Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Deer in December!


I was biking home one night recently. I was using a new bike light (handlebar mounted), due to my NiteRider light having been sent in for repair. The new bike light is bright enough (though not as bright as the NiteRider light). The one advantage of my other light is that it is mounted on my helmet, so wherever I turn my head, light shines on whatever I need to see. One time last winter, I heard some rustling in the leaves on my left. I turned my head, and my headlight showed a beautiful red fox running across an open area in the park I was riding through.

The bike path I ride on parallels the George Washington Parkway. On this particular night, I'm riding along, and all of a sudden I hear clopping of HOOVES on the pavement! It took me a second to figure out what the hooves could be....and then I realized it was DEER hooves, and it was coming in my direction! I hit the brakes because I didn't know if the deer was going to see me or not, and I surely did not want to be broadsided! A second later, a big deer stood about 20 feet in front of me and stared at me and my headlight. Then it turned and leaped away into the darkness. I sighed a sigh of relief, knowing both he and I had been spared getting hit. Sure did give me a slight heart attack though!

(P.S. I didn't take the picture above - just found it on the internet to attach to my story.)