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BigJohn · 08-11-2005

This past weekend Naomi took Miss N and I for a little weekend excursion over the North Cascade Highway (US20). Saturday was uneventful ending in Winthrop, WA...Sunday morning was a whole different story.

We woke up early (about 5:00 AM), got cleaned up and on the road by 6:00 AM headed towards Chelan to spend the day on the Lady of the Lake II. While gassing up at edge of Winthrop a local was insistent that we watch out of deer on the road. ....Yeh, yeh, yeh... Should'a taken it more seriously when we watched Bambi and Bambi, Jr. sauntering across the parking lot of the grocery store...

Long story even longer...we were about 12-13 miles out of town on Hwy-20 watching the sun starting to come up behind the hills off to the left. The road has gentle turns, marked for 55 or so, on the left is a broad valley with a nice river flowing through it, there is a galvanized guard rail on the left side of the road protecting you form a drop off of some 30 to 50 feet. There is a vertical embankment on the right. About this time a car is approaching from the front. Can you guess what happened next?

Bambi Sr comes bounding up from the valley/river bed, over the guardrail and right in front of us and the on coming car. I see the deer when he, yes it was a he...materializes in the left lane making a dash across the road. On the binders, front and rear, swerve left/right, stay upright, count hairs on rump of the worlds largest white tail buck, and avoid becoming a hood ornament for a white Toyota. I can still hear the scraping sound of four hooves slipping on the pavement, the smell of frightened buck, and see the individual hairs on his rump....

I have seen and swerved to avoid deer before. But, never have I been close enough to hear, touch and smell one while riding. We could a' smacked him on the a** as we went by.

On the return trip that evening I saw a sign in the village of Mathow. It states that hunters took over 1,100 deer out of that valley alone last year. Doesn't say how many were hit by cars/motorcycles.

Lessons learned? Yep...a bunch of 'em.

1. When you see a deer sauntering across the parking lot in town, be cautions. There WILL be others.

2. In early morning and evening BACK off the twisty thing...that 55 or 60 MPH sign is the MAXIMUM speed limit. It's OK to go slower.

3. When there is a valley and/or rive on either side, back off and be extra observant/ready to stop/maneuver. They are there and they are waiting to get you.

4. Deer don't understand that they shouldn't cross over guard rails...

5. Deer can magically appear on the roadway.

6. Beware of "confined spaces" on the road way. Large animals, cars/trucks and motorcycles need room to maneuver.

7. Be especially cautious in the early morning and evenings.

8. US-20 has LOTS of deer...

9. Washington white tails are REALLY big....

The good side is that Miss N, myself and Naomi made it through the experience without damage.

08-11-2005	#1 (permalink)
BigJohn Power Hungry V2K Rider Forum Supporter Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Lake Stevens, WA Posts: 6,393	Scoot 0, Deer 0 - Whew.... This past weekend Naomi took Miss N and I for a little weekend excursion over the North Cascade Highway (US20). Saturday was uneventful ending in Winthrop, WA...Sunday morning was a whole different story. We woke up early (about 5:00 AM), got cleaned up and on the road by 6:00 AM headed towards Chelan to spend the day on the Lady of the Lake II. While gassing up at edge of Winthrop a local was insistent that we watch out of deer on the road. ....Yeh, yeh, yeh... Should'a taken it more seriously when we watched Bambi and Bambi, Jr. sauntering across the parking lot of the grocery store... Long story even longer...we were about 12-13 miles out of town on Hwy-20 watching the sun starting to come up behind the hills off to the left. The road has gentle turns, marked for 55 or so, on the left is a broad valley with a nice river flowing through it, there is a galvanized guard rail on the left side of the road protecting you form a drop off of some 30 to 50 feet. There is a vertical embankment on the right. About this time a car is approaching from the front. Can you guess what happened next? Bambi Sr comes bounding up from the valley/river bed, over the guardrail and right in front of us and the on coming car. I see the deer when he, yes it was a he...materializes in the left lane making a dash across the road. On the binders, front and rear, swerve left/right, stay upright, count hairs on rump of the worlds largest white tail buck, and avoid becoming a hood ornament for a white Toyota. I can still hear the scraping sound of four hooves slipping on the pavement, the smell of frightened buck, and see the individual hairs on his rump.... I have seen and swerved to avoid deer before. But, never have I been close enough to hear, touch and smell one while riding. We could a' smacked him on the a** as we went by. On the return trip that evening I saw a sign in the village of Mathow. It states that hunters took over 1,100 deer out of that valley alone last year. Doesn't say how many were hit by cars/motorcycles. Lessons learned? Yep...a bunch of 'em. 1. When you see a deer sauntering across the parking lot in town, be cautions. There WILL be others. 2. In early morning and evening BACK off the twisty thing...that 55 or 60 MPH sign is the MAXIMUM speed limit. It's OK to go slower. 3. When there is a valley and/or rive on either side, back off and be extra observant/ready to stop/maneuver. They are there and they are waiting to get you. 4. Deer don't understand that they shouldn't cross over guard rails... 5. Deer can magically appear on the roadway. 6. Beware of "confined spaces" on the road way. Large animals, cars/trucks and motorcycles need room to maneuver. 7. Be especially cautious in the early morning and evenings. 8. US-20 has LOTS of deer... 9. Washington white tails are REALLY big.... The good side is that Miss N, myself and Naomi made it through the experience without damage. __________________ '00 Nomad '06 V2K LT Because RED is the fastest color... Last edited by BigJohn : 08-11-2005 at 05:50 PM.