That's what Professor Moody preached: CONSTANT VIGILENCE! Most of the time, a slight deviation means nothing. Occasionally, it results in disaster. Like today.
It started off quite well. John and I left his house around 8:15am for the ride to Manor, fifty miles. As we cycled down Jollyville Road, I opined to myself that what I had written the other day was certainly true: I am not averse to riding in traffic, and black P/Us and SUVs take up a lot of space in their lane (put another way, they come closer to my ear than other vehicles, including 18 wheelers). But we were making good time and soon enough got on to the Northern Walnut Creek hike/bike trail. We had a stout headwind, but I was drafting John and was less bothered by it (thanks, John). We traversed over to the Southern Walnut Creek trail and headed toward Manor. We stopped at the light at Daffan and Decker Lane (about mile 20), then started across. While stopped, I noticed a van parked next to the trail on the other side of Decker Lane. There was really no reason for it to be there, since it wasn't a road. As I crossed Decker and entered the trail, I glanced over to see more of the vehicle. That's all it took.
I went head on into the very substantial pole in the middle of the trail. Every beginning of a trail has a pole of some sort to prohibit cars. Every bike rider knows they are there and it is second nature to avoid them. Except when your mind wanders.Thankfully, I had started from a stopped position and wasn't going over 10mph. But I hit it head on, not seeing it until the collision, hard enough to knock it off it's bolts. Jeff advised that this used to be a flexible post that had been lain flat and was replaced with the much more substantial heavy metal one. Take a close look at the bolts. It appears to me that they used too small a nut because when I hit it, the footing came off the bolts. I looked to me as though the footing went over the nuts, but it is possible the installers just set the footing over the nuts and bolts. In any case, I'm glad, I think, that the post gave way rather than being steadfast.
John called Craig, who was twiddling his thumbs at home waiting to get back to riding, to come pick me
up. I alerted Marilane, who would come home to accompany me to the ER. While John and I were waiting, a lady stopped to see if she could help. She was from Iowa and she and John struck up a conversation about RAGBRAI. Meanwhile, I dug out my medical supplies, finding that they were insufficient for my left arm. John had better stuff. She rode off, Craig arrived, John continued his ride, and Craig got me home.I can't say enough good stuff about St. David's ER. Considering the number of people who were near capacity in the seats, it wasn't so bad. First I was triaged.
The PA removed John's bandage and we got to see if it was as bad as I thought when it was covered in blood. Yep! Shot some antiseptic on it and put a proper bandage on, answered all the PA questions and she went over my whole body making sure nothing hurt. Really, nothing hurt. I went back in the waiting room to eventually be called back to get x-rays mainly of my elbow/shoulder area and as a "bonus" because I'm old, a scan of my head. I said several times that I had not hit my head and I had a helmet on. More waiting but then was called back to get my staples. Seventeen. And that's where we are now. I'm about to take a bath, having plastic wrapped by bandage, so I can clean out the odds and end scrapes to both thumbs, left elbow, both knees. I go back in two weeks to have the staples removed. The discharge papers said take three days off, and don't sweat. I plan on casual riding on the trainer in the kitchen.