Tree Bruise

At Julie's insistance I am posting the aftermath of the fall... of course this bruise is past its prime, since the picture is Friday and the crash was on Monday night. You get the idea right? The tree I hit must be much more bruised than me. I think I heard it crying.

Actually, in terms of bruises from biking this is not my worst. I had one back in March on the right side of my butt. It was really nasty. It had that dark purple "pooled-blood" look to it. Fun stuff. That was when I was going a bit too fast on a down hill and hit my left handlebar on a small tree. It sent me for a very fast forward fall on my right side. I never clipped out of my pedals on that one, so my bike ended up on top of me and I was in the middle of the trail. I also broke my seat when that happened. The metal base separated from the padded saddle part... no remedy but a new seat.


Thank goodness for helmets.

I got Shot in the Buttock

So, if you need steroids you need them in the backside. I had to flash a nurse to get them, but she was gentle. I'm going to pump some serious iron this week, just because I can.


I discovered a wonderful new fact: you don't need a referral to go to the dermatologist, even in my HMO... such good news for people with see-through skin like me. All those skin-cancer checks and poison ivy steroid shots are just a phone call away.

P.I. Update

After a mere 36 hours the PI is taking over my skin.

My upper lip and chin on the right sides are swolen and blistery. Julie can't wait to get home to see the damage. Especially now that the advice from the doctor is to put cooked, cooled oatmeal all over the rash... mmmmmm oatmeal face!!

Historically speaking PI takes several days on me to fully erupt. This is a new speed record for PI. I think the plant/vine cut my lip, making it enter my skin almost immediately... who knows, maybe the rest of my body will break out over the next few days. I will make a good swamp thing look-alike (or perhaps an everyday toad?) when that happens.

P.I. !!!! (not magnum)

P.I. Poison Ivy.... I've got it.

Last night, while mountain biking with Mr. Vit-one, I came across a downhill which we've done before... but someone had put a log across it. So, we decided to approach this hill from a new perspective, we took the drop followed by the sharp left turn. Nick went first and cleared the hill handily, so I followed thinking I would make a graceful exit from this minor technical challenge. Sadly, things did not go as smoothly as expected. I hit the drop and promptly planted my front wheel in the dirt. The physics are pretty easy to see, stopped front wheel, forward momentum, back wheel that is elevated.... all equals biker going head first over the bike and into the tree in the sharp left turn. Luckily (or skillfully) I avoided the tree with my face, but got some nice bruises and scrapes on my left forearm and shoulder. The unlucky part is the P.I. which broke my fall. I landed face first in a huge patch of poison ivy!!! YAY!!!!! I went to Nick's place to shower with his Burt's Bees anti-Ivy soap, but alas, when I look at the stuff I break out. I am now developing some big red bumps on my chin and jaw. It itches like hell. I even used Technu anti-Ivy cream.

The first thing I said upon landing was to yell to Nick... not that I was fine, but to ask, "Did you see that?!?!?!" I think it must have looked really cool. I had a little trouble standing up from the odd contorsionist position I found myself in, but I made it to standing and determined that nothing was broken. He looked a little worried.

Damn PI, I don't know if I even need to touch the stuff, much less fall into it. I think if I stand down wind from PI it will find me. How I wish it was merely Magnum PI who broke my fall, that would be a much better story (though he might have been surprised to have a biker land on him in the middle of the woods).

My Wife Julie

It has been pointed out that Julie infrequently appears in this blog..... so, here she is in Nevis. We were there in April and had a lovely time.