Bicycles, Bridges, and Blogs... oh my!

Well, summer vacation has reached the end of week one, and I finally managed to get my bike out for a ride. I've been wanting to get it out for several weeks now, but due to time constraints, I was unable to. Then I managed to get completely scorched (I'm talking cooked lobster red) on my arms and chest last week when I was outside all day for the field day activities we had for our students.

So I decided today was the day to get out. I didn't have much planned, and I finally felt like I could stand to be out in the sun without feeling like my arms were boiling.

I went out and decided to check out the local bike trails. I was ready for pretty much anything (or anyone) that might have come along my path. So with my pepper spray in one pocket, and my cell phone in the other, I donned my helmet, grabbed my bike and took off... well, almost. I had to walk my bike up to the corner gas station to put some air in the tires, as both seemed to be pretty flat. But then I was on my way!

I was a bit nervous, since this was my first ride after breaking my ankle. I had been doing the recumbent bike in therapy, for 10 minutes per session, but I hadn't been on an actual bike outside riding. I wasn't sure how my ankle was going to take it. Luckily, it held out and is feeling pretty good!

While riding the local bike trails, I discovered that one trail that I had previously planned on checking out came to a dead end where I thought it started. Another one, aptly titled "Dead End Trail" had a killer hill. It was a short hill, but really steep. My summer goal is to make it up that hill without having to get off and walk my bike to the top!

While checking out the trails, a fox ran across my path. At first I thought it was a small dog, but as I got closer before he ran into the weeds, I realized that it was actually a fox. He was too quick for me to catch a picture, which was a bummer.

I also came to an area where the path went under the train tracks. As I started to ride through the tunnel, I couldn't help but think about the scene in "The Walking Dead" where Glen and Tara enter into the tunnel. This one wasn't nearly as long or as dark, but it was just as creepy! I was definitely on the lookout for Walkers while I was riding through!

 This was the tunnel over the creek, I didn't stop to get one of the tunnel the bike path went through!!

This is a little waterfall along the bike trail. I could have sat here and listened to it for hours, it was so peaceful and calming!

I didn't go super far, just under 6 miles total, but that's pretty good for my first ride! I can't wait to keep taking the trails and see what else I discover.

Things have taken an interesting....... twist

Let's start by setting the scene, shall we?

It was a cold, wintery day in Michigan and a light snow began falling partway through the day. In a rush to get to the grocery store and home before the weather got worse (or got colder!), a young, lovely, fair (albeit klutzy) maiden rushed out the door from work without changing into her trusty, durable winter boots.

Thus, the plot begins to get interesting.

While walking out of said grocery store, the young maiden stepped quickly onto an area of the pavement that had been painted for customer crossings and vehicle warnings to "stop" for said customers. The lovely mixture of the beautiful snowfall and painted parking lot caused the maiden to slip and roll her ankle. This created quite the image of legs flailing, with the grocery cart being used as a life saving device, completed by a high pitched screech to spew forth from said maiden's mouth.

Somehow managing to stay in an upright position, the fair maiden limped to her car, proclaiming an embarrassed, "I'm okay," to a gracious witness who inquired of the maiden's good health.

Fast forward two weeks, after the maiden has been working and on her feet regularly. Her rolled ankle still in quite a bit of pain after her parking lot ordeal. This has caused her to take a whole new view of purchasing stock in Advil brand Liquigels (not a paid endorsement), while a previously purchased ankle brace has been utilized daily. The fair maiden has determined that while she has a high tolerance for pain, things are starting to become unbearable, and just the brushing of the bottom of her pants leg over the top of her foot is enough to cause great distress.

After much "hemming and hawing" and threats to "stop being an idiot" by her friends, our lovely maiden finally visits a local urgent care clinic where a kind doctor took one look and proclaimed it as being a "high sprain." He also determined that the young maiden was to be placed within the confines of a chair with wheels in order to be transferred to receive x-rays of her injured limb.

After mere minutes (oh, the wonders of digital, modern medicine!), the nurse returns with a boot-like contraption and crutches to support the fair maiden on her quest through the next 4-6 weeks of life.

Four. To. Six. Weeks.

Day one: After hobbling out to the car and receiving help from the nurse who carried the maiden's now extra winter boot and bag of papers to her car, the fair maiden had to get her prescriptions filled. This only happened after she parked her car, got out, and realized that she was parked right next to the drainage hole for the parking lot. Which, like all drainage holes, had a lid that was lower than the lot because the parking lot has been paved over since it had been set in place. Thus, trying to gimp around on new crutches did not start off well.

Day two: All of the maiden's young pupils are concerned for her safety. Many other young, inquisitive minds inquired as well. Thus, the maiden regaled them with tales of dangerous fights with a massive alligator, who unfortunately, won the brutal battle.

Day three: Even though the maiden is able to remove the boot contraption temporarily, her leg itches horribly! This causes the maiden to believe that it is purely psychological, as her legs almost never itch. And this is happening deep down within the boot, where no man made materials within her possession can reach. (It should be noted that at the time of this writing, the fair maiden came up with an idea to reach that itch halfway down her calf, and just as quickly tried it and failed miserably).

Day four: After dealing with insurance issues (enough to go into a completely different tangent!) the fair maiden managed to track down her primary physician (he had moved since the last time she visited his walk-in clinic) to get an appointment scheduled in order to get an orthopedic follow up that the urgent care doctor recommended.

It's still going to be a long 4-6 weeks.