George Lucky and Free Falling

I met with my doctor last week to discuss the latest results from my lab work. He was very pleased with where I'm at and said he sees no need for me to be on a statin to control cholesterol — something he was considering in my last checkup. He said that should I ever slow down and lead a more sedentary life, then maybe his advice to me will change. I had a spring in my step as I left his office.

I've been saying for the past few years that I don't handle the hotter days of summer all that well anymore. I'm happy to say that I was wrong. I don't care for the relentless heat we've been experiencing this summer but I've been riding and golfing in it quite a lot this year and it's really not hindered me much at all. Still, I'm becoming more of a cool/cold weather person the older I get. My sweet spot is 65ºf (18ºc) or cooler. And it looks like we may be leaving the extreme heat behind for the season (ever the optimist I am!) before long.

The #1 item on my bucket list (when I finally get around to checking them off) is a trip to San Diego to retrace some of the routes I used to ride when I was stationed there in the Navy in the mid to late '70s.  My favorite memories from my time there were made on my bike. It's where I really got into cycling. One of those memories involves a few miles I spent riding with another cyclist I met out on the road. I would've been about 20 years old at the time and the other cyclist I met riding that day looked to be in his mid to late 40s. I can still see his face and I can still remember the section of road we were riding on near Brown Field east of San Diego near Otay Lakes. I told him my name and he replied by saying, "They call me Lucky". I have no idea why my memory of him has stayed with me going on 44 years but it has. 

I decided to act on it last week.

I'm connected on Instagram with the bike shop I used to frequent when I lived in San Diego. I sent them this message:

Me: Hi — this question is way out of left field but here it is. I was an active cyclist in San Diego in the mid to late '70s. I rode with a guy once for a few miles near Otay Lakes. He looked to be in his 40s then, meaning he'd be in his 80s today. He told me his name is Lucky — I'm not sure what his real name is/was. Does this ring a bell with Kevin or any other person there who may know who this person is? Thanks.

California Bicycle: Could have been George Lucky. Was a great friend/client of ours but unfortunately passed about 10 years ago. He was an airline pilot. Maybe him? 

Me: Possibly. Not many people with that name. He left an impression on me. Would love to have been able to connect with him one last time. Thanks so much. 

California Bicycle: He was a great guy for sure. Everyone called him “Lucky.

They followed up one last time to let me know that it was closer to 20 years ago that Lucky passed away. 

I tried to find an obituary for him but I turned up nothing. My hope was to contact a family member and share my memory of him with them. I know it's not much but it's a memory that I've carried with me all these years and I wanted them to know that. 

Switching gears.

Our world sometimes feels like it's in freefall. There's so much that's wrong: from the crisis and suffering in Afghanistan and Haiti and elsewhere to the coronavirus pandemic to fires engulfing so much of our country to climate change to income inequality to an epidemic of gun violence to rampant voter suppression legislation spearheaded by Republicans to a proliferation of "alternative facts" on social media, and to the ever-increasing polarization in the US, encouraged by an irresponsible conservative media intent on dividing us, with cries of media bias of all things — a ridiculous claim by a network pedaling in propaganda to a degree that it's threatening the underpinnings of our society. One would think that now more than ever, we'd find a way to work together to make progress on each of these crises. But one would be wrong.

I had hoped that after the failed insurrection on our nation's Capitol last January, that Trump's supporters would wake up from their stupor, admit they were wrong to support such a corrupt man, and come to their senses — but they haven't. They seem more intent than ever on continuing their slide toward oblivion while taking the rest of us with them.  It's so disheartening to see family members and friends fall in line behind this ridiculous idiocracy. 

Hospital workers in southern states where conservative influence is greatest are being overwhelmed by people who have fallen for the propaganda that masks and vaccinations are an afront to their liberty. Say what? We're trying to stop a pandemic and save people's lives but they've been led to not trust science in favor of Fox News hosts or some other conservative media loudmouth's nonsensical opinions. I've been in an ongoing discussion with a relative this past week about vaccines, masks, and the coronavirus pandemic. I sent her this video to show her the impact that ignoring safeguards to protect against coronavirus is having on healthcare workers. Her reply? "Lies!" How am I to have a rational discussion with someone like that? I don't think I can. She's hopelessly lost in a sea of propaganda and I feel sad for her.

My bikes have been performing double-duty for me lately. They listen really well to what I have to say while giving me a good workout. Everybody should have a bike in their life! 

The first video below is from yesterday's 56 mile (90 km) ride to the river bottoms. I encountered a red tail hawk that was trapped in the fencing that encompasses the pedestrian walkway along the Cedar Ave bridge. It somehow managed to descend down through an opening in the fencing above but couldn't figure out how to get out. I was able to get a woman from The Raptor Center to come out and free it. I posted a link to the video on a cycling Facebook page and received the following reply: "That’s my wife!! Too funny! You will be happy to know that the Red Tail Hawk is going to make a full recovery! Thank you for sharing a small glimpse of what she does in a day!" How cool is that!?

The river trails have been my happy place more than anywhere else lately. There's a serenity there and a quietness (for real) in the shadow of the MSP airport that just works for me. The occasional arrival or departure just a few hundred feet above me at times is icing on the cake!

That's all I've got.