Oh deer!
So, I needed some road therapy yesterday. I have been in the house and running domestic errands as of late, none of which are easily accomplished on a motorcycle. (I should note that this applies only to the United States of America. In any other country I could pick up the kids, the wife, the family dog, and carry two goats on a 125cc scooter with out a second glance!!!)
It was getting dark and dinner was happening soon. I decided that I only had 1 hour, so no long distance road runs, and I didn’t want to run an errand either. I wanted some me and my leaky, old bike time. If the twisties were out of the question, I’d do the next best thing -hit the twisty neighborhood streets to the north.
3 deer in this photo
I live at the bottom of the foothills in the suburbs of L.A. Just like the west side, the rich and well-off have carved winding streets with beautiful vistas into the hills, and have set mansions upon them. These streets offer a fun ride that rivals the twisting mountain highways or Mulholland Drive, albeit chock full of stop signs and intersections.
And deer…
On the road, I split some lanes and navigated the afternoon traffic for a few blocks until I found my turn-off. Leaving Foothill Blvd behind, I began winding my way into the neighborhoods that rarely saw motorcycles. This was Mercedes and Land Rover territory.
Much to my surprise, a roar and two headlamps illuminated my rear view mirror. It looked like a VFR…but then I saw the green. The bright green and white livery of a 1989 Kawi ZX-7. I let the guy by and he inspected me from tail to turn signals as he passed. Not many bikes with “SPAM” on the gas tanks is my guess. 🙂
Anyways, immediately after we joined, we split. There was an intersection up ahead. He went right, I went left.
Not two minutes after my encounter with the other rider, I encountered four mule deer. I had taken the first few turns cautiously because there was a lot of dirt on the road. What little rain SoCal got over the last month had washed the gravel down from the desiccated hillsides.
So, luckily, I wasn’t traveling at any real speed when I rounded the blind corner only to have four deer in single file blocking the entirety of the narrow roadway. There might have been some cuss words uttered and I might’ve had bent forks & a new seat cover in better riding conditions.
HUGE SoCal mule deer buck
The deer (like the one seen above) hopped the K-rail down the hillside and disappeared into the shrubs. I decided that the urban twisties at dusk was better for taking the kids on a ruminant-viewing drive in the car rather than risking a silly collision on a sub sixty minute ride a few miles from home.
I returned to the main roads and drove through some picturesque little foothill cities. Split the lanes on Foothill again. I returned home, happier for the time spent with a thumper between my legs, and the mountain views and deer in my memory rather than wedged in my spokes. ATGATT, because deer.
-Cheers