The colors are peaking in the Rocky Mountains and the weather is cooling down just a bit. Fall is typically my favorite season to ride here in Colorado, but I'm out of the saddle for a while  .

I've had severe arthritis in my right foot for several years but put off the surgery due to work and life events. Had two joint fusions with a bone graft done September 12th. I'm non weight-bearing for 10-12 weeks with an estimated 1-year full recovery. That's why I put it off for so long!

I knew there'd be screws and plates across the bones and joints, but what surprised me were the 8 cm long screws! One was put in from the heel and the other from the top. The surgeon says all the hardware is permanent.

Just checking in with y'all and vicariously enjoying your rides! Everyone be safe and watch for those slippery leaves in the twisties!

looks perty bad !  

So your ankle don't move anymore ?    How would ya use the rear brake ?

Also , when ya drive the cage you have to do so "Left-Footed" ?

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Is there not a place on your bike for the Crutches ?  ??  
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I'll do some extra "Fall Color Cruising" , enough for both of us !

This  morning I rode "following the wife" about 20 miles of back-roads to a place called "The Swiss Pantry" for their annual fall feasible with free donuts coffee and lots of arts and crafts venders .  Its a big enough deal that the Sheriff's dept controls traffic for them.  We had to bring separate vehicles.
Then
I rode about 30 miles of four lane road to the next town over for our Christian Motorcycle Association  lunch meeting.
Then
Took the long way home , by way of some "Realllllly lazzzzy" back roads - the 30-40 mph kind.  I think I like the Lazy Back-roads better anyway !   Especially with the leaves beginning to fall !!    

That surgery looks to be pretty invasive!  Maybe they don't need to make big holes to put in screws - but keeping of your foot for so long must be an indication it will take a long time to heal.  My wife broke her ankle in 3 places - and it took a long time for her ankle to get flexible again.

Riding a bike without a rear brake is a skill easily mastered.  I have friends that used to road race, and they don't ever use their rear brakes anymore.  When you are riding at advanced levels and braking at the threshold of traction - the rear brake is useless as most of the weight is shifted forward onto the front wheel.  If you try and use the rear brake under these conditions it will lock up and you will crash!  If you want to keep the Savage and need a better front brake you can install Shawn's kit - or put a Suzuki SV650 caliper on by making an adapter plate....the twin piston caliper greatly improves the stopping power.

My neighbor and I are currently riding for a few days around the KY/VA border around the Breaks Interstate Park.  These roads are incredible and really nice for riding - lots of curves and even the main road are back roads!  This area has many small towns and very few traffic lights.  The trees are not yet changing color here.

The area in TN/NC where we usually ride got hit hard with the rainfall from Hurricane Helene.  I read they got 30 inches of rain in that one storm.  So much of area was developed along the creeks and rivers, and some towns have been washed away completely.  The hotel we are staying at right now has about a dozen utility trucks here from crews that are repairing power lines.  There are crews from Indiana, Mississippi and Texas .  One fellow told us that some areas that are so torn up the power lines won't be repaired anytime soon - as the roads and remaining buildings are destroyed and there is nothing that remains that needs electricity.

Hope you heal quickly.