I saw the long section of loose, deep sand from a distance. I downshifted one time and accelerated hard to float the front end over the sandy dunes. But even at 50 mph the sand was too deep and too long. The front end started to dig in and 600 pounds of cycle and gear violently cartwheeled over the silty terrain. I went down hard and fast in a cloud of dust. Pain was intense and immediate like it often is. I was still straddling the bike, but my right leg was pulled directly behind me, pinned completely under the saddle bag up to the knee. My left foot was somehow wedged between the left saddlebag and frame of the cycle. With both legs pinned behind me, I was forced forward over the bars and remember watching the front wheel coast to a stop. I instinctively killed the engine. Everything was foggy, like waking up from a long nap, but pain quickly brought things into focus. A scenario that I had feared months prior was playing out before my eyes... wounded and stranded alone in the middle of the Mongolian desert. Book jacket.