Opened up, fixed, then closed up

This AM at 6:45 I walked in light rain from overnight parking spot wearing a rain parka with my sweat pants protected to the emergency  room entrance of the ST Lukes hospital for my date with a fixer team for left inguinal hernia repair. An ID band was created and then attached to my left wrist now bare of any jewelry, I took the elevator to the second floor then taking a seat in an open waiting room. Shortly a nurse emerged and called my name. Fun attention. She is just a few years younger than me, she and her husband just sold their Airstream trailer and bought a van. Big enjoyment difference she said. She rides her bike from Hailey to the hospital and back as a zen commute. She used a valve detector on my right arm to find an open good stick site. Once in the medical plumbing gets attached. My nerves were on placid. At present the worst I would feel  was the IV needle. The rest would be sedated and pain blocked. Pain might emerge after IV pain med wore off. DR visited, he said piece of cake: simple fast fix: make incision, separate facial, place a mesh gapping the separation, the sealing edges together. Next I remember I was back in original room with the same pre-op nurse. DR visited, said piece of cake and I be good. Follow up appointment next Tues. Final exit function was a bladder empty, if I peed I was ready to leave. AH, relief as I was hydrated by the IV. I stood up in balance. I was given a ride back to my van by a volunteer, a past ER DR who retired, in a wheel chair. My plan was to stay in my van letting the meds metabolize from my body. Pharmacy in Hailey called telling me they had the lovenox script filled. Time passed as my body cleansed to where I was just sort of groggy then drove off. Picked up med which is a one use injection. The drove to Steve’s for recuperation. Sat in the sun reading River Horse. Provides a model for my writing.

Monday dumped several hard T storms. No riding

Tues Steve’s ride plan was out of Adams Gulch just N of Ketchum. Potholes and mud puddles access road to almost overflowing parking lot. I passed a mtn biker going the same way. Steve pulled in just ahead of me. Shortly that rider pedaled to my door. He said HI and reintroduced himself: Kirk, a local photographer. We rode together up Fischer Creek. I remembered him by name. The 3 of us pedaled out Adams Gulch trail. In a short while Steve’s bike expressed a grind sound. We traced it to his bottom bracket. Steve said he won’t ride it as such. He turned around then drove into Ketchum to Sturdo for fixing. Kirk and I continued on same route Steve had lead me on before. Climbing. Kirk lead. He is 62, I’m 68, he lives at this elevation, I am working on higher elevation. He might of pedaled longer that I did before each hiking a bike. My breathing appeared to be comparable to another rider close to me age.

6.77 miles climbing 1328′ (196’/mile). Short ride but long on surmounting gravity. I went first on downhill. Lower the seat, load almost all weight on feet, look ahead, bend elbows which puts weight on front wheel which makes the tire to bite giving traction, then carving. Just smokes.

again

Steve texted his repair success from shop cleaning up bottom bracket of grit from wet rides.

I putzed around passing time till hospital parking lot. Visited at PKs with Zack. Accepted his offer for a beer.

Yesterday at Steve’s he shoveled manure into his turd hearse then pulled it behind his truck spraying a pasture.

Steve’s

Attempting pain management on cannabis edibles and not prescribed percocets. So far pain tolerable but hitting correct keys is impaired.

Appreciate how hospital worked with my situation, permission to sleep in the parking lot, then allowing me to keep my keys and leave driving myself in less than 24hr wait time. I did not abuse the privilege.

I have ridden at so many places on different geology flora and fauna. So many some drop dead georgeous. Newness, different. exotic. Spending almost 5 months in desert environment with its bare rock, towering buttes, slick rock, short trees, no water drought. full sunshine; picture coming into focus? Now, riding in conditions almost opposite for desert. Stunning as these pics capture. Next best place to ride. Here the routes go up gulches both sides of highway but biking only on the west side, lots of miles driving to rides. $3.54 / gallon diesel.