Since I am an animal lover, one of the hardest things for me to deal with is getting up close and personal with the road kill that we roadies see out there. I guess the most disheartening thing to see is a full grown dog or cat that's been struck. People should know better than to let their pets run loose near roads but even I have had my dogs dig under fences or sneak though open gates from time to time. Usually I just turn my head and hammer for a few pedal strokes to leave the scene behind.

Even when it's a wild animal, one that no person had an emotional attachment to, I stiil don't like to see the gruesome remains of animal vs. car.

Living as I do, close to a huge military reservation, there is plenty of habitat for the critters. Though it may be gruesome, here's what I've seen this season:

• opossum
• raccoon
• rabbit
• squirrel
• deer
• a small black bear (that's what got me to thinking about this)
• song birds
• turtle
• snake
• beaver
• Canada Goose
• cat
• dog

No bear or beaver. The town destroyed the beaver because it was contaminating the water supply. No bear here, yet. Opossum are common road kill sightings for me. One momma possum left me dodging her young for several nights. In addition to rabbit, squirrel, deer, cats & dogs, turtles and snakes, I have seen roadkill salamanders, Luna Moths, weasels, and a Saw-whet Owl. I've also come close to some road-kill motorists.

I can add Bobcat, and Armadillo (possum on the half shell) to the list.

YUMMY, Roadkill is a great power snack if ya beat the buzzards to it. If it has been in the sun long enough it is like naturally made jerkey.

Sam - in your case, I might just resort to cannibalism should I see you splattered on the road late this month in Dublin!!

I eat too much junk food Lou. Would probably be bad for the cholesterol level.

Waaaa... I hate seeing squished animals. I always get really upset when I see poor squished squirrels. I love all animals and it really bothers me.

You forgot to mention the 2 piles of skunk junk I had to pass twice to and from work today!

There's nothing quite like hearing the pitter patter of a big black dog coming up on your left heal in the dark.

Wow. You didn't put Canadian Goose, or Canadian Geese.

You must know a little something about wildlife. It seems that everybody gets that one wrong.

Yeah, but after they get ran over enough and dry out they make great sailcats!!

A kangaroo and, incredibly, a rabbit on today's ride.

Oh yeah, a few canetoads too, but they kill so much stuff that we're probably better off without them.

About three squirrels today.

The saddest thing I ever saw was a momma duck & her ducklings get smacked down, one after another, as they tried to cross I-90. I still feel very sad when I think about them. Prayers for their duckie little souls.

Canada geese are such big birds, hard to imagine them being run over!

Speaking of ducks (waaaaah!) last year, I was out on a ride, on road called Lakeshore- because it runs along a huge lake! One day, sometime in june, I noticed a car going the other way had stopped and something was in front of it. It was a mother duck crossing the road with her ducklings. They must have been recent hatchlings- the cutest little fuzzballs! You just want to scoop them up. I waited until I saw them cross safely. I promised that I'd be careful along that road from now on, when riding out there. I hope I never see any of them get run over!

Speaking of ducks, Last year we were feeding the ducks in the lake behind our house with the neighbors little boy of four years. A new brood of ducklings were there eating the breadcrumbs alongside momma duck.

All of a sudden the water swirled and splashed and behold, one of the ducklings was gone. The horror in the little boys eyes was amazing. A large fish had surfaced and snapped up that duck right in front of us. It was incredible. It was either a bass or catfish.

I have not seen a dead bear yet on the road. We do have them. I would add 3 wild turkeys(these were all mowed down by one car in the same area), grouse, hawks, and a mink to the list.

I have seen enough dead cats to last me a lifetime plus I know I have to look at it again on the way home I have never run any animal over in 7 years of driving I tend to slow down obviously some people don't give a toss about animals!!!

Here’s the worst I’ve ever seen.
Last year, on the road just past our drive way, someone hit a skunk. We saw it on the right side of the road. It was there for about 3 or 4 days. Then I noticed that it had been dragged to the opposite side of the road. I figured some scavenger was trying to eat it. The next time I went by in my car it looked as if the dead skunk was swarming with movement, but I couldn’t tell what it was. We parked the car at home and walked up to see. It was a whole litter of baby skunks. They were starving and trying to nurse off of the dead (squished) mother skunk. Two of them were trying to drag the dead momma back to their lair. It ripped my heart to think what those poor critters had been going through for the last few days.

The little skunks looked like they were old enough to eat solid food. We gave them some cat food and took them to a wild animal rescuer in the area who said that he would feed them until they were old enough to fend for themselves and then release in the wild again.

Oh, peeeyew- I remember one day last summer, a very warm day, suddenly getting a strong whiff of skunk while out on a ride. Which is unusual in the daytime. Just then, we passed by a squished skunk. Gag!

The only skunks that we have out here are the two legged kind.

No one mentioned ground hog. I once saw a dead cow. That provided a wonderful odor

I accidentally ran over a squirrel last year on my bike. He ran off into the woods after I hit him. A guy in a pick-up truck rode up to me and said "did you see that!!???" (like I wouldn't have noticed). The thing that was impressive is that it felt just like running over a pressurized fire hose. Those little guys are in great shape.

I have seen road killed bobcats. I have also seen road killed alligators.

On a beach cruiser I once ran over a dead jellyfish. It was more solid than I had expected it to be. Kind of gross.

If you come across road kill that's been recently hit, the meat is still probably fresh enough to take home and cook. There are several excellent road kill cookbooks on the market. Good eatin!!!!

Here's a tip: If you find a fresh roadkill on a warm summer morning, leave it there. It will be nicely tenderized when you pick it up in the afternoon.