Longtime riding buddies Chris Gardiner and Dom O'Mahoney share a harrowing tale from a Baja ADV ride gone wrong. "When it's time to shut it down --when you are on your last redundant backup plan --it's not time to keep carrying on and bombing down these roads. Our ride was over, but we were just overwhelmed with fun, and we lost sight of that." -Chris Gardiner on an ADV Ride For The Ages. Strap in as these two highly experienced riders talk about how they were having too much fun to shut it down when everything went wrong. Dom was lucky that the fire he experienced on the first night --that burned almost everything he had with him --spared his Garmin In-Reach and waterproof tent cover. Those two items probably saved his life. He used the tent cover for warmth and shelter as he weathered the cold and rain on the night he spent exposed to the elements. Coincidentally, he had just gotten his Garmin In-Reach charged the day he broke down. He chose his out-of-country communications contact wisely, as that fellow (Matt) a former Navy Seal --remained very calm, all things considered. Ultimately, we were lucky that we only had a modest story of endurance while exposed to the elements in Dom's case --and a harrowing tale of devotion to one's mission in the face of extreme adversity in Chris' case. Happy New Year, and thank you to all who tuned in in 2023 and are still listening today. Please watch this conversation on YouTube. And as always, subscribe, post, tag, and remember to enjoy the ride.
