Newsletter Stories

4/9/02
"Sunscreen Gone Bad"

Knowing that it was going to be a sunny day and that I burn easily, my daughter gave me some of her waterproof and ultra sweatproof sun block for my face. It came in a stick application so that all I would have to do is take the cap off and apply it without getting it on my hands. Good idea in theory. So I do as the instructions say, applying it liberally to my face neck and arms prior to being exposed to the sun. Sounds easy enough. What the instructions do not say is that you could also use this stuff as a glue stick for your child's second grade art class or for flypaper in your barn. By the time that I had ridden 40 miles on the freeway and reached my destination at 9:00 this morning, I looked like a coal miner that had been working the night shift. Every piece of dust and dirt that hit my face over the past 40 miles was still there. Mrs. C. told me I should go look so I went into the restroom at the dealership to check it out.

Not only is this stuff impervious to water, sweat and UV rays, it is also not affected by soap! I thought I was going to have to call the Queen of Clean and get one of her special Baking Soda, Borax and Bleach concoctions to get this stuff off of my face. Finally after 3 washings and some serious scrubbing I had gotten most of it off. So after 7 hours in the sun today and no sunscreen I now have some serious color on my face and arms. I will be donating this stuff to my local elementary art class and picking out my own sunscreen tomorrow.

The Follow Up

If you'll recall, when I left you last Monday I was in the midst of working on my spring suntan while riding to Tortilla Flat. During Tuesday's ride things progressed very rapidly. The "All Week Sun Stick" that I used on Monday got put back where it belongs, in my daughter's craft kit. When I hit the shower with that stuff on it looked like I had gotten 3 coats of a good carnauba wax. My quest now was to get a sunscreen that would keep me from getting burned while also being penetrable by soap, water or any other petroleum based products.

Apparently I put a little too much emphasis on the "coming off" part. By the looks of my arms and face Tuesday night this stuff must have blown off when I hit 50 MPH. If you were driving down Scottsdale Rd. Tuesday night and saw 3 bright lights coming at you, that wasn't the new halogen's in the BMW, it was actually my face and arms sticking out of a Cyclerides.com T-shirt lighting the way. It did make it easier to get through a crowd though. Apparently some people thought that a burn that bad might be contagious.