Thurs was my dentist and ortho DR appointments. Understood. I left camp spot @ Patrick Creek TH on time, lots of extra time. Thurs is my customary laundry day and i needed a shower. I drove away heading towards Spokane. I googled laundromat in Post Falls near Anytime shower. GPS missed the number, I searched and found it several doors away. Either the place moved or the programmers subtracted several numbers. Good. Clean clothes and body. Back on I90 reality hit: Spokane was 22 miles away and that was just downtown, I still needed time to get to the north side. Wouldn’t make it. I called and plead my case. Call next week for another appointment. I still had time to make the Ortho appointment. I wandered around Pill Hill looking for the office and a street parking spot. I know where the office is but seem to forget how to get there. Street side metered parking 3 blocks walk to 5th floor office. On Time. Today is my first claim using Medicare and my Medigap insurance. The front desk was satisfied and I was passed to the inner sanctum. X-rays were taken and sent electronically to the exam room computer. These guys are my body fix it shop after 4 shoulder and 1 knee surgery repairs. My first visit to DR Kody was back in ’90 when I first arrived Spokane. Bob, his PA examined me. Bob used to do more skiing and mountaineering than I did until marriage changed the focus of his life. X-rays were good. However, his gentle manipulation revealed something an MRI would need to suss out. Suspect meniscus tear sim to right knee years ago. Scheduled an MRI for Fri. Score. Been seen and pics taken. Now waiting for report next week.
I drove out to Seven Mile @ Riverside SP for my ride. I now have a yearly park pass allowing me to park inside the park vs poaching an outside the park parking spot. Riverside has literally miles of rolling single track. I know the trails and can put together 30 mile loops. I pedaled away just enjoying how the bike rides the trails. 12 mins into the ride out by 9 mile TH I rolled down and up out of a small radiused ditch, nothing big. My forward looking focus picked up the ditch, the bottom was below my sight line. I rolled into the ditch which compressed my fork, normal. However, what I didn’t pick up was a bigger than a bread box rock embedded in the up wall which I struck w/ the compressed fork, no travel was left which stopped the front wheel. I was pitched forward over the bar dragging the bike w/ me. I landed very hard on my left side from my head down to my ankle. Left side I said, not the once in a lifetime repaired right shoulder. I am bruised and somewhat bloodied. My head still hurts that is less than a concussion. Little fall beat me up. I continued my ride as planned leaking blood from my left forearm, no big deal, it wasn’t squirting. I was just hurting. I washed the blood and sweat off @ an Anytime shower later.
Amazing. Time can take so long to move forward, seems to stand still as I was making my air flight. I made the decision to keep my hands retracted and took the force on my body. I didn’t see the fall coming until I was in the air and was able to reflexively respond.
Today is a healing day.
Dinner last night @ The Elk, my favorite hang out.
Since arriving I have been connecting w/ many friends. Warm greetings. Continually asking how long I will be around. That question will be answered from the MRI.
I founded Fat Tire Trail Riders mtn bike club in Spokane years ago. The first year of our existence we scored an IMBA Trail Care visit, Nat and Rachael. We did a trail reroute around Devil’s Down thru a recent burn and a layer of ST Helen’s ash from 1980 eruption. Mike Brixey was the regional director back then helping on the work. A pic was taken of him sweaty w/ black charcoal mixed on. This pic continues to be used in IMBA campaigns. The trail side vegetation is above head high, the chard snags exists as does the volcanic ash. Below is the start of the reroute.
The park is located literally just downriver from downtown Spokane.
I am dog sitting my former neighbors’ female Labs. I can pet Amie inside as she doesn’t shed, however Peaches looses hair just looking @ her.
My former wheelset is here. Sales plug: I have front and rear 26″ wheel, Chris King hubs, rear is 20mm maxle laced to Stans Arch rims by DT Swiss spokes, all black. Hubs have always been maintained, the wheels are true. The Industry 9 wheels are an improvement and more expensive than the older wheels but they still rock. They are for sale still in the shipping box for $450, just saying.
I screwed up my courage to ask Bob about their medical opinion that my shoulder was a once in a lifetime repair and not in the 6 month healing time. He said the tear was so extensive and so old that DR Kody did what he could stitch fibers together. The fibers are so torn that there is nothing left to work with in the future. It is what it is.
Done for this entry.