October 17th, 2015 was a new adventure for me. I crashed and totaled my brand new 2015 BMW 1200GSW. Some were hoping this would be my wake up call hoping I would not want to ever ride again. I wonder if those same people question those who have been in a car crash? I digress.
My life with my bike(s) has been full of LIFE. Exploration, going places I would never dream about going in a car. Meeting so many people who don’t share my passion about bikes but want to know “how do you do this alone?” What is it like to ride in bad weather? Don’t you get scared? Aren’t you worried you will crash and die?
My life with my bike(s) has been about meeting people who share my passion and want to exchange stories.
Well, the later question is easy, not one I hope many experience but was I worried I would ever crash and die? Yes. It’s the truth. Always in the back of my brain, somewhere was that thought but I was never scared for that day if and when it happened.
What scared the crap out of me on October 17th was the fact I had precious cargo on board. I never envisioned myself jeopardizing another life all the while doing what I LOVE and know can be dangerous. I mean pretty much just living can be dangerous into today’s society but we all know riding on two wheels, exposed to many things makes us more vulnerable to “accidents” and injuries.
Riding means so much to me. Maybe too much. I get depressed when I can’t ride, like now. I don’t even have a bike to replace my beauty BLUE yet.
I did the best I could under the circumstances on this day to keep us alive. I did. I have received many messages telling what I must have done wrong and I need to learn from this accident. Won’t go into details again, did that on a previous post about the specifics of this accident but that is why they call them accidents – some things are not in our control as riders.
One thing I remember well is everything about the sequence of events. My partner blacked out after I told her to hang on. Making split second decisions when you are faced with imminent danger and threat to your life is what I remember. Where can I go to avoid death and minimize injuries to my partner? I wasn’t worried about me to be honest but her. So, I did what I could…got off the pavement while my bike was in a full fledge wobble. Jumped the shoulder into a drainage ditch only to be surprised again that the ditch was full of old telephone poles and logs. Now, that I was not expecting. Thought it would be easy to high side the bike into the bank and voila we would be safe, bike would maybe be scratched and we would need help getting the it out of the 3 foot ditch. Instead, we hydroplaned tight roping the debris and that was it…head on into a culvert and 20 feet later of flying in the air we landed as well as the bike.
My view after we crashed and all I could do was to make sure my partner was OK, and she was and then I looked over to my left and asked, “is my bike totaled?” Oh and I also warned anyone who tried to touch me that I knew for sure that my right tibia was broken and NOT to touch my boot. 😌 The bike landed about 8 feet from me. Not thinking at the time it could have landed on top of myself…now that would have been something eh? Not in a good way.
So many good Samaritans stopped to assist us and to make sure we were OK. I remember 2 nurses checking me out and one being my advocate to listen when it came to my leg. She even insisted that the ambulance crew not take my boot off because we both knew the pain would increase. OH, that pain, worse than anything I have ever felt even though I have broken many bones.
I have 7.5 more weeks in this full length cast. I’ve been thinking abut so many things. I have been back on Long Island for 6 months and still have not found myself career wise. That’s stressful. Healthcare here has been stressful trying to navigate…compared to BC, Canada. Money? What’s that? The exchanged rate killed me. I feel as though many of my posts have a negative tone to them. Like I am missing that spark I used to have and I think it’s true. So, that is also something I am working on. I feel a bit beaten down, and I know the world and people have such bigger concerns than my little own worries but change can be discouraging and it’s subjective as to how one deals with adversity.
I dream about getting a new bike or buying back my “old” bike.
It’s has everything I want on a bike, new tires, 24,000 mile service done and she used to be mine. I think I would welcome her back into my life and a part of me wants to ride away after this cast comes off. Take another trip, go explore, rejuvenate myself and figure out this new Long Island life. It’s obvious I have not been able to complete my transition moving from Canada to the USA, something is missing and it’s not just a job. I need to appreciate everyone in my life here more….I need to change up my attitude because I am not who I want to me right now.
The LURE of the MOTORCYCLE is what excites me even after this crash. The freedom, the intensity, the speed and excitement a bike gives me is the LURE. I will do my best to become a MSF instructor…many hurdles to tackle here in NY even before can take the MSF test. I believe in my riding skills and I suppose once I recover the real test will be revealed after I get back on a bike.
I want those who don’t understand why many of us ride, take chances that many find senseless to relax a little on us. We all do risky behaviors and it’s up to the individual to minimize them as much as we can, IF we CAN.
Why the LURE…look at these pictures from my past trips…thousands of miles (KM’s) of riding….I mean thousands…the beauty I have had the privileged to see…time spent with myself…many don’t do that enough I think. I ride because I love it and even now…since I crashed, been on the other side I still want to ride.
Advgrrl Motorcycle Adventures & More 
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