The Houston area was blessed with fair weather for the first week of the year. My stoker and I got in nice rides on New Year's day and also on Saturday, January 5. On Sunday we rose early for a quite ride on the Seavo to the Medical Center and back before breakfast. At the intersection of Greenbriar and Braeswood we had to cross the Metro tracks. The pavement was damp. I know that tracks can be dangerous to bikes, but these rails aren't as deep as freight railroad tracks. Nevertheless, I slowed down to 5-10mph and crossed the first set no problem. The last rail of the second set of tracks caught my front wheel however and down we went. Liz was able to stand as the bike went down, but I hit hard squarely on my right hip. For a few moments I had the wind knocked out of me and didn't know whether I was injured or not. I soon realized that I could not move. We had fallen on the tracks and Liz, already concerned that I couldn't move much, feared that I might be run over by the next Metro train (somewhat ironic since I work for a railroad.) With the help of a passer-by she dragged me over into the grass. This is when I knew something was seriously wrong because any attempt to move or reposition my right leg was excruciating. I gave in and told Liz to go ahead and call an ambulance. Several hours later at Methodist Hospital I learned the extent of the damage. 
My right femur was broken just below the neck. My orthopedist tells me that this is a good spot for a break. Any higher would jeopardize the blood flow to the femoral head and would require emergency sugery and possibly a hip replacement. I had surgery Monday afternoon to put a rod in my femur with two locking screws to hold everything together. I guess the worst news is that I am not to put any weight on my right leg for the next month. That's going to be tough.
I was blessed with lots of TLC from all the folks at Methodist. In a word, these folks are great! The biggest surprise was the food, which was served promptly and was pretty good. If it hadn't been for the broken leg I would have thoroughly enjoyed my stay.
Liz has been taking good care of me from the moment the bike hit the ground. She's pretty much camped out here at the house since my discharge, in spite of my sorry performance as captain. Each day is getting a little better, but I can see that it's going to be a long road back. I've already started plowing through several books I've been meaning to read and trying to figure out just when I can expect to be back on my bike. I will keep you updated on my progess.
