1,821.4 total trip miles
13.4 mph average
209’ climbing
FF - 10
MP - my two grandsons - Theo & Luka. When asked about grandchildren I like to say that I have both oceans covered, with Theo on Long Island & Luka near San Diego. I now understand why my friends enjoy being a grandparent so much. Both boys are still under 2 yr old, but I love watching them grow and learn more every time I see them. I look forward to lots more grandchildren in the future.
This was not what I had planned for the day! It was a misty morning when we left camp - not raining hard, but damp on the road. That did not cause me a problem, but as I was going around a bend at about mile 16 there was a patch of mud on side of the road. Unfortunately I didn’t see it & the instant the bike hit the mud I went down. There was no chance to take any evasive action.
I ended up twisted at a 90 degree angle in the road with my left leg wrapped around the back of the bike like a pretzel. I was powerless to get up because every muscle I moved just seemed to trap me more in the maze. There was a rider right behind me who stopped and said “what can I do to help?” I said “to get me out you will have to pick up both me and the bike so I can untangle myself “. That is exactly what he did. The first car that came along was a home healthcare nurse who looked at the situation & said it didn’t look like anything was broken. She also took my blood pressure (which was fine).
After I walked a bit, my left knee seemed to have some pain, but it wasn’t terrible. I was able to get back on the bike and ride another 2 miles to our first rest stop. By that time the pain was more persistent so I decided to stop riding for the day. One of the staff took me to a hospital in Livingston where they did an X-Ray. The nurse on the road was right - nothing broken & the ER folks didn’t see any evidence of ligament damage. It could have been much worse. This is my only picture for the day - a selfie in the ER
I am back with the group now using various remedies recommended by the wide variety of medical experts who are riding across America with me. My plan is to see how the knee feels in the morning & decide whether to try riding tomorrow, or to wait for more relief. I’ll let you know.
WDYLT - ILT muddy road shoulders are an unacceptable riding surface for a bicycle.