Deer

[Dallara]

Okay,

SocalRob probably had it 100% right. Any discussion of deer shouldn't have hijacked another thread, and should have instead simply prompted a thread devoted to deer strikes...

So here's my questions about deer (and I am going to stay out of the discussion, as most of you already know my thoughts on the subject)...

Are you frightened of deer when you're riding - i.e. are deer an ever present worry in your mind when you're on your motorcycle?

Whose at fault, or to blame, when a motorcyclist has a close encounter of the venison kind? Rider? Deer? Mankind?

Do you think there should be much stronger controls, laws, culling of herds, longer hunting season lengths, etc. to lessen deer populations strictly to eliminate them as a road hazard to motorcyclists?

Do you think that deer are more of danger to motorcyclists than cagers - i.e. are you more likely to get into a potentially fatal accident with a car or truck, or a deer?

How do you handle dealing with deer and other animals out on the open road?

Would be interesting to hear everybody's thoughts on deer (and other animals) and motorcyclists...

Cheers!

Allan (Dallara - NACD)

[R4R&R]

I think we all know that deer + any moving vehicle = bad news. Mother nature is strong and adaptive; we could not prevent deer, or most any other animal from entering roadways unless they were all completely fenced in. It ain't gonna happen. We'll have to deal with them as best we can.

That being said, yes I am concerned with them on my daily commute. I live in a heavily populated county and see their carcasses on the side of the road frequently, although I've never hit one. I've seen them standing in the bushes thinking of jumping out and I've seen them as they made it across. I even had one cross the road right behind me and take out the car following. Makes me think of them and that they can be ANYWHERE. They're out there and there's not too much we can do about them. But....

Since the loss of predators in our county (not including cars) and lack of allowed hunting, our deer population has greatly increased. Our county has occasionally 'thinned' the population by using their S.W.A.T. team to go 'hunting' at night, and donating the meat to homeless shelters. The use of the skilled sharp-shooters with night vision taking head-shots increases the safety factor and efficiency while giving them some extra practice. This isn't really a well advertised activity since all of the animal rights freaks would try to put a stop to it but it does happen. It doesn't eliminate suicidal deer, but it helps.

I hope I never meet one, especially on the bike. I'll try to keep my eyes open while riding but I need to watch the road and traffic too! It's a dangerous world out there, and we are only a little part of it.

[fnfalman]

I'm lucky to ride in an area that has few wild animal presence. However, if I were in such areas, I'd probably keep my speed down quite a bit, especially at night. Hell, I probably wouldn't ride at night in those areas unless I really have to.

But as far as culling the herds and all that. We already do via hunting season.

At some point, wild animal collision is just part of the hazard package that comes with motorcycling. If you can't deal with it then stick to the track and stick to the city riding. Or don't ride at all.

There's one canyon ride that I do (Glendora Mountain Ridge/Mount Baldy) that I see deers at the latter part of the year. I simply slow down a bit more than my usual self and be even more vigilant than before.

[DJ Down Under]

It's a bit like being struck by lightning...what are ya gunna do..never go outside?

We have our own problems down under...I'm glad we don't have deer's.

DJ

http://members.optusnet.com.au/~djp1/mypic2300.JPG

[Deans BMW]

Since the loss of predators in our county (not including cars) and lack of allowed hunting, our deer population has greatly increased

That is really the problem. Two summers ago, Mz Pam and I visited the house that my mom and dad built on Granit Shoals Lake, (Lake Lindon Johnson) in Texas, we were blown away over the number of deer around, never saw them there when I was in Hi School, they were even laying in peoples yards, the locals said that the deer population have exploded and driving has become very dangerous, also an increase in Lyme desease. Agreed that it is not the deers fault just as it is not the roaches fault or even mosquitos, pests that they are and have become. The mear fact that they are pests and dangerous life threatening ones (for humans) is reason enough to eliminate and/or greately control their population. Up here in the White Mountains of Arizona, Elk and Antelope are a problem to the driver/rider esp in the morning and evening, hitting an Elk is like hitting a cow....big. The herds are very controlled by hunting so as not to have the problem that parts of the US has.

[mnnden]

Allen, tough questions, I will try and respond to a few, and this is only my opinion and it is in reference to the area where i live, which is a mix of forest, farmland and lakes, Just great habitat for deer, Deer left unchecked can and do multiply at a phemomenal rate. and the result is deer vs vehicle, The MN DNR has been trying to help with this problem by haveing early hunting seasons, more doe tags, and haveing "Doe" only seasons, and I think this has really helped in reducing these incounters, ( I think this year I could have taken 7 deer,6 of which had to be does) It may sound terrible but by culling the does the deer herd can be reduced quite fast, as you are not only putting down a doe, but the unborn fawn, and if she has a yearling with her at the time of the kill, and, we have a rough winter that deer MAY parish also,

As for riding I would say that Yes, I ride a little "scared" when riding at night and during the "Rut" (breeding season) I ride more than a little scared!!

I have hunted, fished, trapped, and enjoyed the wild all of my life, I contribute to several wildlife organization, So it is hard for me to blame a deer for a collision with a vehicle, (sounds funny)
I think one of the major problems (at least where I live) is we have so many people that do not understand the harvesting process, (remember this is just my opinion) and a lot of land here is posted "NO HUNTING" (although this could be for many reasons). Also there are more and more antihunting groups being formed and just the general fear of guns, ( I respect all of these beliefs)
but left unchecked, deer will be a problem.

My wife has had two encounters with our "furry friends" in the last few years,
I have had some close calls, but as everyone knows If you live in deer habitat, there is little you can do to avoid the encounter.

Allen, you posed some very tough questions, and I have no answers, but I do know I would not want to live in a world without wild things. It seems to me that "Man" has taken control of the ecosystems, (if that is the right word) and "man" in the end is responsible. Den
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-4/991455/00head.gif

[Fossil Fred]

Allan,

Any Australian rider that rides outside of the (very few) metropolitan areas in this big country runs the risk of encountering a large bundle of muscle known as a kangaroo. They roam this country in their millions, mostly unchecked by fencing or culling. They too have a habit of bolting out from the bush at the side of the road into the path of unsuspecting riders. The ensuing collision almost always has serious, if not fatal consequences for both rider and 'roo. Just ask Keith Haynes, who you may recall from the "old" site where you were a naughty boy. In Keith's case, it was fatal only for Skippy, and merely serious for Keith.

Am I conscious of there being 'roos hidden at the side of the road as I ride along at an un-natural speed? You bet your life (my life!) I am. Am I scared of them? No Sir, I am not. I am prepared for them to do what comes naturally, which is to bolt when they are startled by something, in this case the alien sound of my motorcycle's engine. If a collision ensues, well that's just back luck for both of us. How could I blame an animal that has (apparently and presumably) no concept of the danger I pose to him or that he poses to me. Why should I want to exterminate him and his kind because I want to travel at a speed that does not allow either of us sufficient time to take evasive action?

Personally, I'm prepared to accept responsibilty for my actions. If I hoot along a road and run into him because he's scared, it's my fault, not his.

To paraphrase what my fellow-countryman DJ intimated, would you rather stay at home? If the thought of a 'roo (or a deer, or moose or any other animal) makes you sufficiently uncomfortable, stay home.

BTW I AM scared of cagers, but not enough to stay at home by the fire.

Cheers

Fossil

[socalrob]

Hey, I live in LA, so deer strikes are not high on the list of things likely to go wrong on most of my riding. I did see a deer carcas by the side of my commuter freeway last winter, the first I've seen on a freeway here. Even so, if I'm riding at 3:00 am on a deserted freeway, I will normally stay in the fast lane on the theory its safer from animals. My fun road, Angeles Crest Highway, I have never seen a dead / live deer on the road, even though it runs through several thousand square miles of untouched wilderness. Maybe the commuter traffic on weekdays from the desert folk keep the animals well off the road. We also still have a pretty good population of mountain lions & coyotes in our local mountains, so maybe the deer are kept in check.

At Torrey Utah last year, I rode home starting out at about 6:30 am. There were deer everywhere. It did indeed freak me out, maybe like a tourist from Ohio would be worried about sharks as he swims off the beach at Malibu, the locals never giving it a thought. If I attend Torrey this year, I will most likely need to depart at first light, and the deer problem has indeed been giving me some thought. I guess just go 30-40mph?

For me the deer thing is something that is pretty much random & outside of my control, with the exception of my choice of when & where I ride (able to reduce risk of exposure) & the speed I choose (might miss the deer or the results may be more survivable). Its most likely the personality attracted to BMW bikes is most suseseptible to seeking control & believing they have control. Deer are one of the uncontrolables.

Were I to be taken out by a deer, it would be my fault, along with some fault on society at large for the mismanagement of the deer population and some fault on the design of roads that are not deer safe (which may indeed not be practical). For me, I would hope a study would be done to determine the cost of life & property lost to deer, & the cost of solution(s) that would yield cost effective savings for society. That study may well find that the best thing is to do nothing. I'm never in favor of society spending more $$ on safty features (like better roads) than will be saved in $$, as long as a reasonable figure for a human life is used.

One solution to deer strikes that seems reasonable to me would be to have hunting along roadsides (maybe by police and or archers) so that the deer would be driven back in the woods. Seems stupid to me to have the hunters out deep in the woods driving the deer to the "safety" of highways.

I areas where there are no or few predators I am in favor of hunting to cull herds, although I do not hunt myself. I think the lack of hunting today is affecting wild animal's natural fear of humans, and that is part of the reason for more animal / human conflict, as well as the reduction of habitat. I'm not in favor of extinction for any plant/animal/pest, but I also am not in favor of watching a wild population of deer explode to the point of disease/road safety/starvation problems.

Now a question for you riders in deer areas. Riding along, I see a deer or two near the side of the road. I recall from Utah, if I honk my horn early enough, they seem to go bounding off away from the road. What are thoughts on honking the horn at deer, or even if say riding on a known infested road at dawn, honking randomly where I think deer may be? Or is that likely to just have them bound into me on their damn perpendicular flights?

This topic makes me glad I live in LA. I only have to watch out for siliconed blondes wondering around, & they are easy to spot & move slower than deer.

[Ed K]

Unfortunately I'd have to agree... that as man encroaches more on animals, there are many unintended consequences that we need to take further action to (try) to correct.

Almost had an incident with a deer (during daylight) in the back roads a few months ago, doing some semi-go-fast around a turn. Fortunately, for the deer and me, when we reacted, it was in opposite directions... but just as DJ said about the chance of lightning... it could have just as easily have gone the other way.

[Bones]

Okay,

SocalRob probably had it 100% right. Any discussion of deer shouldn't have hijacked another thread, and should have instead simply prompted a thread devoted to deer strikes...

So here's my questions about deer (and I am going to stay out of the discussion, as most of you already know my thoughts on the subject)...

Are you frightened of deer when you're riding - i.e. are deer an ever present worry in your mind when you're on your motorcycle?

Whose at fault, or to blame, when a motorcyclist has a close encounter of the venison kind? Rider? Deer? Mankind?

Do you think there should be much stronger controls, laws, culling of herds, longer hunting season lengths, etc. to lessen deer populations strictly to eliminate them as a road hazard to motorcyclists?

Do you think that deer are more of danger to motorcyclists than cagers - i.e. are you more likely to get into a potentially fatal accident with a car or truck, or a deer?

How do you handle dealing with deer and other animals out on the open road?

Would be interesting to hear everybody's thoughts on deer (and other animals) and motorcyclists...

Cheers!

Allan (Dallara - NACD)


Here are my thoughts:
1.Frightened when riding? About as "frightened" as I am about dogs when I ride by a farm where the dogs can run free and one stealthily flys across my path trying to nip at my feet. Frightened only when surprized and then getting that adrenaline rush. It is not a concious response. It is hardwired. I ride with a "lookout" mind set, but deer are very well camouflaged and are often not seen standing by the road until you are upon them. When I see them at the last moment, I get that adrenaline rush if there is a near miss scenario.
2. Fault? It depends. If riding without any concern about them being there and one has a flight response onto the road, I would suppose it is the riders fault. But I am reluctant to use the word fault, because sometimes, shit happens and that is just that. Is it the moronic soccer mom handing out MacDonalds french fries while talking on the cell phone while driving her Suburban who happens to change lanes into yours.........is it her fault or yours if there is a crash? It may not be your fault, but might it not be your responsibility to know that moronic soccer moms in Suburbans handing out french fries will make for danger for you?

I don't blame the deer. They are prey animals and are hardwired to flee at right angles to what startles them as it approaches. They haven't gotten to the chapter on Motorcycles yet at Deer School.

3.More laws.......man, this is a subject that gets my hackles. I hate more laws about anything, because I find most legislators are idiots on most subjects. They create laws to "fix" things, which often create a bigger problem than the one they started with.

Laws specifically to decrease deer strikes? That might be a resonable idea WHEN DEER DEVELOP THE ABILITY TO READ AND ARE GIVEN THE RIGHT TO VOTE.

In New York, there were nearly 200,000 deer taken by hunters last year. Still, there is a significant deer overpopulation problem, in that there is rampant starvation of deer. This is a result of several things.
a.Having taken over lots of their natural habitat.
b. Previous laws limiting hunting, so herds grew rapidly.
c. Loss of all the deer's natural predators that previously "managed" their population the natural way.

I am not a hunter. But I would see no problem with lengthening the hunting season here. The hunters I know personally care a lot about the animals and the health of natural things. Most of them eat what they kill. If the hunters become the modern version of the deer's natural predators, a greater percentage of them will live healthy lives and not die of starvation and disease, which is a problem for all of us.

4. Statistically, you are at greater danger from other motorists. There is one difference in defending yourself, however. The deer strike is a bit more like the lightening strike. It is much harder to defend against. The cager issue can be mitigated by selecting routes you take, deciding to avoid certain areas of town or intersections, taking evasive actions in terms of moving out of blind spots, etc., and actively anticipating a lot of cager behavior. Can't do that with deer as well.

There are lots of things I worry about when riding. Deer is one of them, but since I ride mostly during the day, I guess I think about deer less than all the other hazards. IF I happen to have to be heading home at dusk, I really, really, slow down and focus a huge amount of attention on the deer issue. I may be a wimp, but I will do a LOT to avoid riding at dusk or at night, specifically because of the deer.

Gotta go....the Venison steaks are grilling.

Jeff

[supermotoC]

I love deer, they're delicious.


I don't think about them, but I do try to avoid the horse country parts of Texas around dusk/dawn. I do not know if "deer whistles" are a placebo or false sense of security (like a radar detector) [OK, don't hijack this thread in THAT direction], but then there's really no way to know if it works (or not). If I was afraid - I'd probably never ride again, nor leave my house, nor..... Everything is a calculated risk. Be conscious of what you're doing, and where you're doing it, and you'll survive.
My favorite criticism/directive is to implore someone to: BE HERE NOW!

If you are here, in the moment, you can affect the outcome of anything (or, at least, your outcome). This is why I am not dead, nor crippled, and why 40 YO NHL players are not crippled, broken sacks of bones. Focus on the task at hand, and be strong. Otherwise, OUT OF THE GENE POOL!

[Sir Limpsalot]

In our little, overpopulated island there are pretty much no wild deer left. Or anything else much bigger than a badger or a fox. We are the worse off because of it. I live a few miles south of the Ashdown forest, one of the last places in England where wild deer roam. There are signs up warning motorists to be alert, but in 38 years of riding/driving the area at all times of the day and night I've never seen one.
I have seen a couple, some distance from the road, in the more remote areas of Scotland.
You want to show your kids what a wild animal looks like? You take them to the zoo. That sucks. Those of you who wish the deer gone, just be a little carefull, one day your wish may be granted. All for what? So we can ride our motorcycles faster and with no due consideration for the environment we ride in?
Surely I can't be the only one who sometimes feels a little guilty charging about like a mechanical bull in mother nature's china shop?
Si

[Dallara]

You're not the only one, Si...

The more I live and work with and around animals the more I honestly think they have a much better handle on exactly how the world is supposed to work.

Cheers!

Allan (Dallara - NACD)

[Wild Will]

Every time I ride, I'm scared. Why? Because I ride too fast. I'm addicted to speed. I can't stop, nor do I want to. So I ride slightly with fear of deer, hogs, cops, cows, dislodged boulders, fallen trees and widowmakers (dead branches), etc. So far so good. It's only been around 200,000 miles + now. But there's always that chance, isn't there? Depending where you ride, yes and no. Some fear cagers, with good reason. I fear deer most of all, because they have been the leading cause of fatal final rides for my aforementioned pals. And because there are few cagers where I ride.
My closest call? One time on a blind 2nd gear curve, on a narrow road (the kind with no centerline because it's too narrow), as I followed the right curve there was a fawn on the right side, next to a 7 foot dirt bank. It freaked and before I could react, its legs were ALL akimbo, like a manic giant spider on amphetamines, as if the road surface was ice or wet Teflon, and for all its work it didn't move, and I skated past, breathing through open mouth, heart pounding like Jack Bruce at the Avalon Ballroom. Lesson? Nope. Quit riding? Naw. Ride slower? Nope. Stupid? Not me. I'm just in love with this maniac gyro wheeling lifestyle and will play out my hand until the end.
I still hate deer. Nobody in govt. is going to build a fence along these roads. Hell, I don't want that. So what do I do? I wear some serious crash protection and pay my health insurance first thing every month. And, I ride slightly scared, but with a huge grin on my grey whiskered mug.
Addicted to speed.

[geechie]

In another thread, Bonesy wrote:



First, deer are not mindless. They have DIFFERENT minds, but they are not mindless. They process the environment around them differently. They are prey animals, not predators. Having evolved that way, their central nervous system DEALS with incoming information differently than a prey animal. As a result, they exhibit behavior that to some, may seem "stupid."

Prey animals are driven by fear. Fear they will be taken down and eaten. They do NOT flee at every moving thing, because to do so would have them expending more energy than they can consume. So they stay still and graze until the predator comes relatively close, then they wait until the "right moment" and flee PERPENDICULAR to the path of the predator. It is easier for them to get away from a bear, wolf or whatever is trying to eat them by doing that than running off parallel to the predator when it is further away. Simple evolutionary biology. That is how prey animals are wired.

Now, I have no love of deer when they hang out in the ditch by the side of the road, because one totalled the front end of my car a few years back. I stopped, waited for about 5 to cross the road, then when I thought it was clear, I started up again. I got to about 20 mph and the last one (now seperated from his herd) literally jumped from the ditch ONTO the hood of my car. His brain clearly thought I was some large predator lunging at him and off he went perpendicular to me. That is what they do. I kind of like the small herd on our property, though, even if one of the bucks likes to take a crap on our front steps from time to time (which I think he does to taunt our dog).

I am a dog lover. I have always had a dog and I can't speak highly enough about them as companions. They have enriched my life. BUT when I am riding and some miniature schnauzer takes off out of his yard after my feet at what seems like 70 mph, I am ready to go nuts. BUT that is what Fido is designed to do! I can't hold it against him, really.

I am fascinated when I hear about an animal becoming a "nuisance" do to overpopulation. Usually, we take their environment, bring them to the brink of extinction, then try to bring them back, then complain about them again. I am not against hunting, by the way. I am not any extreme tree hugger. But I find the arrogance "we" often project to be beyond annoying. We killed off millions of Bison. More recently it is the California Sealions.

Understanding evolutionary biology helps put all this into perspective. Read Temple Grandin's books. They are fantastic and really lend insight into these things.

And if you REALLY want to see evolutionary biology run amok, visit California, where humans have consumed far in excess of the land's natural resources and have exceeded the carrying capacity of that stand several times over. And most Californians are unapologetic about it.

Deer are one of the reasons riding is dangerous. But as Dallara said, riding a bike is statistically more dangerous overall. That is just the way it is. And it is the reason why I will not ride at night and won't ride near dusk anytime near rutting season.

That, my friends is an elegant and eloquent expression of the biological perspective. You should read it and learn. We are all biological entities, after all.

But we're motorcycling entities too. And that perspective needs to be taken into account. As far as I can see, pretty much everything in life boils down to finding one's individual equlibrium between risk and reward. We engage in an activity that carries some degree of risk. Deer, dogs, drunk drivers, debris at the apex, are all factors that increase our risk. We all know that and so we take measures to mitigate, to some extent, that risk. We do the best we can , and sometimes it still doesn't work out. I'm going downtown this evening after work for chorus rehearsal. I'll have about a 25 mile ride home in the gathering dusk. The last 6 miles will be in deer country. I will slow down a bit, and be extremely attentive. I hope that will be enough.

George

[supermotoC]

The more I live and work with and around animals the more I honestly think they have a much better handle on exactly how the world is supposed to work.

Yeah, maybe, but they don't get to eat TexMex or drink Nastro Azzurra!

I do feel badly when animals become victims of civilization, except for the human animal, as it's basically self-inflicted.

No animal in it's right mind would do this: (download to your desktop - beware dial-up prisoners)

http://tinyurl.com/fqs3q

[DarthRider]

I started riding motorcycles on my 14th birthday, still do obviously. I started skydiving when I was 19 and did that about 6 years and 211 jumps. I started racing bikes off & on when I was 23 and got really serious about Hare Scrambles when I was 30. My racing activities now are pretty much confined to spanking the odd squiddy in a mild street race and helping as I can with our Bonneville racing team. And encouraging fast old hoons like Bro Dean-O.
I tried "track days" for a while but found that while much of the cost & personal risk of racing was still there, the "thrill factor" was not. Stuffing someone in the first corner is generally frowned upon and there goes the real reason I enjoyed racing...the competition. Most motorcycle racing *is* a contact sport! Track days are great for sharpening skills, etc. but really not enough fun to justify the cost & time, at least for me.

Yes, my name is Dave and I am an adrenaline addict.

Throughout all that time, on occasion some jerk will opine that I "must have a death wish." True or not, that's a pretty stupid and rude thing to say to someone. And in my case it is most certainly not true. If it were, how could anyone explain why I work as hard as I do to stay relatively safe and avoid death & injury?

I believe in doing all we can to mitigate risk, obviously there is no way to eliminate it while still doing what we love. So, what can we do?
I call it "The art of doing dangerous things safely." This seeming contradiction in terms (especially to my wife!) is not easily understood by someone whose biggest adrenaline blast comes from waxing the Buick or 36 holes at the course. Everyone reading this will understand it on some level or other, most of the people NOT reading this will never understand it, nor would they wish to.

Where I'm going with this is, whether you love & defend all deer or are pledged to total deerocide, it really doesn't matter. Just do what you can to avoid the cute little Bambis/tall rats from hell and stay safe. What can we do? Reading Bone's excellent piece above is a great start...we simply must understand deer and why they do what they do. And what we can do about it.

Some of it is really pretty controllable. Most deer encounters are not "one second they're not there, the next nanosecond they are taking you out." *Usually* we see them in advance. What I have found effective is just do what you do in traffic...expect the very worst actions from that car waiting to turn left or that deer standing on the shoulder of the road. Expect they *are* going to try and kill you. Be ready. As in traffic, I will slow down from my normal pace, I shift down to 1 gear lower than would normally be appropriate for that speed. I cover the brakes (both of them thanks!). And I focus like a laser on the actions that may/may not be coming. I'm ready to slow, stop, swerve, accelerate or often combinations of those defensive moves, should I need to.

If I lived in deer country (I'm only near it) I would install a deer whistle, using the "Chicken Soup Theory"...it can't hurt and it might help.

I wouldn't depend on the "truism" that deer are only active at early morning & dusk. They are generally only *more* active then. You will see them at noon and at midnight...sometimes.

They are actually totally unpredictable. Bones says they flee perpendicular to the path of the "prey" they perceive is after them. Well, usually. They will also sometimes run straight away from you. They will often flee at a right angle to your path only to reverse their direction 1, 2 or 3 times: hard, slick hooves almost throwing sparks with each stop-turn-run a new way. An Arkansas deer once changed direction 4 times in front of me and nearly got me on the last change. Expect it.
I saw a Texas Hill Country deer flee at the expected right angle only to smack hard into an 8-foot high deer fence, bounce back and reverse course right behind me with about 2 feet to spare...I was accelerating HARD by then to get that 2 ft. cushion. Had I just assumed I was safe since he did his perpendicular flee, he may have nailed me on the flip-flop. Assume nothing other than you are in real danger.

Little of this of course, would be of benefit on Will's narrow, tight, curvy, nothing-but-curves environment. I'll leave any tips or advice to "The Wild One" on that!

Good hunting & safe riding,

Dave

[Wild Will]

is my choice 'cause they're so easy to hose out after a particularly scary ride!
I've decided to become a Buddhist, and renounce my aforementioned hatred of the 200 pound rodents. I'll have a harder time with some of Nature's other little creations, like Ebola virus, houseflies, pirhana, scorpions, black widows, ad nauseum. As budding Buddhist I now genuflect to all wildlife. Pardon me if I stop in mid turn to allow the miracle of Bambi et al to scamper across the path with Elysian grace and aplomb. And at each gas stop there'll be incense
burned for the dragonfly impaled within the Germanic folds of my well suspended beater GS. I feel like a man renewed!
As my new Buddhist guru says, "Pretend to be enlightened". Hey, you think it's easy, just try it!