Thursday, November 02, 2006
Do The Bear Scat Boogie
We were headed down the bike path on our way to the trails today, and we came upon what I thought was just another big pile of horse dung. I thought to myself, "Now there's a horse who loves apples, but has one helluva time digesting them!". One of the girls identified the pyramid-like conglomeration of apples as bear scat, or bear "poop" to use the vernacular. It was quite impressive. And as I rode by, I checked carefully for bits of Pearl Izumi cycling wear or Cordura helmet straps...indigestible parts of a human snack in other words. I don't believe we have anything to fear. The quick 12 mph-drive-by-analysis tested negative for cyclists.
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7 comments:
I rode over hot-pink bear scat this summer. That sucker had been eatin' a whole lotta berries.
Berry- and fruit-filled bear scat is a good sign. It's the fur-filled stuff that you have to worry about.
I've only seen two bears in 36 years in this area. One looked like a morbidly obese dog, the other was only slightly taller. In both cases they ran away from me...I was on my motorcycle.
I bet you see a lot of bears up there, huh?
They see us more often than we see them, but there are plenty here. We see a lot of scat on the trail.
I was a little nervous my first summer up here (10 years ago) but I relaxed once I realized that following a few simple rules keeps human/bear encounters to a minimum.
I enjoy knowing they're all around. And I especially enjoying knowing that 99.9 percent of them want no trouble.
I'm never preoccupied with bears; however, I do look over my shoulder for mountain lions sometimes! I'll hear a branch snap off the trail, and I'll get goosebumps. I imagine a mountain biker looks pretty fun to chase. I've never seen one myself, but we do have sightings in the area. And like you said...they probably see you all the time!
Here in New Orleans, we boogie too but not for bears or mountain lions. In fact, other than an occasional alligator, the wildlife one is most likely to encounter cycling in the city include illegal aliens, squatters, drug pushers, prostitutes, FEMA inspectors, unscrupulous repair contractors, dog packs, raccoons and rats the size of cats.
Here are some other obstacles to watch for while bicycling in New Orleans...
On the Mississippi Levee bike path, it's rollerbladers, walkers and the occasional unleashed pet. On the Lakefront bike path, it's bulldozers, glass, nails, hurricane flotsam & dead fish. On city streets, it's pot holes a plenty, glass, nails, downed traffic lights and construction debris.
Yes, the Wild West is alive - right here in the Big Easy!
Respectfully,
Larry Lagarde
World-Class-Bike-Trails.blogspot.com
Urging bicycling for recreation, commuting, health and a better future.
Yikes! I'll take my chances with the bears and lions!
I'm with ya. Far better to deal with nature's dangers than to face urban life's dark side on a regular basis.
That's what mountain bikes are meant to help us escape.
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