Thanks, everyone, for your kind words and encouragement. With the chain, I thought I had both shifters to the smallest cog, but found out that I didn't when I tried to replace the chain--I hadn't brought the right shifter all the way down yet, in my rattled state. And you are right--getting prepared for mechanical issues I might encounter is a great idea.

I hadn't thought about keeping the inside foot off the pedal in a tight turn, that's a great suggestion. I think it'll also encourage me to think about speed, too. Also, come to think of it, my rear tire is probably a little overinflated (I air them up before each ride), so that's food for thought, too.

I'm a prepared kind of person, so not having something to bandage my bleeding knee with the first time was distressing (especially because once I get to my car, I head to my child's daycare to pick her up, so I didn't want to be walking into a daycare center with a bleeding, open wound). And the bandanna has many uses, so to me at least, it has earned a spot in my pack.

And yes, getting off the bike and walking it is definitely what I will do in the future. I'm not about to give that damn bridge & gravel more of my blood!