Promising info…

My trip to Ramona (by car) this afternoon was worth it. Here’s what I learned:

• A customer in Daniel’s Market West told a clerk Wednesday night she “saw what happened” and wanted to know where to make a report.
• A surveillance camera at the market points directly at southbound Highway 67 traffic. It’s digital video.
• The team at Ramona Fire Station 80 is great. I’m going to buy them dinner next Wednesday. Captain Jeff Lowe was very gracious in allowing me to leave a thank you card for the paramedics who treated me at the crash site.
• People who live in Ramona are community-minded. It’s a close-knit place where people care.

I’ve trained all over San Diego County, and Ramona has always been part of great rides up into Julian, Cuyamaca, or Mt. Laguna. People have offered to keep an eye out. I’m grateful to them.

The local ABC news affiliate aired the full story tonight. A personal thanks to reporter Michael Chen for spending the time with me to retrace the scene, hear my story and help circulate the call for witnesses.

Heart beats just right, legs strong…

Rode the trainer in the garage this morning. Everything works just fine. Pulse climbed to normal training rates. Sweated out a week of nightmare — from the pain medications to the drugs that put me to sleep during procedures and surgery.

During the hour-long spin I realized how lucky I am to have:

• Worn a helmet
• Only crushed my teeth and not my tongue
• Been found quickly by alert people
• Not been run over by a vehicle after hitting I hit the deck
• My right ear
• Only minor soreness in my right shoulder
• No broken any limbs
• My life and ability to be with my family

During the spin, I tried to think of possible ways someone could have seen something. It’s a high-speed rural area with large property lots and homes set back from the noisy road. Doubt anyone sitting on the couch would be able to add much. 

Then I realized: Security cameras on Daniel’s Market West. One camera points to store’s parking lot and part of Highway 67. I think there is more of them mounted on the store’s roof. Could the telephone call about a Ford Excursion be verified by still photos or live video feed? Or even the accident?  

Today I hope to meet with the corporate folks for the grocery store in town and ask about angles and frequency of fotage the cameras take. My blood stains are some 100 yards shy of the entrance to the store’s parking lot. I’ve ordered the official accident report from the California Highway Patrol so I can learn the precise time of 911 call.

Here’s map with my best estimation of impact point. Click to enlarge.