Some mornings I’m reminded that a mountain lion is known to roam the bike path near my office. On my bicycle ride into work this morning, I figured out why I sometimes feel more vulnerable: bunnies. When they are all over the bike path, I figure I am safe because rabbit is far tastier – and readily available – than heavy-breathing human.
Now, mountain lion are most active at dawn and dusk, and dawn just happens to be when I’m in the neighborhood. This morning, I started to notice there weren’t any bunnies (or fellow humans) for a considerable stretch of bike path. Then, in a heavily wooded section, I saw a large rat in the middle of the path. It was mortally wounded, but not quite dead yet. I would like to have said I then scanned for paw prints and big cat scat, but instead I hauled ass out of there -- just in case I interrupted something's breakfast.
12 comments:
That's one reason I never really felt comfortable being out on the trails in SD. Be safe!
Good decision!!
I bet you were a blur of tailights and dust heading down that trail!
Eeks! Good think you hauled ass out of there! Be safe, chica!
I'm thinking biking with a can of mace won't really do you any good against said cats.
The only thing I worry about when I'm biking on trails is that I'm going to run over one of those darn bunnies (or squirrels...and for that matter, lizards) as they dart across the path right in front of me! I hate that. I figure if I ever hit one, or if I swerve to miss one that I'm too close to, it'll be me over my handlebars...GAH!
Save America's Lion! http://www.mountainlion.org/
Just the sight of the creepy rat would have gotten me moving a little quicker. Gross!
Very high yuck factor for you this morning! Haulin' out of there was a good move!
Good plan! That's when I'd have had a real need for speed.
Egad!
I have seen squirrels do a Geico commercial scenario at Lake Murray, where a couple of squirrels were just sort of hanging around the bushes, only to come out and trip a guy who was running, then run back into the bushes. It looked so deliberate. I would not have believed it if I had not seen it for myself.
Be safe!
Sorry about leaving that rat. I thought I was hungrier than I really was.
- Dean
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