West Coast cycling adventure cut short by injury

The Hartridges

I’m writing this letter with some sadness to say that our cycling tour for this year has come to an abrupt end.  It is a time to count blessings and look at our short trip as just that, a wonderful 10-day tour through Washington’s Puget Sound out to the Pacific Ocean.

July 9, Heather had a scuffle with a tree branch sticking out into the road and the tree won.

As she rode by, the branch caught in her rear pannier, stopped her immediately, threw the front end of the bike to the right and in turn threw her off. Her left wrist was the first thing to hit the ground. The impact broke both the radius and the ulna bones just as they widen out to join the wrist.

As chance would have it there was a little cafe across the road from the spot where she fell. After Heather collected her senses we made our way safely across to the cafe. Heather asked for some ice and put it on her wrist immediately and sat down.  

A man named Dennis Davies, who worked in the town of Aberdeen, where we had just cycled from, had stopped there for lunch. He didn’t hesitate to walk over and offer his services. He put our bikes in the back of his pickup truck and drive us to the hospital about five miles away. The ride was very painful for Heather but within an hour she was safe and in good care in the ER in Grays Harbor Community Hospital in Aberdeen. We can’t say enough about how well Heather was treated both upon arrival and during her short stay. After her initial treatment, she had a visit from an orthopedic surgeon during which he performed a procedure to align her broken bones and set them in place with a cast (above her elbow). When all was done at the hospital, Dennis drove us and all our gear back to Olympia where he and his wife Julie lived and we made Heather comfortable. Dennis had a prior commitment so he left us in his lovely home, his wife was to be home shortly. By now, our son Dustin was on his way to pick us up, making the four-hour drive from the Lower Mainland. Almost exactly 12 hours after the accident we were back in Canada at my mom’s place in Surrey.

What we remember most about this trip is the wonderful folks we met along the way.

Dennis and his wife Julie who turned a potentially serious situation into a manageable one with a positive outcome; the two Warmshowers hosts we stayed with: The Nunes Family, Kate, Ron and Elizabeth in Poulsbo as well as Alan, Donna and their wonderful son Lewis who live near Shelton.

We also remember the two young cyclists from Missoula who were on their way to tour the San Juan Islands; Bill and his family from Saramento cycling down the coast, (Bill was a walking encyclopedia about the Oregon Coast. He had cycled it at least six times); the 60-year-old cyclist who was on the return loop of a trip from Sacramento to Puget Sound; the young boy in Ocean City State Park near Ocean Shores who, as fate would have it, wanted to share the joy of learning to ride his bike unassisted as we pulled into our campsite next to his... “look at me!”; Chet and Nihla, volunteers for Washington State University as beach watchers promoting education about the ocean and care of the seashore; the fellow who pulled up outside the gate to Belfair State Park and walked in just to ask us if we needed anything and finally all the folks who appeared to be inspired in one way or another at the sight of two people touring around on their bicycles: “Boy, I bet you’ve got the heart of a 20-year-old”; “I bet the gas is cheap!’; “See Harry?  Look at these two kids and what they’re doing!”

We’re looking at the trip as another cycling adventure, albeit a short and painful one. We had a wonderful time up until Heather’s injury. Those of you who know Heather well won’t be surprised to hear she’s already talking about her next cycling tour so yes, there will be other cycling trips. We have learned some valuable lessons from the accident and will be changing a few things in the future. Heather’s main concern is for her bones to heal properly.

Chris and Heather Hartridge are cycling enthusiasts from Quesnel.