Steve_R
Sep 3rd, 2007, 3:11 pm
I'm home but not the way I expected. Woody and I both needed to visit our on-site vendor, Grass Roots BMW in Cape Girardeau, for some issues we had with my LT and Woody's GT. We rolled out of Tan-Tar-A about 0600 just before the sun came up. We rode north on US-54 to MO-42 and headed east. When we started putting some speed on the 57 degree temperatures and mesh gear became cold. Then we hit some temp variations and the BC began post 52 as we proceeded along. We turned south on MO-17 and had a great ride until we started dropping down off the high spot down towards the Gasconade River with the fog rising and the farmer going into town at 40 miles an hours. After the river bridge we were able to see through about 4 curves in front and that leetle red Oldsmobubble was history.
At Waynesville we turned east on I-40 and turned up the wick towards Rolla. At 75 MPH, 56 degrees gets even colder and the body decides a bio break is in order and Lori was freezing so Woody blasts around me and we hit the next rest area. We also decide we're a little chilly so we decide it time to add another layer of clothing. Woody and Lori and a sweat shirt, Lori adds her rain pants and I put on my $25 plastic rain coat from Bass Pro Shops and we're on the road again and we're all a lot warmer.
After a brief stop in Rolla to top off the tank and we're back out on the Interstate using Woody's GPS, since my paper maps and the GPS agree on the route, east on MO-8, south on US-67 and east again on MO-72. We turn east on MO-8 at Saint James and have some great riding as we head east. About 21 miles later we arrive a the town of Steelville and "Betty" decides we need to turn south on MO-19 for about 53 miles. So off we go. About 3 miles out of town, "Betty" says left turn on Woolsey Road. Great road for about 2 miles and then gravel. I managed to get Rover slowed down and under control until we hit a about a 100 yard stretch of pretty steep down hill, that was wash boarded out from the farmers slamming on their brakes for the sharp left handed curve at the bottom. The bike began the bucking bronco bit and the rear end stepped out to the left and we low sided and slid about 50 feet. Rover ended up on the left side of the road and I ended up with my feet in the ditch on the right side of the road. Some where I remember that the best thing to do when you go down is just to go limp and that's what I did.
By the time Woody and Lori got stopped and back to me, I was on my feet and had my helmet off and was assessing the damage done to me and the bike. I felt some pain in my knees, my right hip and my shoulder hurt like the dickens, but I had almost the full range of motion. Since the bike was down on the uphill side we decided to right the bike. Woody picked her up and I helped as best as I could. The only damage we could see was to the tip-over wing area and the rear pannier, so Woody decided he'd ride the bike down to where the GT was parked. Lori and I walked all my gear down to the flat and we hear "AW Sxxx". We hurry back to the bike and it's now laying on the right side with all the weight downhill.
http://inlinethumb41.webshots.com/11304/2360237950025504544S600x600Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2360237950025504544iJbNIP)
http://inlinethumb44.webshots.com/12587/2484853420025504544S600x600Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2484853420025504544FxFFNp)
At this point, we can't get the bike up because Woody's old ;) and I'm all bunged up. Woody decides we'll leave Lori to watch the bike and we'll ride for help. Not a quarter of a mile a way, we find a house with a single guy at home, who gives us a drink of water, lets me use his phone to call Progressive for a tow truck and then comes back to help us get the bike upright and Woody rides the bike on down the hill to where the GT is parked.
We decide it might be a good idea to wait for the wrecker back up the road at a little church. Woody gets Lori on the back and tells me he'll come back. It was so hard and painful to get on the bike to ride to the little house, I tell him I'll just walk. As soon as the cell phone beeps and lets me know that I'm connected, I try to call Dave Dragon's cell phone to let him know what's happened and to talk to Connie, but I get the answering machine. When I get to the church, Woody and Lori aren't there, but have gone back into Steelville to get food and water. Thanks guys. While sitting in the shade, I get a call from the wrecker driver asking for an exact location. Lori and Woody get back and we visit while we wait for the wrecker. Woody says he'll go to meet them at the intersection of MO-19 and Woolsey Rd.
Once the wrecker gets there, I tell Woody and Lori to head off because the driver, his brother and I can get Rover loaded. We get the bike up on the tilt-bed without any issue. I pull the soft ties out of the side bag and put them in place and that's all she wrote. This driver knew how to tie down a motorcycle! :thumb:
http://inlinethumb52.webshots.com/12787/2695321640025504544S600x600Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2695321640025504544pBhYXk)
http://inlinethumb30.webshots.com/15837/2799053860025504544S600x600Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2799053860025504544pCuKts)
Once the bike was tied down, we continued on to Grass Roots BMW. I called Herb Anderson, the owner of Grass Roots, and let him know that I had crashed and we were coming in on a wrecker. He alerted his folks and they were ready for us when we got there. They unloaded the bike and rolled it into the shop, where I really got my first good look of the damage to the right side. I called my oldest son told him what happened and tell his mom to call me when she got it, but he wasn't home when she got there. I called my middle son and told him I'd gone down and that I was okay and to have his mom call my cell phone.
John Simmons, who was watching the store for Herb all week, said that my right shoulder looked a little low and that I probably should have it looked at. I agreed and he called his wife and she came and picked me up and took me to the Southeast Missouri Regional Medical Center. I walked up to the emergency room window and gave them my specifics and they immediately took me around the corner and took my temperature and my blood pressure and asked where I hurt. I then went to the waiting room and visited with John's wife and granddaughter, until Chris said she wanted to get something for Hannah to eat and I said I was fine there alone.
After about an hour and a half, they called me back and took me to a room where I had to strip down to undies and socks and put on that silly gown. Within 15 minutes the ER nurse was in to check my vitals and got suprised by the my hat and riding gear that was in the chair that looked like a person. She asked what happened as she was checking my vitals and hooking me up to the monitors. When I explained that I ride with all the protection I can, she said she wished more people did. After about 40 minutes the doctor came in and looked at my shoulder and ordered x-rays. After the getting x-rayed, the doctor came back and said that nothing was broken and they were going to sling my arm and let me go. She also said if the pain didn't start easing up in 3 to 4 days to see my family physician or my orthopedic surgeon because there might be some rotator cuff injury. John came back several times during this time to check on me and just before the doctor came back with her diagnosis, Herb had gotten back from CCR and came to check on me.
After being released, John asked me if I had a place to stay and offered my a bed at his place and I gladly accepted. After a glass of water and a short visit I excused myself and went down to get some sleep. After about 7 hours of solid sleep I woke up about 0430 (0530) my time and tossed and turned, got up took another shower and powered up the laptop to check in on the site and to check on options to get home.
John came downstairs about 0800 and asked if I'd like a cup of coffee. DUH!!! I went upstair and while John got the coffee going, I called and finally talked to Connie. She'd gotten the message to call and had tried, but my cell phone didn't work at John's place. She was worried, but was better after we talked. The cheapest option was to go to the Hertz counter in Paducah, Ky and rent a car and drive home and John and his family got me there. Thanks John!!
I didn't have any problem getting behind the wheel and it took just a little while to find a comfortable position for driving and I arrived home safe and sound just a little before 1900 last night.
And before any one asks, if I could have ridden the bike on to Cape Girardeau, I would have. I hope there isn't enough damage to total the bike, but if they do it was 77,000 miles of the most fun I've ever had and I'll be looking for another one.
http://inlinethumb25.webshots.com/15256/2571212650025504544S600x600Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2571212650025504544foQbiW)
First good look of damage
http://inlinethumb35.webshots.com/12450/2691456950025504544S600x600Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2691456950025504544cyBOLA)
Damage before leaving Grass Roots on Sunday.
http://inlinethumb17.webshots.com/14480/2170183160025504544S600x600Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2170183160025504544NzdrAR)
Close up of front damage
http://inlinethumb27.webshots.com/12890/2063216320025504544S600x600Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2063216320025504544PWpHvV)
Pannier damage
http://inlinethumb05.webshots.com/12036/2020740400025504544S600x600Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2020740400025504544FbCcGq)
If I didn't believe in full coverage helmets before, I do now. BTW, my Cortech GX Air jacket had NO damage.
At Waynesville we turned east on I-40 and turned up the wick towards Rolla. At 75 MPH, 56 degrees gets even colder and the body decides a bio break is in order and Lori was freezing so Woody blasts around me and we hit the next rest area. We also decide we're a little chilly so we decide it time to add another layer of clothing. Woody and Lori and a sweat shirt, Lori adds her rain pants and I put on my $25 plastic rain coat from Bass Pro Shops and we're on the road again and we're all a lot warmer.
After a brief stop in Rolla to top off the tank and we're back out on the Interstate using Woody's GPS, since my paper maps and the GPS agree on the route, east on MO-8, south on US-67 and east again on MO-72. We turn east on MO-8 at Saint James and have some great riding as we head east. About 21 miles later we arrive a the town of Steelville and "Betty" decides we need to turn south on MO-19 for about 53 miles. So off we go. About 3 miles out of town, "Betty" says left turn on Woolsey Road. Great road for about 2 miles and then gravel. I managed to get Rover slowed down and under control until we hit a about a 100 yard stretch of pretty steep down hill, that was wash boarded out from the farmers slamming on their brakes for the sharp left handed curve at the bottom. The bike began the bucking bronco bit and the rear end stepped out to the left and we low sided and slid about 50 feet. Rover ended up on the left side of the road and I ended up with my feet in the ditch on the right side of the road. Some where I remember that the best thing to do when you go down is just to go limp and that's what I did.
By the time Woody and Lori got stopped and back to me, I was on my feet and had my helmet off and was assessing the damage done to me and the bike. I felt some pain in my knees, my right hip and my shoulder hurt like the dickens, but I had almost the full range of motion. Since the bike was down on the uphill side we decided to right the bike. Woody picked her up and I helped as best as I could. The only damage we could see was to the tip-over wing area and the rear pannier, so Woody decided he'd ride the bike down to where the GT was parked. Lori and I walked all my gear down to the flat and we hear "AW Sxxx". We hurry back to the bike and it's now laying on the right side with all the weight downhill.
http://inlinethumb41.webshots.com/11304/2360237950025504544S600x600Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2360237950025504544iJbNIP)
http://inlinethumb44.webshots.com/12587/2484853420025504544S600x600Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2484853420025504544FxFFNp)
At this point, we can't get the bike up because Woody's old ;) and I'm all bunged up. Woody decides we'll leave Lori to watch the bike and we'll ride for help. Not a quarter of a mile a way, we find a house with a single guy at home, who gives us a drink of water, lets me use his phone to call Progressive for a tow truck and then comes back to help us get the bike upright and Woody rides the bike on down the hill to where the GT is parked.
We decide it might be a good idea to wait for the wrecker back up the road at a little church. Woody gets Lori on the back and tells me he'll come back. It was so hard and painful to get on the bike to ride to the little house, I tell him I'll just walk. As soon as the cell phone beeps and lets me know that I'm connected, I try to call Dave Dragon's cell phone to let him know what's happened and to talk to Connie, but I get the answering machine. When I get to the church, Woody and Lori aren't there, but have gone back into Steelville to get food and water. Thanks guys. While sitting in the shade, I get a call from the wrecker driver asking for an exact location. Lori and Woody get back and we visit while we wait for the wrecker. Woody says he'll go to meet them at the intersection of MO-19 and Woolsey Rd.
Once the wrecker gets there, I tell Woody and Lori to head off because the driver, his brother and I can get Rover loaded. We get the bike up on the tilt-bed without any issue. I pull the soft ties out of the side bag and put them in place and that's all she wrote. This driver knew how to tie down a motorcycle! :thumb:
http://inlinethumb52.webshots.com/12787/2695321640025504544S600x600Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2695321640025504544pBhYXk)
http://inlinethumb30.webshots.com/15837/2799053860025504544S600x600Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2799053860025504544pCuKts)
Once the bike was tied down, we continued on to Grass Roots BMW. I called Herb Anderson, the owner of Grass Roots, and let him know that I had crashed and we were coming in on a wrecker. He alerted his folks and they were ready for us when we got there. They unloaded the bike and rolled it into the shop, where I really got my first good look of the damage to the right side. I called my oldest son told him what happened and tell his mom to call me when she got it, but he wasn't home when she got there. I called my middle son and told him I'd gone down and that I was okay and to have his mom call my cell phone.
John Simmons, who was watching the store for Herb all week, said that my right shoulder looked a little low and that I probably should have it looked at. I agreed and he called his wife and she came and picked me up and took me to the Southeast Missouri Regional Medical Center. I walked up to the emergency room window and gave them my specifics and they immediately took me around the corner and took my temperature and my blood pressure and asked where I hurt. I then went to the waiting room and visited with John's wife and granddaughter, until Chris said she wanted to get something for Hannah to eat and I said I was fine there alone.
After about an hour and a half, they called me back and took me to a room where I had to strip down to undies and socks and put on that silly gown. Within 15 minutes the ER nurse was in to check my vitals and got suprised by the my hat and riding gear that was in the chair that looked like a person. She asked what happened as she was checking my vitals and hooking me up to the monitors. When I explained that I ride with all the protection I can, she said she wished more people did. After about 40 minutes the doctor came in and looked at my shoulder and ordered x-rays. After the getting x-rayed, the doctor came back and said that nothing was broken and they were going to sling my arm and let me go. She also said if the pain didn't start easing up in 3 to 4 days to see my family physician or my orthopedic surgeon because there might be some rotator cuff injury. John came back several times during this time to check on me and just before the doctor came back with her diagnosis, Herb had gotten back from CCR and came to check on me.
After being released, John asked me if I had a place to stay and offered my a bed at his place and I gladly accepted. After a glass of water and a short visit I excused myself and went down to get some sleep. After about 7 hours of solid sleep I woke up about 0430 (0530) my time and tossed and turned, got up took another shower and powered up the laptop to check in on the site and to check on options to get home.
John came downstairs about 0800 and asked if I'd like a cup of coffee. DUH!!! I went upstair and while John got the coffee going, I called and finally talked to Connie. She'd gotten the message to call and had tried, but my cell phone didn't work at John's place. She was worried, but was better after we talked. The cheapest option was to go to the Hertz counter in Paducah, Ky and rent a car and drive home and John and his family got me there. Thanks John!!
I didn't have any problem getting behind the wheel and it took just a little while to find a comfortable position for driving and I arrived home safe and sound just a little before 1900 last night.
And before any one asks, if I could have ridden the bike on to Cape Girardeau, I would have. I hope there isn't enough damage to total the bike, but if they do it was 77,000 miles of the most fun I've ever had and I'll be looking for another one.
http://inlinethumb25.webshots.com/15256/2571212650025504544S600x600Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2571212650025504544foQbiW)
First good look of damage
http://inlinethumb35.webshots.com/12450/2691456950025504544S600x600Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2691456950025504544cyBOLA)
Damage before leaving Grass Roots on Sunday.
http://inlinethumb17.webshots.com/14480/2170183160025504544S600x600Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2170183160025504544NzdrAR)
Close up of front damage
http://inlinethumb27.webshots.com/12890/2063216320025504544S600x600Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2063216320025504544PWpHvV)
Pannier damage
http://inlinethumb05.webshots.com/12036/2020740400025504544S600x600Q85.jpg (http://rides.webshots.com/photo/2020740400025504544FbCcGq)
If I didn't believe in full coverage helmets before, I do now. BTW, my Cortech GX Air jacket had NO damage.