Monday I plan to leave Buffalo, Wyoming in the morning. I will be Traveling about 200 miles to Rapid City, South Dakota. I already have a South Dakota address, and once I spend one night there and get a drivers license I will be considered a resident of the state. There are a few states that make it easy and advantageous for full-time RVer’s to call home. SD works the best for me.
I walk the dogs before I get ready to leave my campsite…we like to walk in the morning. Except this walk doesn’t turn out very well. I have a ‘dog-related’ fall! Long story but the short of it is that I end up flat on the ground eating dust, while Shiloh chases after a rabbit.
I hit the ground HARD. I don’t lose consciousness but I am stunned for about a minute. First I notice there is something in my mouth…hopefully not broken teeth!…no, it’s gravel. Next I notice that Joy is still right by my side. I feel her presence rather than see her. I’m amazed she didn’t chase the rabbit too. I praise her for staying with me.
I think my glasses are broken but then realize they are not, but the right lens is scraped and scratched badly. My hand and my knee are bleeding and my lip is swelling but NO BROKEN BONES. I’ve fallen and broken and/or dislocated bones in the past so this is a huge relief. My right side hurts and I’m not sure why. About the time I stand up, Shiloh returns rabbit-less.
I’m upset and scared. That was a close call. What if I’d been seriously injured? No one is around. I limp back to my camp and tend to my wounds.
I break camp and my right side hurts more. I realize it must be pulled muscles in my chest, arm and back. I search for the Tylenol and can’t find it. It hurts to take a deep breath. The upset and scared feelings end up staying with me for hours.
I arrive at my campsite in SD and it’s 90 degrees. I’m very uncomfortable, but I have to set up camp. I turn on the air conditioning asap. I finally find some pain med, and then all three of us crash for awhile.
When I get up I notice in the mirror that I have a black eye, a swollen and bruised lip, and a scrape above my lip. Nice for my new drivers license picture! Arrrgh! And then there are the scraped up glasses, and of course the only test I need to pass for the license is a vision test….
To Be Continued!
Wandering Spirit 
Oh no! What rotten luck. I’m really glad that your fall was not more serious, but what a bummer that you now face having to heal from these muscle strains, bruises and pain. So sorry to hear that you’ve had this experience. It’s the sort of random bad-thing that we all fear might happen to us on the road, but you are showing all of us that it’s okay in the end. Stuff happens, it hurts, but we take care of it and move on, right?. It sounds like you’ve done the right things to take care of yourself.
Wishing you a speedy recovery and hopefully it won’t cost much to replace or repair your glasses.
I’m looking forward to part 2…I hope it gets better! 🙂
In the meanwhile…{{{{ hugs }}}}
–Michael
Yes, it does get better! I guess I’m tough. 🙂 And of course it could have been much worse. Thanks for the hugs. Much needed!
So sorry, LJ, hope you will be feeling better and on an even keel very soon. This could have happened anywhere. I hope you can get your glasses fixed quickly, scratches not good for driving, either. Sleep well, keep calm and carry on!
Thank you Maureen. Today was better and I think I’ll sleep better tonight!
Goodness gracious. So sorry you have a boo-boo. My question is WHY did you leave? You’re not on so tight a schedule that you couldn’t spend a day recovering from the fall although if you fell on Monday, you’re probably feeling even worse on Tuesday.
I have a couple of suggestions. One, get TWO pair of glasses when you get yours fixed. If you need glasses to see, then you need to keep a backup pair with you. The second is that you may want to check into “Find Me Spot”. It’s a GPS type unit that you carry with you that can summon help from any location. It also has the ability to send an “I’m OK” message. I know several solo folks that carry one so their family knows they’re safe. It’s also the answer to the “what if I’d been seriously injured, No one is around.” statement.
Hopefully the “to be continued” will tell all of us that you’re feeling much better and have an adorable driver’s license photo!
I left because I had a reservation I’d just made a couple of days ago at the “Americas Mailbox” campground and I’d get charged if I didn’t show up. Also I’m kinda determined or stubborn is maybe a better word. 🙂 I’m doing better, though the pulled muscles will take awhile to heal. I decided to stay here for 3 days and take it easy.
Oh dam!! What rotten luck I hope u are feeling better day by day – do you realize you were probably in shock for sometime? Get well soon & keep on keeping on – cheers for now
Thank you Leslie, things are headed in the right direction. You are probably right about being in shock…at least mildly.
oh no! i hope you’re doing better. i agree with reine about the two pairs of glasses. i always have a backup even if it’s just the ones i replaced. take care! hugs
Doing better Diane, thank you. I always keep my old glasses too. And I knew I wanted them with me…gosh I even have 2 pair of sunglasses with me. I’m a good Girl Scout, it’s just that being so ‘prepared’ with so much stuff…it takes me awhile to find it. Hugs to you too!