Today, we went to see David's Dad at a rehabilitation facility in Visalia. As we approached a turn, there were three SUVs pulled over - one each on the north, west and south sides of the corner. Plus a couple of highway patrol vehicles. As we turned east, we passed several more highway patrol cars -at least one at each intersection and more between intersections. We started to worry about what kind of criminal was on the loose. But the cars pulled over at the first corner didn't fit into a fugitive scenario. Finally it dawned on me that this was the day that Lance Armstrong and others would be taking the California Tour through Visalia, past our little town and then to Paso Robles (a difficult, hilly stretch of the tour). I guess they had had a collision in the rain the day before.
David and I seemed to have taken, coincidentally, three of the roads which would be part of the tour. As we got into the city, people had set up lawn chairs to watch the action, especially where the bikers would be turning.
Dad is in quite a nice facility. He had clothes on instead of a hospital gown, and no tubes attached to him. He was kind of nauseous, but was able to spoon ice chips for himself, and was lucid. His sister Lucille and her husband Manuel came in, too. He's getting a lot of attention from the staff. Their goal is to get him walking and taking care of himself so he can go home. We look forward to that. It's hard for him. He was not in the best shape before surgery, and the surgery was a big shock to his system.
Ken called later to say that the CHP had approached him as he was spraying weeds along the canal, and had asked him to stop spraying before the bike tour came through the countryside west of town. It was two hours before the bikers passed, preceded and followed by many support vehicles. Ken didn't find the passing of the bike tour particularly exciting. Cars were backed up on all the cross streets, though. Even on that flat stretch of the tour. I'm glad we got through the tour route before, not during, the bike tour's sojourn through Visalia.
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11 years ago
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The Cycling Tour of Britain came through our town once! Loads of people cheering everything that moved! Quite exciting, but it was really a 5-minute marvel!
Pleased your Dad-i-l is getting on, even if its slowly.
Thank you, Gilly. We went over that part of the course again on Friday, and noticed many messages written in chalk on the highway. As if the cyclists were paying attention to anything but the marked potholes.
I think it would have been fun to see the bicyclists coming around a bend, but not to be stuck in traffic far from the action.
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