This week however Bill was waiting as promised at the Farmington cut off near Garfield Sunday morning. But when we rolled to a stop I noticed he had no helmet.

Turns out it was Linda who really needed the helmet today.

The sun shone but wasn't hot yet. Our speed cooled us and the fields outside of Palouse were still mostly green. We like the easy rolling course with just enough climbing to get your heart rate up and lots of flat and downhill give you a break.

We

Chris, Bill Warren, Bill of Canada, Helen, Linda, Corrie, Sean(riding from Pullman), Mike Warnock, Mike Riddle, Jim Kenyon and Wanda (driving sag), Tamra and Rory, Dave Tibbals

regrouped in Garfield. We soon separated with Warnock, Tibbals, Sean, Mike, and I riding out front.

The tracks were unassuming, all but abandoned. No flashing light, no crossing arm, no sign served to caution the unwary cyclist. Tracks are usually a minor concern. We cross the many times without incident, but these tracks nearly paralleled the road creating a V near the right shoulder.

Somone just ahead of me spotted them and did the cyclists little trick of bobbing left to angle right and a more perpendicular cut than riding straight would give. As we crossed, Sean speculated about Linda and Helen crossing these tracks.

Soon a pickup cruised up and reported a cyclist hit by a car. "Must be one of your group," the driver announced.

Immediately we headed back. I got a lead on Sean but it wasn't long before he and Mike had passed me and I was trying my best to stay in the pace line. Even Chris got in line finally.

The ambulance was already at the scene when we arrived. Apparently Linda had been a bad patient resisting all attempts to keep her on the ground. She was in Wanda's car with paramedics asking her questions and taking vital signs when I told her I was here.

There wasn't much for me to do but take an ambulance ride into Pullman Regional Medical Center. Helen was distraught and last I knew planned to ride back to Palouse and take my truck into meet us at the hospital.

I was pleased to find she had all three of our bikes and all Linda's geer despite the fact that the last I had seen of the bikes and gear they had been in Wanda's car.

Bill Warren to the rescue. His F150 was parked at the Farmington intersection and he offered his services. I couldn't think my way around anything but someone had the presence of mind not to let Helen ride back to Palouse on her own. A big thanks to you, Bill, for taking her back. It was so nice not to have the additiaonl bother of gathering up my gear. Sorry you didn't get to really ride with us again this week.

And special thanks to Helen for spending her Sunday with Linda and me. It was nice for there to be two of us to stay with Linda. Sorry that you had to wait for Mike to bring you home. Thanks to you too, Mike, for that. We do seem to make everything work out. Glad most of us got a beautiful ride.

Linda's Status: Linda seemed pretty much herself on the way home and through out the afternoon. She slept but moved around and reacted coherently. About 8 she took a prerscribed oxycodone and by 8:30 she was nauseous. She asked me to check her pupils and the right one did not respond to light.

We've got to go to the ER she said.

That's my wife. Ain't she fine?

ST. Joe's was backed up and wouldn't see her. Yes, that's what I said. Though I had informed that that Linda had had a head injury and that I had the CAT scan to prove it, they basically ignored her. When she spoke to the nurse, she was told there'd be a 3 hour wait. Linda and I headed for Tri-state. Three and a half hours later she was headed to Deaconness in an ambulance. She could have stayed in the valley if the valley's only neurosurgeon had been in town. As it was she was admitted to Deaconness by the same doctor who had earlier allowed her to be sent home.

This time she wasn't making that mistake. She ordered two more CAT scans and made herself scarce until after the second. She did show up early enough to get us on the road this Tuesday morning about 10.

I got to sleep on a cot in Linda's room. The room service was great for Linda. Not so good for me. I'd have had to have bought a meal ticket in the cafeteria first. Going downstairs for meals was fine with the me. It gave me a break from just sitting.

Linda keeps saying what a good guy I am for having stayed by her side. She says this as though I had a choice. Women.

Bill's a real person even if you didnt' get to see him. I know I took a picture but it turned out to be the one shot on my camera that was completely black. And yes, he did have a helmet. He'd left it in the pickup.