JC's Big Adventure

Sometimes not knowing where to begin means you just jump right in. I have somehow fallen victim to a sedentary lifestyle. My biggest hobby being reading. I have gained about 20 pounds since leaving Florida. My blood pressure is high for me!! Who always had perfect blood pressure. So I have to change my habits. I need to eat better and get some exercise besides gardening. And walking dogs,.

A change up. To do something different. I joined Planet Fitness and have gone a few times, and if I don't go today. It will be two weeks. Life style change is hard.

So, I thought it would be nice to go the the scenic loop at Cherokee Park, about a 20 minute drive. Also JC could take his bike and go around the loop while I walk it. True to its name, the trail is a loop that has traffic going only one way so that walkers, runners, dog walkers, baby buggy pushers, and bikers can have the inside lane. I am uncertain regarding the length of the lop, but I would estimate it to be 2 and maybe a half miles. It begins from where we parked as a descent towards the Daniel Boone statue and then a left traversing the cliffs that make the perimeter of the park. Then a gradual ascent up to Hogan's Fountain Pavilion with the Fountain being a naked Pan playing his fife and filling the fountain with his pee. It's adorable.

Then down the hill and a hairpin curve and once again you have a cliff covered with trees and bushes and wild flowers on your right as you go down down down and then some to open fields and another turn to the left that has another fountain, this one built into a spring wall with a lions face that spits out into a stone trough and then back into the ground. I believe this is Beargrass Creek area. Over two stone bridges and up another hill with the golf course on your right and another turn to the right with the park on top of the hill with the children s playground equipment and a pavilion to your left for walkers, bikers, buggie pushers to rest and get out of the sun. And there is our car waiting for our return.

I told him I would sit on the bench that was on the other side of the sidewalk next to our car. I'm going to estimate it took me 45 minutes to walk the loop. I sat on the bench and waited for him slightly concerned he had not passed me. I thought with the time it took me, he would be able to go around three of four times depending on his ability to make it up those steep hills.

My last words to him were, keep the walkers and runners, bikers, buggy walkers in sight and you will be okay. I should have directed him inside the yellow line and told him to keep to the left always.

He obviously took off to the right and headed towards the Daniel Boone statue and from there I have no idea.

I waited for as long a s I could without panicking. Then I panicked and called my sister in lawa for advice. She send me her husband, my brother. I went around the scenic loop in the car three times and went on all the off shoot roads he could have possible have taken and there was no sightings of him. I began to go outside the loop and headed down Willow Park road the abutted to Cherokee Rd when My brother called.

we met at Hogan;s Fountain and did another loop together and then headed to the police station,.

I was hesitant to call 911 and put out a silver alert. My mind was in a flux about sharing with my family that JC as diagnosed with mild dementia but there could not have  been a better time.

While giving the description of what JC was wearing the last time I saw him, (I got it right!! I have to be more cognizant of everything going forward) my phone rang and it was him. He had made it to my sisters house and we headed to pick him up and hear what happened.

He was "lost" for 2 1/2 hours. He went in and out of streets in the highlands until coming upon Mid City Mall which he recognized and got his bearings enough to walk the bike to my sisters house and call.

I'm being generous when I say my sisters house because he was actually several doors down but the gentleman he ran into (cutting lawns doing lawn service whom my sister was a customer) was gracious enough to lend JC a phone and direct himto the house.

All is well that ends well and this was certainly a learning experience for me.

Number one, never let him go off without a phone.

Number two, I need documentation the he has mild dementia before the Police  can do anything. Yet, they were taking the information to send out some cruisers to take a look see for him.

I definitely have a life style change ahead of me.