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EMS Memorial Ride `09: Final Dispatches

Mike Kennard

05/19/2009

Day 9: May 23, 2009 - Saturday morning, clear, sunny and warm. Some of us intrepid souls thought it would be a good idea to rise early and run a 5k race. It sounded like a good idea as we planned it over the winter. Our thought process was that it would be a nice way to give back to the community and its charities for hosting us these last few years. Next year the ride will change as the EMS Memorial service is moving to Colorado Springs, Co. We won't be riding our bikes from NYC to Colorado for the service.

Anyway, back to the run. Myself, Lisa Rheaume, Dr. Ted Larochell and Lynn Bulha gathered at the starting line to take on this final challenge of the week. The girls, being much younger than Ted or me took off quickly. Lynn, who is a runner, finished in twenty three minutes and Lisa finished in 27 minutes. Ted and I started feeling the effects of the bike ride within the first few feet of the start. Our legs felt like lead and didn't want to do the turnover of the running motion. We decided to set a slow pace and visit. The hills induced us to do a little walking. Who knew that a bridge over the railroad tracks could be so steep. We went over it twice, walking. After thirty eight minutes of talking and watching the morning unfold over the city we crossed the finish line. After congratulating each other for completing the race we all went back to the hotel to enjoy a scrumptious breakfast buffet and one of the best omelets I've had in long time.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing and having ice cream for lunch. We thought we had earned it after riding this week. I kept meeting family members of the people who died throughout the hotel and in the elevators. The expression of gratitude and hugs for our group on remembering their loved ones kept me misty all day.

At 5PM we all gathered for the short trip over to the First Baptist Church where the memorial service was being held. The church had the largest gathering that I've seen in the four years I've been doing this ride. Our group as usual sat together, filling up one side. The service itself was good as usual but I felt that there were a few glitches. The program read like it hadn't been proofread or edited, with many misspellings and grammatical errors. For me to pick up on these mistakes, it must have been bad. The reader of the names kept getting ahead of herself so people kept getting lined up for the medal, flag and flower presentation, which caused some confusion. At one point she was leaning on the podium like she was bored and tired. And the memorial ran out of roses to give to family members. How as a group do you release the names of the honorees months in advance and not have enough flowers? The honor guard and the bag pipers were crisp and right on in all of their movements and playing. After the service we moved outside where the uniformed personnel lined up at attention and Carilion Lifeguard did a flyby.

After the service we all broke off into our groups to go our separate ways for dinner. Our group selected Smoky Bones for more barbeque. We relaxed over our food, enjoyed each others’ company and told stories of lost loved ones, the families we met, and some of the fun stories from the past week. It was wonderful.

I have to make a correction to the post for Delaware. Amy, one of the new young riders this year from Delaware, explained to me that I didn't know my counties. There is no Talbot County; I don't know what I could have been thinking except at eleven o'clock at night I'm not operating on all cylinders. It could be an age thing and the hypoxia from all the exercise. But the counties are Newcastle, Sussex, and Kent. I apologize to all of the fine people of Delaware for my mistake.

For those of you who have taken the time to read these posts, thank you. I hope that you have gotten some understanding of why we are willing to get on our bicycles and ride for the lost ones and their families. It's hard to explain the emotions and the bonding that occur on this ride. The people who came this year after hearing me talk about the ride so much have expressed that they thought they knew what it was about, but after being here have learned it is much more.

Another foot note: DJ, the fifteen-year-old son of Diane Carrier, one of our new support personnel from Farmington, NH - at the memorial in Maryland for the flight crew of Trooper 2, he gave his pin from this year's bike ride to the patient who survived that crash. Evidently it was quit the emotional moment for the both of them. Good job DJ, you get it!

A big thank you for all the wingmen and women, for without you guys this show would never get on the road. THANK YOU!!!

If you would like to contact me about the ride or more information please do so at: grumpy1medic@gmail.com.

Until next year, be safe, hug your loved ones and remember I've got your back.

Day 8: May 22, 2009 - The morning started off perfect, cool temperatures in the sixties, no cloud cover another beautiful blue sky. A perfect day for bike riding at 7AM. It would change as the day wore on. Touring format today, everybody goes out on their own at their pace. Many riding with the new friends that have been made. The stronger riders taking off ahead and pushing their limits. I made forty miles in the first three hours and was feeling strong. The off-day before had made a big difference, but we were now feeling the temperature rising. It was starting to push eighty and would be going higher. At the third rest stop I decided to sag out. The last fifteen miles were a little tough with a couple of steep hills. I had been setting a good pace for myself and was now starting to feel the after-effects of the Skyline Drive again.

At the beginning of this ride in Tarreytown, NY the riders were given a pair of dog tags to wear into Roanoke where we would give them to the family members. Along with this we also had American flags that we were give in Woodstock, Va. Each rider had one for each person being inducted into the memorial.

Rest stop five was at Buchanan, Virginia. They had lost one of their own this past year due to illness. His name was Johnny "Carson" Jr. I was wearing his name tag. We as a group held a ceremony for Johnny, as he has given this ride so much help in our travels through Virginia. The group presented his mother with a T-shirt from the ride that we had all signed, our patch, and flowers. I gave her her son's dog tag. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done. Jennifer Frennette, president of the Muddy Angels, helped me through it and gave me a shoulder to cry on.

The ladies' auxiliary at Buchanan were terrific. Thinking that there were only thirty riders coming in, that's what they had prepared for. Once they found out that there were over one hundred riders the call went out for more help. Sandwiches were made and they even bought some at Subway.

When we left Buchanan it was ninety two degrees. You could feel the heat rising from the pavement as the sun baked you from above, everyone was reapplying sunscreen. The next stop was in Troutville, fifteen miles away. I set up a pace line of four riders for the trip. With some help form Chris from Belfast, Ireland we landed in Troutville in a little over an hour with ten people in tow. There we met up with the other riders from Kentucky. Another short jaunt to meet up with the police escort at one of the outlying Roanoke stations and we were ready to go to the Hotel Roanoke for the end of the ride.

With the lead escort vehicle and the trailing escort vehicle our parade of riders two abreast was over a mile in length. It seemed like a quick five miles into the hotel. Although our bodies were tired and our hearts heavy for all of the people we were riding for, our feet were light on the pedals. It seemed effortless, like someone pushing on our backs helping us all along.

At the hotel the riders started to meet with families, giving them the dog tags that they had carried from NYC, and the flags from Woodstock. I was carrying a flag for Gail Ann Hauck of Aberdeen, South Dakota. Her helicopter went down and all were lost. She wasn't supposed to be on that day, she had done a shift swap. Her family was unable to attend this weekend but one of her co-works came in their place. When she saw me at Gail's name she stepped up to introduce herself. It was another tearful moment when she told me Gail's story. As I looked around there were many of those moments shared by family and riders.

After getting composed and having a shower it was off to Cave Springs Rescue for southern bar-b-que chicken. The chicken was great with fresh green beans and salad. The ladies out did themselves with some of the best pie and cake that I've had in a long time. From there it was back to the hotel and to bed.

Day 7: May 21, 2009 - Descent of Skyline Drive

Once again we awoke to crystal blue skies and mild temperatures, but it would warm up later. From my window I could watch the sunrise on the Shenandoah Valley, fog rising from the rivers and ponds spotting the open fields.

After yesterday I chose not to ride but to rest, so I drove one of the support vehicles and followed along the end of the pack to assist any stragglers as needed. Usually it was water or snacks that were needed and the occasional adjustment to the bike. From the resort to where we turn off the Skyline is another twenty miles of up and down. We actually gained another 2000 feet of total elevation on the way out.

At one of the rest stops I met a rider whose wife passed away two years ago from brain cancer. He has been traveling the world and leaving small amounts of her ashes at special places. Skyline was one of them.

I spoke to the other rider from Ireland today. His name is Chris and he lives just outside of Belfast. He is also enjoying himself but is not to keen on all the mountains we are climbing. We didn't speak for long as he was pushing on.

A couple of mishaps today. One rider went down when he hit a curb and got thrown from his bike. Rockingham ambulance from Nashua, NH was there to support their riders. They got him c-collared and boarded and ready for the local rescue squad to transport to the hospital. He went to Harrisburg hospital where he was checked over. No broken bones but a nasty laceration to his chin, took forty stitches.

After our last rest stop one of the riders was midway to the end point when she started to have an allergic reaction to something. Not sure what, she was covered in hives. My friend Doug and another rider where with her, they had prednosone and atarax which they gave her. She started to clear up shortly after and is doing fine now. Dr. Ted Lorachelle is our medical resource person on this ride and a fellow rider. He checked out both patients and pronounced them fit to ride another day.

The hospital in Harrisburg was surprising, they have a 36 bed ED and see 72,000 patients a year. You wouldn't expect to find that in the Middle of Va. Many of the patients are from James Madison University in town and quite a few come over from West Virginia as it is only a short distance away.

I know I usually end this with I got your back, I just want to say I'm awfully glad that someone had my back yesterday.

Tomorrow off to Roanoke - until then I've got your back.

Day 6: May 20, 2009 - Ascent of Skyline Drive

Things have turned for the better. Crystal clear blue skies, light breeze and the temperatures in the mid 70"s, it doesn't get any better than this.

We started yesterday morning with a leisurely 26-mile rolling ride to Port Royal, Va. where we started on the Skyline Drive. This is a different route than we took last year. We started at the northern end of the Skyline, last year we got on about a third of the way across it. This was a tough hike for a lot of the riders including myself. It was 47 miles from where we got on to the Sky-land Lodge where we spent the night. If you've never been you have to go sometime; it is beautiful. Outstanding views of the Shenandoah Valley miles away and below you from every window. As I was saying, a tough ride.

There were four major climbs we had to make that were anywhere from five to eight miles in length with very little flat to rest on. The descents were not as long as we kept gaining elevation on every climb only to go up again higher. The total elevation gain yesterday was 7000. After the second climb I knew I was in trouble, my back, neck, and that sweet spot that hits the bike seat were all screaming in agony.

Like most of the riders I wear a sports watch to monitor my heart rate and calorie burn. My heart rate was a steady 146 beats per minute with the occasional spike to 168 when I pushed myself on the climbs. For my age bracket that is running my rate at 82-100% maximum rate. I was starting to get a little short of breath. My total calorie burn for the day was 7000. The downhill would revive me enough to want to challenge the next climb.

On my third decent I had something happen that I don't think will ever happen again. Going downhill at a brisk 34-37 mph. Mind you my tires are skinny and only ¾ of an inch of rubber is meeting the road surface. I was enjoying the wind in my hair, I spotted something out of the corner or my left eye. It was one of those cute and cuddly 200# black bears charging across the road. I didn't have time to react. I gritted my teeth and thought, self if we hit each other it's going to hurt. He missed my back wheel by six inches. I don't know who was scared the most but I had to throw that pair of shorts away. And I didn't learn anything because I kept going downhill just as fast as I could.

That brought me to a gradual climb that was much easier on my body, I thought this will be fine, I can handle this into the resort. But alas it was short lived I got to the last major uphill a six mile climb. By this time I was getting off and walking every quarter mile for a hundred yards then get on a peddle slowly. By the time I got to the last rest stop three miles from the end I couldn't go any further. I pull over and sagged out. I was the picture of human emotion when the body doesn't respond to what the mind wants it to do. Thank goodness for the support people who were there and understood, they wrapped me in blankets, gave me water and snacks and much comfort. I thank them.

Dinner was at the resort restaurant which has outstanding food and service. The prices are reasonable. Early night to bed and we got to sleep in an hour later in the morning.

Day 5: May 19, 2009 - 06:30 we are up and running somewhere in Talbert County Delaware. We are trucking all of the bikes and bikers into DC, Richie Volunteer Station. We are having breakfast and then continue on riding into the Capital.

This country in lower Delaware is flat, beautiful farm country. We are now entering one of the larger roads and the traffic is increasing. I'm not home in NH anymore Toto.

I've had the opportunity to speak with Gary from Skibberden, Ireland. He's loving the ride and seeing the country. Gary used to work for the paper in his hometown, went to work one day decided that he didn't want to do it anymore, quit and joined the fire company. While working on the fire company he got his paramedic and now is doing that full time. Married with two children, a son ten and a daughter turning thirteen. He's not looking forward to the teenage years! His community was very generous in supporting him on his fund raising, enough so that they sent him with extra money for the Muddy Angel Fund. He's impressed by the camaraderie that is coming out of this ride from all the riders and how he has been adopted in. We've been having some nice talks about Ireland and comparing notes as I've had the chance to go there twice. We will try to talk with him more during the ride, but the riders from other countries are in demand.

Yesterday as we traveled down through Delaware we were under police escort the whole way. We started with a Newcastle County PD motorcycle detail, three officers. This is the fourth year for me on the ride and they have been there every year for us. A great group of officers. When they turned us over to Dover, DE PD they gave all of us high fives as we rode by. It was great. Dover PD led us through Wilmington holding all lights and intersections so we could cruise through. Three State Police vehicles joined us outside of Wilmington and helped escort us the rest of the way. At the last stop I thanked one of the officers, "I've lost two close friends in the line of duty, it's the least I can do for my EMS brothers and sisters." Talk about choking up.

We're getting close so more later.

We just had the end to a perfect day. Woodstock Rescue fed us bar-b-que chicken, hot dogs, hamburgers, salad and good southern sweet tea, the best. This squad has been there supporting the riders every year since it started in 2002. This past year they lost two of their own to illnesses, we feel their pain. PHI med flight service did a fly by while were there. This is one great group of people.

We bussed into Richie Volunteer squad in MD to start the ride. The first leg was a short mile but we rode in silence to honor the Maryland Trooper flight crew that crashed last fall and had three deaths. We rode with a contingent of bikers from the Maryland Troopers bike team. We biked to Walker Mill Park where the helicopter went down. A ceremony was held to honor the three lives lost in that accident. The patient who survived also joined us, her name is Joyce Mills. She is still recovering from some of her injuries.

Today was an emotional day as I broke down as the group sang the the Star Spangled Banner and said the Lords Prayer. From the ceremony site we rode a short distance on one of the park's bike paths to the actual crash site for a short ceremony where the memorial stone will be set. Just before this ceremony started the bikers were positioning themselves on the path, and one of the Maryland troopers got a flat on his bike. Before any of us boys could do anything to help my new friend Sarah from Canada jumped in and helped him. Together they had the tire changed and inflated in record time. Good job Sarah, you represent what the Muddy Angels are about. I stated earlier that today was an emotional one. I exited the site with one of the troopers. He was best friends with the pilot that died. We ended up stopping mid path blocking everyone's way to cry on each others shoulders.

The past two days have been nothing short of spectacular with the way the police and rescue personnel have taken us in and made us friends and family. It's hard to explain to someone how that makes us feel unless they have been on one of these rides. We have a fifteen-year-old young man that I asked today how he was doing and what he thought of the ride and his reason for doing it. His answer was at first it was something to do and a week off from school. His mother is doing support and he came with her. Then he said "I'm getting it, I see why you people ride, I want to come back next year and do the whole thing". I was floored by that statement. I hope he follows through. Jokingly I asked him if he was going to ride tomorrow and he said no. Shortly after as I was changing my flat tire he came up and said he had borrowed a bike and he was coming with us!

From the park we pedaled into DC to the Capitol building where some of the riders broke off to see their representatives and the rest were riding on into Virginia. I got a flat right at the Capitol so I decided to call it a day, put the bike on the rack and rode to the hotel in one of the sag wagons.

The riders who met with their representatives seemed to have some success from what I've heard. There is a new bill being introduced for loss of life death benefits and it seems that the representatives were greatly surprised by the show of force from the EMS riders. This was the largest contingent of EMS providers to show up to lobby for any one bill ever.

That's it for today, tomorrow we tackle Skyline Drive. Thank you all for taking the time to read these posts. I hope that it all makes some sense.

No post tomorrow as we have no internet access up on Skyline, but it will be out on Thursday.

The weather is improving, sunny today and for the next few days :)

Until then be safe and we've got your back.

Day 4: May 18, 2009 - Another cool overcast day but at least no wind. We truck our bikes five miles over to Tinicum station for breakfast of fruit and bagels and to start riding. The first twenty miles were cold as we were riding alongside one of the rivers. Even though it was cold everyone's spirits were high. We rode in parade format and maintained a a brisk 12.9 mph.

Our first rest stop of the day was Wilmington Station. Unfortunately they have suffered two deaths of EMS personnel this past year. One was in a traffic accident while doing a call. The ambulance went off the road trying to avoid a deer. Both the attendant and the patient died. The second death happened on an accident scene where a motorist blew past the police officer directing traffic and ran over both the patient and the paramedic working the call. A sad time for both the families and the department but they are coping well and appreciate our efforts in helping to bring attention to these problems and in remembering those they loved.

The terrain today is slightly rolling with a lot of flat ground, we are at sea level. The new riders are enjoying it as they were having a little trouble on some of the hills over the past two days. I'm still seeing the bonding of the riders a we progress along. Some of the more experienced new riders are now offering encouragement and riding tips to the new riders. All are getting along greatly.

Our next stop was in Seaport, Delaware where we were greeted by the county director of EMS and the Lt. Governor of the state. This was a quick ceremony but the Lt Governor did mention that there is a bill pending for motorists to pull over and slow down for EMS / Rescue vehicles. Much like NH has recently passed. Along with loss of life duty benefits.

From there it was a leisurely twenty-five mile ride to Georgetown to finish out the day with a nice cook out dinner and music.

During the ride I've had the chance to speak with a number of new riders. I will catch you up on that later. It's late and we have another early morning. Off to DC in the morning.

Until then be safe and remember we've got your back.

Day 3: May 17, 2009 - My decision today was an easy one to make after looking out the window at 05:45 am. It was overcast with a gusty wind and a heavy thunder shower had gone through during the early morning hours. I decided that today I would drive the support van. After a quick cup of coffee and a banana I cheered on the intrepid riders who were going forth to seize the day. I as support person and with a minimal knowledge of bike mechanics was sent forth to find a bike shop that was open at 07:30 am on Sunday somewhere in New Jersey. Ya right. Every shop I found was closed for the day. But on the bright side I did find an egg muffin and more coffee.

Now my problem was finding the rest of the group. The directions were not quite accurate and the GPS battery was low. I was getting nervous. Sitting at a traffic light pondering just what the #%@&* I was going to do and feverishly looking for phone numbers. As I looked up to check the light I watched the whole bike support group drive past me through their green light. I quickly caught up only to find they were as lost as I was. However with the use of electronics we quickly got back on track and caught up with the riders.

The riders were having their own troubles, the wind was head on which makes the going tough, they were wet from rain showers and some of them had got lost also, so those riders had ridden some extra miles.

We quickly regrouped and headed on to the next stop, Second Alarm Rescue Company in Willow Grove, PA. We were treated to a fantastic lunch of meatballs, subs, salads and pastry, yum. We also participated in a ceremony for one of their own who died this past year. Michael "Boz" Garvin.

This was a very emotional ceremony as he was so active in the department. His fifteen-year-old son rode in for the last six miles leading the bike riders. A monument was unveiled in his honor today. I met with his wife and mother who are great people, they were thanking us for riding in memory of all of the past fallen EMS providers as we were expressing our condolences. We were all in tears.

From there it was on to Philly and dinner at Collindale Rescue. Once again at dinner, which by the way is some of the best food on this ride, I watched the riders coming together as a strong team. Hugging each other for a tough ride today and seeing it through to the end. As I was helping with support today I noticed how fatigued the riders were coming in but determined to see this day through to the end. Tomorrow I'm in the saddle again, on to Maryland and the next ceremony.

Until tomorrow we've got your back.

Day 2: May 16, 2009 - Weather today is overcast, cool and damp and an extra layer of clothing is needed. We can forgo the sunscreen. We got off to a late start this morning and had to wait for an hour and a half for the police escort. The morning route was changed and they were finishing it up. The ride into the city was uneventful, a short shower as we entered Yonkers. At Jacobi station we met up with the rest of the riders, most of them FDNY EMS staff. We rode through Brooklyn, Harlem and the Bronx, we got to see the new Yankees stadium. Through Times Square and Broadway... Large crowds but once again we owned the road with New York's finest providing escort and holding traffic at the intersections and lights.

Got a chance to catch up with some old friends today. It's amazing how I see these people for one week a year and we pick up right where we left off. Rode with a young lady from the Toronto area of Canada, her name is Sara. She is doing this ride to help raise awareness on some of the same problems that we have here in the states... Lack of death benefits for EMS providers who die in the line of duty. No statistics on close calls, or loss of life. And raising awareness on the work that EMS does everyday. She would also like to see some kind of memorial in Canada for fallen EMS providers and is already looking into that.

I finished the day's ride at Perth Amboy, NJ where a short ceremony was held to remember those who have died in the line of duty. One of their own was inducted into the EMS Memorial last year. We had the chance to meet with his family again this year, and that is always an emotional moment for all involved.

I rode the sag wagon into the hotel for the last thirty miles. I was tired and felt beat up from today's ride.

Lost our driver this morning due to a family emergency - our thoughts and prayers go out to Josh and his family. Our group of four will take turns driving the vehicle the rest of the way Roanoke.

Dinner was with the local rescue squad and it was held at the area hospital. It was late dinner for me but it was some of the best pasta I've ever had.

Until tomorrow, we got your back.

Mike

EMS Memorial Ride Departs

Day 1: May 15, 2009 - First day and we are at the starting point in Tarrytown, NY. We start at 0700 tomorrow for the first leg of our journey. First leg is twenty miles into the city where we will meet up with the FDNY contingent at Jacobi Station.

This year's trip to NYC was much easier than last year's ride for Doug and me. No rain and less traffic going down. We also have two new riders with us and three new support people in our group from New Hampshire. I know there are others from elsewhere in the state that we will meet up with once we get on the ride. We carpooled down to Charlton, Mass. to meet up with one of the friends we made while doing this ride two years ago and another new rider there. We were treated to great b-b-q, then off in the vehicles to the city.

Love the first year riders, so full of enthusiasm for what is coming, both know and unknown. Questions of how this ride is all pulled together, where will we meet, what time do we start riding in the morning. And the big one -am I going to make it? We have the answers and assure them that everyone will make it through to the end. There is plenty of support, food and water is available and if tired, we can ride for a while in the support vehicle. We have all done that before.

Tonight after our orientation session for the ride we went to dinner at a local diner with some of our friends from previous years and some of the new riders from this year. Already it's starting - the coming together as a group. I watched as everyone sat around the table, conversation flowing as if we had all known each other for years. The new riders and the old mixing together like lost friends that haven't seen each other for years. Telling the stories as to why they are doing this ride. I feel that this is going to be an exciting and wonderful week.

Until tomorrow be safe and remember we've got your back.

Mike

Mike Kennard has 30 years of EMS service, currently as Paramedic at Frisbie Memorial Hospital in Rochester NH and I/C, Program Coordinator for the State of NH Bureau of EMS. He also has 44 years in the fire service and is retired Assistant Chief from Nottingham NH Fire & Rescue. Mike has been married for 32 years and has two daughters and five grandchildren. 2009 is his fourth year riding the National EMS Memorial Bike Ride.

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