V I D I O T S . U S

Dateline: Oceanside, CA, USA May 22, 2011

It was very unusual to me that the Del Mar [San Diego] County Fair chose “Cruisin’ California” as this years fair theme. Celebrating cars, Cars, CARS, CARS and the central roll they played in developing California and global culture. In 1880 people didn’t have cars. The League of American Wheelmen and the San Diego Fair both began that year.  The L.A.W. as they called themselves, trailblazed many of the roads and highway routes that were later paved over for autos. In 1902 dreams of horseless carriages began to swell across the land. The League of American Wheelmen closed shop and was replaced by the American Automobile Association. The Wheelmen came back and re-incarnated a few times in the 2oth Century, only to be buried when “wheelmen” was deemed to be politically incorrect in the mid 1990′s because it didn’t suit women. Well Navy Corpsmen include both sexes. Worse yet, “bicyclists” does not adequately describe the variety of cycle types that are now deployed across the land. So in honor of the L.A.W. we are doing what we can to promote the great fun it would be if thousands or millions of cyclist’s “Cycle “Cruisin’ California” during the 25 days the fair will be open and full of all things “automotive”.  We hope to fan out as much awareness of this legal free pastime by offering an EZ print b/w PDF poster-flier at cruiserbob.com/ccc.pdf [NOTE: This PDF is 1.7  Mbyte file] It is intended for individuals or organizations who want to promote Cycle “Cruisin’ California at their work or other gathering places. More detailed Google interactive map is located at http://bobkiger.com/cycle-cruisin-california.php

This could become quite the fashion show if all the sexy ladies and surfer dudes show up on their  “cruisers”! Promoting “Better Living through Global Cycling” an important part of my run as a Democrat for President in the New Hampshire primaries.  Why?

My campaign is dedicated to the memory of Al Ryll, pictured below with his families permission, after I was First Responder on his fatal car-rear-ends-bicyclist collision on Maui in 1986. Al’s death in my arms was a moment of catharsis for me. Here’s why!

I was driving to final exams for First Responder Medic training at Maui Memorial Hospital. Cruising down Hana Highway around the Stage Road intersection. Suddenly the traffic was in disarray ahead. Cars parked every which way.

I jumped out of my van and looked at a group of bewildered people, one lady holding a blanket. “Is anyone here a medic?” Nobody

On the ground was a you bicycle vacationer from Washington State, who had just the day before, climbed Haleakala on his touring bike. He was riding east on Hana Highway, which had no shoulder at the time, and was slammed into from the rear by a driver going at normal 55 mph along this dangerous stretch of road. His rear wheel buckled and Al Ryll got that “run-down” feeling.

That began my real life final exam as a First Responder. I had to cut Al’s back pack off in order to get him comfortably on the ladies blanket. When I reached around his torso to remove the pack I could feel that his back was open and internal organs were spilling out. I got him flat and than checked for vital signs while talking loudly to him. He was conscious for a minute or two but was choking up green colored fluid. He muttered something like “Give ‘m Hell” or maybe “I forgive them”. I couldn’t be sure which but that moment went fast as I knew that his breath-way had to be opened before mouth to mouth could begin. [I was thinking to myself in this dawn of AIDS about exchange of bodily fluids.] Instinctively I started mouth to mouth and chest compressions alone for about 5-7 minutes. Than a neighbor, and a lady doctor, Billy Strothers, arrived and helped me by doing the chest compressions until the ambulance arrived. It was more like an Armada. The chief of emergency services of Maui, said “you can stop now and we’ll see how he’s doing.” I replied “We just checked him and he still has a pulse.”

The doctor looked at me seriously and said “If he’s alive than he’ll still have a pulse when you stop CPR. If not you’re just pushin’ blood through his veins and oxygen through his lungs.”

We stopped. The doctor checked his vitals and pronounced him dead. The driver hit and ran. An elderly local man was afraid to stay at the scene for fear that the crowd might hurt him. He turned himself in soon afterwards.  This picture shows what collapsed wheels look like.

I took that sad photo of Al Ryll by sneaking into the ambulance after he was wheeled in. The ambulance crew wanted to strip the film out of my camera but I resisted and got in my van to finish First Responder exam which was held at Maui Memorial Hospital.

By the time I got to class, the word had already reached them what had happened. The instructor asked “Would you tell the class what you experienced. I told the story and cried so hard … I really was traumatized.

In the next few days I’ll show how Al Ryll’s death led directly to a letter to Governor Ben Cayetano on behalf of what I called “Rolling Ducks”… “kind of like ‘sitting-ducks’ except they’re rolling”

The paving of wide shoulders all the way from Kapalua to Ho’okipa and from Wailuku to Makena happened in the next few months.

We can do the same transformation in southern California now! Hope to see y’all cycle cruisin’ around Del Mar circuit. We’ll try to ride as many days as possible during the Fair schedule. Happy Trails for now.