Home again......... Ahhhhhh!

November 18
I couldn't post yesterday because the hotel we stayed at didn't have a working computer in their business center. We drove yesterday from Lordsburg Texas to Jackson Mississippi, about 900 miles. We didn't stop much, just for gas. It took about 12 hours and was a completely uneventful ride. Jenn and I continued to talk through what has happened and the emotions are still really close to the surface, so there was again a lot of tears, but mostly about how much we had to be thankful for. Yea, there were some broken body parts and some "stuff" gone like our computer and our wedding rings, but they are just things. We still have each other, a beautiful family, and some wonderful friends. Things didn't work out the way we had planned, but life finds a way of letting you know you aren't completely in charge!

November 19
 We arose early this morning wanting to get on the road before 8am. We quickly ate our scrumptious "Continental Breakfast", but I would like to know on what continent this crap is considered a regular breakfast!  Anyway, Jenn spent the day talking on the phone, explaining to friends that she was OK and that this wasn't going to stop her from getting back on her bike. I know to most that is hard to understand, but to those that really have a passion to ride, it seems perfectly natural. We drove the 419 miles back to Atlanta pretty quickly, doing it in about 6 hours. During our ride, Jenn and I decided that our first stop in town would be at the "Doc in the Box" to have them take a look at the injury and redress it. The little bit we could see thru all the wrappings didn't look so good. There was a lot of black material, which Dr. Limon (remember him from Hermosillo) said may indicate dying flesh. So, we went to the Emergency Care down the street from our house before going home. There was some discussion as to whether they would even look at it, as the broken bones had penetrated the skin which made it high risk for an infection that could jeopardize her entire body! But after the nurse met with the doctor, they decided to open it up and take a look at it. The nurse seemed excited about the opportunity to see the injury after Jenn and I gave her the circumstances on how she got hurt. She gently, pulled back layer after layer of gauze to finally reveal the wound. Guess what.................... IT WAS PINK, still pretty yuckie, but PINK. Which means that circulation was happening and the toe could be saved. The nurse cleaned it up and had the doctor come in and take a look. He looked appalled and wouldn't even touch it. He said the toe looked "viable" to him, but we needed to see a foot specialist. He recommended we call Resurgence, which specialize in hand and foot trauma. The nurse re-wrapped Jenn's foot and applied a new brace which was much more comfortable, and said to contact Resurgence, first thing Monday morning. We said our thank you and quickly walked back to our truck to get home to see Erin. The homecoming was what you would expect, lots of hugs and kisses mixed in with "I really missed you". Walking thru that front door seemed so far away just a few days ago, and at times an impossibility, but we are finally home..............ahhhhhhhhhhh!  

Final Major Hurdle Cleared

Jenn and I slept until around 6 am and wanted to get on the road as soon as possible. So we just brushed our teeth, wolfed down some crappy "Contenental Breakfast" . I quickly wrote yesterday's blog at the business center and we were on the road by 7 am. We needed to drive the 488 miles to Presidio. Try and find some folks to help me unload the bikes out of the uhaul truck and get them back up into my truck. Then drive the 150 miles to Fort Stockton to return the rental truck Neal had obtained for us. The good news was the speed limt ranged from 70 mph to 80 mph. The bad news, I was in a rental that seemed to have a governor. So I just kept the peddle mashed to the floor and we got to Presidio at around 2:30 PM. The truck was there were we left it (that was another nightmare I chose not to entertain). I went into the office and paid the lady the $20 weekly storage fee, and asked if there was anyone around to help me load the bikes. She called into the back and a gentleman named Steve came out to lend a hand. A really friendly guy and a biker himself. He really didn't let me do much of anything! he road the bikes off the uhaul and powered them back up the ramp on our truck. After he got both bikes up, he sat on them while I strapped them down. He did seem to really like the KLR, so I told him to take it for a spin around the several acre parking lot. He was spinning out, popping wheelies, just having a grand time! Finally he brought it back around and said he needed to get him one of these. Hah, another KLR convert!! Anyway, after we finished loading I reached in my pocket and gave him what was left of our Mexican currency for his efforts, 600 pesos (I think around $40). I figured with him being right next to the border he could easily spend it. He seemed embarassed and said he didn't help us with the expectation of being paid, he was just helping a fellow biker. I told him I understood, but I would feel better if he would take it, and if he gets the chance to "pay it forward". A gret guy and another in the long list of folks who helped us get home. We started over to the rental company in Fort Stockton and Jenn had to drive the 2+ hours with her bad foot. Fortunately it is her left and the truck was an automatic. We got to the rental place 10 minutes before they closed (6pm). Handed everything over and finally headed out in all of our original equipment! We stopped in a cool steak house called the Barn Door and had a great meal, a couple of drinks, and took a deep breath for the first time in almost 1week. Today we will try to cover the 1200 miles that are left to get back home. It all depends on how much Jenn can take as she is stillin in a lot of pain. But, worst case we will be home sometime Saturday. That is all for now, we are hitting the road again.

Back in the good ole USA, although still a long way from home!

The plan that I had put together came off pretty much as planned. The rollback to caryy the bikes and the car with driver to get us to the border showed up around 10 AM, so we loaded up and said goodbye to our friend Francisco. It took about 4 hours to get to the border crossing in Nogales, and stopping and having a complete search of the bikes by the military. When we finally reached the crossing, that is when the wheels came off. The way the border is laid out there is no turn around point within a 1/4 of the actual crossing. So, I needed to have the two driver stay with Jenn while I try to take one bike at a time across. The first problem was that the rollback motor wouldn't work. After searching around for a while, the tow truck driver found a hill that almost matched the 4 foot height of the flatbed. So the him, the car driver and I went over to try to get the bikes off. As much as we tried to find ways to make it work, there was still a 2 foot gap between the end of the flatbed and the hillside. So, the tow truck driver and I lifted each bike over that gap, while the car driver tried to keep the bike from falling the 4 feet to the ground. Eventually we got both bikes off without mishap and it was time to attempt the crossing. Jenn nervously stayed with the guys, while I drove the 1/4 mile to the border. The lines were long and it took about 45 minutes to get up to the crossing guard. After I explained to him our issues, he told me I could park the bike over with the border crossing trucks while I went back thru the Mexican crossing so I could get the other bike. I walked the 1/4 back to Jenn and the boys who seemed excited to see me. While I was gone Jenn knowing that we were going to miss our UHaul pickup time called Neal. Neal called them and reserved us a truck for pickup after they closed. Thansks so much Neal. So I jumped on the other bike while Jenn hobbled her way to the walker entrance. I again waited for about 45 minutes but eventually reunited with Jenn on the other side. In the meantime our friend Neal had arranged for a friend from Kimberly Clark to meet us about 1/2 mile inside the US to help us go get the truck. Our only option was for us to ride 2 up on a bike to met him. So off we went with Jenn's injured leg sticking out in the wind, but we got there and saw the smiling face of Luis (KC) and his lovely wife Belma to welcom us into the US. So while I walked the 1/2 mile back to get the other bike. Jenn and Luis went to pick up the truck, while Belma stood watch over the one that was already in the US. I got back to the bike and drove back to the meeting spot. Belma and I had a wonderful conversation while waiting for Jenn Luis and the truck. Finally the arrived and we loaded up and bid goodbye to some more wonderful people who have helped us on this journey. So, we grabbed smething quick to eat and drove a couple of hundred miles until around 10:30 last night. So here we are in Lordsburg New Mexico, getting ready to drive the last 400 miles to Presidio to our truck and our final leg back home. If all goes well, we shouls be back home late Friday or early Saturday. Thank you Francisco for getting us on our way and Neal, Luis, and Belma for helping us across the border. We couldn't have done it without you.

Adios Hermosillo

At last we are prepared to leave Hermosillo. Jenn and I went back last night to see the orthopedic surgeon who operated on her foot. A great guy named  Carlos Limon. Between his broken english and our broken spanish we were able to determine that when we came in late Sunday night, he thought that her little toe would need to be amputated. We also learned that there were other broken and cracked bones in her foot, but he first wanted to try and save the toe. So he cleaned it extensively, and re-attached it hoping that it would be OK, although he was afraid the damage was so severe that she would loose circulation and it would need to be removed to save the rest of her foot. But last night we got some great news. It appears that the circulation was re-established and healing had begun!!!!!! YEAHHHH. So he took some more X-rays, cleaned and re-wrapped her foot, and said we were good to travel.  We said goodbye to Dr. Limon and thanked him profusely for all that he has done. I gave him one of our blog cards and I hope that he reads this to know how much we appreciate him and his skills.

So the plan this morning begins at 10 am when we are going over to the car rental place to get the car and driver that will drive Jenn and I to the border. The trucks that are carrying our bikes to the border are supposed to be here at 11 am to start the loadout. Our dear friend Neal (remember this legendary person from an earlier post), has arranged a friend of his (Luis) to meet us at the border and sit with Jenn while I work to get both bikes across the border. I will then call Alma at the U Haul office to meet me on the US side. Hopefully if all the stars align, we should have the bikes loaded by around 4 pm and start our trek to Presidio to pick up our truck. This city and the hotel (Araiza), we spent the last 3 days will forever hold a special place in my heart. We arrived here late Sunday night angry, broken, beat, and scared. The wonderful people that we met here took us in like their own and took care of us. The made sure Jenn got the proper care by selecting a hospital that would provide us extremely good care. They gave us a room for nights that they didn't really have opening for, and they helped me plan our evacuation from Mexico when our Emergency Evacuation Insurance let us down. Jenn said today that after the way we were treated by the thugs who left Jenn bleeding and unconscious on the side of the road, she had a very bad impression on the Mexican people. However, after feeling the warmth of the folks here in Hermosillo, and how they couldn't do enough for us, she now understands that the Mexicans are wonderful, and like any other country, there are always a few bad people around. We were just unfortunate to literally 'run' into  few of them. So although we are so happy to begin our journey home today, I feel we are better people for having spent these last few days here in Hermosillo and having restored our faith in the inherent goodness in people everywhere.
ADIOS HERMOSILLO!

We continue our work to get back to the states

Well, like I think it was John Lennon said, "Life is what happens while you are busy making plans!". Two years we have been planning this trip and we had it down to the the "n'th" detail. 5 seconds and all that went out the window and planning strarted anew. In that same theme, aother 24 hours has passed and the plans that I thought were complete yesterday continue to fall apart. We have a car, and a driver to get Jenn and I to Nogales, but after our Mexican Insurance adjustor told me that moving our bikes with a tow company tomorrow would be  "No Problemo", they seem to have retreated from that position. I have calls out to our Insurance Company home office in Mexico City and have given them to 2 PM to come up with something. Last I heard, they might be able to take Jenn's bike, but they wouldn't take mine unless I work my own deal with the tow company. Worse case, as long as they can get her bike there, I will follow them on my bike the three hours north. If they don't have anything concrete by 2 PM (4 PM Eastern), I will go back to my new friend and "Hermosillo Rigger " Francisco the security guy here at the hotel, and ask him to pull one more rabbit out of his hat!

Jenn and I left the hotel for the first time since the accident today. I asked Francisco if they had a Walmart here in Hermosillo, as all of Jenn's toiletry stuff was also lost in the stolen bag and she wanted to freshen up a bit. He said they actually had 4 here and arranged for a taxi to take us and wait for us to finish. So we jumped in the cab and Francisco thoughtfully brought Jenn the hotel wheel chair for our shopping. The Walmart looked pretty much like the ones up north, mostly the same products that we see, with a few local items mixed in. So we got Jenn her " lady things", picked up some large trash bags to put our road gear in for the car ride, and went out to our waiting cab.

 Jenn seems to be much more pain today, not just her foot but her whole body. But I guess when you were hit by a truck doing over 40 mph and flying thru the air over 20 feet that is to be expected. I continue to be in awe of my wife. Not only is she the most beautiful woman in the world, but they don't make them any tougher. After surviving that horrendous crash, and with her left boot completely full of blood from her crushed foot, she not only drove the last 75 miles through twisty mountains have the constantly shift, but had to do so with that same bad foot and on a motorcycle with her left foot peg broken off! Everytime that a shift was needed she would pull her badly mangled foot off the highway peg and perfrom the shift without a hitch! I thank god that we wear the proper protection. Had she not had those Motocross boots on her foot would have been crushed, and the armor in our riding gear let her walk away pretty badly bruised from head to toe, but with her beautiful body intact.

I am still having trouble sleeping, as the sight of that crash in front of me and the truck narrowly going past me, continue to haunt me. I know it will pass in time, but the sight of her unconscious on the ground is still too overwhelming.  Well, that is all for now. Jenn and I had some time to talk today, shared some cries, but thankful for the chance to hopefully spend many more days together.  EVERYDAY IS A BLESSING!

Well we have a plan

After a lot of flailing of arms and gnashing of teeth, looks like we have a plan. After spending all morning on the phone with our evacuation insurance company, I was told that Jenn s injuries were not serious enough to warrant an evacuation. It does not matter that she is in a cast and in danger of loosing a toe! So after I gave them a proper dressing down about them taking money for nothing, I regrouped and started thinking about other ways to get home. I went down to the front desk and found my new best friend Francisco, who spoke some english. We brainstormed a while and came up with the following:

STARTING ON WEDNESDAY NOV 16

1. Get our bikes towed to the US Border in Nogales Arizona (our Mexican Insurance pays $300)
2. Francisco arranged a  Mexican driver and I rented a car to get Jenn and I to the border
3. I will ride each bike across the border while Jenn hobbles across
4. I called  and rented a  U Haul truck in Nogales who will meet us at the border crossing
5. After loading the truck we drive from Nogales to Presidio to pick up our truck
6. I will try to find someone in Presidio to help me load the bikes back on our truck
7. We will then work our way back to Atlanta

There is still some unknowns and holes in the plan, but when we encounter them we will do what Martins do, Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome. Tomorrow, I need to get Jenn back to the Doctor for one more check of the healing to make sure there are not any infections, and then take a few minutes to reflect and hopefully relax.

part 3

I am working my way thru the maze of things that need to get done, but we are both above ground and get to live another day! Thank you God!!