crazy squirrel and dad

so I decided to ride while the Superbowl was on... figured less cars on the road as everyone would be glued to the tube...

went down thru an area that is a paved nature trail... a few people walking and lots of cyclists pass thru regularly... hardly anyone out... it was great... come around a corner and there's "dad"... a man with a double wide stroller with twins... and 1 of the other 2 kids with him just fell in the bushes... I have now slowed way down as I approach... and as I say "Passing right" (cause he's all the way left) he makes a hard turn right... and almost clipped me... my brakes work great by the way! But, he was very nice, apologetic, and pulled the stroller back to prevent knocking me down.

So I continue happily around the next bend when a crazy squirrel darts out in front of me... I swerve and he turns and runs back into my path... I would have been pretty upset if I crushed a squirrel with my bike!!! :( But the squirrel finally decided where he was going and crossed the road again... so much for my safe little ride on Superbowl Sunday!:D Good news tho... I never did have a problem with any cars!

Must watch out for those kamikaze squirrels! :D

I can relate! I remember riding one day (long, long ago in a college far away...) on a woody path and a squirrel trying to cross the path ran parrell to me for several feet before giving up and going back from whence it came (or at least behind the bushes). I think it was trying to go thru my wheels, but since I was moving forward...

It did kinda freak me out for a second, thinking I was going to either flip over or run over that furry thing!

Squirrels are crazy in Boise also! In the rode they get the "deer in the head-lights look" then make a decision - by that time you have just about squished it or you have decided to weave the same direction that it started to go! Crazy!

Squirrels in Maryland and Delaware are also crazy. Have you seen that commercial where the car swerves to avoid hitting the squirrel and it does a little victory handshake with it's friend because it cause the car to swerve crazily? That's what they do to me and then I swear I can hear them snickering in the bushes.
Has anyone actually hit a squirrel? What would you do? Oooo, I'm freakin out just thinking about it!

I just joined and I have a tip (this is very exciting) -

first - the sad bit - I hit a squirrel a few years ago...but considering it was a choice between veering out into traffic or a squashed squirrel...

anyway, one of the roadie guys I know told me the key to avoiding the little skitzo creatures - aim for where you see them first. That is the only place they will NOT be when you cross their path. So far (and 6000 plus miles later), it seems to work.

Had to dodge a flock of wild turkeys yesterday!

apparently they have taken over the boston area--this was in an industrial park !

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Originally posted by ChainsOflove
Had to dodge a flock of wild turkeys yesterday!

apparently they have taken over the boston area--this was in an industrial park !

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Remember this pic?:D

http://mediaservice.photoisland.com/...2038014170.jpg [/B][/QUOTE]

Squirrels are bad enough, but one of our local cycling club members ran over a ground hog and nearly killed himself (the condition of the groundhog is unknown). A groundhog is a seriously large speed bump! I worry more about rabbits than squirrels. The rabbits sit there like stone until you think you will be able to pass them safely, and then the decide to run along side until it's time to dart in front of your tire. I really, really don't want to hit a rabbit.

As a kid i had this nightmare that I was being bitten by a rabbit. Their teeth are so long! But it would be yickky to run over anything.

Its the antalope that I have the most trouble with. They stay put till I am almost alongside of them then they have to see if they can out run me and cross the road in front of me. Not too bad if no one is comming from the other direction in a car/truck, as the speed limit is 70 out here. I almost always come to almost a stop and let them have the right away. They do like to race.
Dea

Antelope? We don't have much of a problem with antelope in Ohio, but there is the occasional deer along the bike paths, and they act exactly the same way. They watch you like a statue until you're nearly on top of them. Then they either panic and leap in front of you or, decide to run along side and THEN crash into you. I don't get that "dash in front of the front wheel" theory that is prevalent in the animal kingdom. Even my cats run in front of my feet when I'm walking in the house. Is that nature's natural population control, or what?!

I had to laugh out loud when I read the last two posts! Who ever thought antelope could be a threat? I guess that's the whole home on the range thing that i never could figure out. Maybe that's how they play?
And Newbie's theory of population control is as good as any others...

well, here's one problem you girls wouldn't get in the US. Kangaroos - they are the stupidest creatures ever created. From out of nowhere one can suddenly just bounce across the road regardless of what's coming at them. A friend had a very bad accident involving one and he did a face plant into the road requiring extensive plastic surgery to fix him. The bike was dead. Why are they stupid - they are more of the roadkills here than any other creature, this wouldn't happen if they had any intelligence at all, eg like a dog or cat

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Originally posted by ausgirl
well, here's one problem you girls wouldn't get in the US. Kangaroos - they are the stupidest creatures ever created.

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Now that's what internet message boards are all about!!! Getting a different perspective from someone on the other side of the earth! Kangaroos!!! Wow!!!:D

Now don't get me wrong, kangaroos are nice creatures and genrally harmless, but they have no sense of self-protection at all, to the point where they regularly jump in front of 8 or 10 tonne trucks travelling at 100km per hour