Utah Rocks

Utah rocks hurt. I know, I know it didn't take very long. But I was mountain biking today in park city and I clipped my right pedal on a rock (never saw it), which tossed me face-first into another rock (about 10 inches in diameter). I got up thinking I was fine, until blood started gushing everywhere. I looked down and I saw my front tooth—well part of it anyway— in the kevlar reinforced palm of my glove. I checked my sunglasses. They were in tact. I noticed that the rock with which I had just made out was about 4-5 feet out of place. I could tell because it left a deep trail as my face plowed it from it's previous resting spot.

Then sarah caught up. She started urking a little. I'll spare you her description. So I handed her the tooth. We headed back toward the closest road and despite the dripping blood and the wind strangely whislting through the fresh gap in my grimace, I still managed to catch some air on the way out. The riding out here is that gnarly. We asked around and finally found a hospital that was open. (apparently in Park City you're supposed to schedule your emergencies in advance.) They stitched up my bottom lip, although at first the doctor thought he was about to write me a referral to a plastic surgeon.

6 stitches and a tetnus shot later, it was time to find an all-night dentist. We lucked out in that regard. We were able to find one on call in the area. He took one look at me and laughed. He said "I thought you said on the phone that you 'chipped' it." Apparently "chipping a tooth" is something that occurs when you accidentally catch the edge of a fork while biting down too aggressively. Nevertheless he went on to explain that it was shattered and the best thing to do was drill out the nerve and start over. I said "that's great doc. I was thinking of having them all replaced so this will get the ball rolling." He hovered over me like a mad scientist. No assistant. No secretary. Not sure where all the tools were kept. Not particularly sensitive to the welling of mystery fluids in my mouth. Where's that mini shop-vac anyway? But with the ingenuity of Hawkeye Pierce he was able to construct a convincing chicklet before the clock struck twelve and he turned back into a pumpkin.

Anyway, I should have a pretty sweet new smile for the wedding.