On the post I did a couple days ago, on list of things I don’t like, I was pondering about including taking buses.  I couldn’t do it.  I don’t mind buses.  Actually, I sort of like taking buses. I like watching the world go by at a car’s speed, being a little higher than a normal automobile.   I say that, but I haven’t done it since I could afford not to.

I think the last time I took a bus was way, way back when I was staying semi-permanently at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.  I didn’t have a car and mass transportation was the only way I could get around alone.

I was going back, from Topeka to Colorado Springs.  The bus left Topeka pretty late in the evening, to WIchita, where I changed buses, then to  Pueblo and Colorado Springs, through Southwestern Kansas and Southeastern Colorado.

There were a bunch of Harley motorcycle guys, minus motorcycles, waiting in Wichita for the Colorado Springs bus.  They were trying to pick up a girl, who was receptive, so there was a lot of beer drinking going on.

We all loaded on the bus, I had my own row,  At the very last minute, a couple police officers brought this guy to the bus.  He was handcuffed and talked to himself.  They took the handcuffs off and loaded him on the bus.

My luck, the guy walks down the aisle and sits right behind me.  And then he proceeds to talk to himself constantly.

I was trying to sleep, but was pretty interested in his personal conversation.  He was saying crazy shit over and over again.

We’d been moving a few hours, so it was really late, the middle of the night, maybe around 2 or 3 am, when the guy started saying he was going to “do it” over and over.  I was sort of asleep, but he grabbed my seat to stand up and woke me.

He stood up and started walking towards the front of the bus, saying “do it”.   I was wondering where he was going since the bathroom was at the back.  He walked straight up to the front and, with no hesitation, jumped on the driver’s back.  I couldn’t believe it.

I don’t think bus drivers had to wear seat belts back then because they both fell to the floor, in the stairwell by the door.  I couldn’t really see it, but after it was over, I learned the guy that was sitting behind the driver reached over and grabbed the steering wheel.  The bus slowly slowed to a stop.

The Harley guys were at the back of the bus, having their way with their new friend, but when this all started, they were on it.  Right when the bus stopped, a couple of them were nearly to the front.  Somehow the door opened and everything was outside.  They had this guy, I couldn’t see it, but I could hear and feel it as they proceeded to smash the guy’s face into the side of the bus.

Pretty soon we were all outside, in the middle of nowhere, Eastern Colorado.  It was so dark. Everyone started smoking, including the bus driver, who seems more like one of the Harley guys now, even though he was wearing his bus driver outfit.

I used the time to wander off and pee.  I couldn’t believe how many stars were in the sky.  I could hear someone smash the guys head against the side of the bus every once in a while.  He wasn’t very docile, even though his face was hamburger.

The bus driver used his radio and called ahead to the next town.  When we got to this small town, there were some sheriffs waiting for us.  Like I said, all this didn’t slow the crazy guy down much, he was mad.

They handcuffed him again and were talking to him, when all of a sudden, he takes off running down the main street, which was abandoned.  One of the sheriffs sort of laughs and takes off jogging after the guy, who wasn’t really running, more like stumbling.

The sheriff pulled out his billy club and when he gets behind the guy, he wacked him across the back of his head.  That was it, he was out.  He was laying flat on his face, in the middle of Main St.  The sheriff just casually walked back to get his car.  The crazy guy wasn’t moving.

We all got back into the bus, and drove past the unconscious guy in the street,headed to Pueblo.

This really didn’t sour me to riding buses, I just moved up the economic ladder a tad, so avoided them.  I still took an occasional train, but I think that was my last cross-country bus trip.

I like trains better than buses, and I like buses in Europe or South American way better than buses in the US. I say that, but haven’t taken a bus for long time, so maybe I’m off here.  I should try it again.

This is what a bus looked like back then.

Hi guys.  I finally opened my computer to try to write a post, so bare with me.  I’m not so cognizant for very long periods, so I kind of loose focus, or thought process pretty easily right now.

It’s been 8 days since I crashed and smashed my skull. I can’t seem to understand if it has only been a day or two or a month.  It has been neither, but the time is moving so slowly, even though I don’t remember a lot of it.

I haven’t really talked to Jack or Kris,, the two guys that didn’t fall with Bill and I, so I’m not exactly sure what happened.  I know I hit a dog and then Bill ran into me from behind.  We were towards the end of an evening training ride, so were going pretty quickly, over 30 mph.  I don’t think I hit the brakes at all, so I guess all my forward speed was transferred to the ground.  I don’t remember anything.  I do remember asking Bill if he was okay when we were in the ambulance, going to the hospital, but I don’t remember what he said back.

I was in intensive care for the first day or two and don’t have any recollection of that either. Stacie, my friend and an orthopedic surgeon, from Louisville, got on a plane and flew to Topeka. She slept in my room with me for two days and was really the biggest part of me improving quickly, even though to me, it  seems, I’m still at square one.

My skull if pretty fractured.  I have taken a bunch of CAT scans and am not really sure exactly where it is broken.  I know my skull is fracture on the top, but again behind the right ear.  So, the pressure in my head if really high, thus, pretty crazy headaches continually.  I’ve never experienced headaches like this.  It is barely survivable.

I was in the hospital until Tuesday or Wednesday, I’m not sure.  Bill was there for 3 days.   He broke a bunch of ribs and collapsed his lung, which needed to be reinflated.  He came by and visited when he was leaving.

I didn’t really sleep or eat in the hospital.  I think I ate a bowl of oatmeal, some mashed potatoes, and that was it for 5 days.  I was sleeping maybe an hour a night.  These super sharp headaches pretty much limited any chance of sleeping at all.

I was home for a day and then had to go back to the emergency room again.  I spend 1/2 a day at the hospital, more CAT scans, blood tests, etc.  I was doing alright, I guess.  The pressure is acceptable and headaches are about the same.    I went to the ear, nose, and throat doctor yesterday and he said that I have a bunch of blood behind my eardrums, that should leave as the swelling goes away.  I pretty much can’t hear at all out of my left ear, some out of my right.

I’ve been sleeping a couple hours a night the last two nights.  I have over 700 emails, which I can’t really read.  My right eye is really cloudy, from back pressure, so I’m waiting for that to work a bit better before trying to answer the email.   I had a flight to go out to LA this weekend to hang with my friend Seth Davidson, who is doing the South Bay Cycling Awards tonight.  I’m bumming I’m missing that.  Plus, Berryman MTB Epic is going on right now South of St. Louis.  It’s a bad time to be out of commission.

Okay, that is about it from here.  Supposedly I can’t ride my bike for over 4 weeks.   It was originally 8 weeks, but I negotiated it in half.  We’ll see how how that goes.  I can barely walk, I’m really wobbly.  This might be slow going for a while.

Back at the hospital.

Getting my hearing checked. I couldn’t hear shit.

The put a bunch of staples in. I’m not sure when those or getting removed.