LaSalle-Ottawa, IL
Hi All—
It's been a day fraught with accidents.
When we got to La Salle we stopped in the tourist bureau there, got directions to the trailhead, and grabbed a bite to eat
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| Visitor Information Center |
After this, we rode to the trailhead where all waited for me while I pedaled down the street to find a restroom. I was not feeling well and had a crampy, upset stomach. We all finally got off at my return. The trail was dirt but was in quite good condition . . . until we came to a closed section that saw us manhandling our bikes and BOBs past the TRAIL CLOSED sign and down into and out of a washout, and then ferrying them across water, etc. But we emerged from this section unscathed.
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| Bill Upton's completely overloaded bike at the trailhead |
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| Diane and Tim on a pretty section of trail |
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| Kevin talking to a guy at the trailhead, and Bill's bike; Bill has become a hoarder. Note the pipe wrap on Bill's flag standard and rear rack, something he picked up back in Minnesota and just couldn't part with |
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| La Salle grain silos |
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| Kevin, Sylvia, and Tim at the beginning of the I & M Canal trail out of La Salle |
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| Wood Ducks in eclipse plumage among the canal's duckweed |
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| No stinkin' "Trail Closed" sign is going to stop us. . . |
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| Sandy trail |
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| Manhandling the bikes one at a time through the closed section of trail |
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| Bill's bike gets a hand across a bridge in a swamped area |
It was on the next nice section that I fell. I have no recollection of falling because I was knocked unconscious. No one could find anything in or on the trail that caused the fall. It shall long remain a mystery because the concussion I suffered erased that memory. The last I remember was riding along comfortably, keeping Sylvia and Kevin in sight. It may be that I fainted. I am a fainter and wasn't feeling well. Bill, who was riding behind me tells me that my hand just fell from the handlebars and I fell over. All inspected the trail and they could find nothing on it that would have caused the fall.
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| The F.D. had to bring an ATV in to get me off the trail and to the hospital |
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| Looks like I still have my sunglasses on |
Doc’s report says:
· -Left distal clavicle fracture
· -Forearm laceration (actually my elbow)
· -Concussion
· -Acute clavicle strain
My injuries are not the worst of it however. On turning into the hospital parking lot, Diane fell and suffered a serious head injury! I was still in the ER but had been stitched up and released from my neck brace when they told me this. The doc and nurses helped me to Diane’s cubicle where we all said our goodbyes. Diane was conscious but groggy, though she knew our names and seemed to know what was going on. She was life-flighted to Peoria and its larger hospital. Since we are not family, we have not heard of her condition. One of her family is to report to us tomorrow morning.
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| Good-bye Diane |
Bill’s friend, Ron Dodd, lives in Joliet, and he helped us get from the hospital to a pharmacy and a nearby Comfort Inn. Then we all went out to dinner. I was feeling a little woozy and cold but enjoyed the meal with the group.
Ron took my bike and BOB to a Joliet bike shop to be shipped home. Diane’s bike and gear may get home with a friend she stayed with a couple of nights ago. This was NOT the way I planned to quit the group. In an eye blink, the group has been reduced to four: Bill, Kevin, Tim, and Sylvia. These four are emotionally exhausted and will probably stay here for a rest day tomorrow and to see me off.
Before I left Stillwater, I'd purchased Travel Guard Evacuation Insurance in the event of just such an accident. Maybe I was prescient. Travel Guard has booked me a 3:55 pm flight out of Chicago's O’Hare (about 1.5 hours away) tomorrow and will pay for the shuttle or taxi to take me there. Since Jeff is in California visiting Jessica and I have no one to meet me at the airport, they will also pay for a 65-mile taxi ride from the Tulsa airport to my home in Stillwater, but I plan on calling a friend.
It is late and I must try sleeping. More later. E-mail me at Pocketmail or my regular Yahoo mail. The motel has a computer.
Ron took my bike and BOB to a Joliet bike shop to be shipped home. Diane’s bike and gear may get home with a friend she stayed with a couple of nights ago. This was NOT the way I planned to quit the group. In an eye blink, the group has been reduced to four: Bill, Kevin, Tim, and Sylvia. These four are emotionally exhausted and will probably stay here for a rest day tomorrow and to see me off.
Before I left Stillwater, I'd purchased Travel Guard Evacuation Insurance in the event of just such an accident. Maybe I was prescient. Travel Guard has booked me a 3:55 pm flight out of Chicago's O’Hare (about 1.5 hours away) tomorrow and will pay for the shuttle or taxi to take me there. Since Jeff is in California visiting Jessica and I have no one to meet me at the airport, they will also pay for a 65-mile taxi ride from the Tulsa airport to my home in Stillwater, but I plan on calling a friend.
It is late and I must try sleeping. More later. E-mail me at Pocketmail or my regular Yahoo mail. The motel has a computer.
