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I went to the doctor today with my fingers crossed. I’ve been going to physical therapy and have been diligent about doing my exersises for my shoulder. He looked at my scar and my x-rays and said “you can go on a bike ride and I’ll see you in 3 months.” He didn’t know how close I came to giving him a hug and a kiss. I came home, promptly put on my bike clothes and new helmet, pumped up my tires, grabbed Robert and we went for a ride. It felt great, I wasn’t even nervous until Robert got close to me and then I had visions of flying over the handlebar . It will be awhile before I’ll be drafting. The Dr.’s final advice to me was “Be Careful!” Believe me, I’m taking that advice.
Fall is creeping up on me and I’m still stuck in summer mode. Maybe it is because the weather has been very un-fall like or maybe it is because I wish it to remain summer until my collar bone is completely healed. I’m anxious to get back on my bike and take just one more ride before the weather turns cold. I’m so jealous of Robert, out riding around without me.
On the good news front I am out of my sling! I started physical therapy which I shall rename personal torture. Wow! After 7 weeks in a sling my arm cannot move and it hurts to move it as much as having surgery. How can that be? I just read an article about Lance Armstrong and 8 days after surgery for his fractured clavicle he was riding his bike. Yes I know, I have been reminded by my Doctor that I’m not Lance Armstrong!
Robert has been painting as well as riding his bike. I will post his new work as soon as I figure out how to use his new camera. He just got this great Canon rebel xsi, but now I need to take a class just to figure out to download the images.
Our waiting spot
Saturday Robert and I went up Little Cottonwood Canyon to watch stage 5 of the ‘Tour of Utah’ bike race. We positioned ourselves less than a mile from the finish. We were wondering if the racers would come by in a pack or if they would be coming one by one. It was a beautiful day. The forecast was for 100 degrees in the valley, but at 8400 feet it was only in the 80’s. Well, I should say that it was a beautiful day for us. We were next to a mountain stream, standing in the shade. The riders were out in the sun, riding on the hot asphalt. The first riders to come by were the 1000 warriors, the citizen riders who were doing it just for fun. It didn’t look like fun. They were at the end of 90 grueling, hot miles and they looked like it. One rider stopped, laid his bike down, took off his shoes and socks and put his feet in the cool water. “Just what I needed” he said as he hopped back on his bike and headed for the finish. After an hour the mood began to change. First to come by were the motocycle policeman, blocking the road to protect the riders. Then the sponsor cars, team cars and media cars. Right behind the last media car was the first racer. He was booking it! Making a 9% grade look easy. The guy in the media car shouted out his name, Alex Howes, and he was going to win this stage. He was at least 30 seconds ahead of the rest of the riders. One at a time number two, three and four went by. Then the support cars came by covered with logos and topped with high dollar bikes, followed by more riders and more support cars. We cheered for each rider. They were close enough to reach out and touch. Bike racers are amazing athletes.
Alex Howes, leader
One week out and I’m almost ready to say I can see light at the end of the tunnel. Almost. Wow, surgery, who really wants to have cosmetic surgery? No face lifts, eyes, chins, tummy tucks etc. for me. I’m too much of a wimp. Come on and do people really love the high they get from pain meds? Ick, that’s how I felt. But now it is over and I can get better! Hurray! I also have some great photos of my new titanium clavicle. The plus side to all this is Robert actually finished a painting and hung some new blinds while he was home taking care of me. I must have been an easy patient. I can feel my mood changing from being grateful for all his help to impatience. I’m on the verge of becoming a not so easy patient. He is glad he is heading to the Wind Rivers in Wyoming next week on a back packing trip. I’m ready for my independence back and for all this to be over and done so I can get back on my bike. As for back on my bike….?
Titanium plate
Robert and I have had a little extra time this week to bike ride. It’s work for Robert because he is searching for subject material, but I’m just along for the ride. With all the rain we’ve had, everything is green and beautiful. We’ve done “Francis, Woodland, Wolf Creek Pass” and then “Coalville, Echo, Henefer, East Canyon.” It felt like a mini vacation.
Bike Ride
There is a big hill on the way to the elementary school. At the first sign of warm weather the bikes and scooters come out of winter storage. On the first nice day of spring a group of 8 boys rode their bikes to school. When they got to the hill they all had to get off and push. The next warm day the group had lost several riders. The 6 who were left still had to push. We have had a few warm days now and the group is down to 3 who ride their bikes every day. The last several days the boys have been able to ride all the way up the hill without stopping. I asked the first boy up the hill today where all the other guys were. He said they didn’t like pushing their bikes up the hill so their moms were giving them rides to school. He and I agreed that even though it was hard work it was getting easier and the payoff of getting to go down the hill FAST was worth the effort. That is how I feel about down hills on my bike. I love them, I love going fast. It IS worth the effort.
I went for a bike ride with Robert yesterday and it was one of those days when there were only uphills. That is the way it felt to me. It wasn’t a long ride (22 miles) and we did the mostly flat route downtown but it felt hard. I thought we had a headwind heading downtown and then we turned around to head south and there was the wind pushing into me. Arghhh. Why is it that some days feel so easy and to borrow a phrase from Lance Armstrong a “no chain day” and then on the very same route a few days or weeks later it can feel so hard. If you know the answer to that question please let me know…
If I spend too much time listening to the news or reading the paper I start to doubt that there is any “goodness” left in the world. Just as I’m starting to lose hope in humanity, someone will come along and do a small kindness that changes my perspective. Last week Robert and I were out on a bike ride. It was a day that started chilly, but soon I was too warm for my jacket. I took it off and tied it around my waist. We were only a mile from home when I felt the jacket slip away. I looked back to see it on the ground and at the same time I heard a car horn honk. The driver of a car going in the opposite direction had seen my jacket fall off and honked to let me know it had fallen. But then he went one step farther. He turned around at the same time I turned around. I could see that he was going to get my jacket for me. What a kind and thoughtful thing to do. He could have driven on, but he took an extra minute to help me out. I don’t know if I would have done the same thing. I probably would have thought to myself “Ah oh, someone just lost a jacket, that is too bad” and driven on. Now because of his simple act of kindness, I will be more aware of a way that I can pay it forward.
It felt GOOD to get out on the bike this week. We’ve had Spring-like days with highs in the 50’s, which is the perfect temperature to ride at this time of year. Today we celebrated the end of February with a nice 31 mile loop. I LOVE my bike and my new wheelset. Now I’ve got to get busy making brochures and odd and end things for “Art and Soup” which is coming up soon. Robert is framing his latest 3 paintings and Sam and his friends are raising the roof playing “Rock Band.”
Snow and bike riding do not go together. And right now it is snowing like crazy. I am not like Jill in the AK, I don’t like riding through slush, so it is indoor spinning for me. Which is not nearly as fun as riding outside. The upside to snow is that it is beautiful. Robert loves the contrast of deep blue shadows against the white white snow. Check out the website, there are lots of snow paintings in the archives.
Tip of the day: Don’t eat yellow snow!
