Friday the 13th is my lucky day. Was coming home from Idaho last night in my wife's little Corolla. About 6:30, a black night, north of Wisdom, MT in the Big Hole Valley, 65 mph (the speed limit), I topped a rise and there was a bull moose, front feet over the fog line, front quarter in my lane, heading for the center line. I gave a small jerk to the left, got out over the center line, missed Mr. Moose by 3-4 feet, recovered and back into my lane, never even had a chance to touch the brake. In my peripheral vision I saw him begin to wheel to his right just as I went past. I didn't soil my underwear but I certainly sped up my heart rate. Left me a little shaky. I believe, had I come along two or three seconds later, I would be dead. I am certain the car would have clipped his legs out from under him and put his body (1,200 pounds?) into the roof and windshield. It is hard to imagine how tall these guys are unless you see one standing several feet away with your own butt two feet off the ground. They do stand seven feet and taller. Glad I'm here to tell the tale.
Ain't superstitious
- Thread starter Big Sky
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NTXFJR
Well-known member
It's the aha moments like that to help sometimes to keep life's priorities in order.
My road hazarard today was a squirrel. I'm pretty sure my F150 would've clipped more than his legs though.
Glad you lived to tell it, those moose get big no doubt.
My road hazarard today was a squirrel. I'm pretty sure my F150 would've clipped more than his legs though.
Glad you lived to tell it, those moose get big no doubt.
Panman
Well-known member
I remember a set Mrs Moose lips about a foot from my head a few years back with the little one right beside her. Dam big!
A friend of mine once told me that Friday the 13th is one of the luckiest days because everyone is so focused on the supposed "bad" luck that's out there, there's a ton of "GOOD" luck just waiting to be had... glad you proved me right. 
Nothing like that sudden shot of adrenaline to the heart from a close call. Glad to hear you reacted properly and lived to tell about it.
G Squared
Well-known member
Way to go Big Sky. A helping of good fortune for you (and family) ,,the Corolla ,, and the moose.
Pterodactyl
Well-known member
Glad it turned out to be just a close call, Cole. Had a few near moose experiences in AK on a bike and know the bowel loosening feeling you went thru. Good luck in the future as well.
steveoreno
Well-known member
Almost took a horse out many years ago on the backroads near Lafayette, Indiana. Locked it up and spun 180 degrees. Would've been bad but not even close to hitting a moose!
bluesdog
Well-known member
Moose, deer, wild horses, bear, cows, elk... and even smaller creatures such as coyotes and porcupines can really ruin your day. Glad your skills did their thing, my friend!
HotRodZilla
GOD BLESS AMERICA
When I was a kid, my dad hit a bull that was sleeping on a 2 lane 55mph road. It was dark and the bull was black. He was driving a little Nissan 210 car with reclining seats. His hand was down by the seat and at impact, he somehow pulled the recline lever. He laid back as the bull rolled over the roof and off the trunk, smashing the entire car. In the reclined position the roof ended up something like 6 inches from my dad's face. Would of broken his neck if he hadn't accidently laid back.
Funny thing is, he had bought eggs after work and not a single egg was broken. Haha...
Funny thing is, he had bought eggs after work and not a single egg was broken. Haha...
HotRodZilla
GOD BLESS AMERICA
AND...Speaking of skunks, a long time ago, I was working in Las Cruces. One of my best friends worked for the University Police. As you can imagine, the graveyard shift during summer break was boring as Hell.
One night, as he was driving along, a skunk ran out in front of him and he hit it. The car reeked. So, since they didn't have take-home cars, he parked that one and got another one. Somehow boredom got the best of him and he started hitting skunks on purpose, just to be funny. Every time he did, he'd just go get another car.
He thought that **** was hilarious until he showed up to work during the day one day and his chief was escorting an exterminator around, looking for the skunk nest that must have been responsible for all the stinky cars. They laid traps and bait out for a month and never caught a skunk. *******! If they had ever figured that out, he would have been in a **** load of trouble. NOW, he's an FBI agent...go figure!
One night, as he was driving along, a skunk ran out in front of him and he hit it. The car reeked. So, since they didn't have take-home cars, he parked that one and got another one. Somehow boredom got the best of him and he started hitting skunks on purpose, just to be funny. Every time he did, he'd just go get another car.
He thought that **** was hilarious until he showed up to work during the day one day and his chief was escorting an exterminator around, looking for the skunk nest that must have been responsible for all the stinky cars. They laid traps and bait out for a month and never caught a skunk. *******! If they had ever figured that out, he would have been in a **** load of trouble. NOW, he's an FBI agent...go figure!
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It was 15 years ago, Dec. 5, my dad was heading east when a semi truck pulled across the road. Dad went under the trailer, boom, dead. These incidents help to reinforce how tentative is our grasp of life, and how we need to appreciate every day we are given. My wife of 30 years is out of town but will get a very big, and long, kiss when she comes home.
I've come close. Working the night shift, riding home around midnight on familiar rural roads. Topped a small hill, something didn't look right. Like I was looking into the depths of a black hole. No ****, the material world seemed to just disappear. I slowed to a 1st gear crawl and creeped, creeped, creeped. 3 black cows on a narrow rural creek bridge. That would have been ugly.
And another time coming home on a long right hand sweeper. Saw two deer. Slowed and they went to the right. I was going maybe 45 hugging the left side of the center line when they decided to go the other way and bolted back across the road. Went right between them. Coulda slapped one on the rump and they other on the head. Quite the pucker moment- stopped a mile or so down the road and had a helluva time getting my seat outta my arse.
dcarver
Well-known member
Uncle Hud
Just another blob of protoplasm using up your oxyg
Big Sky, glad your Friday the 13th was lucky. Moose are well-documented as unintentional killers.
Pterodactyl
Well-known member
Ok, another moose story. May have posted this before, if I have then too bad.
Lived in Fairbanks and oversaw the dorms on the campus of the U. of Alaska Fairbanks. A friend from San Diego, (Dean, I think many in the LD world would recognize his name) rode up to go to Deadhorse to start his Prudhoe to Ushuaia trip. He rode up with a local who has ridden the haul road many times. On their way back south they stayed in one of the lodges in Wiseman. At the lodge they met a rider from Miami who was on a Concurs (Paul). He had ridden to Alaska by himself, but once he got to Fairbanks his girlfriend of nearly 30 years (Mary) flew up to meet him. Mary rented a SUV in Fairbanks and followed Paul up to the Arctic Circle and then Wiseman. When Dean returned to Fairbanks my wife (Spousal Unit) and I went to the dorms to pick him up and take hime to dinner. When Dean entered the car he asked if we minded going to the hospital emergency room. After reassuring us he was fine, he said he had received a call from Mary, who he had met once for a few minutes, and she said Paul was hurt and she needed help. Kudos to the university operator who was able to track down Dean in the guest hall based only on the information provided by a distraught person. We went and found Mary in absolute hysteria. She attached herself to Spousal Unit and had a meltdown. Eventually she told us what happened. On their way south it had started to rain and Paul stopped to put on his rain gear. They were on the Elliot Hwy in front of Pump Station 6. Mary was sitting in the SUV behind Paul and said after getting dressed he got on the bike and began to pull away. As he did a large cow moose darted across the road 100 yards in front of him. Paul stopped and let the moose pass into the woods and then began to pull away. As he did the moose charged back out of the woods and rammed Paul from the side; he was doing 25-30 miles MPH when the moose struck. Mary said Paul went down very violently and his head slapped the pavement very hard. The moose also went down, but got up and began stomping Paul several times. Once the moose left Mary went to Paul. Mary is a trauma nurse who has worked many years in the ER of a major trauma center in Miami. She said Paul's helmet (Nolan) had turned 90 degrees and was covering his face. She knew she should not try remove the helmet, but Paul was gaging and she had to do something to allow him to breath. Her training probably saved Paul, or at least his ability to walk. She supported the head and neck and got the helmet turned. Another bit of luck was that the Pump Station they were near had an ambulance and EMT on duty and they were able to get Paul on a back board and evaced to Fairbanks.
When we got to the hospital Paul had been diagnosed with a temporal bruise (he was unconcious for three days, three cracked cervical vertebrae, some cracked ribs, broken ankle, and three cracked vertebrae in the lumbar area and some other relatively minor broken bones. Mary wanted to our advice on where to have Paul evaced, Anchorage or Seattle, she had a rental car full of her belogings and much of Paul's belongings that someone had tossed into the car and she was supposed to turn in the car and fly back to Miami in a few hours. The AirEvac was leaving in a shortwhile so we took everything from Mary and off whe went to Seattle on the evac with Paul.
We were able to get the car turned in, put all their belongings in our house and even got Alaska Air to refund a non-refundable ticket. Paul recovered and over the next several months we communicated about what gear to send to him and what to trash. He had to wear a halo for 5-6 months and was having trouble regaining the strength in one arm the last time I heard from him a year or so after the accident. The Concours Riders club took up a collection and replaced Paul's totaled bike. The one they got him had over 70,000 miles, but the one it replaced had over 140,000 miles.
This sort of behavior by a moose is odd. My best guess is that the cow had a calf that was following her and she attacked when Paul got between momma and her kid. No one saw the calf, but it could have bolted in the opposite direction when all the commotion took place.
Lived in Fairbanks and oversaw the dorms on the campus of the U. of Alaska Fairbanks. A friend from San Diego, (Dean, I think many in the LD world would recognize his name) rode up to go to Deadhorse to start his Prudhoe to Ushuaia trip. He rode up with a local who has ridden the haul road many times. On their way back south they stayed in one of the lodges in Wiseman. At the lodge they met a rider from Miami who was on a Concurs (Paul). He had ridden to Alaska by himself, but once he got to Fairbanks his girlfriend of nearly 30 years (Mary) flew up to meet him. Mary rented a SUV in Fairbanks and followed Paul up to the Arctic Circle and then Wiseman. When Dean returned to Fairbanks my wife (Spousal Unit) and I went to the dorms to pick him up and take hime to dinner. When Dean entered the car he asked if we minded going to the hospital emergency room. After reassuring us he was fine, he said he had received a call from Mary, who he had met once for a few minutes, and she said Paul was hurt and she needed help. Kudos to the university operator who was able to track down Dean in the guest hall based only on the information provided by a distraught person. We went and found Mary in absolute hysteria. She attached herself to Spousal Unit and had a meltdown. Eventually she told us what happened. On their way south it had started to rain and Paul stopped to put on his rain gear. They were on the Elliot Hwy in front of Pump Station 6. Mary was sitting in the SUV behind Paul and said after getting dressed he got on the bike and began to pull away. As he did a large cow moose darted across the road 100 yards in front of him. Paul stopped and let the moose pass into the woods and then began to pull away. As he did the moose charged back out of the woods and rammed Paul from the side; he was doing 25-30 miles MPH when the moose struck. Mary said Paul went down very violently and his head slapped the pavement very hard. The moose also went down, but got up and began stomping Paul several times. Once the moose left Mary went to Paul. Mary is a trauma nurse who has worked many years in the ER of a major trauma center in Miami. She said Paul's helmet (Nolan) had turned 90 degrees and was covering his face. She knew she should not try remove the helmet, but Paul was gaging and she had to do something to allow him to breath. Her training probably saved Paul, or at least his ability to walk. She supported the head and neck and got the helmet turned. Another bit of luck was that the Pump Station they were near had an ambulance and EMT on duty and they were able to get Paul on a back board and evaced to Fairbanks.
When we got to the hospital Paul had been diagnosed with a temporal bruise (he was unconcious for three days, three cracked cervical vertebrae, some cracked ribs, broken ankle, and three cracked vertebrae in the lumbar area and some other relatively minor broken bones. Mary wanted to our advice on where to have Paul evaced, Anchorage or Seattle, she had a rental car full of her belogings and much of Paul's belongings that someone had tossed into the car and she was supposed to turn in the car and fly back to Miami in a few hours. The AirEvac was leaving in a shortwhile so we took everything from Mary and off whe went to Seattle on the evac with Paul.
We were able to get the car turned in, put all their belongings in our house and even got Alaska Air to refund a non-refundable ticket. Paul recovered and over the next several months we communicated about what gear to send to him and what to trash. He had to wear a halo for 5-6 months and was having trouble regaining the strength in one arm the last time I heard from him a year or so after the accident. The Concours Riders club took up a collection and replaced Paul's totaled bike. The one they got him had over 70,000 miles, but the one it replaced had over 140,000 miles.
This sort of behavior by a moose is odd. My best guess is that the cow had a calf that was following her and she attacked when Paul got between momma and her kid. No one saw the calf, but it could have bolted in the opposite direction when all the commotion took place.
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I agree with your hypothesis, Ptero: rider between cow and calf. The only meaner thing in the Northern Rockies is a mother grizzly who believes her cub is threatened. Your pal was lucky to survive. ATGATT?
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