August, September, October, November, December
The Recovery
I got in to my family doctor the next day and after looking at my x-rays I brought with me on CD he set me up with an Orthopedic Surgeon. I had to wait almost 2 weeks to get in to see him and when I did his recommendation was very unsatisfactory. Doctor X as I will call him fairly bluntly told me that if I wasn't so old he would operate to repair the broken elbow but since I was old he was going to let it heal as is even though the bones were misaligned. Since I couldn't bend my arm or rotate my wrist without it catching and clicking this was unsatisfactory.
I gave it a week to see if it got better and then returned to Doctor X office as he instructed me but his stall would not let me see him without another appointment even though he told me to walk in. His next appointment was over a month away so I found another surgeon.
Doctor Z took new x-rays and scheduled my for surgery. At his point it had been 8 weeks since the break so significant healing had occurred. Doctor Z re-broke the elbow before putting it back together with 2 screws. He told me that the break was significantly worse that they could discern on x-rays and that it was a good thing I insisted on surgery because the misalignment would have resulted in significant arthritis. Thank you Doctor Z.
It turns out that physical therapy for the elbow progressed smoothly but the break was also affecting my wrist and hand. It took more physical therapy on the wrist and hand then the elbow. All is better now although I still have some arthritis mostly in the hand.
Time to prepare for next years ride.
Day + 4 Castle Rock, WA to Astoria, Or
9 August 2017
I am writing this over 13 months later so many of the details are lost. We started out with a short ride to the ferry to cross the Columbia River into Oregon. It was a cool morning perfect for cycling. We gathered at a little shopping center about a mile from the ferry so we all would cross in a group. The ferry was very scenic in the Columbia River valley. They river was calm and the sun was shining on our trip across. Immediately after exiting the ferry we encountered some significant hills. Still not too hard cycling and we made good time. For a good part of the morning we overlooked the Columbia River valley.
Later in the day we left the shores of the river. We stopped several times to pick blackberries along the road. They seemed to be everywhere. The ride was 69 miles. I was tired from the hills but not overly tired. Right at the edge of Astoria we left the road and entered a bike path right alongside the river.
This is when disaster struck. The cyclist in front of me hit a post in the middle of the bike path right at the entrance which was meant to prevent cars and unauthorized vehicles from entering the bike path. I was about 15 feet behind him. Everything was fine and then there was a loud bang as his bike struck the post. His rear wheel flipped up and was right in my face. I could not steer left or would go down a rock slope into a railroad track. I could not steer right or would run into a wood fence and the Columbia river. It made no difference because I had no time to do anything. I crashed down over the other rider and his bike making an almost perfect two point landing on my left hand and face.
My helmet saved my head and the only damage was a cut above my left eye. It was bleeding pretty good. A couple of walkers gave me first aid using my first aid kit. The bleeding was fairly easy to stop. At this time I had no idea there was anything wrong with my elbow. Mike the other cyclist looked much worse the I did. His knuckles and knees took a beating but there was no serious damage. We decided to walk out onto the pier for dinner. It was during this walk that I felt the first little pain that indicated something was wrong. During dinner the pain got worse although still not real bad. If I didn't move my elbow there was little pain.
I rode the half mile to the church which was our home for the next two days with difficulty. I could not put any pressure on my left elbow. I changed and then had one of our route leaders take me to a walk in clinic. The doctor had me attempt to straighten my arm which was impossible and pronounced that my elbow was broken. I had x-rays to confirm the break and confirm that my ride was over. I called for a ride back to the church with a stop at the pharmacy for some drugs.
Events accelerated to warp speed. I got on my computer and got a flight home from Portland the next morning. One of the ride leaders was going to drive me to the airport in the morning but one of the riders had family visiting from Portland and they offered to drop me off at a hotel near the airport. So we started off on our little 100 mile trip about 9 PM. I didn't have a hotel reservation and it was difficult to get one that late at night. Finally Travelocity came through for me and I as dropped off.
Now alone in my hotel room I tackled the challenges of wrestling my bags and undressing with one hand and the other in a sling. It was an adventure getting to the airport the next day with two large bags and 1 good arm but everything worked out.
Day + 2 Shelton, to Centralia, WA
7 August 2017
The group camped in a very generous citizens house in Shelton on Day 1. We were camped everywhere in the house and in the yard. I had a very nice spot in the backyard under a large tree. It has been very dry in the Pacific Northwest this year and they were under water restrictions. I pitched my new tent for the first time ever. It is the same model tent I used last year but there were some definite differences and improvements. I took last years tent back to REI and the end of my Northern Tier cross country ride because one of the tent poles was splitting. The new tent went up with no issues.
I went to bed at 8:45 PM. It was still light but cycling hills definitely tires you out. I slept like a log until around 4 AM when the neighbors dogs started barking. I got up at 5:45 AM and was ready to hit the road at 7AM. Breakfast was a bagel with peanut butter and jelly and a banana. If you didn't know me I don't cook. This is the closest I come to cooking.
The ride started at 7AM. I was in a group of the faster riders. Four of us started lagging back after about 10 miles. It turns out the hardest hills were in the first 10 miles. So I was in a group of four until the first rest stop. The morning was cool, overcast and foggy. Visibility was still acceptable and the cool weather was welcome. I wore a jacket for the first 10 miles and then put it back on for a few miles after the first rest stop.
Today we had several bunches of deer cross in front of us. Yesterday a buck jumped out of the bush and almost hit a rider just in front of me. That would have been a disaster.
Rest stop 2 was in Rochester, WA. We beat the van to the designated rest stop and ended up at a little café for lunch. The waitress gave me a free pop (soda for you eastern people) because my name was the same as her fathers.
The last 20 miles was flat so the pace was fast. We arrived at our destination, Immanuel Lutheran Church, at 2:15. That was good time for 64 miles including a lunch stop.
Churches are my favorite place to camp. They have laundry, showers and are providing us dinner. I setup my sleeping bag in the sanctuary next to the organ.
110 miles cycled so far which means I have raised at least $110 for MS. Actually it is more and should continue to rise as more donations come in.
Another big day tomorrow so it will be dinner and then bed.
The group camped in a very generous citizens house in Shelton on Day 1. We were camped everywhere in the house and in the yard. I had a very nice spot in the backyard under a large tree. It has been very dry in the Pacific Northwest this year and they were under water restrictions. I pitched my new tent for the first time ever. It is the same model tent I used last year but there were some definite differences and improvements. I took last years tent back to REI and the end of my Northern Tier cross country ride because one of the tent poles was splitting. The new tent went up with no issues.
I went to bed at 8:45 PM. It was still light but cycling hills definitely tires you out. I slept like a log until around 4 AM when the neighbors dogs started barking. I got up at 5:45 AM and was ready to hit the road at 7AM. Breakfast was a bagel with peanut butter and jelly and a banana. If you didn't know me I don't cook. This is the closest I come to cooking.
The ride started at 7AM. I was in a group of the faster riders. Four of us started lagging back after about 10 miles. It turns out the hardest hills were in the first 10 miles. So I was in a group of four until the first rest stop. The morning was cool, overcast and foggy. Visibility was still acceptable and the cool weather was welcome. I wore a jacket for the first 10 miles and then put it back on for a few miles after the first rest stop.
Today we had several bunches of deer cross in front of us. Yesterday a buck jumped out of the bush and almost hit a rider just in front of me. That would have been a disaster.
Rest stop 2 was in Rochester, WA. We beat the van to the designated rest stop and ended up at a little café for lunch. The waitress gave me a free pop (soda for you eastern people) because my name was the same as her fathers.
The last 20 miles was flat so the pace was fast. We arrived at our destination, Immanuel Lutheran Church, at 2:15. That was good time for 64 miles including a lunch stop.
Churches are my favorite place to camp. They have laundry, showers and are providing us dinner. I setup my sleeping bag in the sanctuary next to the organ.
110 miles cycled so far which means I have raised at least $110 for MS. Actually it is more and should continue to rise as more donations come in.
Another big day tomorrow so it will be dinner and then bed.
Day + 1 Seattle to Shelton, WA
6 August 2017First day of the Pacific Coast Bike the US for MS ride. We have 26 riders and 4 route leaders. A big group so the day was spent sorting out who likes to ride what speed, who likes short rest stops and who likes long rest stops, and on and on. Not to mention learning every ones name. Fortunately that are 8 people from last years Northern Tier.
This is the 10th year since Bike the US for MS was formed and we had a reunion 3-5 August. Lots of good events but it is now time to ride.
We started out at Pebble Beach near the hotel for a tire dip in Puget Sound and group photo. From there we went to the ferry terminal to take the ferry to Bremerton. This is a ferry I have taken dozens of times for work.
After arriving at Bremerton we started off all together but quickly spread out. Everyone rides are there own pace. The only requirement to that everyone must check in at each rest stop. Since today we only rode 40 miles there was only 1 rest stop. It was in a grocery store parking lot so I took the opportunity to get some bagels and snacks.
The ride to the rest stop was 20 miles and not to difficult. Hills were frequent but moderate. Everyone is all jacked up for the start so the pace was brisk but ok for only 40 miles.
After the rest stop we had the only difficult hill. It had a 15% grade and it had we breathing heavy by the time we reached the top. It was the only hill I was forced to go to granny gear.
We did have one unplanned sightseeing opportunity. In other words we got lost making the final mileage for the day 46 miles instead of 40.
Dinner was at camp so I had my standard Spaghetti O's and Fig Newtons. If I had been a little more patient a few people went into town
In Seattle before start.
Day 1 Schedule
Waiting for the Ferry
On the ferry from Seattle to Bremerton
Dipping our tires in the Pacific before heading out
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