The View From Here - Various thoughts and travels
I have spotted lots of turtles in Penticton, one in Sparwood. I have no idea what kinds of turtles those were. Baynes Lake has a spot where turtles cross the road. I looked it up, they are protected and they are the Western Painted Turtle. I had never been to Baynes Lake before and there really is not much to see. If I ever go back I will keep an eye out for turtles.
Got out on the bike for a few hours today. If I was a horse they would shoot me. I used two canes to hobble my gimped body over to my bike and barely managed to throw a leg over to get seated. I can usually walk a bit with no cane or one cane. Somehow I woke up this morning with my ribs hurting on both sides and my knees not liking me. I entertained ideas of quitting before I started but I forced myself to do this.
A few days ago the forecast was for 21C and wind. Instead we received 17C and definite unpleasant wind. The sky was overcast and the wind felt damp. No rain was forecast but rain felt possible. On the highway I would get hit with gusts of wind hard enough to move the bike and cause me to fight it and have to slow down. This was my first ride of the season so I was getting used to the feel of riding and under the speed limit. Unless the 2019 Can Am Ryker is on smooth pavement it tends to bounce around a bit. I admit to feeling anxious being out concerned that something might go wrong. I get that way at times after what happened.
Was it worth it? Maybe. I will be stiff and sore tomorrow. I bought the bike to use it as I enjoy riding a bike, I will ride it or sell it. Besides, some days you have to face your fears.
I had an evaluation done by an independent firm organized by my lawyer on March 18, 2026. I got the results back recently. I will say that I have quite a ways to go yet to get back to where I was before. There were excerpts in the report from hospital files such as this one:
“On 16 February 2024, an orthopaedic chart note indicated patient was resuscitated in the trauma bay with four units of packed red blood cells due to hypotension and presumed hemorrhagic shock. He was stabilized and we took him to the OR overnight. Due to his rising lactate and instability, we took a damage control approach rather than early total care and decided that he should be externally fixated to stabilize his lower extremities pending recovery of physiologic reserve. We also washed out his open wounds and sutured them close. With regard to his lower extremity fractures, we will continue to follow the patient closely and assess his physiologic recovery and monitor his swelling. Once he is deemed appropriate for OR, we will take him back for definitive fixation of his lower extremity fractures.”
I had never read that before nor had I been told that. I knew I was hurt in the accident, I never knew how close the other person came to killing me. Reading this really bothered me for a few days.
I had some thoughts of buying a motorcycle. I tried throwing myself on a new Kawasaki Eliminator at my local dealership. I can barely get on. I own a Kawasaki Versys 300. It is taller and I know I will not be able to get on that, I just do not have the range of motion in my legs. If I park it for another year I might be able to get on it, then again, I might not. I might not be able to ever do some of the things I used to do, like ride on two wheels. There might be a bike going up for sale, I have not decided. I made progress and I think I might be able to do more next year or maybe I am deluding myself.
Too much to think about at four in the morning.
