Not a good scene, I know! Well, we were heading back from the
Artesian well and going back across the desert with the dirt bikes (Larry and Hailey were to meet us at
Alvord Hot Springs in the SUV) when we all failed to communicate properly. Mom told Michael and I to go on ahead since it was an easy road. We never should have left her. When Michael and I got to the end of the road just before we traveled across the dry lake bed to the hot springs, I looked behind and didn't see Mom and Josiah. Like idiots we had all forgotten our cellphones. We waited a really long time but didn't even see dust from them, so Michael and I thought maybe they had followed Larry back on the road. We decided to travel on to the hot springs to see if they were there, which ended up being a good thing because when we got there (it took forever to get across the
lake bed because Michael's bike was acting up and he had to walk 1/4 of the way across, pushing the bike) and discovered they weren't there, we parked Michael's bike, I got in with Larry, Michael rode my bike, and we took off across the
lake bed to find the road again. Michael was in front of us and riding fast to try to find Mom and Josiah. Larry and I and Hailey started down the road and realized the SUV would never make it through the horrible sand through one section of the trail. Had to turn back and go back across the lake bed and towards Mickey Hot Springs again. Talk about a helpless feeling. We finally found them approx. 2 1/2 hours after the accident occurred about a mile into the desert road off the main Mickey Hot Springs gravel road. It was a scary sight to come over the top of a small hill and see Josiah frantically waving a towel and the bike down. I couldn't even see Mom at first. I was just sick. When I did see her, she wasn't moving. I knew it had to be bad. I got out of the SUV and ran to her in a panic. She told me to calm down and that she knows she broke her ankle really bad. Michael had already found her and went back to find us (again, cellphones would have been really handy here). Mom is the perfect person to have around in a crisis. She told us exactly what to do to get her in the back of that SUV. That woman has amazing pain tolerance! Her ankle was literally dangling. She told us to use a
bungee cord to tie her ankles together so she could hop on her good foot to the back of the SUV. We unloaded the SUV and got her slid in and as comfortable as could be with her leg on the ice chest as you can see by this picture. I had called 911 and they sent an ambulance from Burns to meet us on the way. Poor Mom, the road out of there was just terrible. Every bump was so painful, but she did amazing. She just held onto the bungee cord in one hand and the "Oh, Shoot bar" in the other, for all she was worth. Hailey was singing "Happy Birthday" next to her and she was telling wonderful stories. Remember, no pain medicine at this point. Finally met the ambulance near the Jct (it is a 2 1/2 hour drive from Burns to
Alvord). Josiah rode on the back of Mom's 200 with Michael to the trailer (long trip) and got our pick-up, came and picked up the other dirt bike and stuff we had to leave out of the SUV, then headed to the hospital in Burns. Josiah came away from the wreck with just a few minor scrapes (more on our little hero later).
The Paramedic is talking to Mom just before they put a make-shift splint on her before they moved her. I told you that ice chest would come in handy!
After they got the splint on, they moved her into the ambulance. All the
EMTS were amazed at how well Mom was doing without pain
meds. She was cracking jokes and tell stories the whole time.
I'm exhausted and need to get to bed. I'll try to post more tomorrow. Peace Out!
Not a good scene, I know! Well, we were heading back from the Artesian well and going back across the desert with the dirt bikes (Larry and Hailey were to meet us at Alvord Hot Springs in the SUV) when we all failed to communicate properly. Mom told Michael and I to go on ahead since it was an easy road. We never should have left her. When Michael and I got to the end of the road just before we traveled across the dry lake bed to the hot springs, I looked behind and didn't see Mom and Josiah. Like idiots we had all forgotten our cellphones. We waited a really long time but didn't even see dust from them, so Michael and I thought maybe they had followed Larry back on the road. We decided to travel on to the hot springs to see if they were there, which ended up being a good thing because when we got there (it took forever to get across the lake bed because Michael's bike was acting up and he had to walk 1/4 of the way across, pushing the bike) and discovered they weren't there, we parked Michael's bike, I got in with Larry, Michael rode my bike, and we took off across the lake bed to find the road again. Michael was in front of us and riding fast to try to find Mom and Josiah. Larry and I and Hailey started down the road and realized the SUV would never make it through the horrible sand through one section of the trail. Had to turn back and go back across the lake bed and towards Mickey Hot Springs again. Talk about a helpless feeling. We finally found them approx. 2 1/2 hours after the accident occurred about a mile into the desert road off the main Mickey Hot Springs gravel road. It was a scary sight to come over the top of a small hill and see Josiah frantically waving a towel and the bike down. I couldn't even see Mom at first. I was just sick. When I did see her, she wasn't moving. I knew it had to be bad. I got out of the SUV and ran to her in a panic. She told me to calm down and that she knows she broke her ankle really bad. Michael had already found her and went back to find us (again, cellphones would have been really handy here). Mom is the perfect person to have around in a crisis. She told us exactly what to do to get her in the back of that SUV. That woman has amazing pain tolerance! Her ankle was literally dangling. She told us to use a bungee cord to tie her ankles together so she could hop on her good foot to the back of the SUV. We unloaded the SUV and got her slid in and as comfortable as could be with her leg on the ice chest as you can see by this picture. I had called 911 and they sent an ambulance from Burns to meet us on the way. Poor Mom, the road out of there was just terrible. Every bump was so painful, but she did amazing. She just held onto the bungee cord in one hand and the "Oh, Shoot bar" in the other, for all she was worth. Hailey was singing "Happy Birthday" next to her and she was telling wonderful stories. Remember, no pain medicine at this point. Finally met the ambulance near the Jct (it is a 2 1/2 hour drive from Burns to Alvord). Josiah rode on the back of Mom's 200 with Michael to the trailer (long trip) and got our pick-up, came and picked up the other dirt bike and stuff we had to leave out of the SUV, then headed to the hospital in Burns. Josiah came away from the wreck with just a few minor scrapes (more on our little hero later). 
The Paramedic is talking to Mom just before they put a make-shift splint on her before they moved her. I told you that ice chest would come in handy!
After they got the splint on, they moved her into the ambulance. All the EMTS were amazed at how well Mom was doing without pain meds. She was cracking jokes and tell stories the whole time. 
I'm exhausted and need to get to bed. I'll try to post more tomorrow. Peace Out! 
8 comments:
I've been impatiently waiting for this part of the story for days and days. Thank you. I'd been wondering about Hailey, where she was in all this. God is so good to teach us how to travel, how to play, how to deal with difficult circumstances through an accident. Praise God it wasn't more serious!!
Big hugs to all of you!!! I subscribe to both you and your sister's blogs, and when I read your sister's blog last week I was just beside myself!
What a mom... Awesome endorphines, that gal has! And what big angels there are for keeping your little guy/hero so safe!!!!
I can't imagine all the things that were going through your and Michael's minds during the 'where are they' hunt...
Phew!
Andi Sexton
Sexton Ranches
I have a whole new respect for Mom. Boy did I have things wrong on where she was at and how you found her.
wow! a little more excitement than you had planned, i'm sure. you come from sturdy stock, girlie! glad josiah made it out just fine. bet he'll be able to recall this moment in later years! :)
OH MAN! Give her hugs for me.
I love that lady!!!
Andi,
So glad you are following! It is great to hear from you. I've been meaning to give you a call to see if you have half a lamb to sell us this year.
Yes, it was so frustrating not to know where they were in all that vastness and for us to have to go so slow to find them because of the horrible roads (fun on dirt bikes, but bad for SUVs). I was just sick and feeling so horribly guilty for not waiting for not going back, although it was a good thing I didn't because it would have taken that much longer to get Mom help. God works things out despite our mistakes! Thanks for commenting, it is great to hear from you!
Catherine,
Thanks so much for all your prayers and support and for being such a faithful commentor. I really look forward to reading your comments.
Stacie,
It is easy to get things mixed up when you are talking to someone who is upset and quickly trying to run through a really long story on the phone. Thanks for hanging in there with me!
Wow! That must have been very scary. How did Larry take it all. Was he calm or was he practically beside himself too?
I'm glad that it's all okay now. Well not exactly okay because the ankle still has to heal, but you know what I mean. After Stacie had put up a post saying there was an accident I was wondering where you were just waiting for a post or a return e-mail. I should have just called! Sometimes I just don't think.
Ruth,
I was surprised at how well we got cellphone service out there. A real blessing, indeed. Too bad we weren't smart enough to carry our cellphones on us when we were riding!
Larry did pretty well until until we got to the hospital and then he kind of just shut down and had a hard time thinking clearly or making any decisions. We all stayed in Burns that night and went back to Alvord to help load him up so he could get all their stuff back to Pendleton.
Yes, I do feel like things are OK now. I know it was bad, but it could have been so much worse. When I first saw her, I was afraid she had broken her back or neck. Praise God Josiah came out of the accident with just a few scrapes. Lot of lessons learned on this trip.
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