Spud
Well-known member
Took off with my wife for our annual over the Beartooth summer ride and cruise through Yellowstone. I usually come home from my solo rides and say "nothing happened" to keep assuring her that my hobby is safe. So she gets on, first time since last year, and of course things start happening. In three short riding days:
Day 1: She gets some nasty bug bite on her temple when a bug got in her helmet.
Day 1: Going through YNP, truck in front of me rolls to a stop. Holy ****, momma bear and 2 cubs are walking down the narrow road right toward us. She's a little black bear, but still....
Day 1: While waiting for the bear to move, truck decides to back up for pictures. He sees car behind me in mirrors, not me. Reverse lights come on, he's backing right into me. I panic fumble and do get to the horn. He stops about 2 feet from my front tire. At least the bears had moved off the road by then.
Day 1: Hey what's that square gray thing blending into the pavement--boom--I centerpunch it with the front tire. It felt like plastic as it crunched. I'm sure I'll have a puncture... Nope, tire was fine. I thinks there's an effed up camera somewhere on the road up there.
Day 2: I hit a nasty tar snake right at the apex of a hairpin, bike gets REALLY squirmy, I react and throw my outside leg off the peg for balance (not sure why--it's just how I reacted). Spooky moment.
Day 2: In the middle of nowhere, a truck carrying gravel just pulls into the road in front of us while were going, oh 75 or so. I see it all playing out way ahead, no drama, slow to 5 mph, go around him.
Day 2: A group of about 5 HD's pulls onto the road from a pull off, none of them looking at a damn thing but the lead bike. I slip in between #2 and #3 and they all about **** a brick. I go around and get the "sorry" waves...
Day 2: Antelope standing dead center in my lane. They do kind of blend in. She runs off as we roll to a stop next to her.
Day 3: I have to do an emergency pull off when a wasp gets in my helmet and starts digging around in my hair trying to get out (I wasn't stung).
Day 3: Only going about 40 mph, bang! It is surprising how loud a small bird can be when it hits you right in the shield of the helmet, an inch from your eyeball. Wife hears the thud and sees feathers go by.
Day 3: Deer next to the road, see them slow down. One jumps across, two stand there and look at as as we go slowly by.
Day 3: I know people go slow in the park, but holy ****, motorhome, 3mph? I ease around, oh, now I see the issue. There's a buffalo trotting along right in front of you where I can't see. Oh well, you keep on the right, we'll stay on the left. The huge beast looks over at us as we go by like "sorry for the traffic jam...".
We made it home safe--
Day 1: She gets some nasty bug bite on her temple when a bug got in her helmet.
Day 1: Going through YNP, truck in front of me rolls to a stop. Holy ****, momma bear and 2 cubs are walking down the narrow road right toward us. She's a little black bear, but still....
Day 1: While waiting for the bear to move, truck decides to back up for pictures. He sees car behind me in mirrors, not me. Reverse lights come on, he's backing right into me. I panic fumble and do get to the horn. He stops about 2 feet from my front tire. At least the bears had moved off the road by then.
Day 1: Hey what's that square gray thing blending into the pavement--boom--I centerpunch it with the front tire. It felt like plastic as it crunched. I'm sure I'll have a puncture... Nope, tire was fine. I thinks there's an effed up camera somewhere on the road up there.
Day 2: I hit a nasty tar snake right at the apex of a hairpin, bike gets REALLY squirmy, I react and throw my outside leg off the peg for balance (not sure why--it's just how I reacted). Spooky moment.
Day 2: In the middle of nowhere, a truck carrying gravel just pulls into the road in front of us while were going, oh 75 or so. I see it all playing out way ahead, no drama, slow to 5 mph, go around him.
Day 2: A group of about 5 HD's pulls onto the road from a pull off, none of them looking at a damn thing but the lead bike. I slip in between #2 and #3 and they all about **** a brick. I go around and get the "sorry" waves...
Day 2: Antelope standing dead center in my lane. They do kind of blend in. She runs off as we roll to a stop next to her.
Day 3: I have to do an emergency pull off when a wasp gets in my helmet and starts digging around in my hair trying to get out (I wasn't stung).
Day 3: Only going about 40 mph, bang! It is surprising how loud a small bird can be when it hits you right in the shield of the helmet, an inch from your eyeball. Wife hears the thud and sees feathers go by.
Day 3: Deer next to the road, see them slow down. One jumps across, two stand there and look at as as we go slowly by.
Day 3: I know people go slow in the park, but holy ****, motorhome, 3mph? I ease around, oh, now I see the issue. There's a buffalo trotting along right in front of you where I can't see. Oh well, you keep on the right, we'll stay on the left. The huge beast looks over at us as we go by like "sorry for the traffic jam...".
We made it home safe--
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