My Morning Commute

[Steve O]

@Steve O 183685 wrote:

Maybe I’ll keep an eye out tomorrow to see if there is something, about that size, kicked over to the gutter.

So I did this. Unfortunately it was not quite the way I imagined: a sparkling clean gutter with a single object and an arrow pointing at it with the sign: “Here it is!” Turns out there are lots of leaves and other detritus alongside the road. Who knew?

However, one object did catch my attention: a half-empty plastic soda bottle that was not covered with weeks of dust, etc. My flash of fallible memory was that the object was somewhat smaller than that, but about that mass. If that was it, it might explain why it didn’t harm me. If it hit on the side of the bottle, the plastic would have a lot of give. Also why it did not leave any stain, as a piece of asphalt likely would.
The other side of the coin is, if so, then it was clearly a thrown object from someone who was intending to harm a cyclist.

[Emm]

Today’s morning headwind proved that my previous claim that helmet antlers make you more aero was in fact incorrect. I was actually a little surprised by how much I felt the wind blowing against my antlers.

Clearly, Santa only rides in tailwinds.

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[bentbike33]

I think your problem is that these replica reindeer antlers fail to capture key aspects of the original design. They would be more accurate if each was rotated 90 degrees from their current orientation and mounted to be swept back a bit.

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[ChristoB50]

I still get (pleasantly) surprised when I encounter deer just off the trail, on my morning commute — through the wooded part of Four Mile Run Trail that joins S. George Mason and S. Walter Reed. Granted, the bit of narrow park swells to its most expansive right in there, but I just never expected to see anything bigger than a rabbit, given the residential density.

[DrP]

The clouds this morning made for a gorgeous sunrise on the ride in today. All sorts of colors. Just lovely.

[Crickey7]

The CCT was deserted this morning. It was a great day to work on my Hamilton repertoire.

[Steve O]

@Christob50 183897 wrote:

I still get (pleasantly) surprised when I encounter deer just off the trail, on my morning commute

Ugh. They are giant forest rats.

[huskerdont]

@Steve O 187246 wrote:

Ugh. They are giant forest rats.

I’d like to say that dislike was accidental, but I wouldn’t want to lie.

But in all seriousness, were you attacked by various and sundry wild and domesticated animals during formative periods of your youth?

[mstone]

@huskerdont 187249 wrote:

I’d like to say that dislike was accidental, but I wouldn’t want to lie.

But in all seriousness, were you attacked by various and sundry wild and domesticated animals during formative periods of your youth?

I hate what the deer are doing to the rest of the ecosystem; they’re insanely overpopulated. When I see suburban deer I’m mostly sad, because a deer that close to people is being forced there by hunger.

[huskerdont]

I’d say habitat, but that’s a mere quibble since they’re related.

I still enjoy seeing deer and the many foxes, raccoons, even the occasional coyotes, etc. that I see riding around, and I wouldn’t want anyone else’s enjoyment (e.g., the OP Chrisob5) to be lessened because of the reality of habitat loss from suburban sprawl.

[Drewdane]

@mstone 187259 wrote:

I hate what the deer are doing to the rest of the ecosystem; they’re insanely overpopulated. When I see suburban deer I’m mostly sad, because a deer that close to people is being forced there by hunger.

My understanding is that rather than being forced into the suburban landscape by hunger, deer have actually adapted extremely well to conditions there. Lots of greenery to nibble, most fences aren’t high enough to stop them, and common predators are exceedingly rare.

[bentbike33]

@Drewdane 187272 wrote:

… most fences aren’t high enough to stop them …

But not all. I was riding through the tonier section of the Wolf Trap area north of Route 7 the weekend before Halloween and saw a large flock of big black birds of death gathered alongside the road ahead. I thought it was a garbage party, but when I got close I saw they were dismantling the carcass of a buck that had impaled himself on one of the gilded fleur-de-lis topping the fence surrounding the local manse. Seasonally gruesome, I suppose.

[mstone]

@Drewdane 187272 wrote:

My understanding is that rather than being forced into the suburban landscape by hunger, deer have actually adapted extremely well to conditions there. Lots of greenery to nibble, most fences aren’t high enough to stop them, and common predators are exceedingly rare.

Given its druthers, a deer would rather be out of plain view. If you can see the deer, it’s stressed because a predator is watching it. Their natural behavior would be to run to deep cover, which is thin on the ground in the ‘burbs. If they’re on someone’s yard eating lettuce in plain view while a dog is barking, it’s because they can’t find enough food in their natural habitat and will put up with anything to get something to eat. So yeah, they have found a lot to eat in human-dominated environments, but it’s an extremely stressful and non-preferred source of food. The long term effects of stress on a deer population is increased rates of disease, fatigue, injury, etc.

[Steve O]

@huskerdont 187265 wrote:

I still enjoy seeing deer and the many foxes, raccoons, even the occasional coyotes, etc. that I see riding around, and I wouldn’t want anyone else’s enjoyment (e.g., the OP Chrisob5) to be lessened because of the reality of habitat loss from suburban sprawl.

Two people close to me have life-long, lingering effects of Lyme disease.
In collisions with cars in the DMV, they cause millions of dollars in property damage and kill 1-2 people per year, injuring many more than that.
They probably cause an equal or greater amount of damage to landscaping, gardens, fences, etc.

It’s not the habitat I’m so concerned with; it’s the disease/damage it brings to our families and friends. So, for me, I would trade some reduced visual enjoyment to get rid of them. As cute as they may be, they are pests that wreak havoc in our cities and suburbs.

Yes, I know, they were here first. But we are not doing them any favors or ourselves any favors by letting them remain. Unless we are willing to live with some cougars to keep their population in check, they need to be eradicated.

[huskerdont]

@Steve O 187277 wrote:

Two people close to me have life-long, lingering effects of Lyme disease.
In collisions with cars in the DMV, they cause millions of dollars in property damage and kill 1-2 people per year, injuring many more than that.
They probably cause an equal or greater amount of damage to landscaping, gardens, fences, etc.

It’s not the habitat I’m so concerned with; it’s the disease/damage it brings to our families and friends. So, for me, I would trade some reduced visual enjoyment to get rid of them. As cute as they may be, they are pests that wreak havoc in our cities and suburbs.

Yes, I know, they were here first. But we are not doing them any favors or ourselves any favors by letting them remain. Unless we are willing to live with some cougars to keep their population in check, they need to be eradicated.

I see we will have to agree to disagree.

[Author]

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