Got my bike back . . .

The next day we left for Moab.  The first hundred miles or so were expected to be really nice motorcycle roads, so I decided to ride on with Jim.  We started hearing a funny noise from Jim's bike and "the guys" checked it out when we stopped at our first scenic overlook.  A bracket had broken and was allowing the weight of the trailer to sit down on the back tire.  They worked for a bit and with duct tape and a ratchet tie-down they got it ride-able until we could get a new bracket [three guys can fix just about anything with duct tape and a ratchet tie down . . . right??].  Because of the bracket problem it was decided that I didn't need to ride on with Jim so I invited myself to ride with Scott on his bike.  The ride was beautiful and we had some fun roads along the way.  It was really nice since I had not had a lot of motorcycle time up to that point in the trip.  By the time we made it to Moab though, my leg was pretty swollen.  I didn't have any more of the minerals to soak my leg in so we got some Epsom salts.  I soaked my leg that night and again the next morning.  After sitting in the bath for about 30 minutes that morning, I began doing some myofascial release and the tissue began to release and soften in several areas around my ankle and lower leg.  I had used crutches to make it to the bath but was able to walk un-assisted when I got out [ok . . . so it wasn't pretty, but I technically COULD walk on my own]. 

I decided I wanted to head back to Sedona to get my bike.  Let's just say that no one but me liked the idea of me getting back on my bike so soon.  My reasoning made so much sense . . . we would save 200 miles of drive time by going straight from Moab to Sedona and then meeting the group back at our next stop . . . Durango, Colorado . . .  rather than going from Moab to Durango back to Sedona and then back to Durango.  Besides that, I knew that I could ride and it would save us half a day or more.  So . . . Jim & I left Moab early.  We drove through the Arches National Park on our way out [which was amazing and is definitely on our "see again" list].  Then we had a long days drive.  We started late so we didn't have the luxury of taking our time and making too many stops along the way.  We skirted around rain all day but never got more than a sprinkle or two.  Announcement: sitting on the back on Jim's bike is no longer comfortable.  He changed his set up [new bags and trunk etc. and a new seat] and let's just say that the passenger seat is not for long distance travel!  My leg was swollen when we got there, but my back side was much more sore than my leg.  My Sedona therapist [Lori] was available for a late appointment that evening so I had one last session.  When I got to the room I soaked my leg in an Epsom salt bath and propped it up for the night.  The next morning the swelling was back down and I was ready to ride.  After leaving Sedona we ran into some stand-still, stop and go traffic in Flagstaff.  This was the moment of truth . . . I had to stop over and over again, holding the bike up with each stop . . . and "for real", I could ride!  The only time I put pressure on my lower left leg was when I shifted and because of the set up on my bike I could use my toe to up shift as well as downshift.  It worked great and we made it to Durango that evening.  Another epsom soak that night and the next morning.  Decided to take a break from riding the following day . . . but some great rides were still ahead of us . . . BUT, I'll have to tell you more about that in my next post!