The picture says it all: John is alive and well! However, he does not recommend the helicopter service as the best way to exit the Pine Barrens.
Saturday was very hot (96F) and muggy and there were endless tree falls across the trails from the tornado the previous week. The going was slow in the soft sand and then John decided to see if he could climb a tree with his Yamaha. The bike's bite was worse than the tree's bark and John was down for the count with a severed vein in his calf. The trails were so bad that the EMTs with a 4x4 and chain saws couldn't make it in. They called the Coast Guard who flew in and hovered while a basket was dropped. Then away to Atlantic City for stitches and a checkup.
Ed and Julie put out a fabulous spread Saturday night but the atmosphere was subdued while we all worried about John. Tracy called with good news that he was stable and in good spirits. That perked us up.
Sunday morning some of the guys went back into the Barrens to retrieve John's bike while the rest of us had a leisurely breakfast and decided to pack up for the trip home. The general concensus was that a fall ride would be a good idea.
Not our best rally but it could have been a lot worse. Thanks to Milt for organizing it. I'll post details on the fall ride.
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