My Bike Adventures in Oregon (+MS150 Wrap-Up & Bike Accident Pics)

Howdy!
A quick blog including photos of my summer bike rides, a pic of my nasty bike accident and my healed knee, as well as a concluding update on my 2010 MS150 bike ride.

This year I pedaled 86 miles to fundraise for the local Multiple Sclerosis Society.  You helped me raise $1,345, giving me a four year total of over $12,500!

Why do I do it?  My friends have MS.  They're normal people - a friend from high school, a mentor at church, my gynecologist, and a former boyfriend.  You probably have friends with MS as well.

I only wonder what or who created this path.  (East of Salem, OR)

I rode with hundreds of friends through the Willamette Valley and the Columbia Gorge.  We camped in Mt. Hood Community College's soccer field, ate, laughed, and pedaled our bikes a long way.


The MS 150 was challenging, to state concisely.  It was also fun, exhilarating, gorgeous, and a great time to be with fellow CouchSurfers. I am grateful that my fibromyalgia did not flare up and I was able to complete the ride with the aches and pains of any average out-of-shape person riding 86 miles.  (ouch.)

The best part:  riding down the curvy Historic Colombia River Highway at 33 mph while enjoying the woods.  The other best part:  You helped me raise $1,345 for local people suffering from multiple sclerosis.  Thanks so much.  I'll hit you up again in 2011 :)

2010 medal.  I'm a winner, too!  :)

I trained with a Canadian archeologist Simon, a Latin DJ Beto, a great friend from church Jordan (Brubaker), Salem's bike club, and my old friend the BMX rider Chris.  I clocked just over 100 miles, which is not nearly enough to consider myself in shape for this ride.

We biked through strawberry, poppy, wheat, and bean fields, to Mac's in Silverton and played a game of pool, in pouring down rain, dark of night, and intense sun, to my Mom's and to friends' houses, to Scio and Mt. Angel, past old red barns and country homes, and have enjoyed the succulent smells and intense sunset views of the Willamette countryside.  I am blessed indeed.

Throughout, I've relished in my Oregon experience and treasured my friends.  I always walk a bit funny after each ride.


Recently:  I crashed my bike.  On a flat road, biking really slow (thank God!)  I wasn't holding the handlebars and twisted my body hard right.  The bike followed.  And my wound is healing nicely.

My knee six weeks after the fact

Warning:  Graphic Photos of my bike wounds below.  ----------------------------------------

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It took me an hour just to pedal back to my car to return home.  Much of the blood had dried and caked by then.

It hurt.  REALLY bad.  

I cleaned out the wound with my BMX bike friend, and then finished the minor gunk with my mom the next day.

 

Wound, day 2.  The worst injury is a deep gash in the wound beneath my knee.  

Red, but healing nicely.

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