“Back in the saddle again
Out where a friend is a friend
Where the fattened Holsteins feed
On BGH* laced feed
Back in the saddle again”
(apologies to Gene Autry, but this IS Central PA, not Wyoming.)
*Bovine Growth Hormone
“I woke up and felt like I should be walking. It’s what I do now.” — Bill Bryson in “A Walk in the Woods,” on waking up after the end of his attempt at thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail.
Like Bill with walking, I woke up and felt like I should be riding. For seven weeks, it’s what *I* did.
I returned to the saddle almost right away, riding into town about a mile away to pick up my mail and have a bagel and coffee at Irving’s Bagels, my favorite haunt. This past Saturday, I joined the Saturday morning ride at Mt. Nittany Wheelworks and got in 48 miles at a very brisk 18 mph. My legs muscles screamed at me afterwards, “WE ARE VERY FATIGUED. LET US REST!” So, I decided to lay off the long, fast rides for a few weeks while my body is still recovering. My knee *hasn’t* recovered yet, and while riding still doesn’t hurt, I’ve been having continual pain, especially when any twisting movements are involved. I had a X-ray today which showed no bone or tendon problems, but I’m being scheduled to get an MRI to look for soft tissue damage. Somethin’s wrong, but I’ve known that since the second the accident happend. I’m just glad I was able to finish.
Old Faithful at Sunset. Yellowstone National Park, 6-30-2005