Category Archives: Travels

Adventure, Inspiration, Travels

An Unexpected Event

Memorial Day Weekend May 23rd-2020

We woke up to a beautiful morning. I took my 10 mile bike ride and thought to myself I’d bet Larry would enjoy a motorcycle ride today—somewhere local since it was suppose to rain at 1 PM. He loved the idea so we decided to visit our friends in Palatine, Carol and Chris Benson. Chris was working on scraping the house to prepare for painting.

We were on Rt.68 (Dundee Rd) near Deer Grove Forest Preserve on our way home. We were heading straight and had the right of way when a car making a left turn out of the Preserve collided with us. At first I thought we’d miss him but the next moment Larry and I and the bike were on the ground with bike parts scattered all over the road. My prayer was that we would not get hit by another car. My hip and leg hurt but I was able to walk to the curb where some wonderful people greeted me and wanted me to sit in their car. I chose to lean against a fence instead, and put on my mask. I was concerned about Larry, who has had two past back injuries. He was standing by the bike in the street and I wanted to make sure he was OK. His thumb was out of joint but he pushed it back in. He was scrapped, had a swollen hand, and some surface wounds. I had heavy gloves on and we both were wearing our helmets. Our helmets were dented, but without them we would have suffered probably for me a broken chin and for Larry, a head injury.

The policemen, Tim and Eddie, did a great job making sure we were OK and gathering all the information they needed. We both had up to date insurance. Tim said he hated seeing motorcycle accidents since he has one too and loves riding. The young man who hit us was so sorry and told us he did not see us driving straight ahead when he made the left turn. It was his first time being in an accident. Haven’t we all at one time or another had a situation where we came close to an accident but fortunately were able to avoid it. We walked into the ambulance and the paramedics checked our blood pressure and asked if we wanted to go the the hospital. We decided our injuries were minor. They too were very professional and caring. The Bensons, great friends, took us home and were very comforting.

Reflection

We should have reconsidered going out on Memorial day weekend in a populated area.

In the past, we have taken trips to WI on back roads.

Warning to others—accidents often happen close to home and wearing the proper motorcycle gear is important at any time.

We thank God that we are here to embrace another day—hopefully wiser.

We are both so thankful for our wonderful friends and family.

Travels

The Land of Many Lakes and Bike Trails

It doesn’t take long for Larry to want another adventure in life.  He had back surgery on July 9th. It was July 25th when we took our trailer up to Lake Farm Campground about 4-5 miles outside of Madison’s Capitol building.  The weather was a bit windy but perfect for a bike ride pass Lake Mendota where we saw a class of scuba divers and many fishermen.

At one point, we asked a woman the best way to get to the Capitol where we were going to stop for coffee. She said, “Just go around the bend and you will see a bike elevator to take you near the Capitol.  A bike elevator I thought—how clever and thoughtful of the city to provide such a thing. Soon, I clicked this picture.

After back surgery a few weeks ago, Larry rides the tandem with me to Madison, WI from our campground.

If you are looking for a getaway that is close to Chicago and the suburbs, think about traveling to Madison. There are endless campgrounds and trails for biking and hiking.  Being a university town, it has all the perks of entertainment to enjoy as well. We chose to go to Madison because we could camp right on the bike trail and it was flat for Larry to work on his therapy.

It was a great step for Larry but his endurance and strength still has a long way to go.  He took a long nap afterward to recharge. Formal physical therapy starts tomorrow.

We hope to return to Lake Farm Campground or another nearby campground in the fall to enjoy the endless trails and to possibly take our kayak up to this wonderful outdoor-friendly town. We hope you can join us when Larry is in better health and has greater stamina.  For more information, see www.visitmadison.com and sign up for their newsletter.