Exploring life on a Vespa, Royal Enfield Himalayan, Honda Trail 125, and a Kawasaki W650
Memorial Day may come but once a year, but the sadness of loss of those who sacrificed in the wars and battles of this nation lingers. A short ride into town provided some quiet space to think about how the difficult history of the day is often forgotten as the holiday becomes consumed with celebration and distraction.
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It’s hard to know while pushing the scooter out of the garage what kind of ride it will be. Some miles from home, standing alone along the cool waters of Spring Creek, I’m content to be an observer, a wanderer, going nowhere but somewhere. Deep inside a lust for life is emerging. What’s important and energizing is becoming clear.
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Have you ever been scared during a ride? I’m not talking about the fear resulting from near collisions or sudden obstacles in the road. I’m referring to the psychic uneasiness that provides the fertile bed for scary stories and the darkness lurking within. It’s perhaps summed up best in the opening narration of the Twilight Zone:
“There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Twilight Zone.”
Imagination. It provides the bright, happy thoughts of rides and adventures. And it can transform a sunny day ride into something unsettled, haunted and uncomfortable.
On a ride last fall with my friend Andy Heckathorne that’s exactly what happened. You never know how things will go when you’re out riding a Vespa scooter.
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Warm weather has me on the road again. The act of riding reminds of the Vespa scooter as therapy. Whatever darkness descended in winter lightens and vanishes like smoke in the wind as I ride along country roads. Everything looks different. Brighter. The light is dazzling. The world is flush with the fragrances of spring. The Vespa works its magic on me.
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Not the sort of call you want to receive upon entering your house less than an hour after having an MRI. That’s the message my wife got in response to a search for why her back pain suddenly increased.
Funny what stands out the ER. Overhearing doctors discussing a helicopter to move her to a level one trauma center reinforced the seriousness of her situation. Eventually, a ninety minute ambulance ride with Vancomycin dripping into her arm made the move.
Five days in a hospital — IV antibiotics, biopsies, pathogen cultures, disagreeing medical teams, bad sleep and too much food changes you. Fatigue changes to exhaustion and you lose track of time. And there’s the watching, watching someone you love vulnerable to unseen demons. Bless the calm, gentle, compassionate nursing staff that seem expert at making sense of the chaos and bringing humanity to the bad dream.
Osteomyelitis. A spinal infection of bone and dura matter.
Home now and embarking on a different medical adventure. Forty days of four times daily infusions of IV antibiotics. Technology, a PICC line and a little training has me working toward my junior nursing badge. A few minutes ago I completed a midnight infusion followed by a saline flush and Heparin.
Perhaps as I get more comfortable with the schedule I can push the Vespa out for a ride. Three inches of snow covers the world right now but it can’t last. And I have material for posts going back to summer. Perhaps the current constraints will push to finish some stories.
Or not.
Just a few words to say I’m still breathing and my wife appears to be doing well.