Up And Down The Scale... Again...

[DDT (12)]

Up And Down The Scale... Again...

By my calculation we were actually making a rather late departure from Jamestown, TN, by the time my riding companions arrived. A very small price to pay, however, for the privilege of sharing the road with such wonderful traveling partners! They'd all had to make a ride just to get there to even begin that stretch, so it was just an unavoidable part of the deal.

The group immediately made a highly questionable decision, though, as we began our ride as a unit to the DRU... Their selection of 'leader' proved to be flawed, unfortunately, as that particular choice often does. After two missed turns and one wrong turn, however, that guy was fired, and a more reliable navigator took over up front. I then took my new place at the rear of the procession...

Binkie is an excellent rider and quite competent group leader. He also has a GPS mounted on his handlebars. Kevin set a most appropriate pace, missed no turns, and he led us right to ground zero with only one U-turn in a parking lot just a couple of hundred yards away from our final destination. A far more efficient and harmonious outcome than what might have befallen us...

Rainman always throws a great party, and this one was by all accounts one of his very best ever! An always eagerly anticipated pleasure that this sometimes party-pooper indulges himself with is attendance at some of the many Valk events throughout the year. The DRU is one I always enjoy when I do attend.

Fortunately, there are many gatherings, as doctor visits, family activities, and other issues prevent me from making most of them in any given year; and, sadly, it had been a couple of years since the last DRU I'd managed to make... None of the luster was missing, though, and I had an absolutely grand time mixing and mingling with all the boys and girls! Speaking of which...

There was a bit of a scare at the very beginning late Friday afternoon, when Wizard (Randy) made a rather dramatic appearance... He proceeded to fall right there on the concrete walkway at the motel and bump his head with an audible thud. EMTs were called and he was transported to a local ER for an exam and observation. Happily, his only injuries turned out to be a bruised ego and headache. He'd become severely dehydrated, it was concluded.

Saturday afternoon following the group ride, a visit to the next-door Italian restaurant lounge was proposed. It had been claimed by a couple of folks that a seriously good Margarita could be had in that place, and... Although not at all required, the employment of an 'occasional social lubricant' to further enliven events has been known to facilitate the making of some rather interesting memories...

Yep, a dynamic, smallish, but fun-loving group wandered off in that direction to confirm the claim. Those 'Ritas' were not only good, but they were also surprisingly potent, too! All attendees had at least a tiny buzz on when the 'conference' ended. Later reports indicated a couple of attendees also had found themselves in a commode-hugging condition... Friends sharing laughter and merriment with each other... some a bit more zealously than others, it appears...

Funny indeed how the fortunes and vagaries of thoughts on our lives can go up and down the scale as locations, weather, and circumstances can ebb and flow over time. Only a few days before I'd been seriously thinking about the unthinkable and doubting whether I'd be able to continue riding much longer. By the conclusion of the DRU, I was quite seriously contemplating going for that special burger way out yonder again... soon, too!

DDT (12)

[Bret SD]

Hi Bruce, seems to be yet more proof that nothing stays the same.. wishing so is like grabbing for and trying to hold onto mist.

Glad to see you're still on the road and doing fun stuff

[DDT (12)]

Bret,

Yep, so true! I've found it amazing how much my view of what may lie ahead has fluctuated lately! Perhaps I'm just more easily discouraged nowadays, or maybe wimpiness has really taken root. Whatever it is, however, it has also been remarkable how that view can reverse itself in such short order! I'm not sure what's going on, but you nailed it with that part about remaining on the road doing fun stuff! That, my friend, is an absolute unchanging fact! How are you doing? Have you fully recovered from your injuries?

DDT (12)

[Bret SD]

Bret,

Yep, so true! I've found it amazing how much my view of what may lie ahead has fluctuated lately! Perhaps I'm just more easily discouraged nowadays, or maybe wimpiness has really taken root. Whatever it is, however, it has also been remarkable how that view can reverse itself in such short order! I'm not sure what's going on, but you nailed it with that part about remaining on the road doing fun stuff! That, my friend, is an absolute unchanging fact! How are you doing? Have you fully recovered from your injuries?

DDT (12)

It was 7 weeks yesterday when I hit the pavement, today I did a run walk for 4 miles with the dog and have been working with bands and kettlebells again. Most of my recovery gains happened within the last week and a half to two weeks. I, like you, was getting a bit down in the mouth over it. It's funny how recovery works, there have been many painful days and some very sudden leaps forward. After 5 weeks my skeleton was once again back together, then everything started to click into place. I still have some contusions and nerve damage but that's going to be a longer-term recovery prospect.

I've been optimistic through most of it but being human, at times it would get to me. Been eating a strict diet of beef, eggs, butter, salt, and coffee for over a month now. It has really helped speed things along by reducing swelling and I suspect, some unnecessary inflammation. Any body fat has been melting away while muscle structure has atrophied a bit but stayed pretty well intact.

The odometer on my Valkyrie read 77,707 miles when I went down, I mentioned that to my pseudo wife thinking that 7 is normally a lucky number, she said I was lucky I didn't break my neck.. I think she was right.

One other crazy thing, I wear a cross around my neck and during the accident the cross and the leather holding it broke in two places. I don't think it's possible for the two to break at the same time, either one would break or the other. Luckily there was a very cool policeman who came to see me in the trauma unit, he had carefully picked up all of my stuff and brought it to me. I'm going to check the police report and try to contact him to thank him.

[DDT (12)]

Bret,

An impressive report on iron will, perseverance, and dedication! You are a remarkable person, Bret, and it makes me a bit sorry I whined on here about my trivial stuff. Anyway, congratulations on your recovery from the collision, but more on becoming the strong person you are.

I agree looking up that cop and thanking him/her in person would be the classy thing to do. I hope you do find him/her and let us know how the interaction went... My guess is it will be great for you both!

DDT (12)

[Valkorado]

"Funny indeed how the fortunes and vagaries of thoughts on our lives can go up and down the scale as locations, weather, and circumstances can ebb and flow over time."

Bruce, you have a way of  packing a whole bunch of wallop into a single sentence!  We're all somewhere between joy and blues, and struggling for balance.  It goes with the territory.

Your perspective is one of the greatest I've witnessed.  You are a lover of life and people, a keen observer, and a true Renaissance man.  You touch the lives of friends and strangers, and make them better people for knowing you.  That's what legends are made of!

Carry on!    

[Bret SD]

Bret,

An impressive report on iron will, perseverance, and dedication! You are a remarkable person, Bret, and it makes me a bit sorry I whined on here about my trivial stuff. Anyway, congratulations on your recovery from the collision, but more on becoming the strong person you are.

I agree looking up that cop and thanking him/her in person would be the classy thing to do. I hope you do find him/her and let us know how the interaction went... My guess is it will be great for you both!

DDT (12)

Well.. thank you Bruce, in truth I wish to be more like you. I think what you went through requires much more strength and fortitude over a far longer period of time.

As far as strength of will goes, I have to thank my late father, he passed on his Lithuanian stubbornness to me. I believe strength of will and a stubborn, unyielding spirit lead to creating habits which make one harder to kill.. 'so we got dat goin for us'.. heh.

Glad to hear that you're still on the road spreading love, goodwill and generosity. You're like an angel ambassador for our Lord on two wheels, a philosopher full of wisdom, temperance and virtue.. one day we must meet in person, if you're ever out this way. Unfortunately, I'm still working and tethered more than less, so my travel is limited to seeing loved ones on occasion.

Ride safe my wise friend 

[The emperor has no clothes]

Dang ! From the title I thought I was going to get some valuable weight loss advice from your post. 


I’m sorry to hear about Randy, I hope he is ok. 

[Wizzard]

Sorry folks, I got real busy after the DRU and have not been on here but I recovered with no problems. I just did not drink enough water (which I always do) but on this trip I think I got so preoccupied with all the road closures and detours that I simply forgot to drink my water.
Thanks to all who attended to me I knew I was in good hands. Thanks so much for all your concerns and it was appreciated. I recovered that night and was fine the rest of the weekend and really enjoyed all the company. Ride home was great and I stopped in Columbus at the Waffle house for a hearty breakfast and an uneventful ride home.
This was a stark reminder to drink my water.
Thanks everyone and see you down the road  

One good thing was I was checked out for every possible health problem at that ER and after 7 hours of Xrays everywhere, CT scans and numerous blood test and 3 bags of IV fluids I was deemed to be perfectly healthy and released. Good to know this but not a good way to find out.