Father_Pobasturd wrote:
Tell us about the wreck. Will you ride again? Inquiring minds want to know.

all we have been able to put together about the wreck was that we were on the freeway headed north on 101 between fortuna and eureka. we were moving around some slower traffic so had shifted into the passing lane. 3:30 in the afternoon, traffic was moving well.
there was a vehicle in the median to my left looking broken down but I didnt think too much about it. as I passed abreast of it, I lost all, and I mean ALL traction. I pulled my clutch and tried to feather brakes but just couldnt bring her back under control and my last clear memory was the rear sliding...

toby says he saw in his rear view mirror what looked like me dodging road debris then I dropped from view and all traffic stopped.

the ONLY reason I am alive is because an ambulance and emt crew were 2 mins behind me returning from a call.

They were on me as soon as I was down, scooped me up and got me to st joe's many minutes earlier then I otherwise would have been. those extra minutes are what made the difference.

in other news
chest tube is out finally, what a relief. went for a walk outside with toby and the PT Nurse and they are saying might be able to go home monday if chest xray and white cell count keep looking good tomorrow.

I can type all this because I got a little boost of meds for the tube removal

Glad to read that you are on the mend. We will keep sending the mojo your way.

Most excellent to read your update Loren and great detail, thanks. You and Toby sound like a great team, big plus to help with healing and we all send truck loads of love your way.

Thanks for the wreck story. Did you ever determine if it was in fact rear tire failure of some sort?

Its good to see you are doing better. Everyone here has always enjoyed your posts and unique, interesting storytelling. There are so few females among us as it is. Your perspective is refreshing and, well, somewhat less testosterone-laden. You add a diversity here that is in short supply.

There is one thing I have yet to here from you. I have asked twice and I'll ask here again. Do you think you'll ride again?

Father_Pobasturd wrote:
Thanks for the wreck story. Did you ever determine if it was in fact rear tire failure of some sort?

Its good to see you are doing better. Everyone here has always enjoyed your posts and unique, interesting storytelling. There are so few females among us as it is. Your perspective is refreshing and, well, somewhat less testosterone-laden. You add a diversity here that is in short supply.

There is one thing I have yet to here from you. I have asked twice and I'll ask here again. Do you think you'll ride again?
Thank you for the kind words Father P
I can't really answer the question yet, at least in a final manner.
Right now I won't be getting on anything for months as it is.
A whole lot of people have put out a lot of effort and energy to keep me alive. I do not intend to treat that gift in a cavalier manner.
I will always love motorcycles and horses, but with only one kidney left I do not think I will ride either again like I have in the past.
Horses def done with. Bikes maybe if Toby wants to putt around the lake on his.
Dunno if it makes sense, but it is how I feel right now.
Love and Gratitude
Loren

Loren,

I have been real busy with life and have not had the time to post but this was one of the hardest things I have read in a long time. The adventures you and Toby that you shared with us were some of my favorite on the web. So sorry to hear what happened and I hope you make as full a recovery as possible. If you decide the bike is not for you anymore (and I would understand this) please continue to post here. We are all family once you join and a bike accident shouldn't be able to take away family.

Loren, prayers your way sister !!! Kai

Loren,
Nothing like almost losing your life to make one think about it. Don't feel bad if you have some PTSD for a long time. You are very lucky to still be here, I am sure you know that. I too have enjoyed reading many of your posts. I think you have a talent for it. Might be something you could explore. I think we all would enjoy reading anything you would write. Get well soon!

Thank you Loren, again, for you answer to my question. Still like to know if you ever determined the cause of the crash for sure. If you never rode again no one could blame you. People have given it up over a lot less. My brother is an excellent rider, even raced for a time. Had a harsh get-off on his street bike that hurt him pretty good, and he said no mas after riding all his life. I offer to let him ride my bikes when I see him and he thinks about it a little while, but ultimately declines every time. We had a member here on the RSC that got permanently damaged ( I won't name names), but after awhile, decided to ride again. After one ride, they decided to sell the bike and not ride again.

It's different for everyone. I've had 2 pretty good get-offs. The last one, a drunk driver ran a stop sign in front of me and I plowed the side of her Ford pick-up around 45 mph. Not only did I walk away (no helmet), but I picked my bike up off the street and rode it home right then. The handlebars were pointing left and the front wheel was pointing right, but it still started and rolled. The Texas State Trooper working the scene just shook his head. He kept asking me, "Are you sure you don't want to go to the hospital? Sure you don't want a wrecker?" I just said no sir I'll ride on home if that's OK with you. I think with most people he would have insisted, but at the time, I was on a Harley-Davidson, wearing a club patch, and a T-shirt with the Golden Arches on it that read: Marijuana: Over 3 billion stoned. I must admit, those first few miles heading home I was shaking like a leaf, but by the time I got there I was just pissed 'cause my bike was trashed.

When I was hit with the onset of Diabetes, I went blind for around 24 hours. My doctor told me my vision may or may not return. I spent a good portion of that 24 blind hours devising a way I could still ride while blind. I have 4 acres in Texas, I came up with this: Plant a stout metal pole in the ground and attach 30' of chain to it on a collar so the chain could spin around the pipe. Attach the other end of the chain to the frame of the motorcycle. That way, I could ride in circles in relative safety. Some crazy shit, huh? Fortunately my vision did return, albeit not to it's former acuity.

I hope you're feeling better. Stay in touch with us. We all want you healthy and happy.

Father_Pobasturd wrote:
Thank you Loren, again, for you answer to my question. Still like to know if you ever determined the cause of the crash for sure.

The hwy patrol sent me something I assume is for the insurance adjuster, I haven't talked to them at all, Toby been handling it all.
All I can say for sure is that I know down to my boots *I* did everything correctly, I never panic during stuff like that. 40 years on horses have taught me to stay calm, do all you can then when it's all still going south just do your best to hit the ground running so you can catch the horse.

Toby says I was still fighting the EMTs trying to get to my feet and 'catch the horse'

The investigation continues, it is monday tomorrow. I will post as I know more.

We are taking it easy with ideas of any final decisions of to ride or not to ride.

I can assure you tho that you guys will be bombarded with posts about what ever mischief we decide to chase going forward =)