Full Moon Tonight??
08-20-09 | 12:17 AM
#1
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From: Pacific Northwest
Bikes: 2006 Cannondale Six13 Team 1, 1984 Cannondale, 1979 Motobecane Team Champion, 1994 Fat City Yo' Eddy Team
Full Moon Tonight??
I see we're not due for one until September, but geez, I'da thought one was out tonight.
Commuting home around 10:00pm, I come up upon a dark stretch (no streetlights near) where there's a cross street. I see cars coming towards me that slow to crawl & I spy some sort of tan-colored animal standing motionless in the middle of the road.
At first, it looked like a fawn, but when I got closer I saw it was a big friggin' dog (Boxer, maybe) and if I keep to the fogline, I'll ride right past his nose. Great. I choose to veer towards the center line to run behind his ass, thinking that might somehow appear less of a threat to him. Sure enough, he takes an interest in me and begins to chase. I'm yelling "STOP!", "BAD DOG!", all the usual stuff, to no avail - he keeps coming on behind me as I pick up the pace. I'm out of water to spray and I don't carry any spray. The 'owner' is yelling trying to get the dog out of the road, and I yell "CALL YOUR DOG, CALL YOUR DOG!!!" He says "I'm trying, so just chill out!". Yeah, whatever you say. I yelled "That's why there's a leash law" (you Moron). Obviously, he couldn't be bothered to keep Biff on a leash, due to the immense psychological strain it would impose on the animal...
I no sooner finish with the dog when at the next street, a car approachs on the cross street from the left and gets halfway across the street I'm on before they decide to see me and stop in the middle of the lane adjacent to me. So then I'm yelling at them.
Lastly, I'm closer to home and a group of three skateboarders begin to cross an arterial I'm on (full bike-lane). I begin yelling "HEADS UP, HEADS UP, HEADS UP!!!" before they even make it to the center turn lane. Of course they don't even blink and all three cross DIRECTLY in front of me. If I hadn't hit the binders & steered behind them, I'd have flattened their skinny little asses. Revenge will come with the knowledge that they will marry the first girl they knock up, and their careers will include the phrase "You want fries with that?" and that they will lead miserable little lives of desparation, all the while corrupting the gene pool even further than their parents did. Somehow, that doesn't quite do it for me though...
FYI, I'm 6'1" 175lbs wearing a flourescent yellow jersey, cruising at 19mph on 45lbs of LHT with two PB 1W Blaze headlights (one steady, one on strobe) and a PB clear Spok on blink which is rotating on my front hub, plus 3 PBSF's and a solid PB tail light plus another red Spok rotating on the rear hub, plus fully-loaded bright yellow Ortliebs with those big friggin' reflective patches front & rear, plus other misc. reflective bits & pcs on shoes, jersey, etc. Not exactly easy to miss!!
I know, I know, just a day in the life. Just had to vent.
Commuting home around 10:00pm, I come up upon a dark stretch (no streetlights near) where there's a cross street. I see cars coming towards me that slow to crawl & I spy some sort of tan-colored animal standing motionless in the middle of the road.
At first, it looked like a fawn, but when I got closer I saw it was a big friggin' dog (Boxer, maybe) and if I keep to the fogline, I'll ride right past his nose. Great. I choose to veer towards the center line to run behind his ass, thinking that might somehow appear less of a threat to him. Sure enough, he takes an interest in me and begins to chase. I'm yelling "STOP!", "BAD DOG!", all the usual stuff, to no avail - he keeps coming on behind me as I pick up the pace. I'm out of water to spray and I don't carry any spray. The 'owner' is yelling trying to get the dog out of the road, and I yell "CALL YOUR DOG, CALL YOUR DOG!!!" He says "I'm trying, so just chill out!". Yeah, whatever you say. I yelled "That's why there's a leash law" (you Moron). Obviously, he couldn't be bothered to keep Biff on a leash, due to the immense psychological strain it would impose on the animal...
I no sooner finish with the dog when at the next street, a car approachs on the cross street from the left and gets halfway across the street I'm on before they decide to see me and stop in the middle of the lane adjacent to me. So then I'm yelling at them.
Lastly, I'm closer to home and a group of three skateboarders begin to cross an arterial I'm on (full bike-lane). I begin yelling "HEADS UP, HEADS UP, HEADS UP!!!" before they even make it to the center turn lane. Of course they don't even blink and all three cross DIRECTLY in front of me. If I hadn't hit the binders & steered behind them, I'd have flattened their skinny little asses. Revenge will come with the knowledge that they will marry the first girl they knock up, and their careers will include the phrase "You want fries with that?" and that they will lead miserable little lives of desparation, all the while corrupting the gene pool even further than their parents did. Somehow, that doesn't quite do it for me though...
FYI, I'm 6'1" 175lbs wearing a flourescent yellow jersey, cruising at 19mph on 45lbs of LHT with two PB 1W Blaze headlights (one steady, one on strobe) and a PB clear Spok on blink which is rotating on my front hub, plus 3 PBSF's and a solid PB tail light plus another red Spok rotating on the rear hub, plus fully-loaded bright yellow Ortliebs with those big friggin' reflective patches front & rear, plus other misc. reflective bits & pcs on shoes, jersey, etc. Not exactly easy to miss!!
I know, I know, just a day in the life. Just had to vent.
08-20-09 | 09:18 AM
#2
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Joined: Oct 2007
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From: SW Iowa
Bikes: Waterford 1200, Raleigh Record converted to a single speed, Citizen folding bike, Surly LHT
Now re-read it and see how funny some of it is....past tense. I know at the time you're ready to kill someone/thing, but afterward... 
08-20-09 | 11:53 AM
#3
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From: Pacific Northwest
Bikes: 2006 Cannondale Six13 Team 1, 1984 Cannondale, 1979 Motobecane Team Champion, 1994 Fat City Yo' Eddy Team
Yeah, I wasn't as much mad as I was wondering "Geez, what else'll get thrown at me tonight?".
I mean, when I see skateboarders or any teenagers for that matter, when I'm riding or driving, I assume that they're Morons, and then if they do something intelligent, it's a pleasant surprise. I love it when they look right at you, then step off the curb anyway.
Same with dog owners around here, where Pets are King and people are just chattel. Your world exists only for their convenience.
Makes the commuting game more fun, no??
I mean, when I see skateboarders or any teenagers for that matter, when I'm riding or driving, I assume that they're Morons, and then if they do something intelligent, it's a pleasant surprise. I love it when they look right at you, then step off the curb anyway.
Same with dog owners around here, where Pets are King and people are just chattel. Your world exists only for their convenience.
Makes the commuting game more fun, no??
08-20-09 | 02:04 PM
#4
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Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 562
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From: SW Iowa
Bikes: Waterford 1200, Raleigh Record converted to a single speed, Citizen folding bike, Surly LHT
I live in such a rural area that I don't have much/any of that. There are a couple of dogs that "greet" me pretty much every evening, but I could stop and pet them. I have to watch out for deer more than anything. Occasionally I have to watch for the side street drivers but a good yell usually handles that.
08-20-09 | 03:15 PM
#6
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Joined: May 2009
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Seriously, I would call the local animal control office regarding the dog off the leash, it may not be the first time. It steams me when people think when they should obey leash laws is based on their discretion. T
here are leash laws because some dog owners have no discretion. And if doggy gets injured by someone trying to protect themselves from being bitten, it's never the dog owners fault.
here are leash laws because some dog owners have no discretion. And if doggy gets injured by someone trying to protect themselves from being bitten, it's never the dog owners fault.
