Ottawa, IL — packed and homebound
Spent a pretty restless night but woke up at my usual 4:30 am (Sylvia slept on), so immediately got on the phone with Travel Guard to work out getting me to O’Hare. They engaged a limo service. The limo will come for me at noon. Packed up my things, with the gang’s help, and then we all walked to a nearby P.O. so that I could mail home some things that weighed a bit and that I didn’t want to stuff into the BOB bag and check on the plane.
I am in a limo at the mo, being driven from Ottawa to O'Hare in Chicago. Limo driver appears to be on loan from a James Bond movie—black suit, white shirt, shaved head, slavic accent. All he needs is a bowler. I am feeling uncomfortably pampered, but also fortunate that Travel Guard is handling all of the details.
I have a direct flight home, and Lucy will be there waiting for me when I arrive at about 7 pm. She will spend tomorrow with me, too, and then go back to work. A neighbor and Audubon friend, Les Imboden, will pick me up at the Tulsa airport and drive me home. All this because Jeff is in California visiting Jessica, and I do not expect or want him to fly home for such a minor break.
HOME: Plane was an hour delayed but got to Tulsa about 6:30 pm and home about 7:30 pm. Lucy made me a fabulous salad of greens, peach slices, blueberries, walnuts, etc. and I had a bowl of tomato soup. Then it was a shower and bed.
My left side is one big, swollen bruise—knee, hip, ribs, shoulder, even my neck and left forehead. Looks like I’ve been in a car wreck rather than fallen from my bike to a dirt trail. I suppose if I were younger and not on blood thinners the bruise bit would be minimal.
Thank you Kevin, Tim, Bill, and Sylvia for knowing how to summon help, for getting me off the trail, and for helping with my paperwork at the hospital—to say nothing of getting me packed and off. I will miss you guys and I am BUMMED that my ride ended prematurely.
[I wrote that last for the general public. Yes I was bummed that my ride ended prematurely, but I was planning on leaving the group in Ottawa anyway . . . but on my bike, certainly, not in an ambulance!]
I still plan on driving to VT to visit my bro for his birthday and visit old haunts so will maybe be able to SAG for you guys a bit in the Adirondacks, Greens, and Whites.
Keep me posted re your daily rides. Hope your weather is better than ours. Big rain storms last night and the night before. It is raining now, and I am sitting in bed enjoying morning coffee again. Yahoo!
It's hard to believe that tomorrow I won't wake up, strike the tent, load BOB, and try to make another 70 miles before dark. After weighing in, I discover that I've lost 8 pounds on this ride; I wonder how long that will stay off. Not long, I suppose, if my appetite continues to be ramped up and I cannot exercise much.
Tue, August 4
Stillwater — Diane still strugglingI called Diane today. She is in a worse condition than I had been led to believe. Very slow, slurred speech, walking with a walker and in a wheelchair some of the time because she has no balance. It is taking her brain quite a time to recover. She told me that someone threw away her cracked and bloody helmet, which is a shame as she had a keepsake necklace of her mother's in it. Also the jerks who were supporting her did not ship her bike and equipment home, so now Ron Dodd, Bill's friend who shipped mine, is faced with doing it. Understand that John, her contact, was only a few miles from where the accident occurred and could easily have picked up her stuff.
I have decided to continue via a road trip east. I plan on visiting my cousin John in VA, my friend Florence in PA, my brother Peter in VT, and my cousin Hansi in St Catharine’s, Ontario, Canada, as well as help the remaining C2C members by lugging their gear over the Green and White Mountains of Vermont and new Hampshire.
Here's my rough itinerary/schedule.
- Mon Aug 10—Stillwater to Jackson, TN (Microtel? Hampton Inn?)
- Tue, Aug 11-13—Jackson to cousin John & Pat in Rural Retreat, VA
- Fr, Aug 14-16—Rural Retreat to friend Florence Wass in Warrington, PA
- Sun Aug 16—Warrington to brother Peter & Sonja’s in Vermont
- Wed, Aug 18-21—Help get the group past Bread Loaf and over the Green & White Mountains
- Fri , Aug 21—Return to P & S
- Sat Aug 22—Celebrate Peter’s 69th Birthday
- Sun, Aug 23—Head for cousin Hansi's in St Catherines, ONT CAN and an open-ended visit
Wed, Aug 5
Stillwater — GET Together with girlfriendsSue Jones and Marsha Sneed (two friends from my days with the OK Vo-Tech) brought me a Panera sandwich today. We had a fun lunch together and caught up on all the gossip: Sue's daughter, Tana, married a Stillwater guy in Las Vegas. The pix are lovely. Marsha's daughter, Autry, has recovered from her auto accident. Marcha's son, Clint, is passing a kidney stone. The girlfriends were here from noon until 5 pm. I showed them the pix of the summer C2C ride and of the spring Green River canoe trip.
Thur, Aug 6
Stillwater — Stitches outDr Oltmanns removed the stitches from my arm today, or I should say his nurse Karen did. He is just back in practice after suffering spinal compression and partial paralysis in a boogie-boarding accident two months ago in Hawaii. He gave up his cane yesterday, but was still not adept enough today to remove the stitches, so Karen did it. His one hand is still a bit curled and he walks stiffly like a drunk. He is trying to get me an appointment with an orthopedic physician.
I renewed my car registration ($92) and received one of the new OK license plates with the capitol Indian on it. I must keep this in the car because the plate I use is an ODWC plate and completely separate from the regular tag. It costs me $40 a year to use my BZZYB—scissor-tailed flycatcher plate.
Friday Aug 7
Stillwater — visit to orthopedic physician
Went to orthopedic physician; he says all is healing fine. Expecting Spaniard, Miguel Gamarra to arrive for a Warm Showers overnight 6 p.m. He came on the dot, and we had a fine pasta meal and conversation. He will ride to OKC tomorrow to a friend’s house and then will try to renew his visa by crossing into Mexico for a few days. He’s a truck driver in Spain but has lived in England for the past two years learning English for this big bike ride. Stillwater — visit to orthopedic physician
I heard from Miguel later. Darn! He had been unsuccessful in getting his VISA renewed, so had to return to Spain. He plans on coming back next March and completing his bicycle trip to California.
Saturday Aug 8
Stillwater — pick up my bicycle at cooper’s
My bicycle arrived and I picked it up at Cooper’s. Brad had reassembled it. I gave BOB back to Chuck. Still need to get the BOB bag back to him. He’s in no hurry as his hip is bothering him and he can’t ride. The joys of aging. Not.Stillwater — pick up my bicycle at cooper’s
Sunday Aug 9
Stillwater—OUR 40TH ANNIVERSARYWell, it looked as though we were to spend our 40th anniversary apart, but my crash brought me home for it. We didn’t do anything exciting. We made our usual run to Tulsa and Whole Foods. In Whole Foods and Utica Square, I shopped for a few things for my road trip east. Jeff bought me a nightgown and I bought a pair of summer p.j.’s. Then we celebrated our anniversary with a meal out. Hard to think we’ve weathered 40 years together.
Mon Aug 10
Jackson, TN —1st day on the road eastStayed in LaQuinta. Driving one armed is a bit tiring but not too bad.
