy recovery for the rider!

[NevadaWolf]

Well, heard she's got a few broken bits, bruising, and very sore. Doesn't recall anything about the wreck except after she was in the ambulance. But she's doing good, apologetic for "ruining" the ride, and very very grateful.

Up side, the entire Club is going to be taking an EMT class through the local fire department. I've asked if I can join in.

[csmith12]

After one friend flew off an embankment and another parked a ninja on someone's front porch, about 12 of us took the training. Always a good plan and time well spent but hope you never need it.

[jeffb502]

Just watched the video.

Interesting rumble strip in the middle of the road on the dashed yellow line at the 3 minute mark. The only time I've seen a rumble strip in the middle of the road is on double yellows here in CA. I guess the road is so straight for so long people were falling asleep and drifting into the oncoming lane.

The helicopter landing almost got me. It sucks to see that type of situation. I think the perspective with the helmet on the ground added a sense of gravitas to the video. Was that an intentional camera placement or just how things worked out?

Nice editing. How many hours of video do you get per battery? Do you bring spares and change them out as you go?

Glad to hear the rider made it with hopefully no permanent disabilities after things heal up. Hope she didn't hit her head too hard after her helmet came off. Any idea on what she may have done wrong to have it strapped on but still come off?

[NevadaWolf]

I'm so used to rumble strips in the middle of the road I barely notice them anymore. Just another thing to be cautious of riding over.

After I got my helmet off, I wanted to record the response. For me, I didn't want my helmet in the way of arriving Good Guys so I placed it by the line of bikes ahead of the scene. The fish eye and someone standing there ruined that video. When Careflight arrived, I grabbed the helmet and set it down closer with a clear line of sight to the landing spot. Wasn't an intentional cinemagraphic thing, just how it worked out.

With my Contours, I can get one hour if I leave the camera on. But I found I like making summaries of the whole day, so I usually get a massive number of 10 sec to 5 min videos depending on what I found interesting. So one battery lasts me all day. On that day the battery died as I left it running the entire hour we waited. I have two spares that my +2 will take. I am hesitant to use the Roam 2 as it has an internal battery so I would need to use the bike to recharge it and despite Contour's claim i have yet to get it to record while plugged in with their cable.

One of the officers was examining her helmet. Its a modular and in his hands the fromt part was up. He found that the cheek part that the chin strap attached to was broken (it visibly moved independent of the rest of the shell). No idea how it came off, maybe not cinched down enough, maybe the force pulled it off, maybe it twisted just right? No idea.