“Taking supplements and physical therapy at Coury & Buehler Physical Therapy over the years has allowed me to be quite active and stop taking pain pills.”
– Mike
Mike Dodson
My hip needed a hip replacement over 20 years ago, but I had a left hip replacement surgery this past November. Taking supplements and physical therapy at Coury & Buehler Physical Therapy over the years has allowed me to be quite active and stop taking pain pills. I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease about 10 years ago. My grandfather had died of ALS, then my mother had Super Nuclear Palsy. I decided to do whatever I could to slow the progression of the Parkinson’s I was diagnosed with and I heard that physical exercise was beneficial. I started riding my bicycle on the steepest nearby hills every Sunday morning. My circuit climbs 1100 ft in 11 miles and the steep sections climb at 13% grade. It gets me huffing and puffing!
On my 76th birthday, I rode with my 26-year-old grandson from Bishop to Mammoth and Minaret Summit. That was 4 years ago and time has continued to take its toll. Nevertheless, I decided to attempt the ride again and see if I could still make it.
On September 8, 2023, I turned 80 years old. I began my bike ride in Bishop, CA (elevation 4000 ft.). Starting at 7 am, I rode up Hwy 395 to Hwy 203 and followed that up to the town of Mammoth Lakes where I stopped for a late lunch. After a half-hour rest, I continued up Minaret Road past the Mammoth Main Ski Lodge to Minaret Summit. I arrived at the lookout area at 9265 ft. elevation at about 4 pm. The winds were calm for the first half of the ride. Once past the Mammoth Airport, however, a strong headwind picked up and later began blowing dust and dirt from the construction on the mountain against me towards the end of the ride! I was able to ride my bike 52.0 Miles for 6 hrs. at an avg. speed of 8.67 mph with a total elevation gain of 5607 ft.
