The Fizzer and I took a swim today

[ian]

Today my dad and I went out riding, he was on his Kawasaki Zephyr and I was on the Fizzer. I'm going to go ahead and tell you all of the story so you can get the sense of forewarning that we only recognized a few minutes ago while talking about it. So, we start out from Arlington and head west on I-20. We stop in Weatherford (about 30-45 min away) for breakfast and gas. Well, as we pull in to Mickey D's, my dad shuts off his bike and I'm taking off my gear before I get off the bike. I can tell that it is not sturdy with the sidestand down, but I realize the front wheel is still straight, so I turn it. It feels more sturdy, so I swing my leg over the bike and go to set my gloves in my helmet. As I'm doing so, I see the bike begin teetering the other direction and I lunge for the bars. I'm too late and on the wrong side. She falls away from me gently all the way to the ground (I helped her down gently) and I am completely embarassed. My dad is already inside because I was taking my time and he really had to take care of business. So I pull the bike up on my own and turn it around so that the very minor slant is in my favor.

After eating and fueling, we continue on down I-20 until we come to the next leg of our trip. We exit at TX 16 and when we come to the stop my dad says, "I've got a problem." So we pull over once again and he shows me that his shifter has become cockeyed. turns out the spacer had just come loose, so we fixed it in 5 minutes and continued on our way.

We made it to our destination (San Saba) 3.5 hrs after leaving arlington without any more mishaps and visited with my older brother (the reason for our trip). Then we leave and my dad decides to take a different, more scenic route home. We head towards Glen Rose (home of dinosaur tracks) and take a spin in the twistys (some Farm road). We come to our first low water crossing and my dad tells me what I need to do. The water is about a foot deep at the deepest point and we make it through without a hitch. "Man, now I really want an enduro!" I tell my dad as we come up to the next crossing.

At this point, let me pause and mention that there are people swimming and hanging out at each of these water crossings, so we had plenty of witnesses and, fortunately, help.

Ok, on with the story. We stop 20 feet from the water and my dad begins to say, "about 3 years before you were born, mom, two of our friends and I came here on our bicycles and we stopped at this same place to figure out how we were going to get across. We spend about 5 minutes going over keeping the front tire straight, going slow, and just building courage to cross. And of course, all 4 of us fell about halfway across. But last year I came with the motorcycle and made it across just fine, so we should be alright." He then proceeds to move slowly out across the water covered road with his boots inches from the ground. I do the same at a distance behind him.

Suddenly his tires slip and I hear VAAROOOOOM! as he goes into the drink (only 3-4 inches deep here). At exactly the same time, I do the exact same thing and splash down. My foot gets caught under the bike and about 6 or 7 guys come running to our aid. I manage to slide my foot out from under the bike and as i do so pain shoots through it. Two guys walk up to me and ask me if I'm alright and I tell them I won't be able to pick the bike up. So I tell them how to pick it up and they somehow manage to get it up (along with my dads) in the 0 friction moss covering the road. We then have 3 people on each bike and barely manage to walk them across the rest of the crossing.

I thank everyone who helped us and my dad and I pull off to the side of the road. I take off my boot, and then my double layer of socks and see a horribly purple spot on my heel. I pinch it and force it to move and decide that it is not completely broken, and then put my shoe and socks back on and we continue on our way. It begins to hurt like hell. I then begin to feel knobs on either side of my heel and begin to wonder if I fractured it.

We stop for lunch at a BBQ restaurant in Granbury and my dad gets some Ibuprofin for my foot. It still kills as I sit here typing and icing it, but my mother (a physical therapist) will not be home till tomorrow, so we will wait to decide whether or not to get it x-rayed when she gets back.

All that said, I had a blast, even when we dumped our bikes, and wouldn't have had that trip any other way. The bike is fine (I still don't have side plastics on it) except for a slightly bent front left signal attachment (easily fixable).

[old_school]

Great story, thanks for posting.. i ride with my son, we will both remember our rides long after i am gone and thats a good thing Oh, it doesn't hurt to have a faster bike then him either..

[ShogunTX]

Great Story, riding with the old man is kinda a rite of passage. That's where my interest started in riding and I plan on riding with my son.....after everything else on my bucket list is accomplished.

[YAM93]

Sounds like you need a jet ski. Great story, I hope your foot heals.

[haunter]

good luck healin that foot glad you had fun anyways!

[ian]

Sounds like you need a jet ski. Great story, I hope your foot heals.

haha most definitely! And fortunately my heel is only badly bruised. Looks like I'll live.