Donna started her weekend with a Saturday morning bike ride. She planned to follow the route we scouted through town on Friday. Her goal was to reach the Kern River Parkway Trail and put in a total distance of about 40 miles. I assumed she would be out for two and a half or three hours.

She sent me a text at 9:40am saying she had reached the turnaround point and would be back at 11:15am. At 10:30am, she sent another message to let me know that she had to slow down. It was getting hot out and she wasn’t feeling great. At 11:05am, her message said she had stopped again and ate the last of her snap peas. She was still more than 11 miles away and her new ETA was noon. The day was becoming very hot. At noon, I received a message telling me she was stopped about two and a half miles from here. She had bonked. She asked me to bring her some food.

Donna started a 21-day sugar detox program on Monday. This program restricts sugar as well as carbohydrates. The combination of the change in her diet along with the oppressive heat shut her down. I rode the scooter and found her sitting on the ground in the shade in front of a nursery. I brought the milk and cooked sweet potato slices she had asked for. After drinking the milk, she felt better. Milk has a good combination of protein and carbohydrate, making it a good recovery drink.

She got back on her bike and rode home. I rode slowly on the scooter to make sure she would be fine. She said she felt pretty good. She even picked up the pace at one point when some little dogs ran out and started chasing her! Her mileage for the day was over 42 miles. Back at the RV park, she jumped in the pool to cool off. After that, we mostly stayed indoors as the temperature outside rose to 100 degrees.

Yesterday’s forecast called for another hot day. Donna did some strength training outdoors in the early morning. I was a couch potato all day. I watched the Jets win over the Raiders. Then I made a beer run before I watched the Cowboys get manhandled by the 49ers. Last night I watched the third NFL game and saw Denver flex its muscles against Indianapolis.

Today will be a little cooler, and the skies are cloudy for a change. But the high for the day will be over 90. I need to get out and exercise. Sitting indoors all day and drinking too much beer has me feeling lethargic this morning. Tonight, the first weekend of the NFL season concludes with a double-header. Detroit will take on the Giants and then the San Diego Chargers play the Arizona Cardinals. Time to break out my 1984 number 14 Dan Fouts Chargers throwback jersey.

Photo from the Chargers game I attended last year with my brothers-in-law, Tommy and Mark.