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I see dead things
Like most people, I have my share of fears, both rational and ir-.
Given how much time I spend in the saddle, I guess it makes sense some of those fears are bike-centric.
Curiously, though I’m cautious and certainly aware of the bad things that can happen when cars and bikes collide, my biggest, most irrational, bike fear involves … roadkill.
In my twisted, tortured little mind, one of the worst things that could happen to me on a commute would be pedal along and encounter a bloated carcass. Rabbit, opossum, squirrel … doesn’t matter. A car approaches from the rear. I instinctively get a little closer to the curb. The car moves to the left to get around, with the dead critter between us. I get to the stinking remains the same time as the vehicle. The car’s passenger-front tire hits it, um, dead-on, and the beastie’s reeking innards spew out — all over little ol’ me.
OK, it doesn’t exactly keep me up at night, but I can’t help but think about such a nightmare scenario every time I happen upon a road waffle.
And it seems lately I’ve happened upon a lot of roadkill.
Part of it’s seasonal.
Every fall, I notice there seems to be more roadkill than normal. Then it dawns on me that this is about the time the turkey vultures migrate on down to Cabo, where, as far as I know, they stick little umbrellas in their south-of-the-border carrion and bask in the winter warmth.
With those scavengers gone, the bodies up north start piling up … or, at least, seem to be more visible on the roads.
Whether the buzzards’ fault or not, just the other day I had a regular tour de mort.
As I pulled out of my driveway, I happened upon a roadkill rabbit that spilled his guts all over my residential street. On my way to my kids’ school, I saw: two more dead rabbits, a dead squirrel, a dead mouse, two dead birds and a dead something-or-other that had been reduced to little more than fur and organs, all in a trip of just over two miles.
On my commute to work, I saw two more dead bunnies, another dead squirrel, an extremely sleepy opossum and a dead snake.
That’s a lot of death, folks, and you’d better believe I gave each and every one of the rotting corpses a wide berth.
Going to work is hard enough sometimes. I don’t need the added burden of a bunny-gut necklace, too.
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16 October 2009
at 9 a.m.
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geekin_topekan (Anonymous) says…
Since their natural predators have been eliminated or scared off they thrive. Then get run over.
Bring back the mountain lions, wolves,let the coyotes roam.Instead, they are killed off because someone doesnt want their foofoo dog to become someone else's dinner.
16 October 2009
at 9:25 a.m.
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number3of5 (Anonymous) says…
This guy sure can find a lot of things to complain about on his commute on a bike. If he doesn't like what he finds on the way, why not change to a car, a different route, or just quit complaining.
If roadkill on the roadway bothers him, carry plastic bags and a shovel and remove them from the roadway. They didn't ask people to run over them. Their spirits need closure. Help them on their way to the creator. Just quit complaining.
16 October 2009
at 9:33 a.m.
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Ricky_Vaughn (Anonymous) says…
Yeah really. Call the Waambulance.
16 October 2009
at 9:33 a.m.
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Ricky_Vaughn (Anonymous) says…
Or how about some cheese to go with that whine?
16 October 2009
at 9:55 a.m.
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jthiatt (Todd Hiatt) says…
“If roadkill on the roadway bothers him, carry plastic bags and a shovel and remove them from the roadway.”
And then ship the possums to Rep. Otto.
Keep up the good work, Andrew.
16 October 2009
at 10:17 a.m.
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autie (Anonymous) says…
Is that accompanied by the very real fear of becoming the roadkill?
16 October 2009
at 10:55 a.m.
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make_a_difference (Anonymous) says…
I hear commenting on observations, not whining. Where do you hear whining?
Andrew—you gave me an “Oooooooo, gross!” moment what with the spewing!
(glad to hear that someone else's mind does these kind of things to them…I'm not alone!)
16 October 2009
at 10:56 a.m.
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BigPrune (Anonymous) says…
My big pet peeve is seeing bicyclists impeding car traffic by riding in the street instead of on the bike path right next to the street, like on Clinton Parkway. There should be an ordinance and bicyclists should be ticketed. No road kill on the bike paths as well.
16 October 2009
at 10:57 a.m.
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tvc (Anonymous) says…
I have the same fear! :)
16 October 2009
at 11:09 a.m.
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honeychild (Mel Briscoe) says…
i feel so bad for ever little animal i see squashed on streets and highways. each one a small tragedy. awful.
16 October 2009
at 11:28 a.m.
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sundancewierdo (Anonymous) says…
jthiatt (Todd Hiatt) says
“And then ship the possums to Rep. Otto.”
Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Haaaaaaaaaaaaaa Haaaaaaaaaaaa! LMFAO!!! that gets best post of the day!
16 October 2009
at 12:47 p.m.
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H_Lecter (Anonymous) says…
Good thing you don't bike past my basement.
16 October 2009
at 2:45 p.m.
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Marion (Marion Lynn) says…
Here is some news for Green bicycle riders:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/1…
“ (CBS/AP)
(AP) Part of Berlin's red-light scene is going green.
One bordello, hoping to stave off falling demand in the economic crisis, has begun offering discounts to customers who pedal bicycles to the door.
“It's very difficult to find parking around here, and this option is better for our environment,” said Thomas Goetz, who owns the brothel Maison d'Envie, or House of Desire.
Local residents in Prenzlauer Berg - a part of former East Berlin now home to scores of trendy boutiques, restaurants and clubs - had staunchly supported the Green party in recent elections and have welcomed the bordello's offer to emphasize the environment.
The bordellos in the capital of Germany, where prostitution is legal, have seen business suffer with the global financial crisis. Patrons have become more frugal, and there are fewer potential customers coming to the city for business trips and conferences.
But Maison d'Envie has seen its business begin to return since it began offering the euro5 ($7.50) discount in July, Goetz said.
To qualify, customers must show the receptionist either a bicycle padlock key or proof they used public transit to get to the neighborhood. That knocks the price for 45 minutes in a room, for example, to euro65 from euro70.
Those who arrive on foot, however, are out of luck.
“We haven't found a way for people to prove they have walked here,” Goetz explained.
Other brothels have tried different incentives to cope with the economic downturn. One Berlin bordello offered a flat-rate for an unlimited time before officials' concerns over prostitutes' rights and cleanliness in the club forced them to rescind the offer.
The 450,000 prostitutes working in Germany, some 10,000 of whom are in Berlin, have the same legal rights and social benefits as people in other professions.”
20 October 2009
at 2:48 p.m.
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labyrinth (Anonymous) says…
I just passed a deceased black snake in the road. You know you're in the country when the dead tire in front of you was once able to look back at you. Sure glad Larry and Darrel and Darrel aren't in business any more. l
20 October 2009
at 2:52 p.m.
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labyrinth (Anonymous) says…
beep, beep, beep. Back up. I knew I was right, checked my memory and got a quote from a roast. We all know it was Darrel, Larry and Larry. Duh. l