It was way hotter today - the hike was several miles at Pine Swamp where I wore very light clothing but still sweated up a storm. No it wasn't hot flashes this time! I came home and was going to take a nap under the umbrella on the deck as I slept about 4 hours the night before due to difficulty breathing... the pollen is really bad this year. I was on my way to snooze and Rachel came by wanting to go for a walk so I said I would rather rollerblade than walk so we rolled to the Henny Penny a little over a mile away. I went down a hill I never went down before and realized my brakes didn't work - couldn't zig zag down the hill as the pavement was all torn up and there were tree branches and rocks on the poorly travelled road. I almost hit a white limo that came from nowhere, and time seemed to stretch out in front of me. I was really living in the moment! I had knee protectors on so I felt a bit more secure than if I had not, but I really didn't want to hurt my hands/wrists/arms falling and of course I didn't have on wrist guards as there was a hornet's nest in the area I kept skate supplies. So I kept going and luckily nothing and no one got in my way so I survived and didn't even fall.
Ordinarily I don't use the brakes. Ever. I will go down a hill I'm familiar with straight if the surface is in good condition or zigzag my way down but this one was so uneven. I heeled that foot, expecting the brakes to come on and nothing happened. It seemed about 60 seconds of pure terror, but it might have been less than that. My sense of time was surely affected.
The brake pad was probably worn down a decade ago when I was newly learning how to use them so probably I haven't had a functioning brake for a long, long time. Now I should look for a replacement pad just in case I have to stop next time I skate.
When we got back Rachel and I took the canoe out for a ride to see if it leaked, rowed almost to the railroad bridge and the Thames, but the current led us to Erickson Park so we went in that direction. Then R wanted to go swimming so she jumped in (we had life vests on) and swam, pulling the canoe by tieing the rope around her waist.
Bil and Spencer were working on motorcycles so they missed the fun.
wheels
15 years ago
