Kimmie is slipping out from under me. I can feel it. I know now that I entered the turn a little fast and I'm leaning hard to get her to make the turn. It's raining too, one of Florida's famous and brief pop up showers but it's enough to make the road a little slick. My rain gear, of course, is at home.
Of course I had to stay late and choose to be adventurous, taking a road that I don't really know full of turns, deer and darkness.
I didn't go down.
I'm upright and in control. I thanked a God I'm now sure exists. Somehow...I did everything right. I slow down to a much more manageable speed, I don't need to go through that again.
Of course, the second I slow down I've some asshole who's insisting on tailgating me. Of course his bright lights are on. I'm not in the mood for this crap and when he passes me, on the double yellow, I've a few choice words for him.
I just want to get home.
I have to remind myself not to have a death grip on the handlebars. I have to remind myself not to get fixated on any particular target. All that training from a beginner's motorcycle class long ago starts to fill my head. For the first time in a long time I'm miserable on the bike.
A family of small deer wander out into the road and I apply the brakes quickly, they look at me with alien eyes and move back into the woods. I move on.
A few minutes later I come across the remains of a deer in the middle of the road and don't have a choice but to enter the other lane to avoid it. The car behind me hits the carcass with a crunch and the slamming of brakes.
I just want to get home. Kimmie can get me home.
I'm the only vehicle on this road now. It's rural and there seems to be no moon or homes about. The trees that would look like a leafy tunnel in the day now take on a more sinister view, as the branches becoming skinny arms meant to snatch the loan weary traveler.
Of course, a possum or some other strange nocturnal animal decides to commit suicide by running in front of my bike. I, of course, hit it.
Somehow I stayed up. Somehow Kimmie saved me.
Somehow Kimmie gets me home.
I go have a drink...
5 comments:
Glad to hear your skills and instincts took over and you kept it upright.
Do they offer any intermediate classes out there like they do here? Something after the basic to help you keep up on your skills.
Good job. Wash, rinse and repeat. And don't hit the deer.
Oh dear Rob, or should I say Oh deer!
Assisting a possum with its suicide bid and managing not to crash is a huge achievement.
Nice work, but holy crap, I wouldn't take MIchael's advice to repeat that experience.
ABS would be a nice to have on a future bike.
Truth of the matter is that I don't know what I hit...only a dark shadow and a bump. It was not as exciting as the post made it out to be, but call it a poet's license. :)
Glad to hear you made it home. I was taught that some animals (small ones) are considered squish-ables, that it’s better to hit them then to make a sudden move to avoid as it could lead to a crash. I never liked the idea of hitting anything, regardless of the situation. Like your possum I had a squirrel commit suicide on the front tire of my bike about a year ago. Ran past me on the road, them for some reason decided to double back under my tire. Felt sick for the rest of the day.
On two forums Kymcoforums, and Maxi-scoots I just started a My Favorite Road Hazard thread where members have been sharing their personal stories of the near misses, or the craziest things they’s seen on the road. It’s eye opening and heart racing. Yours is right up there with all of them.
Enjoy that drink. You earned it.
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