It has been a long, challenging week.

It started this time last week. I had an appointment in Vegas and, as usual, I took a bike with me for a ride afterwards. On that ride I had some equipment issues that ended up putting me on the ground three times. Aside from some bruising and some hard feelings, nothing serious of it.

Then, Tuesday I went for a ride here. I was doing fine until I picked up a steel wire at about mile 20 that flattened the rear tire. I swapped out the punctured tube, no problem. But when I went to screw on my CO2 inflator, I tweeked the inner tube stem and snapped it right off. Mother ****er! That netted me a 6.5 mile walk home.

So I had a follow up in Vegas again today. I fixed the tire, had a good spare and inflator, so I'm going to do it again, because apparently I don't learn. Actually, everything was going pretty well, it was still relatively cool and I was feeling good. I decided to crank up the pace just as I was getting into a hilly section. I dropped down a gear but the derailure didn't shift. I glanced down to see what was going on for a split second and looked up just in time to see a thick layer of sand just as I was entering a turn. I didn't even have time to think "Oh s**t!" before the front wheel slid right off the path and into a small ditch.

Now you people who live back east probably have this image of a ditch with soft, fluffy grass and maybe thick bushes, and you might think, "ya? So?" Out here ditches tend to be where we've had heavy rain and it washes away all the loose soil and all that's left behind rock, with a side of more rock, topped with another layer of... you guessed it! More rock.

I don't remember putting my hands down but clearly I did. I do remember smacking the left side of my face, and for a split second, that was what I was most worried about. Then I felt it. I knew my ride was over. Well, except for the part of getting back to the truck. I knew I tweeked my right wrist pretty hard. I could move my fingers and it actually didn't hurt that bad, so long as I didn't try to rotate the wrist. But there was some noticeable swelling even that quickly. I thought most likely a sprain, or maybe a dislocation, but since I was already in Vegas I thought it would be prudent to get it X-ray'd just to be sure.

So I ride back to the truck, about four miles, favoring the wrist the whole way. I manage to get the bike in the back with my left hand and right elbow, and off to the VA I go. That actually went pretty quick for an ER visit. X-rays, splint and oxy in less than three hours. good thing I brought study material with me.

Anyway, typing with my left hand sucks so I'll just post this.