Yesterday, which was Christmas, we went back out to Fantasy Island. It started off well, it was a beautiful day. Here we are sitting under the branches of a Palo Verde tree. Its bark is green and is capable of carrying on photosynthesis when the tree has dropped its leaves. We were happy at that point, with no hint of the troubles ahead.
Mountain biking is a fickle sport. One minute you're having fun, the next minute you're not. Jim is no longer enjoying his ride. We're not exactly sure what happened, he was up and then he was in the dirt. As I have noted before, after picking myself up out of the dirt in Bend, it's difficult to learn from one's errors on a mountain bike because it happens so fast. This was the secondary point of impact.
This was the primary point. Interestingly enough, there was very little damage to his bike shorts. That's good, shorts are expensive.
So that was yesterday. Last night was pretty low key, Jim's hip really hurt. Today, however, was much better than anticipated.
Three pairs of shoes came today. One was ruled out immediately. These two are still in the pool for being kept. I'm hoping the hiking shoes will work out. My current pair is from 2008, and is reaching end of life. These are from Patagonia and have a very stiff sole which is good for the local rocks. Annnnnd, they are not Gortex.
Jim is
spatchcocking a game hen here. We were going to do them last night, but the little buggers were still frozen, and neither one of us were really in the mood for an elaborate dinner. They are now Boxing Day dinner.
That's what's happening here. Here's hoping you have power if you're where it's cold.
Poor Jim! Luckily it looks pretty superficial (though I'm sure it didn't feel that way at the time!).
ReplyDeleteSpatchcocking...my new word for the day...thanks! Those birds looked delicious, I'll have to try that some time.
Hope Jim is healing quickly. We've done two really fun rides here at McDowell Mt the past couple days. The more I ride, the more confidence I have, which translates to riding faster. There is always that lurking feeling telling me to slow down or this may not end well. Like you say, sometimes you just go down and have no idea what happened. But we'll keep going out there, as I'm sure you will, too!
ReplyDeleteSame hiking shoes since 2008! My husband gets a little over a year out of his. I'm not sure how much time I'll get out of mine when I wear them more than on "trips" but I only get about 300 miles out of my running shoes before I need new ones. They still look good, they just don't provide the same support to prevent injury. I went with the Merrell Moab this last time for hikers, I started needed a mid height hiker instead of a low and they seem great.
ReplyDeleteOuch! Not fun! I have two knees and a foot that match that elbow. Darn bikes!
ReplyDeleteHope the new shoes work.