In a few minutes you will understand why I wrote this thread. And it has been painful.
The ride to Rick and Roxanne's place is beautiful. When I pulled into their little slice of heaven they were both busy with projects around the B&B. First unload my personal stuff off the bike and get settled into a room and off to the garage to find Rick. He is messing around with a few of the number of bikes he owns from a Harley Police bike to dirt and motards, sportbikes, and others. His garage looks like a whos-who for riders as other guys from as far away as England have stuff stored there. Doesn't take Rick long to ask if I'm ready to ride the Dragon, and of course I say yes. As he readies his equipment and rolls out a 525 KTM motard with smoothies - I pop a few cold pills to combat the way I feel. Helmets on with leathers and armor we hit 129 hwy south and are soon on the Dragon. It is beautiful with the splendor of full spring in bloom and of course the road is intense with twisties beyond description. Rick pulls off a turnout with a view of a dam and lake that is breath-taking. There are two young folks there on an older Kawasaki that Rick knows. They are a young fella and his pretty blond friend. Both it turns out are operating nurses in a North Carolina hospital. We jump back on the Dragon and Rick pulls away following another fella he knows and they soon disappear. I can feel the cold medicine taking effect and follow a few switchbacks behind them. One sharp turn after another and the road begins to climb again as I approach a tight hairpin to the left.
Never made the turn. Drove straight off the apex - across the gravel apron of a small turnout - and out into clear air off a cliff. Cleared handlebar width trees sailing out about 60 feet or so before falling about 30 feet into the canyon with scrubs, small saplings, leaves and debris of the hillside. I don't remember any of it. I vaguely remember saying, "Oh Shit", as the bike launched from the ridge into mid air.
I woke up some time later wrapped up in small spruce saplings covered in leaves and dirt thinking that my back must be broken because I can't move. Slowly I look around and the bike is idling and the rear wheel is turning about eight or nine feet from me. I try to move and feel nothing. My helmet and face shield are still where they should be. Able to pull off a glove and with effort flip the modular full face up. Trying to move my legs but they are twisted up under me and small saplings are bent under my body between my legs. When I lie quiet I can just hear the roar or scream as bikes pass up on the road. But I can tell there is no way they can know I am here. I think of Rick but know he will concentrate on his own ride - but eventually he will look for me.
Slowly feeling returns bringing with it pain from my left shoulder and right hand as I try to move my legs under me to slither to the bike to hit the kill switch. I spy my beloved GPS unit lying in the leaves in front of the bike. Must have been a hard impact to leverage that out of the locking Tourtech mount. The windshield is broken and lying at an angle to the left of the handlebars which are bent at an obscene angle. The rear tire stops turning and I lie there as I listen as more bikes pass above. I don't know how much time passes as I begin to realize I must get up that hill for someone to know I'm there. I pull my legs under me and use the side of the bike to push up to get on my knees. (I didn't remember much of this until a few days later!)
Finally able to stand a little wobbly and wait a moment to be sure everything works. Climbing the side of ridge is very difficult with loose, deep leaves using small trees as leverage I finally make it near the top. There is one more obstacle and I remember standing there deliberating how to get over a large fallen tree between me and the flat top of the ridge. I finally manage to make it over the deadfall and stand shaky on the gravel as bikes go by. Then I just sat down in the gravel thinking that I must be getting my riding pants dirty. Next thing I remember is a face framed with blonde hair leaning over me and asking if I'm alright. Later I learn it is the nurse friend of Ricks riding the Kawasaki from the turnout. Her male friend is standing over me asking where my bike is. All I can do is point into the woods in the general direction. The girl asks me not to move as I tell her there is water in my top box. That must have been when her friend climbed down to the bike and retrieved the entire top box (thrown clear at impact). I can hear them talking and she says something about calling for an ambulance. I think I must be in worse condition than I thought. But not in a position to discuss it. I remember a number of bikes stopping and Rick must have shown up as I hear talk about an ambulance coming and a Highway patrol is there from North Carolina. We're in Tennessee so he can't do much except support. A Tennessee highway patrolman shows up and asks for my drivers license and insurance. I show the blonde where my wallet is and she digs it out giving them to the patrolman. Eventually the ambulance shows up and hogties me to a hard board for transport. Before they put me in the ambulance I learn Rick has gone to the house to get his truck and trailer to get the bike out.
I can shorten this now. Checked out in the hospital with x-rays, MRI, scans and etc. to find out I have many bad bruises, a torn rotator cuff in the left shoulder. Left elbow is very sore and the right hand feels broke. They say no. And a slight but not so serious concussion with slight headaches to go with it. Left the hospital at one-thirty in the morning picked up by Roxanne. Rick slept in as he stayed on the mountain until a wrecker came from Maryville to drag the bike out of the holler. Literally dragged it out through huge trees with a long cable. Found out the longer the cable needed the more it costs. Insurance paid for everything.
Didn't call my wife until I left the hospital. Woke her up to tell her the bad news. She's a trooper.
My bike is totaled. The insurance company has already informed me it will pay 100% replacement costs of the bike plus 10% over that because it is an '07. They will pay for all on-bike accessories and all of the safety equipment I was wearing at the time.
I am now recuperating at Rick and Roxanne's who I will never be able to repay. Rick will not let me ride one of his bikes even if I wanted to. We laugh about it now - but we all know how lucky I am to be here. I walk around with a sling on the left arm and a wrap on the right hand. Rick won't let me help with anything and Roxanne feeds my like an invalid. I fly home Tuesday.
I love these folks. And I won't forget!

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