A Poor Example Of A Good Samaritan - Touring DIFFERENTLY - CycleBlaze

October 4, 2022

A Poor Example Of A Good Samaritan

Hastings, MN

Can there be any doubt that the best part of bike touring are those first few pedal strokes of each and every day?  That's the best part for me anyway, because they represent a new beginning and promises of an exciting day.  Sometimes it gets better from there, sometimes worse, but, damn, the first hundred yards ALWAYS feel so great.

Today, that great feeling continued for another mile as I traversed a bike trail through the south part of town.  Then I turned onto a sidewalk.  I passed a guy on an e-bike coming from the other direction, and we exchanged friendly hellos.  A few seconds later I heard a horrible cry of pain from behind.  I looked back and saw the guy who I had just greeted was curled up on the sidewalk with his twisted bike just to the side.

I've never been much of a Good Samaritan.  I do, however, have a decent sense of right versus wrong and it would definitely be wrong to ride away with the assumption he'd be okay.  I knew I had to turn around and check on the guy.

"Are you okay," I asked.

He was clearly stunned, but he answered, "I don't know, I'm still trying to take an inventory of my pains."

His main concern, and mine too, was his lower lip that looked like hamburger.  His face was the part of his body that took the brunt of his fall.  I dug my little camp towel out of my pannier and gave it to him to soak up the blood.  Understandably, he was a little dazed.  My thoughts turned to a possible concussion.  I asked if it was okay for me to pick up his bike.  He replied in the affirmative.  I introduced myself and asked for his name.  He answered quickly.  I asked if he might be concussed and he said, "I don't think so."  When I said most people who get concussions don't think so, he laughed.

We talked for a while longer, and he explained that after we passed, he looked back at my loaded bike, dropped off the edge of the pavement, turned too sharply to get back up off the grass, and the next thing he knew, he was lying on the sidewalk.  He also said he was 65 now and it's harder to take a fall.  I said, "yeah, I'm 64 myself, so I get it.  I ride all year round and every winter I take one or two falls and they hurt more every year."

I was convinced he was okay, though I am no more of a concussion expert than I am a good Samaritan.  But I did have one previous experience in that area.  About a decade ago, while on an organized 50-mile day ride, I came across a guy who had crashed.  His helmet was cracked, he couldn't get his shoes unclipped from his pedals, and he was talking gibberish.  There was no doubt that guy was concussed.  I called 9-1-1.  

Today, the guy rode off after we straightened out the seat on his bike.  He said he was on his way to work.  When I expressed more concern, he replied that if he had any problems he could call his wife for help.  Half-satisfied, I decided to continue my own ride.

************

I took a picture of the Cannon River from a bike trail bridge. Nice reflections.
Heart 5 Comment 0
This plant makes all those delicious Malt-O-Meal cereals you know and love.
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Keith AdamsMalt-O-Meal! I haven't had that, or even thought of it, for decades. Now I have to go see if I can even *find* it in my local grocery store.
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1 year ago
Gregory GarceauTo Keith AdamsI'm not sure if they even make the old Malt-O-Meal hot cereal you're thinking about anymore. Now they're more famous for making the knock-offs of other famous cereal brands. I'm sure you've probably seen their products in the cereal aisle in your grocery store. They're the ones sold in big plastic bags.
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1 year ago

Remember when I wrote about how Northfield has a history that goes beyond the "cows, colleges and contentment?"  Let's explore that for a couple paragraphs and pictures.

You might recognize the name "Northfield" from The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid movie.  It's about how Jesse James and Cole Younger gang robbed the biggest bank west of the Mississippi.  Unfortunately for them, the bank got wind of the plan and hired Pinkerton agents to defend the bank and hunt the outlaws down. 

Every year, Northfield has "Jesse James Days," in which the local citizens re-create the great bank robbery.  I've been to the re-enactment and all I can say is there are a lot of loud gunshots and some really, really bad acting.

Downtown Northfield is nice. It even has two bike shops right across the street from each other.
Heart 3 Comment 0
This is the bank robbed by the James/Younger gang. It's been modernized since then and I don't think it was really the biggest bank west of the Mississippi, but it still has a pretty historic vibe.
Heart 4 Comment 0
The Archer House Hotel was a very historic building. It burned to the ground a couple years ago. It just doesn't seem right that it is memorialized by nothing more than an empty lot and a canvas banner.
Heart 1 Comment 1
Keith KleinHi,
Wow, I didn’t know the Archer house was gone. I had dinner in the restaurant with my wife a few times. We rather liked the old place.
Shame, really.
Keith
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1 year ago

Now it was time to move on to Northfield's second-best college campus.  Let me say right now that Carlton College is no slouch in the majestic building department but, in my opinion, it's not as majestic as St. Olaf College.  Still, it's worth sharing a few pictures.

Heart 5 Comment 0
Heart 3 Comment 0
Heart 3 Comment 0
The residence halls had interesting bicycle accommodations.
Heart 4 Comment 0

I enjoyed my time at the site of Jesse James' last stand, St. Olaf College, Carlton College and Northfield in general, but it was time to move on.  I couldn't help but take one more picture in Northfield though.  A big John Deere dealership reflected the agricultural heritage of the city.

I think green is my favorite color and there is a lot of green in this picture.
Heart 5 Comment 0

A nice chunk of my ride back to Hastings was ridden on gravel.  It was mostly hard-packed reddish gravel, unlike yesterday's loose gray gravel.  It was a new road for me, and I liked riding on it better than I would have liked riding on the paved and more direct Highway 47.    

Heart 4 Comment 0
Heart 3 Comment 0
Wish you were here!
Heart 3 Comment 0
To make up for the unexplained blurriness of the last picture, I took another one a couple miles later. Wish you were here!
Heart 7 Comment 0
The gravel ended at the town of Randolph. It's a very small town, but it had a nice farm-themed mural painted on the post office building.
Heart 4 Comment 0
Rolling hills on the paved Highway 56 North were pretty nice too.
Heart 4 Comment 0
There are amazing Catholic churches in large cities all over the western world. Less well-known are the pretty Catholic churches in the small towns of the American mid-west. This one is in Hampton, MN (population less than 800.)
Heart 6 Comment 0
Goodbye. See you on the November mini-tour.
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Today's ride: 32 miles (51 km)
Total: 483 miles (777 km)

Rate this entry's writing Heart 11
Comment on this entry Comment 10
Kathleen JonesAnd I’ve even heard of Carlton College! I even knew someone who went there. She picked it because her last name was Carlton. No relation though.
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1 year ago
Mike AylingGreg
I reckon that you did all the good Samaritan stuff necessary.
Well done!
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1 year ago
Keith KleinHi,
Well, you did your dutiful best to help when needed, and for that alone this tour should be awarded a star.
I see that you bypassed Cannon Falls, another of my favorite spots for cycling, both on the trail and off. One of my favorite routes went south from Cannon Falls before turning north through Belle Creek, Vasa and Welch, then back to Cannon Falls. I highly recommend it for an afternoon’s outing.
I’ll be awaiting the November tour, which will undoubtedly see colder weather.
Cheers,
Keith
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1 year ago
Keith AdamsThanks for sharing your October journey, Greg. I enjoyed it.
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1 year ago
Gregory GarceauTo Kathleen JonesWow! Emily knew someone who went to St. Olaf and you knew someone who went to Carlton. That's another one for the "it's a small world" department.
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1 year ago
Gregory GarceauTo Mike AylingThanks Mike. I still felt a little guilty afterward for not following him to make sure he got to work okay. Part of that guilt was that I felt partly responsible for the crash--after all, it was my bike that distracted him.
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1 year ago
Gregory GarceauTo Keith KleinI thought about going to Cannon Falls, but I figured I didn't need to since I was there on my June mini-tour. And I have ridden much of that route you recommended. The road between Vasa and Welch that winds among the tall bluffs is very relaxing and beautiful.
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1 year ago
Rich FrasierGreg, you’re not only a Tough Guy, but also a Nice Guy. Good job on the Good Samaritan stuff.
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1 year ago
Gregory GarceauTo Rich FrasierThanks Rich, but please don't spread that nice guy rumor around too much. It's not good for my reputation.
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1 year ago
Rachael AndersonI got behind on your journal. What a great ride with great photos!
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1 year ago