Maybe The Bear Just Wanted A Ride – Dave’s Bear Encounter From My Perspective
July 17, 2010
Last Sunday, my husband got hit by a black bear while riding down Highway 101 about 25 miles south of Newport, OR. We were heading home from a trip with some friends. I was on my motorcycle a little bit behind him.
Fortunately, and miraculously, Dave is fine. No broken bones – some road rash, soreness and lots of bruises. Luckily, he had on his leather jacket with elbow pads, a Kevlar helmet, heavy boots and Kevlar-lined jeans.
And, we finally found out the answer to the question, “Does a bear shit in the woods…”
This past week has been a bit of a ride – lots of emotions, trying to figure out the sequence of events to determine why his bike is more damaged than he is (I know he was riding the bear part of the time!).
His story is a bit different than my story. And, I’m sure the man in the car behind me has another story, and the people that came to our aid had yet another. We each had a different perspective, based on where we were at both physically and mentally at that moment.
For me, there was initial horror at what I was seeing – a big black bear running full speed out of a wooded area, down a short hill and across the road headed straight toward Dave and t-boning his bike. (Dave was going about 40-45 mph at that moment.) Seeing them tangle up, Dave struggling to keep his bike in control, he and his bike going down and then sliding down the road 50+ feet with the bear under him part of the way. I still get pretty emotional thinking about it – and a bit sick to my stomach.
It’s interesting how the brain functions after that. I hit my brakes a bit hard; the back tire started squirreling a bit, and then fortunately my logical side kicked in – “Hey, I don’t need to go down as well, let off the brake, get in control, think about what happens next.”
Things happen very fast, and at the same time it feels like slow motion. I stopped my motorcycle on the side of the road behind Dave (he finally slide toward the side of the road where the gravel stopped him and his motorcycle). The bear was still there between Dave and me – probably for a few seconds but seemed like eternity. I remember thinking “OK, how I get that bear out of the way – should I rev up my engine…” Yes, it was interesting some of the crazy things that go through your head. Fortunately, the bear decided to run off to wherever he was headed in the first place.
You start thinking several seconds ahead and sometimes even further than that. Dave wasn’t moving – get there and see if he is conscious. He’s conscious – lift the motorcycle off his foot (it was the first time I dead-lifted a fully-loaded Harley – thank God for adrenaline). Dave was drifting in and out. Try to keep Dave immobilized (unfortunately, his adrenaline started kicking in). Thoughts going through my head like “If he leaves here in an ambulance, what do I need to do with the motorcycles – can I get on my bike?” A bit of panic sweeps in and I start thinking “I need to shift into the ‘I-can-handle-this’ perspective and deal with what is happening.” It was a back and forth battle between the “panic” and the “grounded” perspectives for the rest of the day
We were very lucky that so any people stepped up out of the blue and helped us – we are forever grateful for that. It was incredible to see the kindness. The man behind me stopped and was on his phone calling 911 before I got off my bike. He directed traffic the whole time. He was driving a car that had exempt license plate and he wore a yellow polo shirt with “Parks” on it. Unfortunately, I either didn’t get, or I don’t remember all the names of those wonderful people. The couple that came running out of their house when they heard the crash. The man helped me with Dave and stayed with us the entire time. His wife directed traffic coming the other way. The women in the area that were listening to the police scanners and came within minutes with first aid. The police and sheriff officers that were just the best. I know there were others, too. THANK YOU to all of these folks that helped us through this whole ordeal!
One of the icky things I remember was the gawkers – people going by in their cars while Dave is still laying on the ground. There were some people stopping and straining their necks, asking what happened. For some reason, that was very weird and hard to deal with. I just couldn’t answer them at the moment – I had other things to think about.
After Dave got checked out (no concussion!) and bandaged up, several guys helped right-up his Harley and push it over to the other side of the road into a driveway. That’s when we all noticed it – while Dave and the bear were skidding down the road, the bear had pooped all over the side of Dave’s motorcycle!
Yes, the bear pooped on Dave's bike!
You guessed it – we could see what the bear had for breakfast that morning! We all had a good laugh, and we continue to laugh about it. Yes, the bear poop is still on the bike. It will be difficult to wash it off. It brings levity to what was a serious situation – and that is a good thing.
The motorcycle was all scratched and scraped on the left side. Side mirror was shattered, windshield bent, casing around the headlight bent (headlight worked), fender bent, and several other areas bent, heavily scraped and gouged. However, it was drivable.
Yes, after that, we got on our bikes and spent the next eight hours, 250 miles, on the road to head home, most of which was cold and a bit drizzly. Yes, that male I-can-ride-a-bear-and-get-banged-up-and-still-ride-home macho adrenaline kicked in! We stayed on back roads, and I stayed on full-alert the whole time. Not just for things on the side of the road (yes, we came to a wary roll when we saw the two deer on the side of the road), but also to keep my eye on Dave for any signs that he may be having some side-effects of his bear encounter.
Was he really mentally fit to do this? Was he going to pass out or something? He just had a pretty traumatic thing happen and now he’s back on his motorcycle. There were times I yelled at him (like when the guy in front of him was stopping and Dave wasn’t). Fortunately, we have a communication system so we can talk to each other. We stopped frequently, kept hydrated and fed. We had to laugh when we went through one town that had a big sign that said they were having their “Bear Days” Festival! Needless to say, I was really, really happy to pull in the driveway that night.
It would be interesting to know what other people saw – what the story is from their perspective. Those that helped, those that saw what happened, and even those that had to wait in the traffic back up. You can read the story from Dave’s perspective here. We probably all saw the events in a different way. I’m really glad, at the end of the day, our story ends with Dave having no serious injuries – and a bear story that we will remember forever. Especially if he never washes the bear poop off his motorcycle!
Norma Dompier
How Scott Bourne’s “10 (more) Ways To Become A Better Photographer” Can Make You A Better Leader
January 30, 2010
Scott Bourne is an amazing photographer that I had the privilege of meeting at a “Tweetup” in Gig Harbor, Washington. Being a very amateur photog, I follow Scott on Twitter to see what insights I can glean from him.
Scott posted a blog “10 (more) Ways To Become A Better Photographer.” Wouldn’t you know they are EXACTLY the same tips for becoming a better leader. See for yourself:
Photographer Scott:
1. Shoot with a project or goal in mind. On your next outing, ONLY make images that will help you accomplish your goal, no matter what you find.
♦ Leader context:
What do you want to accomplish today? Keep your eyes and mind open to what around you will help you accomplish your goal and avoid distractions.
Photographer Scott:
2. Show your work to anyone and everyone you can and sit back and listen to what they say, right or wrong, good or bad.
♦ Leader context:
Tell everyone about your passion, dream, “Bigger Game”. Learn from the feedback. And, it will help you find allies to help get you where you want to go.
Photographer Scott:
3. Make at least one photograph every single day. PERIOD. No excuses. Even if all you do is photograph a beer bottle on your back porch, take that camera out of the bag, put a lens on it, make a shot.
♦ Leader context:
Take one bold action every day. Go outside your comfort zone and do something that scares you, even if it is making a phone call.
Photographer Scott:
4. Try a style of photography you’ve never been interested in, just to expand your vision. If you’re one of those people who say “I hate weddings,” then go shoot a wedding. If you usually shoot in a studio go outside. If you usually shoot outside, rent a studio. Try it.
♦ Leader context:
Do something that you are resisting. “What you resist, persists.” Is it social media, networking? Change your perspective about it – try going into it with the perspective of being fascinated with it. Expand your vision!
Photographer Scott:
5. Pay attention and focus. When you go out with your camera, do so with purpose and focus. Shoot without distraction. Be single minded about your photographic pursuits.
♦ Leader context:
Focus on what you want. Have a clear picture of your goal, and pay attention to what is happening around you that can help you achieve it.
Photographer Scott:
6. Look at lots and lots of pictures by other photographers you admire. Don’t just glance at them, actually study them and try to decipher how they did what they did. What worked and what didn’t.
♦ Leader context:
Look at people you respect and admire. What are they doing? Follow them on Twitter. Notice what you can learn from them – both good and bad.
Photographer Scott:
7. Edit your work. Cull your photos. Pick the best 100 photos you’ve ever made and then set aside 50. Now take those 50 and weed out all but the 10 best. This is the starting point for your future efforts.
♦ Leader context:
Look at your values and strengths. Pick your top 3 values and top 3 strengths and focus on those. Utilize your strengths, and make decisions based on your values.
Photographer Scott:
8. Attend a workshop, or go to a conference, or take a class. This will help open your mind, force you to concentrate on photography and provide you with access to great things to photograph.
♦ Leader context:
Get outside of your office and learn something new. You’ll meet new people, form new alliances, and could come up with a new way of doing things.
Photographer Scott:
9. Read a book called The Artist’s Way – pay strict attention to things like “artists dates” and the portion of the book that deals with expanding your tastes.
♦ Leader context:
The Artist’s Way is a great book for everyone – not just artists! It is recommended reading in many leadership and business courses. Business is about innovation and creation – and this book can help with that.
Photographer Scott:
10. Slow down. Use a tripod even if you don’t need one. Think before you push the shutter. Ask yourself why the photo is important to you. Really take time to look through the viewfinder to make sure there’s nothing in the photograph that doesn’t need to be there. Remember less is more.
♦ Leader context:
Take time to analyze your goals and what you are doing. Why is this goal important to you? What else is in your “viewfinder”? Are you filling it up with too much and not accomplishing anything? What would you have if you accomplished the one thing you really wanted? What would you have if you didn’t? What stops you?
Thanks, Scott, for a great lesson in leadership – I mean photography!
Norma Dompier, Business Consultant/Coach, RedBike InternationalAre You Missing The Bigger Picture?
July 10, 2009
In the process of picking raspberries in our garden, it became really apparent how important the concept is of “where you put your focus”.
I was quite convinced that I had picked everything I could after gleaning the fruit from one section of canes. Then I took a step back – WOW! How could I have missed all that other fruit? Where did that come from? Then I took a step to the right – hey, I missed all that, too?! Every time I changed my angle, I was made aware of all the other fruit I missed.
Being a coach, I started thinking about “where else is this showing up in my life?”. Where am I narrowing my focus before assessing the bigger picture? If I need 2 cups, do I want to spend less time picking bigger berries, or spend more time picking smaller ones? Which ones do I enjoy eating the most? What’s another angle from which I can assess this picture? What areas would be good to laser in my focus, and where would it be better to step back? What’s a different way I can approach this? What else am I missing?
Interesting what we can notice from a simple activity like picking berries…
How about you - where is this showing up in your business? And, where is this showing up in your life?
Norma Dompier, Executive & Team Coach, RedBike International
Welcome to the RedBike Blog!
June 8, 2009
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