Caught in a dust storm!!!

[Running Mommy]

So lastnight I decided to take the mtn bike out for a cruise through the trails of our hood. I've been wanting to take some pictures of the neighborhood critters for Nanci, so I thought this would be just a FAB time to do that. Earlier I had checked in on the weather report as it did look a bit grey and ominous to the east. But the trusty old weather man ASSured me that any foul weather would stay well to the east of me, so off I went.....
I was about 4 miles from the house when all of the sudden I noticed how still it had become. Silly me even remarked to myself "Boy it sure is nice out here"... HA!! Little did I know ( and I should have, it's ALWAYS calm right before the storm) that a WALL of dust was heading straight for me!!! All of the sudden I was blasted by a gust of wind that actually knocked me to my left side. Lucky for me I WASN"T on the road rig or I would have been knocked over!!
The wind went from dead calm to about 30 mph in an instant!! I was like "ohhh (s word for poop) ****, I'd better get home. Something is coming in". So I turned around to peddle back home, but I didn't get far before I was pummeled by sand, small rocks, and other debris. I couldn't see and my lungs were starting to hurt. But there was nowhere for me to go! I was in the middle of a dirt trail with nowhere to take shelter. So finally I decided that I just needed to hunker down and ride it out. So I got down on the ground and rolled up in a ball with my head in my knees, trying to shield my face from the dust and debris. It seemed to last FOREVER!! And I was worried that a thunderstorm was right behind it- as usually they are.
Finally it had rolled over me enough that I was able to get up and ride home. I rode as fast as I could but I could hardly see and my lungs were full of dirt. My husband is not home this week, and he wasn't answering his phone- not that he could have helped me from vegas??- so I went to my neighbors. She helped flush out my eyes and then gave me some eye drops. I sat on her couch wheezing for a good while before I limped home and crawled into bed..
OY what a night that was!!!
Today my lungs are still messed up, and my eyes feel a bit gritty, but aren't too red. But MAN was that scary!!!
I'll take the heat, and even some humidity, but you can keep the dust storms TYVM!!!

[mimitabby]

wow, maybe you should carry a dust mask? they're not very heavy!
what a story! was there a little eddy of dirt on your back?

I'm glad you made it back home to tell your tale.

a WALL of dust!! YIKES!

[pooks]

That's terrible! And what about your lungs -- that can't be good. Do you need to go to the doc?

[Running Mommy]

If I don't stop coughing I will. I noticed it when I went for my run this morning. I was actually coughing up brown stuff (sorry for those who just had breakfast!! ). What I'm most worried about is valley fever. there is an organism that lives in the dust particles out here that can make you quite sick. So I'm really going to watch out for that!!
Oh and yes, I did have dust pooling on me! And my neighbor pulled a stick out of the vent of my helmet too!!
As for the wall of dust.. It is literally a WALL of dust, sometimes a mile high. When a big one is coming in the local channels track it with a helicopter and show aerial views of it. It's a rather amazing sight. Very dangerous too tho!

[Nanci]

That's crazy! Is your bike ok??? (I'd have been laying on top of Lava to protect her!!) Just think if you could have taken a picture of it!

[SalsaMTB]

I have to admit, I did laugh a little at the beginning of your story, partially because I can't even imagine what it's like to go through something like that. The part where you said to yourself "Boy it sure is nice out here" as a huge wall of dust was headed your way just made me laugh pretty hard at the image I made in my head.

Glad you're OK though. Hope the lungs clear up quickly. How long does it take to find out if you got Valley Fever?

[Deanna]

Glad to hear you're going to be okay. Is there anything to help clear up the lungs or do you just need to wait it out? Does your bike need a new paint job? I'm not even going to ask about the state of the oiled parts, I imagine it crunched all the way home. I think you're lucky you were able to ride it and didn't have to walk all the way in the state you were in!

[Running Mommy]

UPDATE:
I just made a dr's appt because my lungs HURT (bad) and every once in awhile I cough up brown stuff w/ flecks of red. I just want to make sure I'm ok.
The bike is fine. She's my german tank mtn bike. It's a low end Specialized, so no real loss if something were to happen. Now if it were Valentina my tri ride- yeah I would have been on top of her. But I'm lucky!! If I had been on her I would have been toast!!
I dropped the mtn bike and sat down in the dirt next to it and curled up (the only thing I could think to do) and when a huge gust of wind hit it actually moved my bike a bit. I haven't really looked at it. I'll have to check her out when I get home, but I'm sure she's caked in dust. Tho her drivetrain was already pretty dusty. I know I was caked head to toe! My shoes are a mess! I did ride her home except I had to walk through a wash because I couldn't really see at that point, and I didn't want to try to manuver through a deep sandy wash.
Since I wasn't really planning on going far I didn't have my cell or even a water bottle w/ me. Actually my mtn rig has no cages. But I couldn't even wash out my eyes. They were stinging pretty badly. I was squinting to get home. I really don't know HOW I got home??!! I think it was pure adrenilin!! I was afraid that a thunderstorm was behind it.
Anyhoo, I learned my lesson!! ALWAYS take a cell, and some water!!!!

[chickwhorips]

As for the wall of dust.. It is literally a WALL of dust, sometimes a mile high. When a big one is coming in the local channels track it with a helicopter and show aerial views of it. It's a rather amazing sight. Very dangerous too tho!

it is an amazing sight but really scary! i've been out driving and been stuck in the middle of one when i lived back in mesa. they are great if your at home looking out a window.

i'm glad to hear your somewhat ok, except for the coughing. hopefully its just from having to much dust in your lungs and not valley fever.

rest and stay out of the heat and dust. let us know what happens at the dr's office.

[snapdragen]

Wow RM! I saw the dust storm on the news this morning, hope all goes well at the docs.

[luv'nAustin]

Oh, Running Mommy...I do feel sorry for you. Like Chickwhorips, I have only experienced one while I was in my car (which was frightfu enough) and by watching through my living room window while one ripped up the back yard.

Hope you feel better soon. Let us know what the doc says about your lungs.

[mtkitchn]

Wow Running Mommy! Sorry you got stuck out in that dust storm! Those things are terrible...I walked out into one for about a minute and that dust is in every part of your body in no time. I sure hope you don't get valley fever, or if you do that it's a very mild case. Here's a picture of a haboob (dust storm) from a couple years ago as we flew into the valley:

http://s82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...gAnch=imgAnch1

[Crankin]

Dust storms are scary enough in a car. I can't imagine one on a bike! Just to set your mind at ease about Valley Fever, I found out last year that I had had it, without even knowing it. I went for a CT scan of my lungs for another reason and there was a weird looking scarred area. My internist here in MA freaked out and sent me to a pulmonary doc. He put my scan up on his computer screen, looked at me and said one word, "Cocci... I bet you used to live in AZ." So, it does not have to be something terrible, because I never knew I had it.

[Running Mommy]

wow mtkitchn- that's one awesome photo!!
Well the doctor said my lungs sounded a bit raspy but ok. He had me do a breathing treatment in his office to loosen things up so I could get it out of there. His reasoning being that coughing the stuff up is good, keeping it in there- BAD.. I tend to agree. He also said that basically my eyeballs are scratched which is why they feel the way they do, but I should feel better pretty quickly.
As for the valley fever he just told me to call if I should start feeling like I've got the flu or run a fever. But he wasn't too worried.
So all is good. I have a big ride planned for the morning so hopefully my lungs hold up. I'd actually like to do a ride run brick, but we'll see.
Thanks for all the well wishes!!
Ya'll have a safe rest of the week, hope the weather is cooperating in your locale!
denise

[KSH]

I saw that on TV last night!

WOAH!

That dust storm was SERIOUS!

Happy to hear you went to a Doctor and everything checked out "OK".