Big Country

First of all, I wanted to thank everyone for the kind comments yesterday regarding my knee injury. Oh, and by the way, I biffed more than just my knee, but that is minor stuff compared to this knee deal. Some of you asked for pics, and while these won't be gory, or all that interesting, please keep in mind that my main goal was to get out safely, and not be coyote fodder. Pictures of said injury were a luxury I should not have even considered, but here ya go- this is all I got.....

Bandannas: More than just "do-rags".

The injury was covered first with a giant Band-Aid I had, and then I wrapped one of my trusty bandannas around it. By the time I got back to home base, this was soaked with blood.

By the way, I'd walked/ridden a fair piece before this shot was taken. Just to make sure I would get out. The rock face I crashed on was a giant, jagged exposed bedrock area with about a 45 degree pitch. Oh yeah, and smaller rocks were littered over its face as well. 

I mentioned yesterday how much it hurt, and without ibuprofen, it hurts just about as bad today as it did yesterday. I can walk, but gingerly, and stairs.....OUCH!

It's going to be awhile before any serious cycling gets done again, but I suspect commuting will still be okay once the wound heals. Trust me, I'll take it easy. Baby steps, and all that.

The wound that did heal...

The one "good" thing, (besides living through this), was that my Geax sealant actually sealed a huge hole punched into the sidewall of the rear tire. I aired it back up, and it held for the ,( admittedly gingerly paced), ride back out, probably at less than 20psi too.

I'm not sure if I'll have to boot the tire, but I'm going to see how long the "zit" will hold up.

If it doesn't, I'll get to see how tight that Geax tire still is on the Gordo, and when new, it was reeeeeeellllllly tight!

Now on to "bigger" and better subject matter.......

Play of Light

I took the family to San Antonio for the weekend, and we're going to Sea World, and all of that. However; when we left El Paso, the highlight for me of the trip so far was seeing the sunrise on the mountains east of the city. Wow!

My images are squat, so nothing too great. I mean- I took them out the passenger window while speeding down the highway. These wouldn't win any awards, but hopefully they convey some semblance of the grandeur and spectacular nature of.........well, Nature!

I could have spent all morning running around setting up shots and having fun. More so had I been on a bicycle doing this stuff. Imagine: Running with a friend or two on a back country photo taking trip on bicycles. That would be a blast. No hurry to go anywhere. Just enjoying the moments, and the riding in between getting there.

A Lonely Peak On The Range

Even as the sun got up, and the mountains got fewer and further between, the scenery still captivated me. I kept seeing places I wanted to go, but sadly will probably never get around to setting foot on. Maybe that's just as well......

It's a big, big country out there, that's for sure. We drove nearly 600 miles and never got through Texas! I sure can understand the lyrics to "Home On The Range" a little bit better now. I'll tell ya that much!

It still amazes me, and causes no end of wonder to me that our ancestors crossed this land with what they had to use. Complain? Who, me? I've nothing to complain about. Bum knee and all....

Have a great Saturday ya'all!