31 October 2011

Deer driving

Growing up and learning to drive in Michigan, one of the biggest dangers we were warned about were the deer.  And it's true, you look at the sides of the highways and you see the dead deer, especially in the fall.  Most of the deer are pretty big too.  They can get up to one hundred and fifty pounds.  That's the size of a grown adult.  You run into one of those going down the road and it can do serious damage and can even kill you. 

As we drove back to the Soo, we planned to stop a little over half way because we didn't want to be driving at midnight or one in the morning because the deer are moving around and when it gets dark, they move even more.  The last forty five miles were the most tense I have been behind the wheel in a long long time.  Even with your headlights and high beams on, they are difficult to see.  It's not like they got a ton of white hair on them to reflect back, oh no, they have to be brown.  They are very tasty, but I don't really think about that when they are splattered along US 2. 

I've driven in blinding blizzards, no problem.  Pouring down rain, sure why not?  Icy roads?  Just go slower and don't crank the steering wheel.  Hell, I've been stopped on the Mackinac Bridge with the wind not only moving my car, but the bridge as well.  I've heard the stories from my parents about the wind being so bad that it actually pushed a car over the side.  No seriously.  In 1989, the wind came up through the grates and threw a Yugo over the edge.  The reason that these things aren't much of a problem for me is because I can help control what is going on.  I can realize that the weather is bad and can slow down and take my time driving.  When dealing with the knowledge of deer running out onto the road, you can't control that.  You have to be on extra high alert for anything that moves.

When it gets dark this time of year, you keep your eyes on the sides of the road.  A downed tree can look like a deer.  A clump of tall grass takes the shape of a deer.  The reflective discs on guardrails look like eyes.  It's a sense of alertness and paranoia. 



You can never be too sure when one will run in front of you.  

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