creep dog

On one of my favorite parts of my route a raccoon was run over yesterday. This morning it occurred to me that he is going to stink up my commute for a while. I think he got the worst of the deal though. At least it's not 104 degrees every day now.

CD

Pete Clark

It's at these times that I hope for the wind to be from the side.

The worst part is going up a long, steep hill with a tailwind when I pass one of these carcasses.

(I don't hate animals, but when they are dead, they smell as bad anyone would under similar circumstances.)

Allister

When life gives you road-kill, make jerky.

Toki

That reminds of the time when some animal left a gift for me in the middle of the street (ahhh, the hazards of riding the narrow streets of Tokyo).

When I was riding down a dark street, I got a whiff of something foul and started pedalling faster to get away from the smell only to realize that it was following me. Imagine the shock when I got to a better lit area and noticed that I was covered. Ick.

I will take a bloated raccoon carcass on my route over this any day. Skunks, however, are a different story...

- Jeff

Ritz

Yik! Only the Odd Kitty here. I think I saw an Opossum once, it was kinda' hard to tell if you know what I mean.

OhiOH

One of my biggest fears about riding is: I’m passing a bloated piece of road-kill and just at that moment some truck comes by and runs over it with his tire and it splatters all over me. Worse yet it might splatter all over my bike!

TXCiclista

I detected the road kill scent a few weeks back and was disgusted when I came up on a dead dog that had obviously been then for a few weeks. More skeleton than dog. Yuck Poor doggie

SirSpinsalot

Since man has effectively eliminated natural predators it had to be replaced with the automobile to keep animal populations in check. Part of the ongoing balance of nature.

rye

On my ride I pass some apple trees that have been dropping green sour apples on the road. It's turned that section in to a slipper slide and it smells like someone barfed all over the place

Oh there is a flattened squirrel too, but he don't stink...

Ritz

Okay,I'm not shure, but I think I saw a racoon on the way home tonight. It was dark and I only got a brief glimpse of him. And then there is the fact that he was much skinnier than the way God originally made him, if you know what I mean. Much smellier too, although I can't say I've ever smelled a live racoon.

Inkwolf

Raccoons and possums generally don't stink too badly around here before they dry up/decompose/get dragged off by dogs. Once a deer was killed along my route, and I had to change the way I went in to work for about a week.

But the stinkiest animal ever in my path so far was a little ol' rat killed on the road. Unbelievable...had to hold my breath.

originalbart

Don't you guys have skunks where you live? I think every 2nd carcass on my route is a skunk.

Jay H

Squirrels don't stink that much but they are all over the place here in NJ. They also have a tendency to spew their guts all out their mouths.... Yyyyyyyuuuckkkk!!!!

Deers are bad too, in fact, once I saw a deer that was off the road slowly decompose until it was nothing but dust.

Jay

LLCoolJessie

You must have incredible patience.

OhiOH

Just missed hitting one on my way to work last week. Wouldn’t that be great ? Getting skunk spray all over you on the way to the office.

Inkwolf

Skunks abound out here, but strangely enough, so far they have been considerate enough not to get creamed on my route.

To be honest, I see less skunks on the road these days at all, and a LOT more raccoons and possums. Wonder if they're pushing the skunks out?

Jay H

Patience of steel! Actually where the deer was, there was no way the DOT would of cleared it off since it wasn't on the road so each day I would go by (holding nose of course) and each day I would make a note of how fast it just decomposed to nothing. I've also seen a Canadian Goose decompose too.

So far, no humans have died on the bike paths though.

Jay

blatod

Met a skunk on the commute this morning, but it was not roadkill, it was just waddling toward me on the bike trail. I turned a corner and there he was. My light blinded him and he turned around. I passed him praying he would not see the need to spray. - He didn't. Saw a fox near the same place on the commute home last friday.

Sallyf14

I ride along a bike path on the west side highway - for cyclists and rollerbladers only (supposedly) but I often see horse mounted policeman using the path (I'm very cautious when passing them or going around them since I don't want to spook the horse) and they often leave their waste in the middle of the path which can be less than pleasant!

Ritz

Gross! I passed an Opossum the other night, this one was full size, not road pizza. As my headlight cought his attention he just stood there on the side of the road and watched as I silently rolled by. It was neat.

Jay H

Ya got a problem with that, punk?

-The Raccoon Cartel

Ritz

Fuhgeddaboutit!
The Opossum Family.

crustedfish

Every once in a great while, I'll be really close to running over a rat in the loop, late at night...my fixie is soo quiet, they don't even here me coming!

Squirrels in my back alley are no fun...again, I'm quiet, and I've narrowly missed running over a couple in my time!!

hehe..

the worst was after the Cubs games this post season...I would be coming home on Irving Park, between clark and sheridan, where all the police park their trailers...horse poo for an entire city block!

randy

Allister

That'd make a cool bit of time lapse photography.

Zub Zub

Thats sounds lovely.... Here we dont get mnay deers and possums. But because there a pest we dont mind the odd one on the old...Just of the topic any one here hate no..dislike fireworks?? They are soo annoying!!
Marie