Crashing Into an Old Friend

I guess I was due.

Josh and I turned down onto the sketchy dirt road leading to Gabe's summer camp. At the same moment, the man himself called me on the phone.

"Yo, strangely enough, I literally just turned onto that dirt road," I said.

"Cool, I'm at the bottom of the road on a run. I'll see you in a minute, man!" Gabe replied.

Down we went, gaining speed on the downhill dirt. Suddenly, a small yellow outline came into view moving at a slow jog toward the bottom of the hill. When, I looked back down at the road, it was too late.

Over 5000 miles without any incident.

I guess I was due.

Josh said he was looking at Gabe when the commotion occurred behind him. Gabe moved his hand over his mouth in surprise.

"I thought you'd done something funny or were joking. I didn't really know," Josh told me later.

The front wheel hit the slightly higher bit of dirt and it slid. I was going too fast and there was no going back. There was no jumping or evading this crash. I bowed to the gravel in a humble embracement of the thundering reality coming swiftly up to greet me. She received me with sharp lashings and abrasions. 

Thankfully I didn't bang up my head too bad but my cranium got dragged down a little bit, scalping an extremely small area of my forehead. All the joints got nice scrapings. In the aftermath, I just laid there in disbelief. Nice to see you too, Gabe.

"Are you kidding me?" Gabe said laughing and walking up cautiously. "Did you just crash right now?"

"I cannot... fucking... believe this," I said, adrenaline thumping,an embarrassed laughter shaking its way out of me. I stared at the sky as the two silhouettes lined into my vision. Josh extended his hand down.

I looked hilarious. Gabe was still on the clock as a counselor and his kids were being watched so I was hurried into the camp. I was whisked through meeting all his close friends, bleeding everywhere and my face absolutely caked with dirt. If we weren't originally going to be allowed to sleep there, my injuries softened their hearts. 

In the building where Josh and I had to sign waivers, I cleaned myself off.

Gabe's camp is a Jewish camp that focuses on the children learning and preserving their culture with a moderate dose of religion. Not quite the evangelical fundamentalist Christian summer camp I used to go to, which was a little strong for my taste. Four hours of nonstop praising and singing can get old for any kid of twelve years, no matter how the lyrics go. Anyhow, the camp had rules against cell phones so during our stay, we didn't take pictures and I didn't write until today.

It was great to see Gabe at his summer camp. He was still exactly the same. Josh and I received VIP membership, which was fun because as a camper, I always wondered what the counselors did in their free time. Turns out, they knew how to welcome us and also have a good time.

One particular such good time was the complete destruction of an armchair. We were in a room in the back end of the camp only open to counselors. Counselors told the kids there was a hot tub in the building and a roller coaster out back. It was a large wooden building filled with couches, and armchairs. For the annihilation of one particular chair, we formed a maniacal and fervored mob. One girl climbed into the rafters as one of us passed the chair up to her.

We were all screaming in unison, "Drop the chair! Drop the chair!" And when it dropped we walloped, cheered, and danced wildly around the piece of furniture. Oh man, it was great.

After six weeks of taking care of children, it helps to let off steam. 

It also helps after nearly two months of biking.

On the long 70 mile day to Gabe's camp there wasn't much time to stop. BUT I did happen to notice an old television on the side of the road. I threw a rock into the thick glass, surprised at the noise and smoke it dissipated. 

Close to the town of Three Rivers, the location of Gabe's camp.

Clouds always appeared to want rain but never split open. Many farms passed.

 

Today's short ride from camp brought us to the town of Cassopolis where Josh and I stumbled upon a campground.

I met these two cows buzzing with flies. What you see here is both heads moving simultaneously toward their stomachs for a brief period of relief from the swarm of insects.

The last two days have been stupendous. 

Since I didn't have any pictures from the camp, I thought I'd use this one. Here is Gabe and I during our senior year playing jump rope with a downed power line. Friends are for doing dumb shit together. Much love.