July 21, 2021
To Oswego
We’re seriously warming to this region. I awoke this morning to find Rachael already up, and she immediately comes at me with the fruits of her morning’s research. “Look at this great condo just south of the Commons! It’s got two bathrooms and marble counter tops! And look at Ithaca’s cost of living - it’s lower than Portland’s!” I pull up a climate model for Ithaca to pull her down off to earth: “December’s average high is 32 degrees, with 20 inches of snow for the month. And January and February look just like it”.
So not now. Someday perhaps? It does feel though like one way or another we’re destined to make it back here for a longer stay some year soon.
Today’s ride north to Oswego reinforces our enthusiasm. Save for about ten minutes the day is pretty much perfect. Mild weather conditions, with a high of about 65. More quiet, smooth roads. Our gears work. Our brakes work. Our legs work. We even get second breakfast! Pretty much perfect. Well, there were those four or five miles of pretty coarse chip seal that we weren’t really enthusiastic about.
And there were those ten minutes. A few miles north of Cato I look up the road and see a large, dark animal crossing it close by Rachael, and then a second. My first thought is deer, and I’m excited for her that she’s gotten another close up look. But then reality sinks in. They’re too big, too dark, and they’re still on the road. Dogs. Big dogs.
I pick up the pace and race toward her, bellowing No! As fiercely as I can, but they aren’t backing off. Rachael has handled it perfectly so far by pulling to a fast, controlled stop and placing the bike between her and her tormentors. And she’s really lucky that a woman in a pickup drives up almost immediately and hollers at the beasts too, which distracts them for a moment.
When I arrive they pull away from Rachael and concentrate on me instead. Which is great on the one hand. I yell to Rachael to take the chance and flee down the road out of harm’s way, which she finally does. On the other hand these are seriously menacing dogs and I’m not keen on facing them - one looks like a mastiff. I’m walling him off with the bike, yelling at him and keeping him at bay, but it’s feeling like this could go on for a while and maybe end badly.
Then, the woman gets out of the car, starts coaxing the dogs to back off, and collars the largest cur. Which is heroic - they aren’t her dogs, and she doesn’t know them at all - she’s just passing through, and obviously knows her way around canines. In the meantime a second pickup pulls upand the driver, a bearded young guy, stops in the road and adds to the congestion but otherwise does nothing. The woman though - she’s a real savior.
It looks like she’s got them under control, so I start biking down the road, slowly at first but keeping an eye on everything. Then the brute breaks free and charges down the road after me again. The woman yells to warn me, says she can’t control him. I quickly hop off the bike and turn it into a wall again. More yelling, more coaxing, and then the dog returns to the woman once more. Amazing. I make my break for real this time and Rachael and I bike on, nervously keeping a close eye out for other dogs the rest of the way to Oswego.
But that’s just five miles out of the day, and no one got hurt. And in fact, it’s the only dog encounter of note in almost 2,000 miles of biking on this tour. Can’t complain. And it’s not enough to keep us from loving this country we’re in right now.
| Heart | 4 | Comment | 4 | Link |
Why, no! That can't happen, of course!
Then what's going on?
Foreleg boots from Milan?!
Not a purchase that I would endorse!
3 years ago
3 years ago
3 years ago
| Heart | 2 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Video sound track: Safety in a numbers, by Artie Traum
Ride stats today: 44 miles, 2,100’; for the tour: 1,943 miles, 56,800’
Today's ride: 44 miles (71 km)
Total: 1,943 miles (3,127 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 8 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 3 |
Good luck on back recovery.
3 years ago
3 years ago