Saturday, April 14, 2018
After my crash yesterday, today was mostly about cleaning up and testing my physical being. The upshot is that Motrin is magical.
The dressings I received yesterday from pharmacy A, were acceptable for a night’s sleep, however they were gaudy (gauzy would be more accurate, but I am trying to avoid puns here) and certainly wouldn’t have allowed me to ride a bike, let alone be out in public without strange looks. So off to a pharmacy (pharmacy B) early in the morning.
This resulted in far more appropriate and less gaudy dressing for my wounds. They will remain wet, and seep a bit but the wet should reduce scarring and encourage faster healing. The downside is the dressing is a see through 3M film, so I look a bit like a monster in Saran Wrap I suppose.
On my return to the boat I had one burning question. Did my helmet protect me? Like most, I think the feeling of wind through your hair is awesome, but for 30 years I have been wearing a helmet, just in case. Yesterday when I crashed I slammed my head on the road and I wasn’t sure the helmet helped. I definitely have road rash on my scalp. But if you look in the picture below … you see that gouge? That is from something on the road. Something that my helmet hit and not my head.
Folks, please wear your helmet. Kids, please don’t be too cool to prevent gouges in your head.
With the help of a bit of Motrin, my walk improved dramatically, and I went to Athens centre to pick up some bits for electronics and look for a new flag for the boat. (The winds have beaten the crap out of the current flag in just 8 months). Unfortunately the flag store and google have their opening hours out of sync. This is common in Athens, but I needed the walk anyway.
By the time I returned to the boat my corporal and mental faculties seemed to be working well so the natural response should be a bike ride!! I saddled up and headed out for about 70km. Most everything worked the way it was supposed to there as well. Despite some problems with the dressing on my wounds when careening down a hill at 50 kph, and a small problem with my left leg now, it was a good ride.
The interesting bit is about recovery. Yesterday after the crash, I had serious issues lifting my right leg. I thought it might be a muscle pull, but it looks like it was just stiff from the lactic acid/Adrenaline release upon crashing. Today, after my first round of Motrin wore off I couldn’t lift my left leg. Same feeling and I know there is nothing wrong with the leg or muscles because they all worked yesterday and work when I’m sufficiently drugged. The body is pretty amazing.
I also have some whiplash which is not going to be pleasant on the plane and my wounds are now weeping a lot more. That should be interesting on the plane as well.
Today the temperature was somewhere between 25 and 30. I don’t know, but it was hot. I feel for all of you going through freezing rain and snow. I will try to bring some warmth with me when I fly home.
Right now I am eating dinner at one of the marina restaurants, Casca. I’ve not eaten at any of them yet in four months. The food is good (below are two photos for you foodies), but the music is blaring. Ugggh. I’m almost glad to be eating alone so I don’t have to yell at dining partners and be yelled at in return.
Photo 1 is fried cheese with a raspberry sauce. Photo 2 is bacon wrapped chicken on mashed potatoes.
After taking some more Motrin, to see if I can get my left leg working again, I walked to the main marina area and there are some new boats that I haven’t shared with you. I don’t have great pictures tonight either, but two things stick out. It is important to recognize that our puny little yacht is in a whole different snack bracket from the ones along superyacht row here. Note the outdoor movie theatre on Ecstasea.
And this yacht, sorry, I can’t remember her name right now (Chakra, I walked by on the way back to the boat). Some Indian Buddha thing, but you can’t see the yacht. Trust me it’s big. What you can see is the scaffolding on the smoke stack. 60feet or so of scaffolding around the smoke stack. She has four or five decks below that scaffolding, I forget (it is four). Definitely a different snack bracket from Home Free.
Casca, the restaurant sign on the right, that is where I am eating, which means a short walk back to the boat and hopefully the Motrin works it’s magic again.
Final comment, this marina and the area in general is just buzzing now. It is packed with people, I can only imagine what it will be like in June when school is out.
That’s it, likely the last post until I get to Toronto at least and possibly until I return to the boat. I now have much work to do and unfortunately I am a lot slower so I will need to focus my energies for a few days.