Saturday, August 6, 2005
Day 40 – Distance: 76.63 km
Terrace Bay to Marathon, ON
The day started out well enough; Cassie had told me she wanted to sleep in, so I got myself off by about 7:50 a.m. I knew it would be a long day, and that I might not make it all the way to White Lake Provincial Park, but I really wanted to try to stick to the schedule, and to bike all the way.
The day started out cool, with just a gentle breeze. However, by 10:00 a.m., the wind definitely picked up, and not in my favour! I stopped at a few places, and managed to reach a Petro-Can station just before Marathon by about 1:00 p.m. I phoned Albert, then went inside to get out of the wind, and get a coffee, as I noticed I was feeling a bit shaky and shivery. While inside, I noticed the van drive by. I had tried to keep my bike visible, but it’s hard to do! In any event, I used the pay phone, and luckily, Adele’s phone had service. When she and Cassie got back, I was surprised to see Adele limping, with one sandal and one running shoe on! She had gone for a hike on the trail at Aguasabon Falls, and though she had been very careful, her foot had slid out from under her, and she went down. She must have gone over on her ankle which was now all swollen. She managed to drive to where Cassie was biking, and the two of them were actually headed to Marathon to find the hospital for an X-ray. Adele opted to have lunch first before going to the hospital, and I decided I should put the bike on the car as well, in order to stick with the group. We all know how long emergency rooms can make you wait, and I was quite sure I couldn’t bike for another 4 hours in that wind. It’s really the most decisive factor for having a good day or a bad one!
Adele also felt she needed to contact her medical insurance company before going to Emerge, so by the time we actually got her there, it was close to 3:00 p.m. Cassie and I left her there, and found a campsite (after some searching). We set up our tents, then came back to the hospital. That’s where I am now; Adele has had her X-ray, but we don’t know the results yet.
I’m finishing this two days later, and I’m sure many of you have heard the results. Adele broke her ankle and tore the ligaments around it, and the doctor pronounced that the trip was over for her. No driving allowed, or weight bearing. Because of her upper body problems, she can’t use crutches, so Cassie and I had to lift her into the van. Luckily, she’s not very heavy!
Cassie and I decided a good dinner with wine was necessary so that we could figure out what would happen next. We decided we would carry on, going “fully loaded”. I commented on the fact that I had finally come to realize that I wanted to be supported, and here I was going to be going loaded after all. We knew we would have support for at least half the trip anyway, with the various people who would be joining us, plus we had arranged places to stay for almost a week, so we felt confident that we could do it.
Terrace Bay to Marathon, ON
The day started out well enough; Cassie had told me she wanted to sleep in, so I got myself off by about 7:50 a.m. I knew it would be a long day, and that I might not make it all the way to White Lake Provincial Park, but I really wanted to try to stick to the schedule, and to bike all the way.
The day started out cool, with just a gentle breeze. However, by 10:00 a.m., the wind definitely picked up, and not in my favour! I stopped at a few places, and managed to reach a Petro-Can station just before Marathon by about 1:00 p.m. I phoned Albert, then went inside to get out of the wind, and get a coffee, as I noticed I was feeling a bit shaky and shivery. While inside, I noticed the van drive by. I had tried to keep my bike visible, but it’s hard to do! In any event, I used the pay phone, and luckily, Adele’s phone had service. When she and Cassie got back, I was surprised to see Adele limping, with one sandal and one running shoe on! She had gone for a hike on the trail at Aguasabon Falls, and though she had been very careful, her foot had slid out from under her, and she went down. She must have gone over on her ankle which was now all swollen. She managed to drive to where Cassie was biking, and the two of them were actually headed to Marathon to find the hospital for an X-ray. Adele opted to have lunch first before going to the hospital, and I decided I should put the bike on the car as well, in order to stick with the group. We all know how long emergency rooms can make you wait, and I was quite sure I couldn’t bike for another 4 hours in that wind. It’s really the most decisive factor for having a good day or a bad one!
Adele also felt she needed to contact her medical insurance company before going to Emerge, so by the time we actually got her there, it was close to 3:00 p.m. Cassie and I left her there, and found a campsite (after some searching). We set up our tents, then came back to the hospital. That’s where I am now; Adele has had her X-ray, but we don’t know the results yet.
I’m finishing this two days later, and I’m sure many of you have heard the results. Adele broke her ankle and tore the ligaments around it, and the doctor pronounced that the trip was over for her. No driving allowed, or weight bearing. Because of her upper body problems, she can’t use crutches, so Cassie and I had to lift her into the van. Luckily, she’s not very heavy!
Cassie and I decided a good dinner with wine was necessary so that we could figure out what would happen next. We decided we would carry on, going “fully loaded”. I commented on the fact that I had finally come to realize that I wanted to be supported, and here I was going to be going loaded after all. We knew we would have support for at least half the trip anyway, with the various people who would be joining us, plus we had arranged places to stay for almost a week, so we felt confident that we could do it.
posted by BikingBabe at 11:20 AM
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