Every picture tells a story, or so they say. This picture, then, explains why I haven't posted anything new about riding, and for fear of saying something unintentionally misleading, I haven't posted anything about the accident either, which I hope to avoid here.
Suffice it to say that on the way back from Pennsylvania, after I picked up #4, I got pushed off the Interstate and into a concrete wall that didn't move a fucking bit. No, not even when a Hummer hits it at about 50. Lots of other stuff moves, but not that damn wall.
The good news, and yes there is some good news, is that I had already dropped off Leesa, so she wasn't injured. Equally good was that I was able to walk out of the hospital early the next morning without looking like a commercial for medical devices and dressings. Hurtin' for certain, but walking, and for that I'm extremely grateful.
It's a testament to the construction of a Hummer H3 to have made it out of that one alive. The Hummer is headed for the scrap yard, but it did its job. And let's hear it for the seat belts and airbag! Saved my ass for sure!
And yes, #4 made it out OK too. Tough little fucker.....
Props go out to my daughter who scoured the contact list for anyone that could get down to Virginia and help me out. She never gave up, and eventually got hold of Fred. And props also go out to my daughter-in-law Debbie who kept in constant contact with the hospital, and kept the Patient Services lady in the hospital constantly running around, LOL.
I've gotta toss in a side note about F'n Fred. Yes, the same F'n Fred who makes an occasional cameo appearance in Southern Comfort, and who, when not riding one of his eleventy-three motorcycles, can typically be found in a Hooters Restaurant in Anywhere, USA.
Fred, after hearing about the accident, drove all the way to the Virginia hospital from way out in the Maryland suburbs, and he did this in the wee hours of the morning. When I was finally released, Fred got me out the door and gave me a lift home, but not before stopping in an all-night pharmacy so I could get the Rx's filled. After dropping me off, he drove all the way back to his Maryland home to go back to sleep. But he wasn't done with me yet.
The next day, that F'n Fred shows back up at my place, and off we went go to the towing yard to retrieve my personal belongings from the Hummer. With no help from me (I was in the fucking ozone with pain killers, and doing some serious hurting), the Hummer was completely unloaded, and everything, INCLUDING #4, was loaded into his truck, and then unloaded again at my garage.
I could not have been more thankful and grateful for a Bro like Fred, and when I expressed my gratitude, he just smiled and said, "That's what we do." He's one hell of a guy, and if you don't have a friend like Fred, it's your loss.
F'n Fred on #4.
Fred reports that #4 has a decent low end, but there's a terrible flat spot at high RPMs, maybe due to a governor. He recommends a supercharged, hemi-head, chainsaw engine.
Time passes....
In the past month, I've reluctantly had to just take it easy. Just sitting around was driving me (more) insane, so feeling a little better, I rode Big Blue a Saturday or two ago. I met Angel and Jim, and we all rode out to see Charlie and Linda. Fun day, and it was great to see the leaves changing colors, but that night and the next day reminded me that it was too damn soon after the accident to be back on a bike. The last few miles were like riding with a full-body toothache, and traffic was just fucking awful coming out of the mountains. Come to think of it, it was just fucking awful going in too....
And the Hummer has morphed into a 4Runner. I now know that running around town, in DC rush hour traffic, a Hummer actually gets better gas mileage than a 4Runner! That was sure an awakening! Who woulda thought that? I'm sure the 4Runner will make up for the difference on road trips, or at least that's what I'm hoping.
Don't get me wrong, it's a nice SUV, but is sadly soooo mainstream and civilized, I can barely find the damn thing when I come out of a grocery store. It blends right in with all the rest of the vehicles. I use the remote and wait for the flashing lights to make sure I get in the right truck.
One afternoon, I was outside at the condo talking to two ladies in my neighborhood, and they were asking about the accident. And then they asked about the 4Runner in my parking spot. Julie said "Is THAT yours? Well, at least you still have the Harleys." So I guess there's a message in that. It's not the vehicle peeps would expect me to be driving.....
Life goes on, right? I'm following doctor's orders, which is very hard, and doing all the things I'm told to get all the parts and pieces functioning again. Again, I'm grateful that I wasn't in some cheese box.
And that, friends, is what's been going on. Maybe the picture didn't tell the whole story after all, but if you look on the far right hand side of the picture, near the back of the truck, there's that F'n Fred.
Cowboy
PS Thanks to everyone for checking in on me, and for all the well wishes. I even got flowers from my friends at Thomson Reuters! That was a first. Flowers? For me? Really?
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