Epic 20 Year Anniversary Trip...Big Bend National Park...September 1 (Day 7)

(Kim’s Perspective)

Today was, um, fun…ish.  We made plans to ride today since we were post-Emory Peak hike.  Basically, I didn’t want to jeopardize not being able to hike Emory Peak due to a potentially nasty riding calamity which would result in an injury that would prevent me from hiking.  That seems a bit fatalistic and twisted, but I know my limitations and crashing is just part of my riding now.  My fatalism has been crafted and honed from realistic experiences, it’s not made up. :)

We had a leisurely morning and rode to Panther Junction to drop off our trash and chat with the Rangers about the road conditions.  We decided to play it safe (aka avoid the seriously nasty stuff that was expected on River Road) and stick to riding the Old Ore Road.  We left the Visitor Center and headed east.  The sun was hot and cooking us in our dark gear, but the breeze through our mesh dirt armor kept it bearable.  We turned left on Old Ore Road and headed north.  The road was in decent shape and wasn’t as challenging as I expected.  There were some sandy spots here and there (grrr, I hate sand!) but for the most part, it was loose gravel and rocks - nothing I’m not used to riding.  We stopped every so often to hydrate (did I mention it was a bit warm today??) and snap a few pictures.

It was just downright unpleasant to stop for more than a few minutes.  Cloud cover provided moments of shade, but the clouds were moving at a pretty good clip and it created a strobe effect.  Sun, clouds, sun, clouds, sun, clouds.  There was a direct correlation between the weather pattern and my mood - hot and grumpy, cool and happy, hot and grumpy, cool and happy, hot and grumpy, cool and happy.  An hour or so into the ride, I had to pee but the idea of struggling to get in and out of my gear in the sweltering heat and scorching sun didn't appeal to me.  The idea of getting bit or stung on the butt by a snake, scorpion, or spider or losing my balance and falling bare butt into a cactus was even less appealing....so I held it....which only slightly exacerbated and extended the periods of hot and grumpy mood.

The landscape was interesting, but the road condition was just rough enough that I couldn't allow myself to focus too long on the surrounding desert.  Bill and I both experienced a few occasions of front end wash as we encountered deep sand, but with some quick reactions and a few tap downs, we were able to stay upright.  For the majority of the day, I trailed behind Bill while he used the GoPro to capture the ride.  On one particular stretch, he got caught up in some sand and rocks that required a quick save so I passed him on the left and stayed up front for a bit.  The road surface changed from sandy to rocky and I began to relax and get in the groove.  I was up on the pegs, happy with the breeze and smiling as I processed the fact I was two thousand miles from home riding in one of the most amazing national parks I've ever seen.  I paced up a bit and carefully assessed and picked my lines as I veered back and forth to avoid the occasional obstacle.  I wasn't out there to challenge myself - this is not the place to take stupid risks - and despite Bill's assumption that I was getting too big for my britches and showing off a bit, I was doing nothing of the kind - I was just enjoying the ride.  My enjoyment was short lived.  As I approached a section of rock in the middle of the road, I picked a path to the left which appeared to gently slope down and around the rocks that were gathered in the center of the road.  What's that they say about appearances being deceiving?  Indeed.  As I got closer, I recognized my error but didn't have time to swerve.  From this distance, you can't really make it out....

 ...but as you get closer, you begin to see the mishmash of large, loose rocks strewn everywhere...

 ...and though I was out of the saddle and allowing the suspension to do its job, it did nothing to save me when my front tire hit a large rock that washed the front end out from under me....rapidly.

 I made a vain attempt at saving it by slamming my right foot down, but I was already tipped over too far and there was no recovering it at that point.  So, I landed in this....

Ow.  I got my bell rung as I crashed down on my right side and hit my foot, knee, hip, shoulder, and finally head.  Bill caught the whole thing on video - which is pretty funny to watch.  Bill came to a stop and started rambling on how I scared years off his life, blah, blah, blah.  I just sat there and looked around.  Those Sylvester and Tweety cartoons where they get whacked on the head and see stars?  Yep, I kind of felt like that.  Bill righted my bike while the circling stars slowly faded.  After a few moments to gather my wits, I got up and went right for the mirror - I was dreading the rash I just knew I had on my brand new Arai.  That's all I could think about.  Bike is fine, I'm not broken, but man I just dropped serious coin on this helmet and now it's trashed.  GRRRR!!!   Except, it wasn't.  I hit pretty hard, but amazingly enough, the helmet took the hit on the faceshield mounting cover on the side of the helmet.  WOOOHOOOOO!!  I was pretty happy I wasn't jacked up, but I was thrilled my helmet wasn't ruined.  :)  Sweet!

After a few minutes sipping water and downing a bunch of ibuprofen to ward off the massive headache I was getting, we geared back up and finished the ride.  We headed back to the camper to check on Lane and let him out for a few minutes to stretch his paws.

We decided to celebrate my survival by riding to the lodge for a late lunch/early dinner.  Dinner was yummy but since we were on the bikes, we didn't linger long.  Storms were rolling in and the temperature was dropping.  On the ride back, we saw a bear with two cubs on the hillside.  We pulled onto the shoulder and watched for a while.  A guy on a Multistrada slowed as I pointed up the hill at the bears.  He veered off the road, pulled in behind us, and we chatted a bit.  He's been coming to Big Bend for years and years and this is the first time he's ever seen a bear here.  He thanked me for pointing her out.  It made me chuckle - the things we take for granted.  We said our goodbyes and headed back to the camper.  We peeled out of our gear and went for a walk as we watched the storms in the distance. 

PHOTO FAIL

The rain eventually made its way over to us so we yanked out the awning and sat in our camp chairs and watched the storm roll by.  We discussed our plans for the next day, did a little mapping, and watched the sun sink below the horizon.  It was a good way to wrap up the day.  Considering the potential for serious unpleasantness, I was grateful I wasn't hurt (aside from my curiously bruised and sore fourth toe), my bike was no worse for wear, and my helmet was still looking shiny and sparkly new.  Okay, new-ish.  While not the highlight of my time spent here so far, it was still a pretty good day.  :)