There are a lot of people that inspire me – certainly any number of historical figures  that are famous for their intellect stoicism, leadership or performance under fire – typically those that don’t “lead lives of quiet desperation”.  I’m more apt to pull for those who live their desperate lives loudly…:)  The historical people are always great to study but my favorites are people that are doing amazing things in the here and now.  They are contemporary and I can always email ‘em too.  I never have to wonder what so and so meant.  I love Honest Abe but I can’t email ‘em.

I’m always inspired by people who do great things that may also be selfless.  Someone who raises a bunch of money to help find a cure.  Even if it isn’t entirely selfless it can still be inspiring.  One of the bike blogs that I follow is the Fat Cyclist.  He lost his wife to breast cancer a little over a year ago and has been steadily raising money for Lance Armstrong’s Livestrong foundation ever since.  (Say what you will but Lance motivates people).  He’s a good writer and his stories are always well-written and amusing.

Another great blog that I’m following is an amazing woman, Janeen, who is riding accross country to raise money for Livestrong.  She has a great blog that she’s building day by day (more or less) as she rides.  Her bike, Precious, also has his own web site that updates in real time.  He also has a computer brain and occasionally sends out a tweet.  It’s cool stuff, however, I doubt I’d ride accross the country for any $4,000 but it’s a heck of a committment on her part.  I also admit to being envyous of her.  I couldn’t possibly take the time to undertake such a trip but would love to.  Plus she has actual writing talent.

I admit it’s a bit of a random post but I wanted to pass these two sites along….the web has been around in one form or another for a bit over a decade and it’s still changing our lives in new and exciting ways….

Well, I did contact the locality down in the Outer banks.  I got an email from about half of the elected folks and from the town manager.  The Manager was supposed to call today but never did.  I checked in with my family doctor today and she recomended that I see an orthopedic doc in the next several days.  It appears that I’ll be off the bike for several weeks at least.  Dropped my ride off at Bull Run Bikes to have Danny give it the once over.  Thanks to all who emailed to wish me well.

I guess that the bottom line is that Kitty Hawk, North Carolina is a dangerous place to ride a bike.  Farther south in Nags Head it’s better but I’ll never go back to Kitty Hawk because of the danger of riding there.  It’s cute to have the “Share the Road” signs up but it takes more than that.

Im on vacation at our usual haunt: The Outer Banks. My family has been coming here since about 1967 – when I was in diapers. The little cinderblock house we stayed in back then is long gone. Come to think of it, so are the cottages we stayed in up until about 1980.

The Outer Banks has matured along we me. I dont feel responsible for it but it is a good fit. When I was a kid, there was just kid stuff to do. There was only Cahoons store and the Travelers Inn for softserve ice cream. The entire town closed at about 9:00. As Ive gotten older, there has been a lot of development and many places that young adults would be interested in going to came along. Family restaurants have always been here so its a comfortable place. Over the past couple of years Ive become a bike freak and thats great as the localities on the islands have started putting in wider shoulders and bike paths.

However, the Outer banks really isnt my favorite place to ride. I hate the wind. You can bomb along at about 25mph heading south but when you turn around and head back north, youre in for it. That tailwind that was shoving you along now exacts its revenge. Regardless, I need to keep some of the fat off of my frame so I try to get in a 20-30 mile ride every morning. The winds yesterday were pretty light so I did around 30 miles.

I awoke to a pretty stiff wind this morning and decided that I was going to cut the distance to 20 miles. I took off and was cruising at about 22 mph the whole way south. Very enjoyable but I had gotten a late start and the sun was starting to creep up. I was getting hot. At the turn-around point I stopped and horked down about half a bottle of water, decided that there was nothing for it and started back.

Early on in the return trip I decided to simply set the pace between 16-18 mph. It was starting to get hot and I wasnt going to burn myself up that early in the day. About halfway back I got buzzed by a trash truck. He came up close and, with no oncoming traffic, hit the gas to pass me and didnt even swerve into the other lane. That scared the crap out of me but Ive had a couple of close calls in Manassas before (not that close tho) so I kept moving. I was down to about half a bottle of water (0ut of 2) when I realized I was about a mile from the beach house – things were looking up!

At this point, the beach road narrows somewhat and the wide shoulders really do disappear. I usually stick to riding the line and that works ok. Traffic usually moves around and gives everyone room to breath. Well, my luck ran out with a trash truck. I was watching ahead and could see that the sand had blown out onto the should and it was pretty deep – I was going to have to get out into the road to get around it. I turned my head to see a trash truck some distance behind me. I moved over onto the line and looked back – he was holding his line and wasnt going to give me any room!!

I started thinking I need room, I need room and then I started saying it out loud. Well, it was quickly clear that the rotten fink had seen me and wasnt going to give me any room. I did the only thing I could do – take my chances in the sand. It took about .5 seconds before I realized that the bike wasnt going to skim over the sand. It was going to sink and stop on a dime. I remember thinking and then saying: oh s**t, this is going to hurt right about when the bike stopped and I went over the handlebars.

I was right. Im positive that the only reason I wasnt badly injured is that I landed in the sand. However, my left shoulder dislocated when I hit the sand. I rolled over and sat up. Oh my god what pain that was – white hot and then it got worse when my shoulder popped back in. I was rolling around on the ground. Of course the truck never stopped….but several joggers and riders did. The lady across the street shouted are you ok? I replied no and she went inside, never to return…A guy named Allen had stopped – he was jogging – and made it clear he wasnt going anywhere until he had me back to where I was supposed to be. Luckily, we were only about 6 houses down (yes, I was that close) from where I was staying. Allen threw my bike over his shoulder and helped me get back to the house. Thanks a ton dude. I hope I can pay your kindness forward one day.

I have talked to the doctor but havent been to the hospital. The doc said to wait it out a bit to see what happened so Im doing that. Im very sore and in some pain. Im pretty crabbed out right now but I think Ill be ok in a couple of days. Doubt Ill be riding down here anymore….

UPDATE: x-rays are negative but Im in an arm sling. Sorry for leaving that bad word in there….