The unveiling of the V-Star was an epic event for me. Ten weeks after my accident I peeled back the cover of my shiny toy, hooked up the battery, dusted the cat hair off the seat, polished the paint and chrome and gingerly slipped into the saddle.....
I was surprised by how natural it felt to be straddling my motorcycle again. It reminded me of mounting my horse after a winter of not riding. Like I was meant to be there.
As I turned the key I felt the magic begin to happen. The thrum of the motor pushing the blood through my veins. The road daring my wheels to eat up those delicious miles.....I really meant to just do a dry run in the driveway, but..... anyone who rides will understand why I did not sit there more than a minute before my hand squeezed the throttle and I felt myself rolling down the street.
Ah! Free again! The sun, the wind and the aroma of nature surrounding me. I'm BACK!
I love horses. These are the bucking broncs that gave the competitors a run for their money at the Pro Rodeo here in Luxton last weekend.
Bucking horses are well taken care of and respected by the cowboys who manage them. Except for the few seconds in the arena where they buck their hearts out they enjoy a rather pampered life I am told.
When I was younger I used to build trails in a wooded area, blocking the trail here and there with logs or piles of branches. Then I would mount (bareback...the horse not me) my athletic Quarter horse and charge up the hill full tilt. I could feel the muscles in his back stretching and contracting with each stride as he thrust the weight of us both up that hill and over the obstacles. I loved how he jump started and the torque in his hind quarters were amazing. We experienced the adrenaline rush that we both loved. I miss the relationship between horse and rider, however I still achieve that "high" from being in the saddle of my 1300 V-Star. With seventy horse power and seventy four pounds of torque in her hind quarters, she gives me all the thrill I need.
But for now.....
....I just get to charge her up and feed her for the first ride of the season. I am not glued together well enough yet to mount and ride.
So there she sits in her stall, all groomed and ready to go. I must wait....patience chris...patience..... At least I don't have to make hay or trim her hooves.
I have been silent for some time. My inactivity is hardly inspiring, especially for a travel and adventure blog. My two wheels were knocked out from under me and I have had to use my two feet to navigate my small world. I have been forced to learn the city transit system for the first time in my life and I have enjoyed it. Buses are not what they used to be but have evolved into clean friendly places that whisked me through the blossoming chestnut trees and into the heart of one of the most beautiful cities in Canada.
Because it is on the ocean, the air in Victoria is always fresh and invigorating.
There are public markets everywhere on the weekends, Local artisans sell their crafts and the air is filled with the aroma of fresh food. Buskers entertain the shoppers with many genres of music. But my favourite part of Victoria are the old brick structures.
If you've never wandered the streets of Victoria, it's time you did.
Sometimes the 360 days we have in a year seem more like 36 days. We chase tomorrow like a wolfhound after a rabbit, and often lose yesterday like a camera dropped into the sea. The agenda for today replaces yesterday on our mental white board. We wait for New Years eve to recall the highlights of the past year. Until......
Suddenly you find yourself in a position that forces you to slow down. You become a snail trying to get past the saran wrap and into the sandwich.
These past few weeks, without the use of my right side, and with the help of all my photos, I have had the time to reflect on the winter of 2012/2013. Generally, if many negative things happen in one season we tend to say it was a bad year. The culmination of all the stressful events can influence your mind and cause it to negate the positive. So as my iPhoto feeds me a slideshow of this past 6 months I am grateful for so many things. And in spite of my pain and slow recovery of movement I am genuinely happy and thankful for each event and person that influenced my life this year.
Simone Bergeron, 94 yrs old, who gave me her love. She passed away, leaving a legacy of humility, gentleness, patience and among other things taught me how to play crib.
Simone's son Michel, my best friend, who loves to play and ride motorcycles as much as I do.
The beauty of the ocean and everything that's in it.
The thrill of the ride!
There is so much more, but at this moment I am thankful for the little white Tramacets which are about to relieve my pain and put me to sleep for while.....
I'm dreaming about my last ride in Arizona....But,brrrr...I'm cold...I'm back on the island. I love it here. And I love my sister and brother-in-law whom I am with until I am able to take care of myself a little better. Perhaps until I can put on my own socks. I need socks here.
The trouble with travelling is that you fall in love with different parts of the countries you visit and when you leave that country you miss it. The best of two worlds is going south in winter and north in summer. I love Canada and would never consider residing permanently in another country no matter how much I enjoyed that country.
My last ride with Mike and Frank, before Sunna and I were disabled, was to Julian. A quaint little western town known for it's delicious pie. It is also a very scenic ride, about 150 miles from Yuma.
I took so many photos with Mike's GoPro but for some reason they did not stick to the card. I am not having much luck with cameras lately, I am looking for a small automatic camera that takes good photos. Any suggestions would be welcome. I will shop when I get well, but for now I am without a camera and that is something like an alcoholic without a drink.
As Accident Girl lay on her back, she recalled how she had been taught about glyconutrients and the need for feeding her cells so that her body ould heal itself more efficiently. she decided to triple up the intake of her cell food while in recovery. She also had a tube of the latest technology in aloe efficacy. She applied it three times daily on her huge hematoma that reached from her waste to half way down her thigh. She had acquired these spongy numb bruises in her younger years when bucked off horses. It usually took 3 months for them to disappear and even then a rise in the skin was still visible. Exactly two weeks after her accident she looked in the mirror and there it was...gone!
This was 3 days after her accident. It did spread a little further for a couple of days. But then....
Eleven days later.....
Accident girl loves the suppliments she is taking!!!
check it out at
www.navig8.me/237221. I see this link is not highlighted but if you click on it you will get there.
Accident Girl slept and slept and slept.
There was something wrong with the shutters on her eyes. The open switch would not stay on very long. At random moments, in the middle of a good TV program or interesting conversation they would involuntarily close so that Accident Girl could not do the things she wanted to do. The witty blog posts that she created in her drugged stupor disappeared as soon as her eyes would open. The pain in her shoulder prevented her from typing or taking pictures. But somehow she would grab a moment of clarity to record the injuries to Sunna, which were much less serious than expected.
Road rash on Givi bag. But it stayed hooked up to the bike!!!
Cracked signal light which I had recently replaced.
Good for the engine guards!,,However......
There was still damage to her beautiful skin.
....and this is what bit me in the shoulder....
My right clavicle snapped at the same instant the windshield hit my shoulder. Too bad the material I am made of is not similar to engine guard.
Needless to say I have a lot of pain. But for the first time in ten years I am sleeping for more than 4 hours at a time. Gotta look at the up side. Drugs have their porpoise. :-)
.....so......My jet pack strapped in place I squeezed the throttle and "up up and away"! But suddenly things went wrong......oh, wait a minute.....that was one of my morphine induced dreams. Delete! Delete!
I've lost a few seconds of footage from the scene of the accident but from what I can remember and what the skid marks tell us, those few seconds can be recaptured and related as factual fiction.
We pulled back onto Frontage Rd after looking at a Mercedes convertible that was for sale on a lot. Just as I was entering my lane I saw a motorcycle that was packed for a trip. I took a second glance at it and when I looked back all the cars ahead of me were stopped at the intersection. I slammed on both brakes but just knew that I was going to hit Mike so I dodged to the side as I released the brakes. Not enough room. My front wheel caused the bike to flip and according to the bruises it landed on me and the windshield broke off against my clavicle. The next thing i remember was trying to breath and faces telling me to lie down. Although one face was giving me shit for using my back brake. He kept rerpeating it although he wanted it to be the last thing I remembered as I died. I think what kept me alive was the urge to punch him in his know-it-all face. I have the satisfaction of knowing that even the police officer said I did the right thing. However I broke my personal rule of "focus focus focus".
All my wounds are on my right side. Besides a small scratch on my elbow this is the only skin abrasion I have. However!!
I am rich with colour. I have always loved colour. Now I don't have to get that tattoo I was thinking about. I also broke 6 ribs and my clavicle, so my right arm is in a sling.
Thankyou to all my precious friends for the encouraging emails, phone calls and flowers!!! Hmmmm, makes it all kind of worth it. LOL
Do you think that Helen and Ken are trying to tell me something here?
Whenever someone purchases a motorcycle words of wisdom weave themselves into the ears of the buyer, threaded by the most well intentioned people. Usually these people are the new motorcycle owners closest friends. These words range from excitement to negative predictions. Below is a photo totally unrelated to the topic of this paragraph.
However this is a little of how I felt when I bought my Suzuki V-Strom.
Since I earned my licence to ride 40 years ago I have been accident free. I knew that this did not give me immunity to accidents or injury from objects I might hit if one did occur. I recognized the danger of over confidence. When riding a motorcycle the word "focus" is key to a good safety record.
On Monday, the 25th of March, I lost my focus....for just 2 seconds. I found myself in a hospital bed in Yuma instead of my sergeant seat on my V-Strom.
As my head spins with the effect of opiates and anti-inflamatories I lay my hands on my keyboard to spin you the story of how it all happened. But instead I just pause and.....grin. "Manyana" I tell myself.
I've been thinking lately.....I do that sometimes.
I have 2 motorcycles. They have both carried me from Victoria, Canada to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. I enjoyed both rides for equal and varying reasons.
While I can sit longer on the V-Star, I can't complain about the Sargent seat on the V-Strom. The 1300 Yamaha has more power of course but it would not have taken me to San Ignacio Lagoon where I had one of those once in a lifetime experiences.
The above is my bagged out chain on my return from Mexico. I much prefer the shaft driven motorcycle. It's hassle free. Mike's BMW is shaft driven. However I love the way this little 650 takes the corners. On the approach, if the road surprises you with a sharper corner than you expect, you just lay it over abit more and the bike can handle it. I'm sure the Yamaha can handle it too but it startles me when the foot pegs, or platforms, scrape the road. (I have pictures of my V-Star in previous posts from last year.) The point is, that I can't really afford to own and operate two motorcycles and I lay awake at night dreading the thought of selling one of them. Worrah worrah.
I just had new sprockets and a chain put on Sunna, cleaned and waxed her up good. I feel better on top of her now. She runs like roadrunner in the desert. But the point is...dirty or clean....I love her!
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