Topic: Beautiful night

[68grandprix]

I felt like a ride tonight (even though I shouldn't, as an oil change is overdue) so I hopped on the bike and headed uphill. I live in Bountiful, UT, right near the base of some mountains. It rained a bit today but it's dried up now, and the temperature is perfect; probably warm enough for short sleeves, but just right if you wear a leather jacket every time you ride like I do. I started riding above the city, enjoying the view of all the lights. Every now and then lightning lit up the sky over the mountains, and there was a nice light breeze. In other words, it's a great night for a motorcycle ride. As I was riding along I saw some movement to my right and a silhouette at the edge of my headlight beam. I started to slow down and just as I did a small buck jumped into my lane, directly in front of me. I hit the brakes harder and the rear locked up for a split second, but then I was just slowly rolling behind the deer. I followed it down the road for almost a mile, revving my engine as it ran. Eventually it jumped the curb and sprinted back up the mountain. It was beautiful. Jim

[sangyo soichiro]

Sounds really nice.  I bet the moon was nice too.  I always love to ride at night when the moon is bright.

[Cuts Crooked]

Hi Jim! Glad you had a great ride! After that trip out there, you've earned the right to enjoy short pleasant one!

HOWEVER.........you really didn't need to go all the way to Utah to play dodgem' with the deer! You could have done that back here in Iowa!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Three days ago I was rolling for home from Des Moines, I got off work at 0600, on my K8. After turning east on 5/92 at the Pleasantville "Y" I hit dense fog in the bottoms! Up on the hill tops the sun was blazing. But down in those bottoms it was THICK! When I topped the last hill going into Knoxville I could look down and see a dense blanket covering the Whitebreast bottoms. I slid down into third and entered the stuff doing about 20mph and then backed off to 15mph. After a minute of that I pulled off and took my helmut off before proceeding again at 15...wanted to be able to hear any cages or semis coming up behind me!!!!!  Just as I started back onto the pavement I saw a flicker in the fog a few yards ahead. I eased onto the shoulder again and found myself surrounded by deer! They got skittish real quick and pounded across the pavement all round me. I'm guessing that there were 9 or 10 of them, does and big fawns, but just when I thought they were all gone into the median, a large 8 pointer, still in velvet, appeared on the gravel in front of me. He stood there for a moment looking at me like he was wondering, "what the heck is that silly looking thing?" and then trotted across the pavement the way the others went. I again started to pull off the shoulder and a cage came out of the fog from behind me in the fast lane.........Lucky ME.........Lucky Deer!!!!! There was no way in Hades that cage could have stopped in time if those deer had still been on the pavement. He couldn't have stopped in time for me either!

Just another morning pushing Iron fer home in Iowa!  

[68grandprix]

Yep, I used to work until 1 AM in Marion, IA and had to ride home to Coggon(25 miles or so). I was always worried about the deer, but I figured it couldn't be helped. If one jumped out close enough, I'd hit it. It'd be up to chance if I got hurt or not. Not going to stop me from riding, though.

[Cuts Crooked]

I can understand yer worry about that ride! I figger right around the Wapsipincon would have been a good place to be seriously alert!

I just changed the oil in "KAY" this morning. I'm guessing I've got one more oil change to do before she goes in the basement for the winter....maybe two! I've been thinking about taking a long weekend this fall and go up through NE Iowa for the fall change of colors. Looks like a nice ride and good scenery over around the Mississippi. The "river road" over there used to be a pretty nice drive when I wuz a younker!

[Gaither]

The deer are beatuful but a real hazzard - quick as lightening and unpredictible as most women. Got one in wife's Merc GM. Hugh buck - came out of the bushes above the car, planted a hind hoof on the fr fender near the windshield - went forward and took out the grille and header panel [$$$]. He never stopped - crossed the road and disappeared in the bushes. Thankful I wasn't on the 550 - I wouldn't have had a chance! Beautiful but dangerous - and numerous around here!

May we all ride safely with a big grin!

[Cuts Crooked]

All of which reminds me, I gotta pick up my deer tags for this winter, they are availible already! I'll do my best to thin em out and save some poor unsuspecting CB rider from disaster next year!

Jim, I'll get at least one with my .50 "flinchlock" and one with my 45-70 Rolling Block during the late highpower season!

[Johnie]

Reminds me of why I don't drive in country at night here in WI. Just to many deer. But we are not even safe during daylight. 3 years ago my wife and I were on the Wing on a small country road. A deer jumped from the thick grass in the ditch and was coming at us from the side. Poor deer put the binders on, but the hoves just slid on the asphalt. It actually slid into the side of the Wing and I was bracing for impact. It just caught my mirror and there was hair on my wifes jeans, but the deer got up and ran off. I kept the bike on the road with the rubber down and we did good. We were two of the lucky ones.

[68grandprix]

Yeah Jon, I've been meaning to get my hunter's safety course taken care of so I can get my license. My little brother has taken deer the past few years. He had the benefit of a dad who took him along when he went hunting, though. I wonder if I could get one with the Savage 1899 in .22 Hi-Power? I guess back in the day (1912) when it came out it was marketed as a deer round. It's certainly accurate enough. I'm guessing that rolling block is a high-dollar rifle?

[Cuts Crooked]

Jim, yeah that Savage would get the job done!! Me, I'm old enough to not have to get the hunter safety course 
But I took it anyway because my boys were taking it. The Roller? Well let's just say I paid more for it than I ever paid fer a motorcycle!

BTW, I went to a CAS match today..........and I WON! And just so we don' highjack this into a firearms thread. I can tell you that cowboy clothing looks wierd on a guy setting on a 750CB!