How about sharing your worst cycling disaster?

[prolesunited]

Besides crashes, that is.

I had a good one yesterday. I decided to do the Kal-Haven trail in Michigan. It's 33 miles from South Haven to Kalamazoo — most limestone, some hard-pack dirt and some sucky sections of dust. I took my hybrid and packed my panniers full of supplies for a day-trip.

It was really windy on the way out and my legs were feeling heavy. I watched the time and was ready to bail if need be. I made it, knowing the wind would be at my back. I was making such great time that I stopped at the grocery store midway back and got some more snacks and fluids cause I was running low.

All was going well as I was racing the sunset. I had just passed the two-mile marker when I felt my tire getting mushy. I thought I could ride it out, so I just pedaled faster. But then, I just started losing control.

Dusk was quickly approaching. Do I try to fix the flat or just pump it up and hope it holds? I tried pumping, but no air was going in, just more seeping out. I tried to re-attach it. And then it jammed. I couldn't get it on or off. I couldn't even walk it out with the pump attached. I mangled it getting it off and set to walking.

It was getting dark quickly and I had 1.5 miles to go. Do you know how dark it gets in the woods?!?!? Luckily, I had grabbed a light at the last minute. I started hearing all sorts of stirrings in the woods, so I started ringing my little bell. Like that was going to magically ward off danger.

It seemed to take forever to get back to the car and was pitch black by the time I made it. I was so totally freaked out.



Any harrowing tales you would care to share?

[loveable liberal]

1. I feel bad because I have caused at least two wipe outs.

Or sort of caused them. I ride a paved path outside of Saint Paul. The first wipe out was caused when I approached a 4 yo on the path, I slowed down of course, but when he looked back his front tire went off the pavement and when he tried to correct himself he went down like a ton of bricks. He was ok, no blood.

On the same path, which is built on a railbed, my son, a 4yo at the time wasnt paying attention and went about ten yards down an embankment into a pond. That one was scary. That was about 5 years ago.

My last one occurred about 3 weeks ago. I was on my road bike (on the same path) passing two adult roller-bladers. I made it past the male, the female who was about 10 yards in front of the male, looked back, lost her balance and I witnessed her bounce her chin off the tar. She was bleeding a bit from the chin and shin. Again I did announce I was passing. These rollerbladers dont think they need wrist guards or knee protection.

Am I a hazzard?

George W. Bush.
(actually Loveable Liberal, and all these things happened. I did run into a hedge trying to get my feet out of my pedals once too)

[prolesunited]

7. Yikes!

I don't think I'll be riding with you anytime soon. With the traffic in my area, I stick to trails over roads, too. People on the trails are so unpredictable, and frankly, often clueless. I always unclip and proceed fairly slowly around family groups and kids. At least they are the ones wiping out and not you. :P

I only ran into someone once. It was on the Chicago lakefront path. I was unclipped and practically stopped, but this woman was looking at me with that deer in the headlights look and just couldn't seem to move. She was quite large and I was going so slow, there was not damage done. I just kind of bounced.

[BiggJawn]

2. My first outing with clipless pedals.

Couldn't get unclipped at a stop fast enough and when I fell over, something (I think the chainring)laid the outside of my right calf open for about 6 inches...

Took 4 butterflies to close it. Also took 4 months to heal (I'm diabetic)

Hey, what way was the wind blowing when you went past the hog farm? And did you try a hotdog from the stop-for-pop in bloomingdale?

I like that trail, too bad we didn't get up there this summer, I was ready to do it all instead of Bloomingdale and back...

[Kolesar]

5. Like an idiot I was riding a hiking trail in happyslug country

I was riding alone and did not want to leave my bike unattended while I walked to the Laurel Mountain overlook at Wolf Rocks. I rode a few hundred feet slowly and haltingly when the front tire just dropped into a big hole. I stopped instantly then fell over to my right, unable to unclip my SPDs. I struck a rock with my hipbone and it knocked the wind out of me. As non-chalantly as I could, I got up and walked my bike back to the road. That hipbone hurt for a few hours. A beer in the campground medicated it fine.

[prolesunited]

10. I'm weird about that

When I'm on organized rides and there's tons of people, I'll walk off and leave my bike without a second thought. But, when I'm somewhere where there's no one around, and have to do something like hop in the port-a-potty for a second, I get very paranoid.

[happyslug]

24. Was that on the Laurel Ridge Trail???

If that is the Wolf's Rock you mention than I broke a pedal about 15 years ago (I could "ride" the bike but could not peddle, i.e. glide but nothing else. I did that to the Parking lot and than had the peddle replaced. I have stayed off that trail (Except when I hike it on Foot).

For more on Laurel Ridge Trail:
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/laurelridge.aspx
Maps for Laurel Ridge Trail:
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/parks/laurelridge_maps.aspx

Or was it on Allegheny Mountain:
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/stateforests/gallitzinmap.aspx
Map of Gallitzin state forest (Wolf's Rock in to the Right of this map):


The later is flatter than the Laural Mountain Trail. That Wolf's rock does NOT have the view of Laurel Mountain Trail but a nice alternative. I go to it when I hike that area.

Note: Pennsylvania hiking trails are Generally NOT open to bicycles. This reflects Pennsylvania problem with erosion after the forest were cut down around 1900. The only hiking trail open to biking in my area is the "Lost Turkey Trail" on the opposite side of PA 56 from Wolf's Rock Trail. I have also biked "Old 56" which is the remains of the Old Bedford Pike. The Bedford Pike was the old road between Bedford and Johnstown.

Lost Turkey trail:
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/hiking/turkey.aspx

The Lost Turkey Trail is based on some old State Roads from the mid-1800s. States started to build "all weather roads" (i.e. paved roads) about 1800. This continued for several years but by 1860 most states had stopped funding such roads. Most states only re-started building rural roads about 1880 (Influenced by Bicyclists AND the US Post Office offer of providing free rural mail delivery on such all weather roads). The post 1880s roads were more connections to nearby cities and railheads as opposed to roads to connect cities. It is only with the passage of the first gasoline tax (about 1900) that you again saw extensive building of rural roads. Given the raise of the Automobile and the movement from Rural america to urban America, many of the roads built during the 1800s were deemed no longer needed. Thus the State decided to rebuilt only certain roads on the Mountains, many of the roads were abandoned as opposed to being paved. The "Lost Turkey Trail" is built on several of these abandoned old state roads (In fact the Lost Children Monument on the Lost Turkey Trail was placed when it was do to it being the busier road in 1856, through it is not abandoned).

[Kolesar]

27. I recall the Wolf's Rock overlook had a view to the west...

...and it was near that cross-country ski warming lodge. It shows up on the Laurel Ridge North map at the website you posted. I had started in Linn Runn park, pedaled a hard snowmobile and pipeline route up, then pedaled around on top of Laurel Mountain for a long while before descending on the paved highway back to Linn Run SP.

[happyslug]

28. Must be this route (Yes a third set of "Wolf's Rocks, popular name here)

Sounds like you were on the PW& S trail
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/railtrails/Map/Map.aspx?cmdType=InitMap&TrailName=PW%26S+Bike+TRAIL&AlignX=120&RegID=4

[Kolesar]

29. It is there. The trail head is near the picnic table near Linn Run Rd

The Wolf Rocks trail, and that very same picnic table (at Laurel Summit SP), show up really well on this map on the Laurel Ridge site you referenced: Laurel--North

Any sign of fall colors yet? I would not be surprised if there were colors on the coldest parts of that tall mountain already. We are planning a trip to "that area", or more correctly to Rockwood, Confluence, or Ohiopyle to camp out and ride one of the rail trails. That would be October 8-11. In my experience, that is the best week for colors in the Laurel Highlands. Colors are a wee bit later in Ohio, although a few trees have shown red or yellow leaves.

[happyslug]

30. Last Week on my last trip to Ebensburg (County seat of Cambria County)

I saw that several Maples had turned (It has been a dry August and September so the trees tend to turn early when it has been dry). Most trees are still green, but now is the time for them to start to turn.

For more of the change see:
http://www.fallinpa.com/fallinpa/index.jsp
http://pavisnet.com/pafall/

Here are some Web Cams (Please note onlky updates during daylight hours): Ohiopyle webcam:
http://www.fallinpa.com/fallinpa/fallFoliage.jsp?section=ohiopyle

The Pa Elk Heard Web Cam:
http://www.fallinpa.com/fallinpa/fallFoliage.jsp?section=elk

[Kolesar]

31. 2004 was wet and the fall colors were wonderful

2005 had a steaming July and I don't expect as good of colors. Thanks for the links.

[prolesunited]

9. I did catch the smell from the farm. Yuck!

And no hotdogs for me. I haven't eaten meat for more than three years, and hotdogs had scared me for even longer than that. I went to the grocery store in Bloomingdale and got some cheese, water and Gatorade. It's a nice trail and I would do it again.

Two others like that that are even nicer are the Katy Trail in Missouri because it's more scenic and the I & M Canal trail in Illinois because it runs along a canal and the towns along it are larger, but still small and quaint. Both are worth a trip.

Here's links to some pics from both:
I & M http://homepage.mac.com/prolesunited/Through_My_Eyes/PhotoAlbum89.html

Katy Trail http://homepage.mac.com/prolesunited/Through_My_Eyes/PhotoAlbum34.html

[wtmusic]

12. Falling over in clipless pedals is a rite of passage

But for big guys (like us) particularly painful...

Fortunately I was able to break my fall by grabbing the front tire of the bike next to me--no stitches, but ouch

[BiggJawn]

14. I have done it twice since then

The last time I was at an intersection with a State Highway, so EVERYONE got a free show.
I just hold my breath and wait for the ground to greet me now, trying to get unclipped is what causes lacerations...

[loveable liberal]

18. just like in the movie "Dune"....

when Kyle Maclachlan says, "I will bend like a reed in the wind..." just before he kills stings character. Its much easier on the body if you dont tense up.....

[loveable liberal]

17. nothing is more embarrassing than ....

To forget to take your foot out of your pedals in front of a car load of high school girls. I just tipped over. The roar of the laughter was more painful than acutally falling over. Let's see. I hit the hedge, fell over in front of the girls. fell over at a stop sign and wiped out in my driveway due to the front tire catching. I've been seriously bikeing for 13 years now though, these are not unreasonable percentages. (are they?)

[wtmusic]

20. Actually you sound fairly uncoordinated

j/k :D

great mental image on that first one

:rofl:

[happyslug]

3. Does this include Punches?????

I have been punched twice while riding a bicycle. The first time was a pre-teen (I guess about age 12) who reached out of his father's pickup (I am assuming he was riding with his father) and punched me as the pickup drive by. I have also been yelled at by pre-teen boys for "blocking" their father's car. These incidents happened over 20 years ago and either pre-teens are better at controlling their anger today or I am NOT blocking as many cars as I use to (I was also on a very narrow main road with no beam that I think upset the driver who could not pass me so his son than took it out on me).

Another time I was pedaling up an incline and passed two Afro-Americans, one of which punched me as I peddled by. I stopped about 20 feet from where I was punched but decided it was not worth the fight so I continued on. The other Afro-American appeared as surprised as I was at the Punch. This was also over 20 years ago, and I have biked through that area (and walked through that area) many times before and since, and this is the ONLY time I had any problem with anyone in that community (a mixed-race community for over 40 years).

I was hit by a large Ford Ranger while picking across a Bridge in Texas (His right rear mirror hit me on my left arm).

But my worse accident was a couple of winters ago where I biked after it had snowed and the streets had been cleaned. I was biking and hit some ice with my slicks, causing me to lose control and fall down. The biggest injury was to my headlight (Which I had to Replace). When I ordered the new headlights I ordered some studded tires to use in Winter and have NOT had a spill since.

[prolesunited]

8. I've never been punched

But I've had people throw water or other liquids on me. Most teen boys are just obnoxious idiots.

[fortyfeetunder]

23. I had been slapped on the behind

as I was pedaling up a hill...I had a good grip on the bike so I wasn't freaking, but boy, was I mad!

[loveable liberal]

19. Last weekend someone yelled at me....

A real hero in a pick up truck... He told me to get on the "effen" sidewalk as he took a right turn away from where I was going. I cant stand those types of chicken chits.

[LeftyMom]

4. In the end it's not about the collision

I made eye contact with the woman in the Dodge and started across the quiet little side road. Now she looked right at me and nodded a bit but apparently she had been daydreaming or something because she began to turn right and plowed into me, knocking me off my bike and skidding across the blacktop nearly into the traffic on the much busier street.

Then she backed her car up, my mangled bike wedged in the grille of her car skittering up the road with it and started to drive out into traffic again as passersby yelled at her to stop.

I got to the side of the road. Some kind strangers called the police. I was shaking and a probably in shock.

When a cop arrived, he listened to the witnesses, who all insisted the woman in the Dodge had looked right at me and that I was appropriately conscientious in crossing the street. He listened to me being magnanimous and declining to get her insurance information and go after the replacement cost of my bike (I loved it and it fit me perfectly but it was inexpensive and not worth the hassle.) He listened to her swear she'd never seen me, on a crystalline day at an unobstructed intersection.

I left push my mangled bike to my appointment and cleaned my scrapes in the bathroom when I got there. She got in her car and went wherever the oblivious go. Probably shopping.

Two weeks later I got a ticket in the mail. Something about unsafe crossing of an intersection. That stung far more than the road rash.

[BiggJawn]

6. Did you fight the ticket?

Witnesses stating it was not your fault, I'd had fought it.

[LeftyMom]

16. I was going to

The morning of my court date I had the sort of stomach flu that won't let a person get more than five feet from a toilet. I called the courthouse. The only way to rechedule was to come in in person to request it. If I didn't do that or send somebody to pay my ticket they'd issue a warrant for my arrest on a failure to appear charge and I'd owe more money.

Having no other choice, I sent LeftyDad to pay my ticket.

[prolesunited]

11. That sounds awful

and she sounds like a bitch. Any reasonable person would have fixed/replaced your bike. I'm sure you'll have a different approach next time, like getting the insurance info and names of witnesses.

I know it sounds cynical, but I'm always prepared for people to behave like assholes and then just happy when they don't.

[happyslug]

22. Once a Car almost ran me over.

I was climbing Allegheny Mountain on Pa 271 out of Conemaugh Borough Pa. It is about a 3 mile climb so I walked most of it but every so often when the rode flatted out a little bit (But still was climbing upward) I would mount my bike a peddle. I had been pedaling about 5 minutes uphill when I passed a VFW club on the side of the Road. I saw a two cars coming down the other side and slow down, I assumed that both cars was going to turn into the club but I had the right of way and it was bright daylight so how could either driver miss me. As I continued to peddle the first driver started his turn. I than tried to make eye contact and realized he had NOT seen me and was to busy concentrating on making the turn into the club. I quickly realized that if I did NOT stop biking he was going to run me over. The driver behind him was also going into the club but he clearly saw me and as I resumed biking I saw him shake his head. Both were old men, but it was NOT the age that made the first one an unsafe driver but the fact he had lost the ability to do what is needed when someone is driving.

[wtmusic]

13. Been lucky

I ride quite a bit on streets and have had my share of close calls.

Closest thing to a disaster was having two (different) flats on one ride. My tire pump broke on the second one and I had to walk 3 mi in cleats (I take the cell phone now)

[dean_dem]

15. I've had close calls, but luckily nothing too memorable.

Of course, watch me get run down by a Suburban on the way home from work tonight.

I have fallen a couple of times in clipless pedals, and always at the busiest intersection possible. As if I didn't already look stupid enough in the lycra tights! I suppose everyone does that the first few times. No more SPD for me.

[Longhorn]

21. I've given up clipless, too.

Only one fall but several near misses. It's not fun for me to worry all the time about whether I'm clipped in or not and unclipping in time. And I never noticed any benefit to it, either. When your average is onl 12.4 mph, how much difference can it make? :)

I'm much happier with my mountain bike pedals with good grips and biking sandals.

[dean_dem]

26. I should clarify, I haven't given up on clipless yet...

I just switched brands. Soon after my SPD's fell apart, I went to the bike shop and explained my problem, and he set me up with a pair of Looks. Those things are MUCH better than the standard SPD's, and I've had no problems clipping in or out since then. Plus they have a much bigger platform than SPDs. You should give them a shot before completely giving up clipless, because they really are much more comfortable on those longer rides.

[Longhorn]

32. Okay, I'm going to give clipless another try!

Put the dual platform/clipless pedals back on today and we'll see how it goes. :)

[flvegan]

25. First thing I did when I bought my Sugar, was swap out for platforms.

I've never ridden clipless, and I don't think I ever will.

[mike_c]

34. I love my SPDs-- I've got 'em on my commuter...

...(converted mountain bike) and my road bike, so I wear the same shoes. I've ridden them for five years-- now they're second nature.

[mike_c]

33. couple of years ago someone hit me with a bottle...

...thrown from a pickup truck at 65 MPH. Hit me in the back, in the dark, while I was biking home from work. It was surreal-- I was just pedaling along in that semi-narco hypnotic repetitive motion state, focused on the cone of light in front, when WHAM! it hit me like a baseball bat above my kidney. Soda (I presume) flew all around me. I stayed upright-- but I screamed, sort of-- and heard the bottle hit the shoulder after bouncing off my back. It didn't break. White pickup disappearing into the night. I kept pedaling until I got home, afraid that I might be badly injured and not wanting to stop. I was OK, basically-- black and blue over much of my left side for a while, and VERY sore for a couple of days. No damage to the bike, thank god. I posted the story here when it happened-- I was utterly shocked that anyone would do such a thing. If it had hit my head it might have killed me.

on edit-- worst disaster that didn't involve someone else. I took my mountain bike down to Baja four years ago. Carried it 2000 miles on the back of my jeep. Arrived just north of La Paz on the San Evaristo road. Shook the road dust off the bike and saddled up. Less than a mile up the road my adjustable stem was jarred loose-- sudden floppy handlebars-- by the pounding washboard. I tightened the stem and rode on-- made maybe another mile before it worked loose again, plus my wrists were hurting big time. Serious washboard. A clear sign that I should abandon the road for a desert track. MAYBE made 100 meters in the desert before a cholla spine penetrated my NEW front tire AND the kevlar liner. Stopped and fixed the flat. Rode another 10 minutes or so before the next flat. Fixed same. Repeated. Again. And again. I finally abandoned the ride and walked the bike back to my campsite. Those tires are still out in my garage with cholla spines in them-- the last time I put them on the bike the tubes punctured as soon as I inflated them. I never managed to dig all the spine pieces out of them. I carried the bike 2000 miles home, with flat tires. Total driving time: 3.5 days down, and the same back. Total riding time: under 4 hours, much of which was spent doing repairs. Biking wasn't the only reason I was in Baja, thankfully.

[flvegan]

35. Alligator...

A year or so ago, I'm riding some pine flatwoods. Oft used area, so it's not some deserted singletrack. Rounding a corner at a good clip, and I see what I think is a log across the trail. I stand up, thinking I'm going to hop it. That's when I realized it was a huge gator and he/she was not moving. Hit both brakes hard...not enough. I pitched it hard, and I and the bike slid to 4 or 5 feet from the big guy. He seems unfazed by my folly, and turns and lets out this "hisssssss" at which point I pushed the bike towards him and crab-crawled backwards away (sorry, Sugar). I stood there for a few minutes, and then another rider came along, much more slowly and stopped when he got to me. I showed him my new friend, who still wouldn't move. He saw how close my bike was and noted it was smart to not try to retrieve it, what with how quickly they can move. He had to be every bit of 7 or 8 feet long, so I just waited it out. He left within a few more minutes. Maybe he figured he couldn't take two of us down (yeah, he could've).

[happyslug]

38. Down in Corpus Christi Teas in the early 1980s...

I was biking on the nearby country roads and as I biked by one spot I noticed a coiled rattlesnake. I noticed it as I passed the snake at about 12-18 inches (i.e. Within his strike zone). He did NOT try to bite me but the closest thing I ever had dealing with a snake (or other cold-blooded animal).

Now dogs are different, Been chased but never bitten. Again when I was in Corpus I was biking in the country with my two sisters and a large German Shepherd charged at us from a rural house we biked by. I yelled at him to stop and he stopped dead in his track, I still remember the look of shock on that dog. That look said something like this "I am a dog, I am to chase things, what did I do wrong to be yelled at?".

Dog owners can be different, once a small dog was trying ot bite my leg and I was peddling to get away from him and the dog owner yelled "Don't Kick my Dog" and I yelled back "I will if he bites me". The dog did not bite me so I did not kick the god, a few days later another dog tried to bite me and its owner said "Kick him, it teach him NOT to chase bicyclists", I responded "I will if he bites" but again the dog did not bite.

Notice the difference, one did NOT want to control or discipline his dog while the other wanted to. Dogs have lousy memories, if they break off an attack and are "punished", the dog looks at punishment for breaking off the attack. If on the other hand the dog is punished while doing the attack, the dog realizes the attack is what he is being punished for. You can NOT punish a dog for something he did even a few minutes before, they look at punishment for what they are doing when they are being punished. Thus it is hard work to discipline a dog or any animal and something we cyclist have to accept when biking.

[prolesunited]

43. The would have really been freaky

I've run into dogs, snakes and an occasional woodland creature, but never an alligator but that would be very strange indeed in the Midwest.

Over the weekend, I was chased by two Chihuahuas who were awfully hard to out run as they nipped at my ankles. I know I could have resolved it with one swift kick.

On the same ride, I sliced my tire and tube on glass and didn't have time to deal with it because I would be late for work. Jason came and got me and when I whiningly said, "And I got chased by Chihuahuas," he just cracked up. Say it out loud. It does just sound funny.

[Shine]

36. Head injury 7 weeks ago... My first accident ever...

I was coming back from a solo 25 mile ride and my front wheel of my Cannondale road bike slipped in some water as I was turning a corner. I hit my right temple against the curb. Cracked my helmet. Seriously, I'm convinced the helmet saved my life.

Doc says I got a concussion. Had to get a CT scan of my brain and thankfully, everything was fine. Once the headaches and neausea went away I was much better, but it took a good two weeks before I felt fully back in my body again. It was pretty weird.

Have to stay off my bike for 2 whole mos., but fortunately that time is almost up, so I can get back there again soon.

I feel lucky to be alive, lemme tell ya!

:hi:

~Shine

PS. This is my first venture into this particular forum. Glad to have popped in!

[happyslug]

37. Welcome to the Forum

And I hope your injury heels well. I NEVER have hit my head (with or without a helmet) but just in Case I always were a helmet, but I have had "spills". Sounds strange that mere water would cause you to lose control (Even while turning a corner). How fast were you going (If you remember, the last head injury I suffered from I have no memory of the incident, I remember right went on right before the injury but not the actual accident, thus if your don't remember the incident that is fine).

You mentioned you were on a road bike, 23 or 35mm tires? The 35s give a little bit more traction than the 23 through at lower tire pressure (and thus high roll Resistance i.e. 35mm are harder to peddle than 23mms).

Finally what type of helmet were you wearing? Could another design have prevented more damage? Questions, Questions, Questions. The only way we can reduce injuries is to talk about the accidents and what we can do a bicyclist to minimize the damage.

[Shine]

39. Thanks for the welcome, happyslug

I know, I thought it was pretty weird myself that a bit of water took me down. I was not going fast at all. I was turning onto a suburban street. It was water run off from somebody's yard sprinkler and maybe there was some dried oil in the road mixed in with the water to make it exra slippery, who knows? :shrug: What I remember first about the fall was my utter disbelief that I had fallen at all! I am an accomplished cyclist and this had never happened before. It happened incredibly fast, too.

Not too sure about the tire thickness. I'll have to look into that.

I was wearing a Bell helmet and it has served me quite well over the years. Again, I'm convinced it saved my life, so I'll probably go back to the same brand when I get a replacement.

What really pisses off these days is how more people seem to be riding withOUT helmets lately. Has anybody else noticed this phenomenon? I live near Santa Cruz, CA and it's truly amazing how many of these young college students ride around without head protection and, even worse, have headsets on, leaving them even more vulnerable to accidents. I just wanna yell at them, "WHAT are you thinking?! Your mama loves you!!"

The cynical part of myself will sometimes consider this phenomenon "social darwinism"....weed out the dumb ones!! Sad, but true.

After having survived my little fall, I am MUCH more appreciative of the emphemeral nature of our lives. We're all just passin' through, so we might as well make the most of our time here, in whatever ways we can, right?

Happy trails, one and all....

:hi:
~Shine

[happyslug]

40. The big problem was the curb.

When I ended up in the hospital after hitting my head, it was against concrete curb, those things are dangerous. In my case I was cutting down a tree with my father. I was up on the ladder and said something was wrong with the ladder. My Father said nothing was wrong with the ladder so he went up after I climbed down the ladder. I do NOT remember climbing down the ladder or him climbing up the ladder. He told me later that after he climbs the ladder and started to saw down the branches of the tree he notice the ladder move. He assumed it was the tree giving way so he braced himself to fall with the tree. No big thing the tree as it falls will break your fall thus no injury, the problem was THE LADDER WAS BREAKING and broke underneath him. I was underneath him so he landed on me, safe and sound and I ended up with my head hitting the edge of my parent's concrete porch (Which was about the same height above the ground as is a typical curb).

Later when we talked about it, I said the ladder was unsafe, I refused to use the ladder, he said it was a solid ladder and he climbed it and I was the one who ended up in the hospital. Now we had borrowed the ladder from a neighbor, who when my father approached him to pay for the ladder (it did break when my father had borrowed it) calmly said, no my father did NOT have to pay for it AND he did NOT want it back.

As I said I remember saying to my father the ladder was unsafe and him telling me to get down so he can get up they and saw the limb down. I cannot remember anything after that tell the ambulance arrived when I heard my mother telling me NOT to fall asleep. I remember parts of the trip to the Hospital (Just a few minutes as we approached the Hospital) but nothing tell the hospital released me later on that day. I had NO concussion but also no memory of the actual accident.

Now that was in the 1970s and bicycle helments were just coming into use, but one thing about that accident I learned was how easy it is to harm your head and that you should be wering a helmet in any situation where you have a decent chance of hitting your head against something hard.

[Shine]

41. Yup, those damn pesky curbs can be real problems, indeed!

Sounds like you were pretty lucky, all things considered.

Glad you lived to tell the tale.

Take care, happyslug! Cute name, btw. I went to UC Santa Cruz back in the 80's and while there, the students took on the Banana Slug as their official mascot. Strange, but true...

:hi:
~shine

[happyslug]

42. My name I earned on a Camping trip.

My younger sister was in Grade School and learning about "Indian Names" i.e. how the Native American would name people based on events or actions in their lives "Sitting Bull", "Rain in Face" etc. She saw me in my black shinny sleeping bag and said "look a slug" and I responded "At least I am warm and happy in my bag" and she respond "Oh a "happyslug". She had given my sisters "Indian Names" that trip but all were quickly forgotten except "Happyslug", a name that has survived 20 years of abuse.

Note on "Indian Names" in most tribes it was considered bad luck if an enemy used your real name in a curse, so Indians referred to themselves using "Nicknames" so that their enemies would never learn they "Real names". These "Nick Names" have come down in history to us for it was the name most Indians were know by. One Characteristics of the Native Americans was that it was NOT uncommon for them to change their Nick Names do to events in their life. For example, a young warrior may be known by one name but as he age change his name to less reflect an aggressive fighting style to one of leading other warriors to victory and than in old age as a "sage" of the tribe. Thus a warrior may be know as "Raging Bull" because he was a strong fighter and than "Wolf who defeats" when he is older and using cunning to instead of brute strength and as he grows even older become known as "Wise Owl".

This Nicknaming and changing of nicknames is further complicated by the fact the tribes had various sub-groups and as a person join he or she would change his or her name to reflect being a member of that sub group. For example adopt the name "Terrible Turtle" when he or she join the "Turtle" sub-group (and change to a third name when he or she left that group). Another line of nickname was when the native American learn some "Medicine" (The Term "Medicine" as used by the Native American meant more than what we called Medicine to include charms, amulets, advice on how to eat, live and fight and in addition to various herbs and other true medicines). Thus "Raging Bull" may become "Wolf who defeats" than to "He who Cures " to "Wise Owl".

This changing of nicknames causes problem in the historical records for sometime when you see three or four names of Native American those names may be the same person whose name has changed over the decades. Now with greater connection with Whites as the 1800 went on such name change became less and less common. Native Americans learned it was important to keep who the white were talking with straight. One common trick used by Whites to steal lands from Native Americans in the late 1700 and early 1800 was to have a "Chief" sign his tribes lands away, when the "Chief" was a "Chief" in the eyes of the Whites only. This could be done better if the Whites could find an Indian with the same "name" as a Chief that had signed a previous treaty with the Whites. Given the flexibility of Indian names it was quite possible for one Native American to adopt an old name of another native American who was no longer using that name. If the old user had signed the treaty, the Whites were more than willing to have the new user of the name sign another treaty. As the 1800s goes on you hear less and less of this for the Indians learned their lesson about names and started to use them for their whole life (at least when dealing with whites), but the problem came out of the Native American Tradition which not only did the Native American knew so did the Whites abusing that tradition.

[Shine]

44. Wow, you know your stuff about Native American naming

traditions! Are you a professor, or something? :) I knew the stuff about how they changed them, based on life events, but I hadn't really considered the challenges of said changes with the historical record-keeping of the time. Hmmm...interesting, indeed.

In any case, "happyslug" seems to have worked out well for you. The image of you in the sleeping bag was pretty amusing, I must admit. Cute story.

:hi:
Shine

[happyslug]

45. No, Just a history buff.

Who liked to see how things worked back then, for it is the best way to see how things will change in the future. As you see how things changed over time you get a better idea how things will change in the Future. For example If you go to the Peak Oil Forum I "published" a paper I wrote on the Spread of Suburbs, to give people a better idea on how those same suburbs will decline with the decline do to peak oil. How the Suburbs developed in the best record we have of how their will collapse. That is why you need to study history, to get a better fell of how things will change, to avoid the dome and gloom of those people who can NOT image how to live without a car and to avoid the other wackos who believe technology will solve the problem so we will always have automobiles. The truth is in between and you can see that if you look at how we became what we are today.

[Fovea]

46. Back in '76

I was at a park picnicing with a girl I knew. I got back on my bike to ride home, I had a very steep grade to ride down on the way, and that's when I discovered that someone had flipped my front quick release.

I ran two stoplights at the bottom of that hill (Kansas City Plaza, Brush Creek) screaming all the way, before I could slow down enough to brake.

I had to pull into a parking garage and pee, I was so scared.

[gulfcoastliberal]

47. Urban accident.

While going to UC Davis (most bike-friendly city I've known), during my senior year I lived in South Davis. The commute entailed riding over a massive I-80 overpass that wasn't very bike friendly going into town cause you had to merge past cars moving into and out of downtown Davis plus cars coming off and going on the freeway to get over to the left to the F St tunnel which brought you on campus after a few blocks on a bike path downtown.

But I was on my way home, cruising on my 10-speed 1976 Fuji Special Road racer, and having crested the overpass quickly accelerated as gravity pulled me down. Bout halfway down I decide to be macho and ride no hands. Suddenly I saw something strange: one of those A-frame construction things that have an orange light on the top, except it was collapsed, lying horizontally so as to fill up even the spacious bike lane. I hit that thing doing at least 20-25mph and flew superman style for a second before crashing down onto my hands and knees. Workers at a gas station accross the street came running over to see if I had broken my neck. A lady in the office park walking to her car in a lot next to the bike lane also came running. I was more embarrassed and pissed than hurt, fortunately (merely flesh wounds with embedded road particles, ok, road rash), and all I had to do with the bike was pop the chain back on the sprocket, and pedal my bloody heap home with blood running down both legs into my socks looking like an idiot. But two skinned palms and skinned kneees made showering the next couple of weeks traumatic.

Edit: I believe that there's now a special tunnel or bike overpass they built so students don't have to ride over that thing anymore.

[central scrutinizer]

48. strangest sequence of events

I was riding up a moderately steep hill on my road bike so I was only going about 5 miles an hour in a low gear. I ride over a bent twig lying on the pavement. This causes the twig to rotate and the bent end pops up and catches my chain, causing it to slip off the chain ring. Instantly, I am pedaling at about a million RPM but have also instantly lost my momentum. It is so weird and unexpected that I don't react fast enough to twist my feet off the clipless pedals and fall over, gashing my shin. Fortunately there was no traffic. If it had happened a couple of minutes later, I would have been road kill - a log truck was screaming down the road, cutting through all of the curves.

[Kolesar]

49. Zipping to campus, right on Mark's rear wheel

I was drafting my roommate as we sped from the Purdue dorms to the engineering campus. A coed motorist passed us and turned abruptly in front of us without signaling. Mark braked, but too quickly for me to stop. I swerved, hit the curb, and spilled over onto the pavement, knocking Mark down in the process. Well, here's the funny part. The female stopped and got out to observe the crumpled mass that she did cause. The young 'un was obviously a bit shook up by the experience and gasped when she saw the large pool of iron-red fluid spilled onto the asphalt at the scene of the accident. It was rain water that had collected in the seat tube during all the rains my beauty had sat out in at the dormitory bike rack and she mistook it for blood.

[bikebloke]

50. Trashed by a condom

Apparently, my tire picked up a condom in the road. It then fell down into the rear derailleur drive train. I had just turned onto the main drag in my ride into work and started pumping up some speed. When the evil condom snarled the works, the derailleur snapped in half, flying into the wheel. There it encountered spokes, ripping them out of the rim. A really nasty rupture. The chain knotted. And a strut was bent on the fender. The wheel wouldn't turn afterwards. Luckily, I was close to home and carried my horse back to the flat (ran and walked into work).

I wish I knew what brand of condom. You're not going to have any accidental breeding with that.