Coming to America...

Hi Jorge

No, the weirdest thing - the liquid discoloured and the white plastic started to yellow. Lori didn't know what caused it (it's all inside the sealed plastic 'bulb'), but replaced it...

Mike

ps She was very impressed with the compass mount and is considering how to make one up as a standard fitment!

19th May

After a virtually sleepless night (noise in the corridor all night, then someone's car alarm went off at 0530 and intermittently afterwards, until I gave up and got up at 0730). I pack the bike and head towards my meet with a bunch of the chaps from ADVRider at Alice's Restaurant.
I feel like shit.
The tiredness which I've been suffering from for the last few days is now becoming a major distraction - plus I have a headache, which makes me feel like my head's in a vice...

I take a couple of Tylenol (paracetamol) tablets and head off.

I arrive at Alice's at about 1230, to find a throng of ADVRiders in attendance. I'm still feeling crap and the headache persists, and I'm aware that I'm not exactly the life & soul of the party. I try to remember names (& fail miserably) and explain what I'm doing, where I'm going etc...



Ricky replaces my handlebar clamps (which are adjustable) with fixed ones (which look much better). Pierce and Crash are going to lead me on a long, twisty ride south and east, after which I'll be visiting Ned (AARGHNUT! from ADVRider ) and spending the night at his house.

After lunch, the team start departing to their various places of work, whilst Pierce and I fill up with petrol and, in company with Crash (bringing up the rear), we set off down Route 84 towards the PCH...

I'm in difficulty almost straight away. My headache and tiredness are now a significant factor and, after misjudging one of the (many) bends and having to do some late braking, I pull over and wimp out. Pierce comes back to see what's wrong after a couple of minutes & I explain to him & Crash that I'm just going to have a slow ride towards Santa Cruz BMW (where I plan to get my discs replaced later this week) and find a motel, close the curtains and rest up for a few days. Hopefully, whatever bug it is will be shaken by this.

We chat for 45 mins or so, then we go our separate ways. I feel guilty - Pierce had sorted out a brilliant route, and it looked like being a fun afternoon - I'm also going to have to ring and give my apologies to Ned & his wife...

I ride slowly down the PCH and am convinced I've made the right decision. I'm so tired that I find myself distracted - pilots have a term for this - 'Break Off' - where you feel you are looking at yourself flying the aircraft - I had a similar feeling of detachment - I stop for half an hour and watch the kite-surfers off Pigeon Point...



I carry on, feeling slightly refreshed, and get to BMW Santa Cruz at about 1630. I book the bike in for its brakes to be done on Friday afternoon, find a reasonably priced Motel 6 just down the road and check in. I can barely keep my eyes open. I ring Ned to cry off, but have to leave my apologies with his wife...

Despite everyone else's efforts, it's been a crap day...

Hi Mike,,
Time to take a break and recharge. There are a few flu bugs that are going around at the moment...They are knocking the tar out of folks up here. From the sounds of your symptoms you may have one of them. Hopefully you can take a few days and rest in one spot and get rehydrated and well. Where you happen to be isn't a bad place if you can stand the noise factor in the hotel. Down the coast a bit is Monterey and Carmel; increasingly more expensive to stay in, but both places are great for some R&R. North of you is Santa Cruz and a bit further north is Half Moon Bay. Both might serve s good R&R spots as well. Watch out for the Vampires in Santa Cruz. It's where they filmed the movie The Lost Boys.
Hope you get to feeling better.
Cheers,
Jorge

As an interested outside observer (and physician) who has been following your adventure with great interest, I have been concerned about you ever since you started describing the appearance of unexplained fatigue over a week ago. I thought about saying something back then but didn't want to make too much out of something that might go away. Since your sypmtoms have actually worsened, I strongly suggest that you drop in to see a doctor (or go to an emergency room) and get checked out. Maybe Rad or Pierce can hook you up with an internist in Santa Cruz. Your symptoms could be a reflection of a wide variety of conditions, most no big deal but some which could be potentially serious.

Don't blow this off. Take care of yourself. Hope you feel better soon.

Mike, I second this opinion. I am not a physician like Kirkmoon, but am EMT certified. Please see a doctor to make sure something serious is not lurking..

He replied in another thread that he's going to a clinic today.

I am actually pretty impressed that he has felt as well as he has up until now.Being out in the elements on a bike for months has gotta kick your ass to some degree even if your tip top.I hope you start to feel better Mike.

to use his words...... a victim of his own success

Get well Mike

I am a little concerned that Mike didn't show up to have his tires replaced as he said he would. Do any of you Santa Cruz (Rad, Pierce?) folk know which Motel 6 he might be staying at? Any chance of giving him a call or dropping by to make sure he is OK?

Oh yes he did!

1300ish - just had the brakes done this afternoon & treated it to a jet wash as well - My Adv thinks it's its birthday

Not the cheapest day I've had on the trip so far

Mike

Feeling any better?

Mike, glad to hear you're doing okay. A few of us here were concerned.
You feelin' okay, man? Did you go to the doc?

Yep, got a consult this morning, so was late for the appointment I didn't know I had with Fish - film at eleven - or tomorrow, maybe...

Thanks for your concern

Mike

Glad to hear you're OK Mike!

Keep 'em coming! Between reading your thread and writing mine It's amazing I can get anything else done!

Your pics and narative are fantastic! WTG!

20th May

So I’ve been feeling crap. And I decided to take a few days off. And the Adv needed new tyres. And front discs & pads. And I needed to do my laundry.

If you put all these requirements into a computer, it will point you at Room 134 of the Motel 6 at Watsonville and suggest you stay there for a few days. I’m easily led, so here I am…

I did the laundry first, interspersed with a lot of sleeping.

Laundry TICK
Then I went to see a doctor – I eventually found a ‘Doc in a Box’ walk-in surgery, about a mile away. I had an hour’s consult with the very efficient & pleasant Dr dePana, during which time we discussed ailing parents, homesickness, the break-up of relationships, deadlines, ‘celebrity’, sleep patterns, routine, lack of routine, caffeine, alcohol, stress, depression, what a lucky bastard I was, how much he’d like to do what I’m doing and exhaustion.

Apparently I’m exhausted. The treatment is a mix of a lot of things. Riding less and meeting more people; switching to de-caff; avoiding regular alcohol; getting a minimum period of sleep per day; saying ‘no’ when I feel too tired to do something; take some happy pills; calling home regularly*; eating more fruit & veg; drinking more (non-alcoholic )…

*The doc reckons that my lack of structured social support (in layman’s terms – friends & family) is a major factor in my exhaustion...

He’s also concerned about the stiffness I have in my finger joints in the morning. This is a problem I’ve had in the past when I’ve been in a high stress situation (I posted on it on UKGSer, thinking it was connected to the vibration of the Big Pig – it wasn’t – it was a result of a trapped nerve in my neck, caused by bad posture, in turn caused by a stress ’hunch’). He asks me to go to a lab and have a blood test to ensure I don’t have arthritis. This is the only piece of advice I decide to ignore. I argue the toss for a bit (the RAF medics did all this and drew a blank two years ago – I’m not wasting money on something I know will be negative).

Dr dePena is very cooperative and, kindly, charges me the minimum consult fee - $91. The prescription stuff he writes for me costs a further $60ish – really makes you appreciate the NHS…

Medical TICK

So I ride my bike up to Santa Clara and get the tyres I ordered yesterday fitted. I remove the wheels (easy as the panniers are empty) and I get the pair of tyres mounted & balanced for $266 – which is about $100 less than BMW Santa Cruz was going to charge. I must say the guy behind the counter was a bit offhand, though the youngster who did the fitting was a nice bloke. As an added bonus, I apparently miss meeting Fish, who had arranged an appointment to meet me at the tyre fitter – an appointment which only he knew about…

Tyres TICK

I ride back to Watsonville (I had to take a picture of this bumper sticker )



...and find an Email saying that my brake discs are in unexpectedly early and offering to fit them today, rather than tomorrow afternoon I drop the Adv off and have a mooch around the service department.

They have just assembled a red 1200GS – unlike the UK version, this one has a charcoal fuel canister – on the 1200 it’s behind the left footrest…



…this 1200 has had an unfortunate accident whilst in the crate…



BMW Santa Cruz look after Police bikes…



…I’ve seen the CHiPs on the freeway today – they really do ride about in pairs, alongside one another – they also wear short-sleeved shirts...

Police riders aren’t immune to SMIDSY (for the benefit of our colonial viewers – Sorry Mate, I Didn’t See You) – This guy was on a call when a woman talking on a cell-phone and driving a Suburban Assault Vehicle pulled directly into his path…



He broke an ankle & a few ribs.

I pay my $595 bill – not a cheap day today, then ride down to the jet-wash to finish the job off…

Brakes TICK

I’m going to spend tomorrow doing….nothing. Maybe I’ll go & see Shrek II or Troy, maybe not. I’ll see how the happy pills are affecting me and start travelling again on Saturday.

I’d just like to close by saying how much I appreciate the concern for my welfare expressed by so many people on both sides of the Atlantic. I have been very touched by all your messages and best wishes. It matters - thank you.

ola mike,
if you need a base look at your ride,after 50 techs messing
with your style.... your welcome to my shop in sf in the am
to have a look,just because,your welcome
free ,no nada $$$$$$$$,
check out your mix,tricky ricky suave,can direct you
to give you one less problem, no biggie....

Hope your feeling better, I have all kinds of advice but you've probably heard it all so do what's best for MikeO

Everybody needs those recharging days, Mike. Just go see a movie or do whatever you want to do and lay back.
Glad to hear you're feeling better, man.

We've all had those kind of meetings with Fish. He operates on a different schedule than the rest of us.