4/28 through 4/30 (Into Arkansas)

Images:

(1, 2) Hanging out by a river en route to Magnolia, AR

3: me en route to Little Rock, AR

4: Riders reaching a water stop, labeled "H2O" as we always do

4/28 – To Magnolia, AR with Jody – Empty-House Lecture – Presbyterian Dinner

Today I rode out late with Jody on support. We got into this hillarious half-real argument about trust and mistrust related to our secret Santa thing. It was really funny how she would get worked up, "riled up" as she put it, over my concern that she would spill the beans. I was playing the fool, a super fool, who misunderstood everything.

We gave a lecture to a couple people at the Senior Citizen Center in Texarkana. It was a mess standing up talking to absolutely nobody, three old ladies entranced in a game of cards paying us no attention. I pretended it was a full house. Jody cracked up at me and then I lost it in deep laughter, nearly falling onto a table just as our only two audience members trickled in. We then lectured to these two heros for fifteen minutes before getting out of dodge. We did it. We lectured.

We came to Magnolia and met up with the group at our home for the night, a Presbyterian church. They fed us very well, pork chops, gravy, mushrooms, rice, and abundant deserts. Afterwards, I went out for my first long walk since injuring my shoulder (it has hurt too much until now).

4/29 – to Arkadelphia, AR – Spud-Nuts – A River

Post-Breakfast from Magnolia Arkansas, in a Presbyterian Church:

I feel a little sicky with a sensation in my head of fogginess, like there is too much fluid in there. My head feels a little heavy. Yeah, my right shoulder is a mess, but it is getting better. My belly feels bloggy, boggy maybe, full or emptying of three great donuts and a bowl of cheerios. The donuts were the best I have ever had, spud-nuts made of potato flour. Word is there are only three spud-nut shops left in the country, said the minister. He said there is one here, one some place, and one in Washington state, to which Tim replied, "yeah, there is one in Richland, WA... opens every day at 5am."

I love food. I have figured this out if nothing else on this trip. If there is something homemade or some local restaurant offering local fare, I'm a sucker hungry or not. Just charge it to my card. I had chicken-fried steak w/ texas toast the other day. Spud-nuts today, pounds of brisket a week ago before my bike wreck. Funny thing is, I like not eating too. I like being hungry, skipping big meals, going days in caloric deficit.

My head is still boggy. My pillow last night wasn't high enough, but I guess that happens sometimes when your pillow is three stacked sweatshirts. Today I'm on support with Tango, riding out with Hepker. I 'spose I hope this day is slow and grindy, gritty, a bit uncozy, hazy, memorable. I hope that in a week or ten days or twenty, I look back and remember the feeling of this day, one I might not even appreciate now.

Day mostly done

My day has ocurred and now it is nearly 8pm, with a little bit of day left. Stuff happened. For one, I sat by a river for nearly an hour soaking up sun rays, my feet chili in the water's edge. For two, I ate a plate of eggs with cheese inside an Arkansas convenient store that served meals. Other things went down and somewhere in there it all went sour, southward. I got grumpy and barked out frustrations I'm thankful others didn't hear. We had our R4WH olympics and my hurt arm didn't cooperate and my team lost. Afterwards my spirits lifted when dinner delivered big, bunless burgers w/ cheese, antipasta, veggies.

At one point, I stepped downward and landed a foot lower than I had hoped, my left foot missing the sidewalk and landing on the road below. A jolt of pain shot through my injured shoulder, but ever since that, I have been doing better. I have better ROM and less pain, I guess because it is all swollen tight.

4/30 – To Hot Springs, AR – Rain Country – Bath House – Great Dinner

My rear end smells of a gas that comes out every couple minutes. My hair is sticky like it likes to get after I shower, just sticky. I have these painful lymph nodes in my right inguinal region, draining faithfully the upper thigh edema that persists now 9 days after wrecking my bike, wrecking my shoulder. The shoulder moves more and twice in these past two days it has awoken me abruptly like a newborn infant screaming its head off, bitterly pissed and raging, pouting. Whatever, let it hurt, let it wine. This is life and it is has to get tougher, stronger for us.

Today I rode sweep van with Sarah, my friend. We made it to Hot Springs Arkansas, boyhood home of Bill Clinton. The whole group bathed in one of the various bath houses that line a main drag through town, forming jointly the Hot Springs National Park.

I had a couple beers today, new ones to me - Sam Smith Oatmeal Stout from England. I would rate it a 8.5 and it would have been a 9 if this day was a little better. But you know what, I can already sense this day is one that I will appreciated in a week or two. This is one I will look back at missing the bitter, a bitter that is only here in this life. I might miss my lonely jaunt back to the van or my moments alone on the bench. Maybe it was the water or the lush backdrop of high rising trees sitting on a big hill.

The riders rode in rain today for the first time. It was 35 miles from Texarkana to Hot Springs. Tonight we had the best free meal of the trip, a BBQ catered dinner rich in brisket and rotisserie chicken. The chicken particularly had a great flavor deep to the bone, but the brisket dominates my full belly. I didn't forget the sweet tea.

Now I'm just keeping up with my life, maybe update some blog stuff, maybe read a little bit of my book "The Shack." It was very nice this evening to ride the stationary bike for about 45 minutes. I hope I can do it in the morning as well. I need it.

I went to Cracker barrel for the first time today, in the am with Sarah. I wasn't hungry, but she nudged me because it was my first time, so I had a two egg sandwich on her suggestion. It was super solid good.

4/26 through 4/27 (Last bit of Texas)

4/26 – To Paris, TX – Super Burger

Today I rode support with Libby and we sang some songs. She sings really well and at one point I think it was helping me fall asleep. I awoke sort of grumpy just as we arrived at the Eiffel Tower of Paris, TX, decked out as it is with a red cowboy hat on top. Soon a news van came to film us for local 99 here in Paris, TX.

So we left there and arrived at First United Methodist Church (FUMC). Again, the methodists hooked us up with dinner and lodging. This building is a basketball gym but there are lots of sofas and I am on one tonight.

After dinner I walked to Jaxx in downtown (a quaint little town). Chris and Sarah came and played on the internet, while I downed the biggest burger of my life (4 patties). I have eaten really well. I recall a 3 pattie monster with 20oz beer a couple days ago with Pete. Maybe I will tackle a food challenge with Brian soon.

For all the rest of it, my shoulder is doing ok. It is better than the first time, I'll say that.

One thing worth mentioning are recurring themes on this ride. For one, we are constantly in basketball gyms. At high schools, churches, synagoges, and community centers, we find ourselves sleeping on hardwood basketball courts. Light floors, dark ones, dirty ones, shiny ones. Some of high schools have banners all over, proclaiming their dominance over the rest.

Another theme is religion. It is hard to avoid because we constantly get free dinners from Methodists, Baptists, Jews. We bow our heads and most of us say Amen, as they bless our free meals. Occasionally there is a night service and some of us go, if for no other reason than to be hospitable. I have been to more services on this trip than I had in the last several years combined. My favorite part is the singing.

4/27 – To Texarkana, TX with Tim

Images all from 4/27 - 1: "Cafe," 2: tombstones out front of "Cafe," 3: "Cafe" owner, 4: one of several fields beautified by yellow weeds

It was a good day riding in the sweep van, resting my shoulder. Tim and I hit up a McDonald’s on our way out of Paris, TX, taking advantage of their free internet. We then drove off and landed at a gas station where we gambled away $6 in quarters.

It was a machine that contained a bunch of quarters behind a glass wall. When a quarter was entered, a sliding scraper would sweep forward raising your hopes that several quarts would fall off of the ledge. The quarters in the front were glued down and we left disappointed.

Our next stop was at a place labeled “Café” in a town of maybe 800 people. We met a guy that I hope never reads this, because he is crazy and I don’t want to hurt is feelings by calling him crazy. He had a bunch of coffins in his café and a bunch of tombstones out front. He was translating a Spanish text into English, some book he was amazed by. He also told us about a giant hole he found on his property, then showed us. He had stuck a bunch of ladders down in it. Apparently he had driven right by it for seven years but just found it today. He was a very fascinating guy, but we decided we might grab some food elsewhere.

We met up with Ampersand (Andy), who signs emails with a “&” and had lunch. It was at the Red Rooster café which featured delectable authentic food of the deep south. I had chicken fried steak and a lot of sweet tea. I was tempted to try a deep fried oreo, but we had to get going.

On down the road, still smooth sailing for the riders and little work for us to do, we found an icee shop. There were like 40 flavors to choose from and bottom line is, the lady was so kind to give us our stuff for free (after hearing about our mission). After that we killed a little time in a library before going on into Texarkana, TX at 4pm.

The place we stayed in was one of the nicest of the trip. Again it was a basketball gym, but it also had nice wireless internet and several tables and chairs, and even televisions. Here we had a journal club on PEPFAR’s effectiveness in fighting HIV/AIDS in Africa.

It was a good day. Having not ridden in six days, my body has really settled into a comfy place. I’m stuffing my face with food and deserts, but still not gaining much weight. My shoulder still needs a week or two, but I’m feeling good.

4/21 through 4/25 (Injured Shoulder)

4/21 – 17 miles out of Sweetwater to my Injury

The morning out of Sweetwater was normal. The weather was actually nice and not foggy. The road was really interesting, diverse with really windy parts, really fast parts, unpaved parts, and all around gorgeous scenery. I rode in the lead with Libby and Roshan (the guys had an early flat). Libby and I were averaging 20mph easy prior to the dirt road. I was doing 21mph on an old road with trees on both sides when we wound left on a curvy road. In trying to dodge an obstacle (a raised piece of pavement), I jumped on the bike and came down with my front wheel uneven, crashing hard.

I rolled and remember just being off of my wheels, being on the ground rolling and sliding, on my head, on my shoulders. I remember thinking so much all in the moment, all while rolling for what must have been only a couple seconds. I remember just feeling, just being, just wondering what I might injure. It wasn't about life flashing before my eyes, because I knew this was a bike wreck at 20mph, not 70, not the end. I knew basically what could happen. As I stopped, I laid there on the road on my back, my eyes closed. I could hear Libby sort of panicking and Roshan also being very shocked. I calmly just told them to call. Just call the van. Laying there with my eyes closed, I felt, paid attention to my feelings. Was I injured? I noticed immediately a congestion in my lungs, a little wheeze. After a couple seconds, maybe ten, I decided to get up, test it out. I noticed immediately a right shoulder pain, reminiscent of my previous AC injury (on the left). I was upset, but not much, more calm really. I coughed up some blood, which concerned me for a pneumo, maybe a rib fracture.

More med students started showing up. I was neuro intact and had no rib tenderness, was breathing fine, was not too cold. My thoughts pushed me slightly toward shock, toward panic, toward spiraling into worry about what could be wrong. But I did an excellent job of just relaxing, just not letting myself think those things. It was ok, whatever it was it was ok. I was sitting on a rock waiting for the van to show up, with an amazing cool breeze on me and tons of religious graffiti around me. It felt good. The trees blew and were gorgeous.

Jen K and Heidi made me an arm sling, which worked very well. Sarah offered to go with me to the hospital. The van arrived and we were off, with Nyberg behind the wheel. I still wondered about the hemoptysis (coughing up blood) and we talked a little shop en route. I got really dizzy for a moment, spinny like vertigo.

In the van, in the hospital, and for the whole rest of the day, my friend Sarah was a savior in many ways. She comforted me when I was scared in the van, then in the hospital. She made me laugh when I thought I couldn’t. She even dressed my wounds. I don’t know what I would have done without her today.

This was a long day in a lot of ways. Injuries can bring a person back to childhood, back to a fall on the ground and a longing for their mommy. And really, as bad as it may seem, it isn’t any different than a toddler falling on their bum. In the end, it’s just more than you can take, more than you were prepared for. But all the falls from your past remind you that you always get better, just take it in stride.

4/22 – Injured day 1 – Presentation with a Sling

I was with Lauren all day in the lead van. She marked the route and I rode shotgun through amazingly beautiful scenery out of Abilene, TX. There were wild flowers everywhere, painting fields of blue, purple, and yellow.

We presented a global health speech at a rotary club in Eastland TX, a very nice town. They fed us well and donated generously. We also spoke for a local radio program (KATX). It was my first time in a radio studio and I thought Lauren and I both did a very exceptional job of speaking ad lib about our ride and global health mission.

Our home for the night in Ranger, TX was something almost out of a horror movie. It was a church, but it just had a damp old feeling. I slept the afternoon away and played video games at night. All in all, it was a good first full day being hurt.

4/23 – To Fort Worth, TX – Injured day 2 – Night @ Movies

I was with Pete all day. He did good work, helping out about five struggling riders (flat tires and pedal issues). For the riders, it was a century into Fort Worth and the day went smoothly. We stopped at a local joint called Woody’s, where I got a triple decker burger (I love to eat).

The riders thought it was a great day overall, probably the prettiest and nicest for the first 50 miles or so. Texas is really not what I thought. There was some desert transition for a couple hundred miles, but at this point (central) around Eastland and now into Fort Worth, it is very lush and full of wild flowers (blue, light pink, orange). It has rained, especially last night where there was a violent lightning storm.

We stayed at a YMCA campground near a prison and some airplane base. The lake was gorgeous. We were fed Cheesecake factory for dinner, courtesy some of Jess’ family.

At night, I went out to two movies with my buddy Roshan. We saw Clash of the Titans and Death at a Funeral. The latter was really funny and we cracked up loud. Afterwards we met up with the group for some Mexican food. We got back after 1am.

I should note that Roshan is quite a guy. He is extremely positive and quickly adapts positively to changes in his environment. It is impressive.

My shoulder is still killing me. I intended to come home at 10-11pm tonight, but didn’t have a way back, so I was out late with a broken wing. Oh well, I did my best and wore my sling all night. I hope to rest all day tomorrow.

4/24 – Day off in Fort Worth – Rodeo at Night

Day of rest just sleeping all day. I am focused on this shoulder now. The pain is like a nag, but a concerning one. It is a nag that is deeper than the surface and feels like a tugging, a tugging I don't want to win. Now and then I feel something slip out and then back into place (hopefully not the other way around). It is very reminiscent, extremely similar, to the previous AC injury I had on the left. I handle this so much better though, which is encouraging.

(Picture: Lauren fixing her bike at our YMCA campground in Fort Worth, TX)

My greatest concern is not being able to ride again on this trip. I would love to ride in Tennessee, Virginia, etc. But if I am to be support for the rest of this trip, I will have a unique perspective of this ride. It is encouraging to realize that my left shoulder has done so well and that with time, so will my right.

Tonight we are off to downtown and maybe a rodeo.

PS: so we went to a steak joint. I had an awesome steak, great mac 'n' cheese, and good ice cream. Then we went to a rodeo that was ridiculous and overpriced ($15), but it was fun. They did stuff like have the kids chase around a young bull, then had younger kids (0-7) chase around a young sheep. The sheep gave up and the kids caught it, but the older kids had no hope against the fast young bull.

My shoulder is still affecting my life a lot, and it is a tough adjustment to suddenly do no exercise after doing so very much.

Fort Worth is a neat town. The stockyard area is a good place to go at night, with a strong western twang and several options for eating, drinking, and dancing. The downtown area is similar with a lot of options.

4/25 – Injured day to Greenville – Church Singing

Today I rode with Brian in the trail van. We took it really easy and looked for food and rest. We found a place called Double Daves and had a buffet of very average-at-best pizza. I ate a bunch which is a common theme for me these last few days, eating and eating, eating beyond a signal I just ignore. Before these days I would ask, "should I eat more", now I just ask "do I want to eat more" and there is no "should." I was previously considering things like social rightness, considering if people around me were finished. I was considering my body fat. Now it is only about want, simple want.

(Picture: The View out back of Wesleyan Methodist Church in Greenville)

Brian is a funny guy. He is himself and doesn't seem to care what others think. He is a northern boy, midwestern I guess (Ohio) but he is really a lot like many southerners, with BBQ ribs and brisket being his favorite foods. He is excited to move to Birmingham for residency. He is really laid back, really.

The day on support with Brian was fine, not super stressful, mostly relaxed. We racked bikes due to a bad road for the last stretch. The Wesleyan Methodist Church in Greenville had a really awesome view of some great trees in the back. It was gorgeous with lots of shade, lots of pretty healthy grass, nice trees, and all so blowy in what seems a steady mid-Texas wind. I enjoyed watching the weeds blow in the wind like ocean waves.

I did my first shoulder rehab, just range of motion stuff.

I attended a church service ("contemporary service") after a solid dinner of beef empanadas. The church service was fun because we did a lot of karaoke style choir singing (words on a projector screen above).

Earlier in the day I talked to mom for the first time in a week, told her about my shoulder, which did a little better today, less pain more motion, ways to go.