I am pretty bummed that I can’t ride right now. It has been beautiful outside, and relatively cool for this time of year. I just know that my luck is such that by the time my finger heals, it’s going to be really hot outside. I also broke my camera in the wreck — the battery door is broken. It is still holding up for now, but I know it’s only a matter of time before it breaks off completely. My accidental-damage-coverage warranty ran out back in April, so I better start shopping for a new camera soon. Maybe I can make a rubber band or piece of tape work for a while.

I did try a test ride on Sunday of about 4 miles and while I was able to ride, I felt a lot of pain in my finger every time I hit a bump. I should probably wait at least a few more days before I try riding again.

The good news is, my finger feels a little bit better every day. If it continues to heal at this rate I’ll be back in the saddle before long.

I figure it’s time to post some good things about our trip to the mountains — and while we had very little opportunity for recreation and my enjoyment of it was tempered by my injuries, we still took in some incredible scenery. First up is Jump Off Rock, in Laurel Park (near Hendersonville), North Carolina. It was a slow, steep, twisty drive to the top of the mountain.

View from Jump Off Rock

Sarah at Jump Off Rock

Mountain layers

Neighboring mountain

There were a couple of hiking trails, but I was in too much pain to hike. As you can see, though, there were some truly incredible views. Later that night we saw some other mountains on the other side of town.

House in the mountains

Sunset

On our way to Roanoke, VA from Hendersonville, we got caught in a couple of intense storms. We stopped at an overlook alongside the incredibly scenic Interstate 81. It was still raining and there was thick fog nestled in the mountains. My photos don’t do justice to the sheer size of some of these mountains or the atmospheric beauty we witnessed.

Fog rises from the mountains during a thunderstorm

One of many climbs on the interstate

Panoramic shot of the mountains and the interstate

In Roanoke, we made a trip up to the top of Mill Mountain, where the Roanoke Star sits. It’s a 100-foot lighted star on the mountain overlooking the city. This spot also offers panoramic views of the Roanoke Valley. Once again there had been strong storms and the whole region was enveloped in a thick fog.

Roanoke Valley

Roanoke Star

Roanoke Valley panorama

I also took a few infrared shots. It’s interesting how well the IR shots cut through the haze

Part of Roanoke Valley, in infrared

Infrared mountains

Steps on the short hiking trail

Trail leading back to the parking lot

We also took in part of the Blue Ridge Parkway near Roanoke. It was absolutely stunning.

Houses and power lines

Hazy mountains as darkness falls

Blue ridge panorama 1

Sky

The Blue Ridge Parkway — maybe someday I’ll get to ride part of this

Mountains

Blue Ridge Panorama 2

Sun setting over the mountains

As you can see, our trip was not exactly a bust in terms of scenery. And while we experienced the mountains from a more passive perspective than I prefer (driving, rather than hiking or biking), I feel lucky we got to go at all.

It’s true what they say. Virginia is for lovers. I sure was glad to be there with mine.

Here are some photos and x-rays of my injuries from my accident in North Carolina. You need to click on the link below to see them, in case anyone is squeamish.

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Our trip to the mountains is not going as well as we had hoped. I’m writing from the public library in Roanoke, VA right now. I’ll post more details later, but for now I’ll say that on Wednesday I was going for a ride, and I ended up being the victim in a hit & run accident in Hendersonville, NC. There were two lanes of traffic going in my direction. I was on the right side of the right lane, not on the edge but in my usual position where the right tire of a car would go. Someone passed me too close, moving further to the right as they passed me. I’m guessing they thought there was room to pass in the lane, but there wasn’t. I felt the smooth paint on the side of their car as it hit me, and I went down. I looked down at my right hand and my middle finger was bent in unnatural ways, almost in an S shape. It was ugly.

I am lucky: I wasn’t going very fast, and neither was the car. My worst injury was the dislocated/broken finger. The doctor popped it back into joint and that’s about all they can do. It’s still very bruised, swollen, and stiff, but I need to use it as much as possible to regain mobility in my finger. I’ll probably need some follow-up with an orthopedic surgeon. Other than that I just have a few scrapes and bruises. They hurt a bit but they’re fundamentally superficial.

Then our car broke down on the way to Roanoke but some very nice mechanics worked late to get us back on the road. Southern Hospitality is no joke.

Again, more details on all of this later. For now typing is pretty difficult. Here’s hoping our luck changes.

We’ll be leaving this afternoon to go to North Carolina and Virginia. We’ll spend some time in the mountains, among other things, and be back on Sunday. This trip will actually be more business than pleasure, but we’ll find time for some of both.