Third anniversary today of the great cow encounter on U.S. 221 between Cave Spring and the bottom of Bent Mountain.

Facebook reminded of the event with a photo of the odometer of my 2009 Harley-Davidson Super Glide.  It struck 100,000 miles the day before — November 8th, 2012.

I celebrated with a post on Blue Ridge Muse headlined “Miles Before I Sleep.”

Then, riding the bike back from shooting a football playoff game at Riverheads High School near Staunton, I laid the bike down to try to avoid hitting a black steer in the road at the intersection of 221 and Pogue Valley Road in Roanoke County,

After three weeks of touch and go in intensive care at Roanoke Memorial – Carilion Hospital with for broken bones, a messed up face and brain damage, I woke up and asked for my wife — beating the odds that if I didn’t die I would wake up not knowing who I was or recognize her.

That time has been a long battle back.  I still walk with a limp, I tire easily, I take lots of meds for pain management, and my memory frighteningly comes and goes.

I’m still here, but not without the love and support of my wife of 36 years and the help and support from so many of you out there who prayed, visited and offered so much to someone who did not deserve it.

I can never thank everyone for all you did.  I can only hope that when you need help and support I will be there for you.

To night, we will visit a steakhouse and I will order, and completely consume, the largest steak on the menu.  It is now an annual tradition to recognize surviving that night.

And we will, once again, raise our glasses and say a heartfelt : “thank you” to all of you.