10/29 @Hospital in Marion

10/29
Fine day, from Goreville to hospital in Marion, ??mile

Oh my god.
Now I am laying on the bed at a Heartland Regional Medical Center in Marion city, Illinois.
I am sorry for everyone...who I met, supported us, hosted us in home, talked to us, invited lunch, dinner us / blog frieds, followers.
I am so sorry.
I am sorry for bamboo bike...
We were hit by a car on the road near Goreville where we stayed yesterday.
I was injured 2 parts of left legs, right side of my face, felt pain of neck and bamboo bike was almost broken,

(Left leg)
Now it was difficult to walk at an usual speed and to bend knee of left leg because of pain. I felt mustle ache under knee. One of the injured parts was almost scraped at large area. It was always painful.

(Right face)
The right side of my face was injured a little by a hit into the soft ground. When I bite some foods I felt some pain in the right side of my face. I am afraid of the conditon of my brain, and blood was left inside my head.

(Bamboo bike)
There were no possibilities for bamboo bike to run more further. Almost broken. I have 2 broken parts of bamboo bike. Sorry, bamboo bike...

We were both injured by a traffic accident.
But don't worry.
I could walk alone and bone was not broken. This was a lucky in unlucky.
And I don't lose challenging spirit yet to continue this trip. I had 2 broken parts of bamboo bike as memorial records of this trip. Oh...bamboo bike, I am sorry.

About accident, I could remember only that I have departed from State park in Goreville at 7:20a.m. and seen big sun between the trees, and turrned right to Tunnel hill road. But I could not remember the instance of traffic accident. I lost memory. When I recovered myself I already lay on the bed in a hospital in Marion. Because a bike lane in Tunnel hill road was very narrow, and sun was big and bright, so car driver could not see bamboo bike and me.
3 of 4 panniers were broken, and stove, diesel can, cooking can watch and some equipments were broken, and wear gears were torn. The left side of panniers were broken more than right side ones, so car maybe hit from the left side of us. Panniers helped me. Maybe because of the impact of crash I jumped in the field, and hit my right side of my face, and injured. I was lucky that I jumped into the soft field, not cliff, not tree, not concrete, not steel guard.

Hi,my friends / followers!
I never give up.
I will continue to travel with bamboo bike.
Though I need a few days to check my conditions of body, left leg, mustle, brain, and face. And I need time to parepare for some equipments, panniers.
But I never want to give up my trip with bamboo bike. I have a passion.
Because I am Bamboo Samurai.
Even if I will not be able to continue this trip this time, I will sure to come back on the road again with bamboo bike. And next time I will travel with the bamboo bike which I (Bamboo Samurai) make by myself by using only Japanese bamboo. Never give up.
This is my dream.

In hospital, though I could not yet take a shower, I took some rest and ate nice foods. Every 3 hours a nurse brought medicines to me, checked my blood pressure and body temperature.
Outside of the big window of room in this hospital, I could see a big flag of United States swinging by wind like a sea wave.
I said to myself, " I was very lucky" , " I am survive now". "Thank you so much". Though I did not realize to whom I should say thank you unconsciously I said to myself, "thank you so mcuh".

Good sleep.  Takashi 2010/10/29 @Room 312, Heartland Regional Medical Center, Marion