I cycled off from the Candle Bay Inn in Monterey on Wednesday, May 1st. May Day!! It was a glorious day. I had some sunshine and some hills but it was manageable. I stopped in Aptos at a Starbucks. There were no inside tables available, so I couldn’t recharge the phone, but I had done so in Monterey, so I took some time to plot out my journey and catch up on some emails, etc. Aptos is a hilly, picturesque town. The hills are short, making them quite do-able, so I had a blast with the cycling. It was another incredibly artsy town. Leaving Aptos, I went through Soquel, on the long and beautiful Soquel Drive. Sliding down into Santa Cruz, I was stopped by “Steve”. He had passed me in his truck on the way to Santa Cruz, shortly out of Monterey. He asked if I could just stop and chat with him for a moment. I pulled over and we had a brief but rewarding talk. He is from England but has lived in the local area for many, many years. He enjoys writing, working a bit here and there, running his own business and his own life. He loves animals. He gave me his card--his name is actually Ian Kelly. I like that name, so I always call him Ian now. To me, he is Ian. He has sent me a photo of him cuddling one of his goats and also a short story he has written. He is funny and witty and I like Ian. I also like goats. This is a winning combination, in my book!! His accent is kinda catchy too.
In Santa Cruz, I checked into the Knight’s Inn, just a few blocks from the boardwalk. It is a quiet little motel, many rooms in need of serious work. But the sweet receptionist did her best with the customers to keep them happy and promise them better times as renovations and repairs were on the schedule. Before it got dark, I wanted to take a walk on the boardwalk and the beach. It reminded me of stories I’ve heard about Coney Island. Picture a great beach boardwalk scene with an amusement park and rides and games and noise and a pier. The surf was great--breaking waves right at the edge of the shore. I strolled on the sand while I talked to family and friends on the phone until I started to get cold and the day ended. By now, some of the local convenience stores had closed. The closest grocery store was a mile uphill but I was able to find a tiny store about 2 blocks from the motel. I picked up a snack and rushed back to the motel, as I felt I had to pee really bad.
Now, if you don’t like to hear about pee, then go to the next blog.
As it turns out, I had become terribly dehydrated with the Big Sur trip. I had been weak and tired since then but ignored the signs of dehydration, which included the fatigue, some shakiness, and some light burning with urination. Well, by the time I got back from my walk along the Santa Cruz beach, the burning was incredible and my right kidney was killing me. Earlier that day, I had noted some aching in that area of the back, but thought it was because my muscles were tired. Well, it was not muscle fatigue. It was a dehydration induced UTI (urinary tract infection) that had spread to the right kidney. I could hardly pee at all and it hurt like hell. Well, while I had been foolish and distracted by the effort of climbing the hills and excited by the beautiful ocean and had not drunk enough water, I am not stupid. No ER for me. Why spend a few grand at a local hospital to rehydrate? So, I drank a full gallon of water, infused with Emergen-C powder, took 3 hot baths, and lay in the bed and groaned and writhed in pain. The neighboring motel residents may have thought I had company and was having a great time. If you could call kidney pain a good time. I burned up with fever but kept getting into the hot bath to flush it through. I drank until my tummy had expanded beyond belief. Some time around midnight, it all broke loose and I peed and peed until the pain subsided.
I hope I have learned my lesson about drinking enough fluid. I still get distracted but try to drink much more often while I am cycling. A few times I have experienced a very slight reminder in my right kidney that I had really messed myself up.
May that be the last time. Lesson learned.
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