Ride all the roughest stuff in the desert and get out on a dry lakebed and crash!!!

I was a participant in the Dist-37 AMA Adventure Motorcycle Rally Nov 23-25 riding my big KTM 950ADV. Finished the event, some 500+ miles and had a blast! Great riding with only 10 miles of tarmac and the rest off-road and tons of photos!!!

On the way home on Sunday, through the desert, I went down hard in a dry lakebed just outside of Baker, California. Luckily I was riding with my buddy Chad of Dust Magazine.

What happened?



See image on my Flickr page:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rodneywills/2072470278/in/set-7
2157603316059302/

I actually took the image, but I do not remember taking the image. Chad said I got up after the crash and took a couple of images, this being one. Look close and you will see a dark horizontal line [through the chest of Chad standing back there] that is where my bike went air born. The dry lake has a "cut-out" road, which I did not see. It dropped down about a foot and as wide as a single blade bulldozer. We where blasting across the lake bed and I drove right across this "cut-out", bike dropped down into it, preloading the suspension and flew out the other side, suspension un-compressing and unloading me at the same time - flying into the air I went!
I landed in the area in the foreground.

I actually road my bike some 15-miles to Baker where Chad and Mark, both of Dust Magazine, had me leave my bike in a safe location and they transported me back home. While on the way home, it was the Dust To Glory scene... where's my bike, where's my bike, where's my bike??? I forgot the events up to the accident and had not recollection of the crash, yeap, and some short-term memory loss.

Doctors where amazed: I'm not dead, not paralyzed and have full function of all my toes and fingers!!! Just a little broke down right now...
Thank you Troy Lee Designs Safety Gear / Scott Boots and Fox Helmets!!! It could have been a lot worse!

See neck brace: I will be wearing this for about six months.


Link to my Flickr page:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rodneywills/2078191631/in/set-7
2157603316059302/

I'm going stir crazy already, but doing anything and everything IS HARD! Sleeping is HARD as I cannot LAY DOWN!!! I have been sitting up for a week - trying to sleep!

My spirit is not broken. I will ride motorcycles again - off-road an all. I will be back to work, that will be the easy. I just have to get my body back in service. One step at a time!!!

I'm working on my ADVrider.com report as it was a great ride, just a rough ending:
LA-Barstow-Vegas Dist37-AMA 2007, 2-KTMLC8ADV's & 1-BMW1150GS Nov 23-25 DUST Magazine

Go here for all the event images & story!!! http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=289466

LEAT Brace - NEXT!

OK, talk to you guys soon!!!

rodney/hpiracing.com