In July 2013 , shortly after Pam and I moved from Surrey , British Columbia , to Annapolis County , Nova Scotia , our son , his wife , their son , and the two of us purchased bicycles . Could we still ride ? Even though I had not ridden in twenty years and Pam even longer because we had lived in cities , it did not take us long to regain our skills , although we were not quite as adept as when we were teenagers . We have the old style of bicycle with basket carrier , fenders , and foot brakes . Our son and our grandson also purchased lightweight touring bicycles for long trips .

In October 2013 , we decided to ride on a gravelled rail bed trail for ten kilometres some distance away for a final trip of the year . Our son let the four of us off where a hydro power road intersects with the highway . We were to bike down the grade for about one kilometre to the hydro power dam beside the trail and wait for him to arrive by bicycle after he parked the truck at the end of our route .

The road was fairly steep and had many protruding rocks . We should have walked the whole distance , but we decided to ride . It was necessary to grip our handlebars tightly and to ride our brakes . Suddenly , I felt a crashing on my left ribs and the thump of my helmet as I struck the grassy area beside the road ! My wheels must have slipped on the rocks . The wind was knocked out of me . Pam and our grandson lifted me up to my feet . Pam , a former geriatric nurse , could find no evidence of broken ribs , and then recommended that I walk down the last half-kilometre to the lake and to continue moving until our son arrived on his bicycle .

Returning , we set out for the truck ten kilometres away with me setting the pace on my bicycle . I dodged potholes , stopping only once for a moment at a bridge , until we reached the highway . I felt no pain while riding and managed with no problem . My bicycle suffered no damage .

The only injury that I had was a pinched nerve in my back , which made it uncomfortable when lying in bed at night . Thus , for about three weeks , I spent my nights sitting comfortably in a reclining chair in front of our wood stove . Before cold weather set in , Pam and I took one last ride of about one kilometre , and then left our bicycles in the garage until late spring 2014 .

We have often heard of seniors who fall and break bones . For my bones to have escaped a fracture , I give credit to Pam , who is determined to keep me healthy as long as possible with nourishing foods , appropriate supplements , walking , and bicycling .

26 | www . arta . net