Westbound Dreams, Unexpected Turns
On the second day riding, I had a silly accident. I was riding around a berm and took the turn wrong, losing control. I flipped over the front of the bike while my left ankle was pinned under the bike. This twisted my ankle 180 degrees, snapping the tibula, fibula and tearing a ligament. The adrenaline kicked in immediately, and the pain was not too intense at first. I stood up and raised my arm to make sure any oncoming riders would see me. There was a group of riders nearby that were kind enough to ride my bike back to the parking lot. They had a side-by-side they let me sit in and gave me a ride back to the staging area. By the time all linked at the parking lot and loaded the bike, my ankle had inflated to the size of a softball. Signs of bruising had already begun and the pain was increasing every minute. Dave set the GPS to the nearest hospital and they took care of me.
The hospital in Eagle Mountain, Intermountain Health, was very impressive with their speedy patient processing time. I filled out a few papers and within ten minutes I was in a room prepping for xrays.
Surgery Required
I sat around with the broken ankle for two weeks waiting for my scheduled surgery. I had contacted several places trying to get an earlier appointment. The earliest was 40 minutes away from where I was staying and two weeks from the date of the injury. So what was I going to do for two weeks with a shattered ankle? I had no choice but to wait. I did have a nice solid boot for stabilization, a bottle of pain killers, and a brother-in-law that was very helpful in bringing me to the pharmacy and grocery store. With all that, the adventure was still able to continue...just not on a bike.
The Adventure Continued...
My brother Dave was a fantastic tour guide for Utah. Since we were unable to ride bikes together, he took me into the mountains off-roading in his truck. I happen to be in Utah at the peak of autumn, so every direction I looked was a sea of colorful treetops.
STUNNING MOUNTAIN VIEWS!
A Successful Surgery
The surgery went well and as expected. Dr. Joos in Provo, Utah did a fantastic job installing my new ankle hardware. It required 8 screws to hold the titanium plate to my ankle, and two anchors to hold together the ligament. Fortunately for me I was able to receive a nerve blocker injection prior to the surgery. I had my tonsils removed in 2016 and forgot that was a surgery. With the anesthesia I don't remember anything, and it was over in the blink of an eye. The nerve block helped with the pain afterwards and my leg was entirely numb for about two week later. The pain really set in once the nerve blocker subsided, which happened rapidly after that two week mark.
Where To Next?
The temperature started to drop in Utah, and with the ankle in recovery I was craving warmer weather. I mounted the bike back on the motorcycle carrier, loaded up the RV, and made my way south towards Las Vegas. The drive from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas was an easy one. Some steeper hills towards the southern part of the state into Nevada. It was a beautiful ride and the weather certainly was warmer upon arrival.
Stay tuned for more updates of my travels!