Excuse me #1.
Spokeswoman Capt. Amy declined to comment on Dole's proposal?
Does Amy believe we should pretend it didn't take place?
That's the only "proposal" I see in the article.
Excuse me #2.
So it wasn't enough that you sent hundreds of thousands of us into a "war for what?"
and introduced us to so many poisons such as "agent orange", malaria, bullets, etc.
You had to give us contaminated water while we trained to go to war
and then upon returning to the USA and stationed at Camp Lejeune,
we were given another dose of toxic water.
Excuse me #3.
I took "advanced infantry training" at Camp Lejeune.
I went to Vietnam, I was going to a second tour of Nam from Camp Lejeune.
I was at Lejeune twice. I was all over the base.
I've had health issues since serving my country.
When will I be told and/or questioned about this issue?
Excuse me #4.
"Spokeswoman Capt. Amy Malugani declined to comment on
Dole's proposal but said the Marines "continue to work closely"
with lawmakers on the issue."
Why don't the Marines "work closely" with the Marines that the Marines and lawmakers screwed over?
Correct me when I'm wrong, please. but I don't think Elizabeth Dole served in Vietnam.
Thank you Sen. Dole for saying something.
I haven't heard the other "distinguished" representatives say anything.
By the way, when I say "distinguished", I mean it with the same respect as "your honor" when I'm in court.
I want to gag.
Excuse me #5.
When are American citizens going to start hanging evil, greedy, politicians who send kids to fight wars that they start for profit?
These people are killers. Apathy is a big killer as well.
Excuse me #6.
The evil and weak of America keep sending their best patriots into stupid wars that the evil create?
 

     I have 2 friends that send me info about products that they use.

They are loaded with lots of nutrients. I have friends that bring something by and tell me I need to try “this”. I get info all the time thru spam. I just paid another $9 a year for "protection to my website. It's almost like insurance (don't get me started about this extortion".

I get tired of the info. I’m tired of deleting spam.

     I’m fed up with telemarketers. One calls me up today and says that she is with the company that puts logos on pens. I suggested what to do with her pens.

     I’m tired of big business. Is our motto, "Use it up before it's gone"?

     So a friend from high school came by and I was glad to see her. She has been a researcher for better health since the early 70s at least. We visited and she mentioned her new interest. It’s a nourishing food. Oh no, not another.

     I don’t have time to check this out. I spend too much time researching an ocean of info out there. I’m tired of it all. I take chlorella, B, E, COQ10, ginseng, grape seed extract, ,glucosamine, blood pressure meds, etc.  There are so many products that promise so much. I can’t afford to ride fast or feel well.

     Let me add this while you’re scanning this. I will not sell you this product. I will not gain anything by telling you this except to fulfill my obligation to myself to do what I can to help mankind. I’d like to say that “God told me to do it”. Observing our religious leaders from around the world, I have no idea what your God is and if “He or She” is a good one. Most people are “religious”. Most people in the USA have brought us leaders like Reagan, Clinton, Bush 1, Bush 2, etc. Thanks.

     I've had to come back to this after weeks of activity. I was afraid that I might upset an American citizen. Get over it. The bulk of our society doesn't know how to drive, recycle, or vote correctly. Are you upset? Let's pretend that most Americans love cycling. Let's pretend that this isn't a "redneck" society and that it will tolerate people using their own energy to propel themselves around the country. America is "redneck". America is mean. Get over it. I'm not pretending. People yell at me all the time. They want cyclists off the roads so that they can have the roads for their own lazy butts. God forbid that Mr. or Mrs. Redneck has to speed home to dinner or even church. Please don't think the term "redneck" is a term of endearment. This term applies negatively to people who are mean. This isn't a person who just farms which could be positive. No.

     Not upset yet? How about my idea that a true Christian or any religious person should not kill anything? There were no carnivores in the "Garden of Eden". That's period. Of course you should check the King James version. The other "Gospels" tell you other "Gospels". But why haven't our "Christian leaders" preached on better diets for, at the very least, our children? Why did God put stipulations on eating meat? You can't eat cloven hooves, etc. God very, very clearly has made His/Her (Whatever) point that God's preference is for humans to not eat meat of the animal persuasion. Why can't Jews and Christians teach God's real word? Cat got your tongue? Just what has your tongue?

     When have we had an alternative energy and transportation "President"? These two political parties should be banned from America. Americans vote out of fear. "I'm afraid "he" won't win." "I'm afraid "he" might be worse than the other jackal". America sure is "afraid" of a lot. Of course most Americans aren't afraid of sending someone else to war. Most great Americans aren't afraid to send kids to war every 20 years or so. This nation is mean and greedy. When it's not mean, it's apathetic. We're the most imprisoned nation in the world. Americans send people to jail for smoking pot while they sip wine and alcohol and kill people continuously while drunk. Of course if you have money, chances are you will be quickly "forgiven".

     Get over yourselves. America is a nation of bullies. And please give me the lame reply of, "Can you think of a better country?" Well you may be right. I can't think of a better country where presidential and other political idiots are appointed to run for office. I can't think of a better country that makes sure the candidate is a Skull & Bones member guaranteed to do the bidding of the very rich while making Christians think that the rich actually care about what the poor think. No, you've really got me there. You win. Yes, this is the best country with the best liars and most ruthless leaders that we all must obey because it would be unpatriotic to tell it like it is. America, get some guts. Read your manual that should be the Bible. Don't just let a pulpit tell you what the Bible says.

     The reason I will not sell you this product is that I was in retail for decades. It is frustrating to actually have humankind in your heart as you’re selling a bicycle and adjust the hubs and give tune-ups for a year (yes, we’re the only shop that did that or did it consistently) but just get floored when the reason you lost the sale was the color was wrong. I spend too much time continuously teaching people how to do things properly with a bike whether it’s riding or upkeep. I’ve told many people that they could ride faster and more comfortably with a different position, stem, seat height, and more, to have them ignore my advice for years, but spend hundreds of dollars for someone else tell them the same thing.  

     I’ve told customers that their son’s bike doesn’t have brakes only to be told that “little Johnny” doesn’t need brakes. No, he needs a father. His father needs something. But I fixed Johnny’s brakes for free. Kids shouldn’t suffer. There’s plenty of time for that. I'm sure the "Greatest Generation's" legacy to send high school kids to die for stupid wars will continue. Just so you know, I'm a Vietnam Vet, and I'm well aware of your support and lack of.

     So, no, you will not get the product from me as I am actually burned out with trying to convince anyone about anything and I can’t lie. I just can't tell you that this works and have you believe me, particularly if I make money on it.

     Here's a little update on my financial genius: So far I've "sold" 5 canisters of "ambrotose" (under Josie's name to avoid any profit in any way for myself) for $30 less than wholesale while trying to "not make any money". I've given 1 can away to a cancer patient(JB). I've given a can away to a friend who is paralyzed and in a nursing home(TC). Not counting giving cans away to relatives, I've "lost" over $400 in this financial endeavor. Yep, I'm a shrewd businessman. Unlike the bike business, I could run out of money in minutes instead of months or years. Whoops, I'm out.
     July 23. I just sold another canister for $117. That was about $13 less than I paid for it.
Update for August 16: I gave away another canister to a cancer patient that I love (BP). This I gave when it rained while trying to paint arrows on the road for a bike ride. Se Michael meets Boss Hogg on the Roan 2007 page.

     I’d like to be able to say that this can help a lot of people. It’s the fastest improvement and the most improvement with a double shot of a well-being and sense of wholeness.

     If you’re voting, please don’t buy it. You’ve caused enough trouble already. It matters not if you’re one or the other. I’m not sure this product will curb your disastrous behavior. It may just allow you to vote more. By the way, continuing to vote for the "least dangerous candidate that has a chance to win" is dangerous insanity. I’m sure this brief message will convey that I don’t want any input from you about how this is improbable. I have had enough asinine retorts in the retail bicycle business. Know how to make a million dollars in the bike business? Start with 2 million.

     So here is a run-down on my health.

     I’ve been hit by 3 cars. Of course, being humans, one of the cars sped off, one driver lied about running the traffic light, and the other couldn’t drive off because she was in the “city”, on the sidewalk, and I was under the bumper.

     I have a bulging disc, arthritis from head to toe, pain and numbness running down the right leg. I even have arthritis in my swollen thumb from jamming it or thumbing my nose at our idiot leaders. My right foot is numb with a burning pain near the big toe.

     To be even more detailed, I started coughing more lately. I think it’s too dry in Western North Carolina right now. We need rain. My right side seems to have a “catch” in it when I cough. I also have a cyst in the left knee and one on the tibia that gets inflamed and immovable from swelling. I’ve controlled the swelling by not running and resting my leg when it “acts up”. Most of this disappointment has come in the winter.

     I believe we need supplements. I take chlorella (spirolina), B, E, COQ10, DHEA, etc. I don’t think I’ll quit taking chlorella anytime soon.

     I have a yoga mat and have practiced. Most of my time in the last couple of years has been working on my back. I have a device or two such as a big cylinder made of a Styrofoam about six inches in diameter, and 2 feet wide. I’ve told many guests that I was calling it a night when actually I would roll around on that cylinder for hours massaging the knots and inflammation out of my back. I could call my masseur/masseuse but he/she requires money  and obviously would rather treat someone when the person actually doesn't need the massage. I've already spent thousands on chiropractors.

     For some of this my VA medical hospital gives me generic ibuprofen. The VA said they would operate on the disc if the pain stayed below the knee. Well that was evidently false info. Like I’ve said, the leg stays numb down to the toes and there’s pain. But how can I feel confident about the VA when I’ve been misdiagnosed at least twice and ignored about a lot of ailments? I actually changed my doctor at the VA and I do enjoy my physician’s assistant of late. She seems to care and take me seriously. Their dental care is fantastic. They do a lot of things well.

     I have never gotten a positive feeling from the docs about their ability to perform this type of surgery even from the folks in Durham. In short, they do things well and they don’t. All hospitals operate on the idea of “triage”. You treat the squeaky wheel that can be saved. Of course people with money will tell you more than you want to hear about how they have the utmost confidence in their doctor. I wish I had confidence like that but I have too much experience.

     I have a friend who paid for his bike trip over seas with money he saved with dental work or another who couldn’t afford a heart operation here in the USA went to India. How sad. We can’t take care of our own.

     Of course one of our great passionate physicians could take some time from his condos to perform this operation for such a friend as one who just had to ante up tens of thousands of Federal Reserve notes. “It’s a simple operation, I do it every day”, said the doc. It came off just as the doc said. He will do it for most people with tens of thousands of bucks. This is the gist of our medical profession. Yeah, I know, I’m hurting some of the feelings out there because you’re in our medical profession and you like denial. Some docs are great and they care. There are too many of the other folk that consider it just a job instead of a calling for the healing of mankind.. No, it’s not like that where you go. It’s just like this where I go, wherever I go. That’s right; I have a persecution complex (just saving time). I have one friend that wonders where all this VA care is going to come from while he shoves all the money he can into the Cayman Island account.

     So I’ve spent thousands with the medical profession, chiropractic, food supplements, meds. So what have I gotten from all this time and money invested? I’ve gotten a great operation on a deviated septum. I had a kidney stone removed. However the doc was going to leave the “stent” in for weeks that were unnecessary. Please, do not leave a stent in someone’s penis when unnecessary. That’s cruel. Some docs have treated me as though I was wasting their time.

     It’s 3 PM. I just finished weed eating for hours.

I did the same thing yesterday. I started out with a little pain in my lower back with very little arthritis, some nerve pain toward the hip, and numbness down the leg.

     I had to reach up and around. I had to twist. I was clearing the perimeter of a 4 acre field. I was getting shed of the Multi-Flora roses that are briars that plague this area. I mow a path but the briars reach out and grab you. Anyway I did a lot. Please come and experience this for yourselves, those that can and aren’t allergic to physical labor. By all means try it with my Honda weed-eater. It’s the heaviest out there and, unfortunately, starts every time. You could take this “4 cycle” engine and run a motorcycle with it. Wanta bet? It’s big.

     Doesn’t sound like I did much.. Anyway, when I do it, I’m done in. The pollen and chlorophyll and other dusts raise the inflammation in my neck and back.  Today I was disenchanted about the reception I received from my two well-read friends, so I didn’t even wear a particle mask.

     So, my friend Brynda, left the information about this new “food” with me for 6 weeks. I didn’t want to read or hear anything. She then sent me some product. 

     After a week of this product:

I started taking this product a week ago. This is May 23.

I started taking it and I was limping really badly getting out of bed, cars, off the bike, etc. The arthritis in my hips has been hurting the most. That pain is more intense especially getting up and down. I was bent over in the mornings.

     I was rubbing my leg constantly trying to get some feeling in my leg and foot. The right side of my leg has a slow burn or it feels itchy. The top of the foot is numb. The disc in my back is like a Salvador Dali clock melting over the vertebrae. I have x-rays and MRIs.

     The worst of all this is the inflammation.

     My thumb on my right hand was swollen and there were no wrinkles. It was hot and painful to touch. I iced it and massaged it. It actually took precedence over my other problems for a couple weeks. A doc confirmed that it was arthritis. After a few days with this product my thumb is deformed from the past but not inflamed. I have wrinkles.

     . I’ve ridden for 30 years. I’m a “has-been” that never was. I have a lot of things down pat although mysteries can make some rides absolutely terrible. Sometimes my pains have done that. I've had an "imbalance".

     Last Thursday I rode the Roan with a strong man. I’m sure I made it look easy because of Robert’s comments. I haven’t told him that I was in extreme pain. That day my foot was numb with burning on the inside of the toe area. I was delighted to stop and wait for Robert’s wife. I took my shoe off and massaged my foot. I massage it often. I’d like to get the feeling back like the left foot. Sometimes I shake my foot or bang it against my other leg to maybe “shake some life into it”.

     Friday I rested as I knew that Saturday would be a test. I would drive over to Asheville and join friends to ride an 86 mile ride to Bakersville. My speedometer/altimeter says 7,834 feet of accumulative climbing. It felt like 7,835 feet though. If you’d like to perform well, you’ll need 4 days off between long rides. At my age of 58, I need 7 days of light riding before a death march to perform well. I rode fine. The nerve in my back was hurting a bit. I had some pain in my left shoulder which has been common.

     Saturday, we got a late start because of mechanicals. We rode back to Asheville on another 80 mile hard ride. I rode fine. The nerves in my back were hurting a bit. I pulled as long and as hard as anyone. Around Asheville on Riverside Drive, my foot felt like a brick. I had been riding into the wind lately as if I had a war with the wind. I’ve tried to ride harder against it. I don’t think the wind was a factor at this point. I was disenchanted about the foot and focused on turning the knees over until I reached 30. I was 29 for a long time. I was fighting adversity as I’ve known how. I just go straight to the problem. My speedometer/altimeter says 79.5 miles in 4hrs and 43 minutes. We took it easy in spots and had one rest stop other than the awesome view on Paint Gap. We climbed an extra hill on the way to cross the swinging bridge but only totaled 3800 feet accumulative climbing. We had a spot of flat riding on river road in Mitchell County and some flat road around Asheville. There was some “mixing it up a bit” as riders picked up the pace quite often. Food was really good at Doc Che’s later that night.

So Monday I took the day off and did some web work.

Tuesday I mowed and rode the weedeater for hours.
I cycled about 10 miles total climbing Cane Creek Mtn. and back.

After a week of using this product, I see great improvements that will seem small to you.

Nothing else has reduced my inflammation and pain, like this.
 

     In a couple of weeks I’ll do my 27th Assault on Mt. Mitchell. About every third ride now I have a bad one. Last year was a bad one. A few years ago with failing health (bad tooth etc.), I had the worst ride ever on Mitchell. It was worse than the ride in which I broke my clavicle and bike but finished. Two years ago I had one of my best. Although I’ll never see times that I once had, I can still get the most out of my body and that’s all I try to do. I hate it when there is no solution to the problem.

     So, I’ll put myself through another test.

     Here’s a little bet that nobody has the guts to take up. I bet that I can do Paris-Brest-Paris in less than 65 hours without doing one long distance brevet.

     My wager would be the cost of doing Paris-Brest-Paris. I’ll bet every doctor or anyone in the medical field that I can finish before 75% regardless of your age and within 65 hours.

     Doing Paris-Brest-Paris costs a few thousand. I’m sure some of the medical profession could take this up. I can’t beat every doctor out there on a bike but I can finish before most of you and you’ve got more money than I have by scads. I’m a poor village idiot with cheap wheels and down tube shifters. If you’re a doctor you most likely have the thousands of dollars worth of wheels plus the thousands into the frame alone. I’d love to drop most of you with your best equipment and grand ideas of training and nourishment.

     So here’s a bet for you who have money and guts. If allowed to start PBP without having to “qualify” with the standard 200 k, 300 k, 400 k, and 600 k qualifying brevets, I’ll bet I can ride Paris-Brest-Paris in less than 65 hours. Pool your money. Maybe the medical profession can’t raise a few thousand what with condos costing in the Caymans and all. Maybe you can get help from some lawyers. I’d love to take your money. I actually brought this up to two randeneur friends who are going to France this year. I was told by them that dooing these brevets get you in shape. I've been riding for more than 30 years. When do you think I might get into shape? What if Lance wanted to ride PBP?Would you make him ride these brevets? It's stupid. I've done the 750 mile Boston-Montreal-Boston. I've done the 750 mile Paris-Brest-Paris. I've even ridden the almost 600 mile Bike across Misery, I mean Missouri. So with all this experience I should let my business suffer just so that I can prove once again to people that I can ride better than most but I need to spend a bunch of money to do it? I'll outride most of you without "training" at all. I don't have money to piss away. Neither do you.

     I’ll ride PBP in 65 hours and I won’t train over 119 miles on one day. I'll ride less if you want.

     For the uneducated in cycling, Paris-Brest-Paris is a distance of about 750 miles.

     It’s held in August. Today is May 23 (now the date is actually June 1^st and later). I have weeks to train. I haven’t done an event like this in about a decade. I’m 58 (in August). I have arthritis all over. I have a bulging disc., with pain and numbness to the toes. I have a cyst in the left knee and one on the tibia. My neck gets inflamed, stiff, and very painful. My hands go numb. Some of this is carpel tunnel. I get sick on every ride over 6 hours or so (I’m sure I’ve tossed my cookies on every ride over 120 miles.).

          Any takers?
     Of course if you're a doctor who takes care of his/her patients and tries to provide the same meds and foods for their patients, then I'm hardly talking to you anyway. I'm talking to you jerks that think you're God because you went to medical school. Oh no. Now I have a dilemma. You won't come forward to identify yourselves. Perhaps you could help with my description. This is all dreaming. I don't even have my passport updated. I would have to contact some official official to clear me to ride without my completing the series of qualifying brevets (200 kilometers, 300 kilometers, 400 kilometers, and the 600 kilometers). Really all I'm doing is venting frustration at the medical system we have that doesn't give universal healthcare. I believe in universal healthcare so much that I believe that even aliens from outer space should have it without being dissected.

     Meanwhile on Saturday May 26, I rode about 55 miles. I chased a casual group that started 13 miles down on the river. It was a pleasant ride although I didn’t feel like riding hard. I imagined that if some of my friends were pushing the pace I might be able to fall in and do okay. I didn’t mind the “feeling”. I know that we live in cycles. You certainly cannot be at your physical best everyday. You have peaks. If you don’t, in cycling, you won’t have the concentrated effort when it’s needed most. You work hard and then you recover. Taking a day off is just as important as riding hard on others. I can use about 7 or 8 days between hard outputs. You can have multiple days where you excel but it has to take a toll after time. That’s life. It took me half the ride to catch them. They were loafing.

     Sunday, May 27, I had a fast and short ride of 26 miles with the Doc.

     Monday, May 28, I rode to Asheville with Chris Boone from Rebels Creek on highway 80. We went via the Blue Ridge Parkway, going over Arbuckle and up Crabtree to the BRP. We ascended 6000 feet before descending to the Folk Art Center.  The nerve from my bulging disc was hurting. My foot was numb and there was the same place near my toe on the inside of my right foot that would burn occasionally. Usually twisting my foot getting out of my  clipless pedals really gives me a burn. My guess is that it’s a nerve problem in the foot from riding in frozen precipitation and a tight shoe for a day or so decades ago. Nights ago I imagined that this “food” I’ve been taking was helping my foot get feeling back. I imagined the same thing day after day. I don’t think it’s improving much if at all. I may just be thinking about the foot too much. I’ve asked doctors, PAs, and nurses about the “deadening foot”. Evidently there is not a podiatrist at any of the VA or I would have seen one. Wouldn’t I? I decided yesterday that this food may not help the foot or it would take a long time. I do feel that there’s a “new life” about me. It’s temporary. Something else will come along and make life a challenge. Right now, my aging seems to have been reversed for several years and in some ways I’ve never felt as good. For me to say that is weird for me to hear.

     Tomorrow I ride with a tandem couple from Ohio. I still have pain in my lower back and to the right hip, especially if I tuck in the downhill position on my bicycle. It’s not the arthritis though. That was disc and nerves. Yesterday, the hardest thing was tucking on the 18 mile descent off of Craggy Gardens.

     Today is Friday, June 1, 2007. I’ve been taking this mannatech stuff for 2 weeks and maybe 3 days. I started either Tues. evening or Wednesday evening 2 weeks ago. I remember talking with my friend Brynda about it on Monday and she must have run out to mail it immediately. I found it on a table in our dining room and here we are.

     I rode with a tandem couple from Columbus, Ohio. I rode about 50 (40
+ 10 more) without difficulty and little pain. That was Wednesday.

     Yesterday, I rode a casual 10 miles or so and took some pics of Bakersville. I didn’t feel really strong. It was another rest day. This is very normal. I have ridden a lot lately and the ride with my Ohio friends was brisk. They are a great tandem couple (riding a bike built for 2). The course was easy, Jack’s Creek. People, from all over, come to ride this because it’s the easiest 40 mile ride between the mountains and Raleigh.

     Today is Friday. It remains an imperfect world. Go figure. I still have a bit of pain when I roll over or get out of bed. I walked across the road to the “Inn” and met Cleo the cat as usual. I bent down as usual and petted her. She expects it. It hurt my back a little. Well, life is just life. It sure is better than when I tried to feed her a morning a couple weeks ago. I had to bend over and pick up Cleo’s bowl. I took my foot and tried to drag the bowl over. I wasn’t in control and Cleo thought I was mad at her and would harm her. She took off. Two weeks later I can bend down and reach for the dish.
 

     I mentioned that I was hoping that my foot would come back to me. Hello foot. I’ve missed you so much. I may not have this rock at the end of my leg anymore. I have good feeling over most of the top of my foot. Last night I spoke with Brynda about it. She said that sometimes you’ll have more pain when nerves are improving. That’s how it was. I’ve had more sharp burning when I turn my foot like when I remove my cleated shoe/foot from the clipless pedal (it’s like a ski binding but for cyclists).

     Yes, I can do a lot of stuff with physical maladies. I finished the 102.5 mile ride up Mt. Mitchell one year with a broken clavicle after going to the hospital, getting x-rays, new clothes, bike, helmet, and spending a lot of time miles from the course at the hospitals. I certainly appreciate the doctors but mostly the nurse’s care for this. Yes great doctors are needed and appreciated. Nurses are wonderful.

     I’ve ridden for over 30 years. I have lot’s of stories about my own perseverance and the perseverance of others.

     I’ve broken my ribs front and back, left and right. I’ve broken both clavicles, my scapula, hands, wrist, fingers, and nose (maybe 3 times). The arthritis has been rough. The discs/nerves in my back have given me trouble for so long and inflammation kills.

     Inflammation kills. I was told that most folks should be on Ibuprofen or something for the inflammation at my age and until the “end”. Although this product is supposed to work with all medications I quit taking Ibuprofen. I may take some for the Assault on Mt. Mitchell.

     In a drastic move I quit taking my blood pressure meds days ago. I was taking 2, plus cholesterol med. I just wanted the product to work without interference. This is from distrust and should not be copied. As a matter of fact most people would/should point to me and tell their kids to be like anybody else. I’ve checked my blood pressure often and the first night it was 112 over about 70. The next it was 114 over something compatible. The next it was 116 over 71 or so. The next night it was 109 over 70ish. The next it was 106, the next, 104, the next 2 nights were 109. I’ll keep an eye on it.

     Remember, don’t do anything I do. I say that before descending on hills. Sitting here at the computer, my back is getting tired. I’ve sat here too long. I’ll have to stretch and leave this thing. It’s from sitting and the discomfort is muscular. Alas, this is not a perfect world.
     Saturday, June 2, 2007. I woke this morning as usual. Pain on the right lower back.
It's the disc send pain over there. I'm still walking straight (or a lot straighter). I did have concerns about petting Cleo. It seemed more painful today than yesterday. If you're just joining me at this point of the writing, I still don't have the spreading arthritic pain that was cramping my style and my walk. My foot is coming alive. May I ask again, why hasn't the medical field helped me with my numbness in my leg and foot? Why hasn't it helped me with my bulging disc? If I could get help in the public medical services, what on this earth would it cost? You may have a doctor in your pocket to help you but millions of us don't. If you're against this product or the way it's supplied then get laws changed so that we all can have that wonderful healthcare you enjoy. Right now bring lots of Federal Reserve notes with you.

     I'm a week off my high blood pressure meds and my prostate med which is also a blood pressure med.

I don't think anyone should do as I do, but this is what I've done. I'm actually considering taking the prostate medication for my prostate. I seemed to pee more last night.
     My blood pressure this morning was 107/76. My pulse remains a little high after sitting down for a while-64. I realize that's low but for athletes. I am an athlete. I'm sure if I rode 60 miles or so it would slow to about 50 or so the next day. I didn't ride yesterday. I usually ride 30 minutes every day. It rained yesterday. I decided to take a day off. Today I rode 30 minutes on my "rollers" (a machine to ride a regular bike on).

     June 4th, 2007. I've been taking Amrotose and Immuno Start since May 16. I was hoping that my foot would have progressed for the better but it hasn't. I still have arthritis, I still have a bulging disc that shoots pain and numbness down the right side of my leg. Perhaps I'll have the pain and numbness for the duration. This food isn't a cure-all. It's nourishment and it helps cell growth like food should. If we ate correctly we could get this through the "natural channels" of regular food. Unfortunately our food channels were compromised when, no doubt, a pro-business snake talked Adam & Eve into buying a condo instead of all that upkeep in the "Garden". Maybe they just got tired of vegetarianism and decided to eat a steak. After all they were vegetarians as were all the other animals (this would be found in the King James version and the first chapter). Today we buy everything, including water. Will we buy air next?

     So, maybe I'll just be satisfied with feeling better than I have in about 30 years in some ways. I feel as though I've been sick for decades. Everything I've done in the last 30 years I've done sick. I had headaches for more than 20 years (removing a bad tooth removed the headaches). I've had extreme inflammation for decades. My arthritis was getting worse and worse. My leg and foot has been getting worse. This isn't natural aging. This is trauma induced.

     The only problem I see with this product is affordability. It's expensive. I'll take it as long as I can justify it. My daughter's life is much more important than mine.

     Friday I signed her up as my source for the product. As I have said. I cannot deal with selling anymore. I cannot tell people about it's benefits if I have lots to gain. I hate the return negativity. I took the oath of poverty 30 years ago and holding pretty close to it now. I'm like a lot of folks who are a paycheck or so from being in public housing, trailer park, Jamaica, Belize, etc. People must work 5, 6, or 7 days a week so that they might eat, copulate, and watch diversions on TV. Forget about 30  minutes of exercise a day. Meanwhile some applicants at Duke and other universities can spend tens of thousands of dollars for the resume/application (that's right, the application alone) so that they will be assured of superiority over most of us all of their lives. but to take our minds off this we have sports legends to worry about. Will Barry Bonds make the Baseball Hall of Fame? Did he take steroids? Did Floyd Landis tke illegal drugs? If this were business would they not be heralded as pioneers if they did cheat? Isn't everything fair in love and war and business. Aren't you pro-business? In America it certainly has been too easy to buy whatever or whomever you want and do whatever you want to with it at the expense of everyone else. If you cannot protest against bad business practices that ruin the planet, what right do you have to tell an athlete what to do? Why are lotteries so popular? Nobody likes poverty. The real problem is putting so much adoration on someone that you don't know who is trying to make enough money so that he/she doesn't have to live near you. All my adult life I've tried to "do the right thing". I would not have taken anything illegal or even as a medication at times due to my faith. If someone had come up to me and said, if you take this, you can live in a secluded place where your neighbor isn't allowed to lock his barking dogs up 24/7, you won't have to go to Vietnam for an ungrateful nation, you won't be disappointed in the wars every 20 years or so, you can afford the best medical coverage for yourself and family, there will be many advantages including having an entire world kiss your butt in Paris, would you take this drug that makes you ride faster and shows little problems other than jealousy, would you take it? I'll think about it. I've had a hard life though.

     I read in the paper today (Monday, June 4, 2007) that the Asheville gave the Bush administration an "F" for

"it's bizarre decision to fight meatpackers who are wanting to test all of their cattle for mad cow disease. Currently, the Department of Agriculture tests one in 100 animals for the disease which can be fatal to people who consume diseased beef (duh).A Kansas firm wants to test all its product, but large meatpacking firms, apparently afraid of having to do their own tests to keep up with market demand for beef (it's actually cow, beef, steak, hamburger, etc. sound cuter) labeled safe, oppose the move. The firm, Creekstone Farms, Premium Beef, won a ruling from a federal judge earlier this year saying the tests have to be allowed. The Dept. of Agriculture is appealing that ruling. More than 150 people have died from mad cow, most of them in Britain."

      Yep. We can trust these folks. Why isn't it called "mad beef" disease? Are we trying to separate the cow from being "the" food, but beef is "the" real food. How about "mad hamburger disease" for the kids? With fries.
     Our country has had its history written by some of the best liars in the world next to this administration. No? The first and only people voting in this country had to own land. That's fair isn't it. Well if Michael had his way the poor would have more votes according to their poverty level. The poorer you are the more votes you have. I'm not running for mayor and the rich are ruining this world and making it hell for those at the bottom. "Gee, Michael, I'll bet you're one of those people who think the glass is half empty." No, the glass has a bunch of crap in it and I think you're putting some of the crap in it. But the real proof is in the pudding. Where are the alternative energy sources that have been quelled by the powers that be? When have we had a president that promoted cycling while telling his redneck voters to stop killing cyclists and instead embrace them as the clean, beautiful moving art form that is a "cyclist".

     Today is Tuesday, June 5th. Just 5 more shopping days before the Assault on Mt. Mitchell.

     Yesterday, Monday, I drove to the intersection of highway 80 and the Blue Ridge Parkway. I loaded up 4 water bottles and rode down highway 80 to a church below Haynes Eyebrow. That's where the real climb starts. I sat beside the stream at the church where someone left their spent shotgun shells. I brought them back with me. One is for squirrels. I carried the extra bottles of water not for the physical training but for the mental properties I'll conger on the day of the "Assault". I don't have any grand ideas about how it may turn out. I can finish in the top 10% against all ages on a good day. If I had hopes and dreams I would finish in the top 5%. It's tough up there. There are so many great riders now. Better equipment, better food, and better training for all. I'm 58. Some say I past my prime. Some say it's all in your mind. If I only had a brain. I've been in great shape and the ride stats implied something else. There are 1300 or riders starting at the same time. If you can make the gauntlet of mishaps within the first 30 miles or so you're probably going to be okay. There is some crazy riding before that point though. It's a dangerous sport. I wonder how many clavicles have been broken on the Assault. Besides mine.

     The ride yesterday went fine. I couldn't believe how well I felt. I stood on the pedals for most of the way up 80. I did the same from the Parkway up the first 2 miles where it's steep. The ride in between was fine. There seemed to be only Florida tags on the Parkway. Are Floridiots the only folks getting off on Mondays to drive the Parkway? Oh, I suppose some of you think I just slammed the drivers of Florida. Kudos to you. Floridiot drivers may be the most arrogant people and drivers anywhere. It's not enough that they want you off "their" roads in Florida. They screw up Florida, then come up here and buy their second home so that they can start screwing up the mountains as they have the land of oranges. They've wanted me off the roads in Fla., GA, SC, and NC at least. Floridiot drivers, indeed, have a nasty reputation among cyclists from Florida so it "ain't just me".

     But the ride was fine. I started getting the stronger pain in my right side, back, hip, from descending back from Mt. Mitchell. This was after the climbs. The last little bump before the Twin Tunnels gave my cyst in the knee a little attention. I was very, very hungry when I arrived at the car. I should have packed something to eat after the ride. I didn't eat on the ride. Sometimes I take some gel foods or candy to give me a boost at times and I will for the "Assault" you can bet. I figure I climbed the hardest miles with 4 bottles of water. I won't have 3 extra on Mitchell. I will have more than 70 miles in at that point though. I did notice that my foot didn't feel like a rock. The foot, the back, my face, are all things I may have to live with. Being freer of pain is something I could get used to.

     June 4 was weeding day. I pulled 3 wheelbarrows of weeds out of the gardens. It was mostly grass and although the dirt was loose, the grass had to be broken up with the shovel.
 

     Wednesday, June 6. I received another little set back in my spirit. I really expected the the occurrence. It's the honesty thing. It's covert. It's petty. You know the routine.

     However, I feel better physically today than I have in quite a while. It would almost rival the way I felt and the way I rode one day after taking Prednisone (I don't know how to spell it). It's a prescribed steroid for inflammation. I've had it prescribed 4 times and it made me feel good once. Oh but that one day was great. It was the most pain free day in decades. But it would not be good with extended use. I had it about once a year or less. It was not any good usually and if so very temporary. I'm running a very clean machine right now. I haven't taken any alcohol since taking Mannatech products. This sounds like a sails pitch but it's just my log of my health right now. Abstaining from alcohol is certainly not a problem for me. I wasn't able to drink because of inflammation/headaches after even a glass of wine. A tooth removal took away a lot of inflammation and almost all headaches. I just don't like alcohol. I've seen a drunken Marine try to kill another marine on alcohol in Vietnam. People can't think on alcohol. That's why it's enjoyed so much.

    I'm thinking about the Assault on Mt. Mitchell. This is my 27th. I'm thinking about some problems like today that never end. I wish that I could live in peace and we could all trust each other. I'm thinking about the girl whho has been missing and I can't remember where it was. I saw it on the news at Sallie's Restaurant. Her body was found. This is just insane. I can't even write right now. What could be gained but hell for this. We are all visiting hell just thinking about this. I guess this is the "hallmark achievement" for some snake that can think about his greatest achievement for eternity. Will his appetite for spreading this misery only be stronger after a taste. I don't think killing him right away is the answer. I'm sorry that I'm writing this. I'm off track more than usual. I feel sad. That's what mad does. It turns sad. I have to be at peace with myself. We have to do this every day. I want to conduct myself today as if it is my last. I can't correct it tomorrow. I feel anxiety about my role in life.

     I've lived the bicycle for so long. This wonderful machine has saved my life. The bicycle took me away from myself and transformed me into a productive person in an unfathomable way unless you're wearing my shoes. I have been a slave to the bicycle as a result. I've suffered so much on the bike. I've hit the tarmac, cars, and I've been very sick on it. I've almost been killed several times. I have neglected family and profit as a result, but I really, really, would not be here without the bike.  There are folks that are struggling harder with health issues like getting up in the morning. What I do is more passion than "must do".

     So as I sit here, I'm anxious about Mitchell. I try my best every year. It's not willingly so much. When I started out doing Mitchell every year there would be goading and teasing. My friends tried to ride as fast as they could. I tried to stay up. I remember running out of food and having Kent Clary beat me for 2 or 3 years. He rubbed it in. I could beat him to Marion and to the last 5 miles and that bumble bee would catch me there. He had a little mirror on his glasses that he would tilt up to put me in it. He didn't beat me after those first ones. But he inspired me to ride better. So I've ridden the Assault on Mitchell as fast as I could every year.

     One year the Assault had a 10 AM start along with the earlier 6:30 AM start. I finished in great time as I did all others. I got the ride down to under 6 hours consistently even while running a bike shop. I've trained up the Blue Ridge Parkway and down Ox Creek at night. It was the only time I had. One year I hired someone to watch the shop while I rode a 102 or 112 mile ride around Mt. Mitchell every Wednesday an Sunday for 6 weeks. So I essentially rode Mitchell at least 13 times before summer.

     One year I broke my clavicle and after a hospital visit, new bike, and clothes, I finished almost last.
     My worst was a few years ago. I was dizzy from the start. I had to lie down 3 times in the last 30 miles.
     Last year I had to take my lumps. Do I have a bad ride every few years now? Can I only have so much fun? Last year I took ibuprofen before the ride. I tossed my cookies a little at a time. I couldn't hang with any group. I was led over a dead cat. What an omen. I lost a bottle and cage descending and had to go back to retrieve it. I knew I'd run out of fuel now. I had a flat. The valve on the new "sew-up" tire was bent. I couldn't get enough air with my air cartridge inflator. I pumped up my tire at a rest stop. I then preceded on to my crash of the day. I slip out at a fast turn more than 90 degrees. A policeman said there was a film on the road and others had slid before me. I made it in on my spare tire. It really doesn't matter if Nick Dolby ties me for the record of "most Assaults" to anyone including me. But what do I do?
     So it's a dangerous ride and especially the way I've done it. I don't think the "Assault" is the ultimate answer to your fitness because there are so many obstacles. The first 50 miles or so are particularly dangerous. I broke my clavicle at 44. The sharp curve where others do it is just ahead. I've ridden beside John Howard and Pete Penssyres (forgive the spelling) and told them about the bad curve while the rest of the field were shmoozing. They both thanked me. I did some break dancing after a fellow rider from Charleston came up and locked handlebars with me.
     I've suffered more from nutrition and lack of miles. One year I made a disastrous mistake of opening a bike shop in Myrtle Beach. three other bike shops opened at the same time. Another reason they call me "Lucky".
     A couple years ago I had a great ride for an old man. I was on a flyer with another rider off the front over the first 2 big hills of the day before the pack stomped up up to us. Chris Boone had to pee near Lake Lure. I could stop and ride with him back to the pack which wouldn't help him but hurt me. I'd just slow him down. Instead I went to the front and slowed the pack down. The riders didn't see it and didn't care. Thus my picture is the first picture at Lake Lure. That was the year of the long route around Asheville making the ride 117 miles instead of 102. I had a great day, finishing in the top 100. Not too shabby for a has been that never was.
     So, do I ride just to keep the record of completions and my health or do I attack on the downhill after the first rest stop? If George Hincapie and some of his henchmen are there I may not see the front after the start anyway.
 

    In this life that is so hard and frustrating to so many, it (the Assault On Mitchell” doesn't matter. I'm thinking of that parent that lost a daughter and another cycling friend in Asheville who lost a daughter. I'm pretty sure that I'm going to think of those less fortunate than I, such as the active and inactive soldier, the ill or imprisoned or poor and I'm going to try to ride my ass off. I won't abandon any loved one, any friendship, or a friend's peril on the "Assault". I want to live in reasonable health and peace but Monday is also a "good day to die".

     Sunday, June 10, 2007. Tomorrow is D-Day. D day we ride the Assault on Mt. Mitchell. I feel better than I have in many years. The time that I finish (or not) may not reflect the shape I feel that I'm in. I'm in less pain than I've been in decades. I feel strong. I'm 58. I have no delusions of grandeur. If I break the top 100 that will be quite a feat. Tomorrow is calling for rain. Rain should improve my placing. I don't like the cold and and/or rain but I do well in it.

    Somewhere my back will shoot pains across to the hip. My neck will get a sharp pain on the right side. It may stay forever or it may dissipate after less intensity or pressure on the spot. My foot may feel like a stone at the bottom of my leg. I may finish last. It's one of the hardest tests you can give yourself. I'm very thankful I can start the "Assault". This is number 27. It's insignificant. It's a lot better than Vietnam and Iraq. God bless the soldiers who give it all.

     I absolutely have to write this down. I received a message fro a friend who has a place on Roan Mountain. She had been to Belize. She may have been bitten by an insect that could cause heart failure in ten years. It bites often on the face and around the eyes while you sleep.
The message was from the hospital emergency room and vague. It was to tell me to convey to her husband to contact her. Of course when I called, no one knew about the message, the patient and from fear of being sued the hospital would not even tell me if Judy was alive.

     As soon as I got away from my phone I drove up to Roan. She went to the emergency room at Spruce Pine Community Hospital. She needed blood tests done to see if this was indeed the bite from an insect that could kill her.

     It took the Spruce Pine Hospital 6 hours to draw her blood. Let me repeat that. It took the Spruce Pine Hospital 6 hours to draw her blood.

     The best part of this: The Spruce pine Hospital employees botched it. She had to have the blood work done again at a different hospital.

     Please tell me this: Why is it every emergency room that has ever been, possibly, will make you wait for hours. How is it that every time there has been an "emergency" in anyone's life that I know, they have had to wait for hours leaving the impression that even if there were no emergencies other than yours, you will wait for hours. I have seen a veteran lying on the floor of the VA writhing in pain.

     Never mind that the Spruce Pine Hospital sends bills out with no explanation. Never mind that they will even turn your bill of nothing over to a collection agency even when you hold bike rides for their benefit. Can they not explain what the bill is for or is that the emblazed idea? I live about 12 miles from the place. Call me if you have a problem with me.

     Hello! 6 hours for blood drawing. I believe this is the highest form of patient abandonment, competence, denial, and arrogance.

     By all means, put your utmost faith in this medical system.

     Spruce Pine Community Hospital, your pants are down, wide open, and it's ugly.

 On another note, I rode 5 miles up Cane Creek Mt. and the 5 back. I felt great. Yesterday was the best day I've had in a decade at least.
 

     Today is Saturday, July 7, 2007. I have the bulging disc that gives pain to the right side, hip, leg, and numbness to the leg and foot. I still feel great otherwise. The inflammation is at a minimum. Mitchell has come and gone, hence the button above.

     Other guests have come and gone such as the IFOs and New York Yankees. These wonderful friends come back year after year. We have fun. I love them dearly. I'm still healthier than I've been in years and in some ways I've never felt this good. It's kind of like feeling well but more like James Brown would say it.
 

     Today is Tuesday, July 17, 2007. I had the "Greensboro Group" here this weekend. Paul Evans, the Hughes, and their club, that isn't a club, rode Frankie & Charlie (24) on Friday. Roan Moan (67) on Saturday, and we went down on the river on Sunday. The Sunday 40 miler was actually taxing for me as I went from front to the rear of the group pulling and taking pictures. Sometimes the desire to capture all guests at the different "hot spots" made a hard ride.

     Upon getting done and back at the "Inn", I felt the sinus infection pretty hard. I was feeling bad and thought I should have felt better. after analyzing the events of the week I'm very satisfied. I did the weedeating for 3 days and rode every day with or without guests. The aerial assault was too much. I also didn't eat carbs for breakfast. I had a quick protein shake with some ambrotose and vitamins. The worst thing I did was not drink enough on the ride. As it was I rode very well. I'm consistent now where I have never seemed to consistent unless it was consistent feeling poorly or not performing well. I had such an incredible response to this ambrotose that I unfairly think that it will solve all problems. I test it occasionally as when my folliculitus (hair follicle problem) flared up recently I relied on the ambrotose to "fix it" (it doesn't cure, it helps create healthy cells to "fix it"). It definitely controlled or eliminated it. I could have done the same thing with the cleansing formula I have. I believe that this stuff creates healthy cells and they (the cells) go to work trying to repair whatever is wrong. I have no idea why it works on some areas first. I believe that alcohol, drugs, diets, or illnesses can mask what a person might feel. I had/have a good diet and exercise. Because of my extreme "need" for it and my lack of drugs, etc., the cells started to work on my most and easiest to "fix" pain source and my mind.

     What blows my mind about this is that telling some people about my experiences doesn't make them want to order a lifetime supply. I'm talking people with money. Some are very happy with their health care. Good for you. Your doctor doesn't practice "heath care". Your doctor most likely practices "bad health care". If you feel well he doesn't have much "health care". You also have plenty of money for bad health care and trips to foreign lands yet you put your health into the hands of folks that make you wait for hours at the emergency rooms. No, I haven't seen Michael Moore's new movie about our "bad health care". I figured this out at emergency rooms. Here's something for all of you who have confidence in your doctors, etc.--why don't you help the rest of us get it? Or is it because we're a nation of selfish people telling the rest of us how great our "bad health system" is? Shame on you. Get real. Get right. Help others have the same things you have especially in health. Poor health means poor environment. A poor environment means everybody in the environment suffers. Let's help everybody.

     On a very different note:

We have a new "boarder" at the "Inn". This old timer showed up a week and a half ago. He won't leave. His breath is horrible. He hadn't had a bath in years, maybe. He has slept on the porch, on the sofas or chairs, or really wherever he wants to. He urinates wherever he wants. He eats anything "good" that he sees. He's old. He smells bad. He's in the way. He won't leave.

     He's deaf. Or maybe he wants us to think he's deaf so that he can ignore our pleas for courtesy.

     When the Greensboro group left Joan Evans gave a check of $150 to take him to the doc.

     Upon arriving he walked very slowly and seemed very sensitive in the hip area.

     I immediately started giving him ambrotose with food of all kinds. Maybe it was real food, ambrotose, rest, or just being in an environment where people sincerely pretend to care that has brought him around. He's walking better and actually has been running a bit which he didn't do when he arrived.

     He still pretends to be deaf and his breath is no better. Forget about the burping.

     He's a con artist. Look at him.

      Because he's deaf, his esp powers are very strong. We wondered at first what Homer might be thinking being deaf and a world traveler like he is. Pretty soon we were reading his mind. When he wants food he looks really cute and forlorn. When he's full, he grins.

     He didn't have a bark or growl at all when he arrived. He then gave us one bark or beagle type wail. This morning he gave me two.

    I can't say that the ambrotose has helped more than good care otherwise, but today he ran for a longer distance than in the week or so he's been here. I did give him scrambled eggs (his favorite) this morning. He was so appreciative. He asked me to walk with him. He was running until he looked back and saw that I was walking. He then says, "Smell this". I smelled it but didn't get anything out of it. He then walked over to a bush and told me to pee on it and he showed me how he did it. So I humored him. He then just walks a bit further and again says "Urinate here too". So I urinate there. He just wants me to smell and urinate. He wants to show me "his world". Frankly, I enjoy the urinating but I don't like the smelling.

     I had a great long weekend with a couple from Washinton, DC. I rode well. I experienced quite a bit of pain in my neck, right hip, right side, as usual.
We rode Bald Mtn.-13% grade in the middle of 72 miles-Johnathon and Michelle, Frankie & Charlie-24 with Kurt, and Roan-67 miles 5900 ft. elev. gain.
     Last night, Sunday, I could not go to sleep because I thought my foot was "waking" up from the numbness running down my right leg.
Actually my leg came alive. It was numb-free down to my calf. My foot was having the "worms in the foot" feeling along the instep.
I stood up and walked around for 45 minutes and more. I hadn't had "feeling" in this leg for a long time. I felt that my leg was waking.
I didn't want to go to bed. I wanted the foot to wake up. I had no pain in my hip.
I was able to find the spot where my back ribs were broken but no pain was going out from there.
I wanted to call Chris Boone or someone to tell them what I was feeling but it was 10:00 PM and later.
I didn't want to go to sleep for fear that things would change. I did sleep. Some things hurt when I woke.
I felt a little pain in my right side/hip area. It's better.
     This is August 16. I had a night of interrupted sleep like a lot but more pain. I'll rehash my activities in the last few weeks.
     On August 7th I rode the 67 mile Roan Moan with some friends from Florida. It was a long day. One friend was cramping and stopped many times. I waited to get his pic.
     Aug. 8th I did digging, cement mixing, cement and rock wheel-barrowing, and the actual rock work.

     Aug. 9th assassins came in from Florida to kill me. They really didn't try. It's just what they do. I was weedeating when they arrived- mistake # 20 or so. They unloaded and I finished up and took a shower. I had to shower before I could ride. It was afternoon so we rode the 23.8 mile Frankie & Charlie ride (it felt like 24). They got the best of me. At one point following "Tom" (names may be changed to protect the killers) I dropped a water bottle. Great! maybe they'll go the wrong way. I can spin and get my legs back a bit. They waited. Just when you think you're out- they drag you back in.
     The next day was a ride to Mount Mitchell.
     The improvement I've had with the ambrotose allows me to trash my body more. I tend to be confident. I am over confident considering my injuries. Still I want to use me up before I'm gone. I don't want to "hide my talent under a bushel basket". I want to create and ride my bike. I want to entertain my guests. So I do all this work including making breakfast and washing the dishes. I seldom get help with the guests.
     So two killers are going to drive to the Blue Ridge Parkway and start there. Two are starting from the "Inn". They want directions. I tell them I'll show them the way. They were very polite and decided without speaking that I'd get my clock cleaned after we climbed to the "Parkway". The two guys that drove to the BRP would have rolled their eyes back into their heads if I had not been there. Everybody had just cleaned my clock on the F&C ride the day before. How is this lunatic going to get these boys to the BRP without dying? I just felt like after a day or so of their riding, we'd ride more alike. I was going to recover. If I could spin enough, I'd get some legs back. These guys were tough. They had done a lot of "homework" and rested days before coming.
     I was dropped on a steep hill on Crabtree. I hung on for the next hill to the Parkway. They dropped me on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
     There is a slight twist unmentioned until now, to them. I was having a dietary problem- lack of fiber- and couldn't eat that morning. I had a diet yogurt early and then another later before leaving. For a day or so I was feeling full and uncomfortable. Too much acid, not enough alkaline(?).  If I ate like my guests, I would not have been able to get them to the BRP without much delay. I'm not saying these guys couldn't waste me every day. I'm saying I knew what I had to do for them to have a better ride.
      I had a hard time and we three stopped at Crabtree to refuel, my "assassins arriving before me. I was dropped again. I caught them on a downhill. I was dropped at mile marker 345. The turn off for Mitchell is 355 and the another 5 to the very summit. After being on 128 for a short time I was run off the road in a curve.
     This is a letter I wrote the State Park on Mitchell. They did respond almost immediately after receiving this email. No other agency responded. The State government surely has a list of their cars and where they are supposed to be. However most of their employees have read and participate in "Catch 22".

 

Sunday, August 12, 2007

     Friday, August 10, 2007, friends and I rode our bicycles to the Blue Ridge Parkway, to Little Switzerland, and then to Mount Mitchell State Park.

     After entering Mount Mitchell State Park on highway 128 I was approaching a sharp curve. I stayed to the right of the road and my lane as a courtesy to drivers of cars.

     The Blue Ridge Parkway Rangers will pull bicycle riders over and lecture them if the riders are seen otherwise. Never mind that you may even be passing other riders that you’ve never met or seen. I try to accommodate drivers.

     Upon entering the curve I was passed by a large dark blue SUV. This vehicle was breaking the law. There was indeed a curve and if the situation wasn’t clear enough, there was indeed a double yellow line. This is breaking the law and endangering the lives of others and me. If this wasn’t dangerous enough there was another white car belonging to the State of North Carolina tailgating the SUV. This small white vehicle had a yellow permanent tag. It was a car belonging to NC. There was not a car length between the two vehicles.

     A vehicle came through the curve from the opposite direction. The SUV barely made it to the right side of the road. The white vehicle ran me entirely off the road. My bicycle wheels were quickly stuck in a deep rut of several inches wide and deep.

     I fell and quickly put my left foot down twice barely catching myself from hitting the pavement. In a rear view mirror it may have seemed as though I was uninjured. This is indeed not true.

     My right foot sprawled outward to the right as the bicycle went downward with my right shoe cleat still fastened in my pedal. This spreading of my legs out and wide in this manner caused me serious injury. I immediately had incredible back pain.

     I have been seriously injured by a motorist who would lie about the biggest injury I’ve ever had. The prior motorist ran a traffic light at a fast speed and lied his way out of responsibility perhaps to save his driving record while I was left with permanent injury.

     I have spent decades with numbness and pain in my right hip, leg and foot. I have permanent injuries to my neck as well.

     When this motorist on Mount Mitchell ran me off the road and caused this accident I immediately had terrible pain in my back and right leg as well as the left with the left foot feeling as though it were burning up. I wanted to stop. My friends were ahead of me and waiting. I did have a faint desire to go on through the pain to meet them so they wouldn’t wait too long.

     My biggest desire was to catch up to the car and driver and report the driver for almost killing me and yes, causing another permanent injury. I was fueled a bit by anger.

     I didn’t see the vehicles at the ranger station.

     I went directly to the summit passing the restaurant where the two vehicles apparently stopped. I rode a lot slower than I’m capable of usually. My eyes closed at times from the pain causing me to run over rocks in the middle of my lane that I usually point out to other riders. After a long time of pain and riding I got to the summit, saw my friends, but continued around the summit’s parking lot seeking the yellow tagged white car. It wasn’t there. I went to my friends after lying down on my back to relieve the pain. Nothing worked to relieve the pain.

     I reported the incident to one of the rangers at the snack stand.

     A little later I saw the vehicles leaving the top together. They had apparently driven up from the restaurant and I was surprised to see them go by after they circled the parking lot. They didn’t stop and I could not chase them. You might tell them that yes, indeed, I would have caused some scene had I been able to catch up to them. I would not have allowed them to leave that area if humanly possible if my actions, or really theirs, had resulted in my death.

     Manslaughter or murder trumps any action I would have taken.

     These vehicle drivers broke the law. They passed on a double yellow line. They passed into another lane without any visibility. They did so without any regard for other lives. They knew what they had done. They saw me in dire straits. They left the scene of the accident they caused. They have caused me serious injury with no concern of anyone’s wellbeing. Neither of these people should be allowed to drive without rehabilitation. Neither driver should drive a state vehicle again. They should be required to apologize and not their lawyer. They should indeed make restitution, not the state of North Carolina.

     Since the accident I’ve not slept past a few hours because of the pain. I have more intense pain.

     I’d like the state of North Carolina to do something.

Michael Davis

319 Dallas Young road

Bakersville, NC 28705

828-688-9333

     I'm sure I'll hear back from them right after pigs fly.

     I rode Roan with the "boys" the next day with intense pain in my back/hip area. My neck was shooting more pain down my arms. The VA says they will operate if the pain is below the knee. It's been below the knee for years. My leg and right foot is painful and numb. If I tell the VA I ride bikes, they say, "well you can't be too bad". While riding and walking my leg feels as though there is a rock at the end of the leg instead of a foot. I'll complain but not too much. Tom McCurry is paralyzed and now Glenn Nance is too.
     August 16: Last night was painful. I've been doing more rockwork (cement, blah, blah-I'm grateful I have done it) and I'm in the middle of a big "clean-up". We're having a wedding reception for a fire-fighting couple's daughter this weekend. I've moved heavy stuff, I've breathed dust, etc. The dirt dust and cement dust effect my sinuses and cause severe pain in my neck. I can control it a bit. I'm still not taking any pain meds, only ambrotose.
     Last night was rough. I couldn't get to sleep until I "worked on my back and neck". There's never a masseuse when I need one. I woke several times during the night, twisted, turned, and alleviated the pain quite a bit but turned the TV and DVD player on and fell asleep to the sound. I've been awake since 2:30 AM. It's now 6:45 and I feel better after coffee and a bowel movement. What's that about? I missed my vitamins yesterday morning and took them last night. I still take and believe most should take chlorella and other nutrients with ambrotose. How did people live years ago? Actually the life expectancy of most people was short until this last century. Now we're going for the fattest nation in the world. We're #1.
     Stay tuned for more updates. There's a lot of redundancy so it may be a while.

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     Here are a few problems I've had with our wonderful Cayman Island doctors.

Once upon a time when having an earache, I went to an emergency room. Believe me, it had to be bad. I was given absolutely nothing but a bill.

     My VA doctor confirmed that I had kidney stones and sent me home to "drink beer if I liked it". I drove back, bent over the way I drove to the VA Hospital, and wanted to stop at every other hospital along the way.
     My VA doctor misdiagnosed me for shingles. After 6 months of no improvements, a second VA doctor went along with the first misdiagnosis and gave me more of the same meds. On my third visit to the VA a doctor, obviously better than 2/3 of the docs at the VA immediately said I did not have shingles and gave me a cleanser and the problem was gone in days. It took 2 years to get away from that first doctor at the VA. I believe the VA keeps some records that might substantiate my claims. Wanna bet?

     There is no way that I will get into my worst nightmare of the medical profession soon. That will only tire me out.