This
picture was taken the day of the accident.
I was riding on the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Smoky Mountains with some riding buddies from work and I was distracted from the road by the incredible scene in the valley below us. The road winds around and sometimes cuts through the mountains, and as we emerged from a tunnel I was greeted to a panorama in which the mountain dropped into a valley. In the valley there was a little town. Beyond the town was another mountain ridge. Beyond that was another mountain ridge. Beyond that was another mountain ridge. Beyond that was yet another ridge, which then disappeared into a blue mist.
At 65 miles per hour on a twisty mountain road, one should not be looking at the scenery. When I looked back at the road, I remembered that I was approaching a turn and was alarmed to find that I was heading off the pavement. I told myself not to panic but to lean into the turn. I leaned, but not hard enough and the motorcycle left the pavement and wandered into the grass. I made a decision to bail, and I jumped off the bike.
The motorcycle bounced sickeningly into a rock and into the air a few
times. I landed on my back and slid to a stop in the grass. I didn't lose
consciousness. Two of my riding buddies were behind me and saw the whole
thing. One rode up and asked me if I was alright. I gave him a tentative
"yes." He suggested that I stay there for a while and get my
bearings.
I did a self-check and felt no pain. I wiggled everything and still felt okay. I was wearing a helmet, boots, gloves, jeans and a leather motorcycle jacket that contained body armor, so I was well equiped. I sat up and still felt no pain, so I decided to stand up. I did a more thorough self-check and found that I had banged my elbow and scraped my knees. That was the extent of my injuries.
My motorcycle, on the other hand, was totalled. Even as I watched it fly through the air, I realized it was just an object that could be replaced, whereas I could have lost my life.