Sequim's Finest: Ignore a STOP and cream a cyclist? . . . Hey--no problem!

Well I hope this little chapter of our lives is over. Shar's been on crutches for the past 4 days, babying her leg in preparation for the trip. I'll summarize the Kafka-esque experience we've had in dealing with the events. (The details are actually even more bizarre, but who has time to type or read them?) The guy who ran Shar down was not given a citation for doing so. After a couple of days, several phone calls & a visit to the Sequim Police Department we finally got a chance to talk on the phone to the perky young officer who filed the accident report. We asked a few simple obvious questions. Her only response was "I was just doing what I was told to do." We were told to call back 2 days later when the Sergeant came back to work. We talked to him this morning. He said the decision to cite the driver was at the investigating officer's discretion. I told him that the "investigating officer" (who by the way had never bothered to speak to either Shar or myself during the "investigation") had told us on the phone that she was just doing what he had told her to do. We never got anywhere with him. The upshot: It's open season on bicylists. You can hit them and--hey why even bother to stop? I mean if they ride a bike, they probably don't believe in invading other countries for oil and other stuff like that, so just run 'em down.

Since the accident I've been running alone in the mornings, we're not biking to town. Kari (Shar's long-time personal physician) told us that Shar may have permanent damage to her knee. This past spring Shar ran in 4 races after completing cancer treatment. 3 weeks ago she ran the entire Olympic Discovery Half-Marathon (13.1 miles). I really hope I have not lost my running/biking/hiking buddy.

We'll have a good trip. I'm going to try to get Shar to see if she can switch from crutches to a cane this evening. We'll see.

Okay folks,
I was not going to post anything until we had embarked on said journey, but I feel today’s events warranted a note. We rode bikes into town to do some errands in preparation for our trip. We were heading east on Washington, (main drag of Sequim). After I crossed 2nd I heard Shar yell and a split second afterwards I heard an impact. I knew immediately someone had hit Shar at the intersection before I even turned around. I know a lot of you who may read this are bike riders, and I admonish you to drive incredibly defensively when you are on your bikes. Newton’s laws tell us it is all quite academic who has right of way when an object weighing 30 times more than you strikes your leg. You lose. The short story is that as of now, Shar doesn’t seem to have broken bones, but may have contusions, torn ligaments etc. In any case she is not walking.

The 30-yr.-old male who ran her down--cracking her helmet, (yes there's a reason we wear them) ruining the new high tech prescription glasses she just treated herself to, and doing as yet unknown damage to her bike--did not have insurance or a valid driver's license. I could go into my experience with the two police, one sheriff, and two EMT vehicles, and the countless number of personnel associated with these vehicles whose reason for being there seemed to be to stand around & talk amongst themselves, (Perhaps if I owned a TV I could have joined in their conversations.) but there really is nothing to say. After I got Shar home she complimented me on my politeness to everyone on the scene, including the gentleman who T-boned her. (Please do not spread this around—I have a reputation to maintain--thanks.)

It’s okay. It could have been much worse. I feel guilt for not having somehow prevented it. Our plans are still on track. Anyway it doesn’t look like Shar will be wearing a cast with her bikini.

Introduction

I chose the name "woven routes" because "cry me a river" was already taken. The latter was the phrase used last year as I described to a friend how difficult the trip from the SEATAC airport to Sequim was. After hearing we had spent 32 days in the tropics. she said, "Cry me a river!."
This year we will be gone for five weeks.
I will be sending posts from Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica and perhaps Panama. Hopefully this will include some wildlife photos as well as pictures of beaches, dinners and favorite spots.