Obstructions

On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:48:12 -0600, wrote:

A damp and irritable 3-foot obstruction caught my eye off to the side
of the road, coiled up during the thunderstorms that invariably
accompany the Colorado State Fair.

Head in the middle, tail tucked underneath, curled up, hating the
rain:
http://i31.tinypic.com/69l2zr.jpg

Both ends exposed after a gentle prodding with a handy stick--yes, the
eyes are that small, and yes, that's dry prairie grass exposed next to
the tail:
http://i32.tinypic.com/653gyd.jpg

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

On Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:09:02 -0400, Still Just Me.
wrote:

On Sun, 30 Aug 2009 21:47:23 -0700, wrote:

On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:48:12 -0600, wrote:

A damp and irritable 3-foot obstruction caught my eye off to the side
of the road, coiled up during the thunderstorms that invariably
accompany the Colorado State Fair.

Head in the middle, tail tucked underneath, curled up, hating the
rain:
http://i31.tinypic.com/69l2zr.jpg

Both ends exposed after a gentle prodding with a handy stick--yes, the
eyes are that small, and yes, that's dry prairie grass exposed next to
the tail:
http://i32.tinypic.com/653gyd.jpg

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

Wait... you stopped and prodded it with a stick?

Dear SJM,

What else could I do?

After all, I was soaking wet, lightning and thunder were making life
interesting, hail was a strong possibility, I didn't know if the rain
would ruin my camera, and there was a poisonous obstruction coiled up
within easy reach, just begging to be prodded into a more aesthetic
pose.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:48:12 -0600, wrote:

[snip]

A genuine obstruction, spun overnight from a car door to the vines on
the carport:
http://i28.tinypic.com/121bw9x.jpg
http://i28.tinypic.com/20urifk.jpg

The obstruction's big brother, the second that I've seen crossing the
road as autumn approaches:
http://i29.tinypic.com/2ztezoj.jpg

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

wrote:
A genuine obstruction, spun overnight from a car door to the vines on
the carport:
http://i28.tinypic.com/121bw9x.jpg
http://i28.tinypic.com/20urifk.jpg
The obstruction's big brother, the second that I've seen crossing the
road as autumn approaches:
http://i29.tinypic.com/2ztezoj.jpg

John Dacey wrote:
Florida gets its share of big bugs, but happily none of those Noseless
Potent Striders that are fur-bearing.

As for polypeds, it's land-crab season again here and predatory packs
of these things are waiting to ambush passing cyclists. Some years ago
I got a flat tire from running over one and I know from others'
reports that my experience is not unique. Apparently, they're driven
by some sex-crazed imperative to migrate across the roadways at this
time of year. A photo from today:

http://businesscycles.com/graphics/nikpix/CCC_2261.jpg

Wow. I seldom see anything more exciting than cow poop on
the roads here.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

In article ,
John Dacey wrote:

"Naturam expellas furca, tamen usque recurrit." - Horace
On Sun, 06 Sep 2009 00:25:02 -0700, wrote:

A genuine obstruction, spun overnight from a car door to the vines on
the carport:
http://i28.tinypic.com/121bw9x.jpg
http://i28.tinypic.com/20urifk.jpg

The obstruction's big brother, the second that I've seen crossing the
road as autumn approaches:
http://i29.tinypic.com/2ztezoj.jpg

Florida gets its share of big bugs, but happily none of those Noseless
Potent Striders that are fur-bearing.

As for polypeds, it's land-crab season again here and predatory packs
of these things are waiting to ambush passing cyclists. Some years ago
I got a flat tire from running over one

A crushedacean, eh?

and I know from others'
reports that my experience is not unique. Apparently, they're driven
by some sex-crazed imperative to migrate across the roadways at this
time of year. A photo from today:

http://businesscycles.com/graphics/nikpix/CCC_2261.jpg

--
Michael Press

On 2009-09-08, John Dacey wrote:

As for polypeds, it's land-crab season again here and predatory packs
of these things are waiting to ambush passing cyclists. Some years ago
I got a flat tire from running over one and I know from others'
reports that my experience is not unique. Apparently, they're driven
by some sex-crazed imperative to migrate across the roadways at this
time of year. A photo from today:

http://businesscycles.com/graphics/nikpix/CCC_2261.jpg

That's a great photo; very dramatic! Thanks. Watch out for the
mobile road hazards!

--
Gregory S. Sutter "How do I read this file?"
"You uudecode it."
http://zer0.org/~gsutter/ "I I I decode it?"

wrote:
On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:48:12 -0600, wrote:

I was cruising along the shady, deserted bike path at 20 mph on a
pleasant summer afternoon when--

Not quite deserted!

"Bother!"

Actually, I yelped a different word, one that Winnie the Pooh would
have been ashamed to utter, but he never had to bunny-hop a
camouflaged 3-foot long obstruction stretched across a shady bike
path.

"You stupid @#$%^&+#!!!" I added as I stopped and dropped my bike. I
was afraid that I hadn't bunny-hopped in time and was facing an ugly
job of roadside euthanasia.

Luckily, the obstruction lying across the path was unharmed. It was
basking and partly sunk into the comfortable crack in the photos
below, so a two-inch bunny-hop would have been enough to clear it.

Instead of slithering off, the obstruction coiled up to threaten me,
which is the typical reaction its species:
http://i26.tinypic.com/28rprlz.jpg
http://i32.tinypic.com/e81vdj.jpg
http://i29.tinypic.com/xgmell.jpg
http://i29.tinypic.com/2qb7tw7.jpg

The tail isn't out of focus, it's just vibrating.

Now where's the video setting on the camera? Ah, there it is . . .

The steady buzzing is from the tail, which vibrates too fast to be
seen:
http://tinypic.com/r/2lix6ig/3

Here the buzzing dies down to a rough idle, but then it picksup again:
http://tinypic.com/r/1247l9i/3

Time for a stick to show how stubborn such obstructions a
http://tinypic.com/r/28k0vg7/3

You POKED IT WITH A STICK ???

I will never complain about mere cow poop on the road again.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:48:12 -0600, wrote:

I was cruising along the shady, deserted bike path at 20 mph on a
pleasant summer afternoon when--

Not quite deserted!

"Bother!"

Actually, I yelped a different word, one that Winnie the Pooh would
have been ashamed to utter, but he never had to bunny-hop a
camouflaged 3-foot long obstruction stretched across a shady bike
path.

"You stupid @#$%^&+#!!!" I added as I stopped and dropped my bike. I
was afraid that I hadn't bunny-hopped in time and was facing an ugly
job of roadside euthanasia.

Luckily, the obstruction lying across the path was unharmed. It was
basking and partly sunk into the comfortable crack in the photos
below, so a two-inch bunny-hop would have been enough to clear it.

Instead of slithering off, the obstruction coiled up to threaten me,
which is the typical reaction its species:
http://i26.tinypic.com/28rprlz.jpg
http://i32.tinypic.com/e81vdj.jpg
http://i29.tinypic.com/xgmell.jpg
http://i29.tinypic.com/2qb7tw7.jpg

The tail isn't out of focus, it's just vibrating.

Now where's the video setting on the camera? Ah, there it is . . .

The steady buzzing is from the tail, which vibrates too fast to be
seen:
http://tinypic.com/r/2lix6ig/3

Here the buzzing dies down to a rough idle, but then it picksup again:
http://tinypic.com/r/1247l9i/3

Time for a stick to show how stubborn such obstructions a
http://tinypic.com/r/28k0vg7/3

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

AMuzi wrote:
wrote:
On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:48:12 -0600, wrote:

I was cruising along the shady, deserted bike path at 20 mph on a
pleasant summer afternoon when--

Not quite deserted!

"Bother!"
Actually, I yelped a different word, one that Winnie the Pooh would
have been ashamed to utter, but he never had to bunny-hop a
camouflaged 3-foot long obstruction stretched across a shady bike
path.
"You stupid @#$%^&+#!!!" I added as I stopped and dropped my bike. I
was afraid that I hadn't bunny-hopped in time and was facing an ugly
job of roadside euthanasia.

Luckily, the obstruction lying across the path was unharmed. It was
basking and partly sunk into the comfortable crack in the photos
below, so a two-inch bunny-hop would have been enough to clear it.
Instead of slithering off, the obstruction coiled up to threaten me,
which is the typical reaction its species:
http://i26.tinypic.com/28rprlz.jpg
http://i32.tinypic.com/e81vdj.jpg
http://i29.tinypic.com/xgmell.jpg
http://i29.tinypic.com/2qb7tw7.jpg

The tail isn't out of focus, it's just vibrating.

Now where's the video setting on the camera? Ah, there it is . . .

The steady buzzing is from the tail, which vibrates too fast to be
seen:
http://tinypic.com/r/2lix6ig/3

Here the buzzing dies down to a rough idle, but then it picksup again:
http://tinypic.com/r/1247l9i/3

Time for a stick to show how stubborn such obstructions a
http://tinypic.com/r/28k0vg7/3

You POKED IT WITH A STICK ???

I will never complain about mere cow poop on the road again.


Not only did he poke it with a stick, but he held the stick with
presumably one hand while holding a video camera with the other. I don't
know whether he was looking at the snake directly or through the
viewfinder of the camera.

Regardless, did you notice how non confrontational the snake was? It was
in defensive mode the entire time it was being provoked.

On Sep 9, 7:42*pm, AMuzi wrote:
wrote:
On Sat, 29 Sep 2007 21:48:12 -0600, wrote:

I was cruising along the shady, deserted bike path at 20 mph on a
pleasant summer afternoon when--

Not quite deserted!

"Bother!"

Actually, I yelped a different word, one that Winnie the Pooh would
have been ashamed to utter, but he never had to bunny-hop a
camouflaged 3-foot long obstruction stretched across a shady bike
path.

"You stupid @#$%^&+#!!!" I added as I stopped and dropped my bike. I
was afraid that I hadn't bunny-hopped in time and was facing an ugly
job of roadside euthanasia.

Luckily, the obstruction lying across the path was unharmed. It was
basking and partly sunk into the comfortable crack in the photos
below, so a two-inch bunny-hop would have been enough to clear it.

Instead of slithering off, the obstruction coiled up to threaten me,
which is the typical reaction its species:
*http://i26.tinypic.com/28rprlz.jpg
*http://i32.tinypic.com/e81vdj.jpg
*http://i29.tinypic.com/xgmell.jpg
*http://i29.tinypic.com/2qb7tw7.jpg

The tail isn't out of focus, it's just vibrating.

Now where's the video setting on the camera? Ah, there it is . . .

The steady buzzing is from the tail, which vibrates too fast to be
seen:
*http://tinypic.com/r/2lix6ig/3

Here the buzzing dies down to a rough idle, but then it picksup again:
*http://tinypic.com/r/1247l9i/3

Time for a stick to show how stubborn such obstructions a
*http://tinypic.com/r/28k0vg7/3

You POKED IT WITH A STICK ???

I will never complain about mere cow poop on the road again.

--
Andrew Muzi
* www.yellowjersey.org/
* Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Dear Andrew,

Of course I poked it with a stick--I wanted to shoo it off the path,
the stick was closer than my frame pump, and there were no
fundamentalists handy and willing to demonstrate Mark 16:17-18.

(Fatal incidents occur when serpents being handled reveal a shocking
skepticism, so I put my faith in sticks and frame pumps and limit
myself to familiar obstructions. The larger diamond-back obstructions
in John Dacey's neck of the woods would receive far more respectful
treatment from me.)

Prairie obstructions aren't aggressive and have a limited striking
distance, so a stick or an extended frame pump works fine when you
want to convince them that the bike path is too crowded for them.

Occasionally they lunge and leave a few drops of pale yellow venom on
the frame pump, but they recoil immediately and eventually slither
off, as the last video shows. They're just reluctant to give any
ground, a fatal streak of stubborn behavior in the face of bicycles
and cars.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel