Riding Home from work: why you should ALWAYS WEAR YOUR GEAR!

[Skippii]

This is a few years old now, but I just came across it again, and it's just as relevent today. I hope this serves as a warning to new riders that it doesn't matter how close or slow the ride is--you can't anticipate whether or not you'll need your gear.


So, I'm riding home yesterday from work.
It's about 2 miles, all 25mph roads.
That is, it's temping at times to not wear the right gear. As in, I've done it in my work pants and shirts more times than I'd like to admit.
Well, not anymore.

I'm less than half a mile from my house when It Happened.

Luckily, today, I had my gloves, pants, jacket, and helmet on.

I was stopped at a red light on my street, where it interects with Route 11. This is actually a rather dangerous intersection, I've noticed before--at least as far as intersections of two 25mph one-way streets with traffic lights directly in front of the police station can be. For no particular reason, people seem to like to not even bother checking what color the light is before charging through it.
Well, there I am, stopped, and minding my own business, first vehicle in line at the light, and I'm actually watching a gaggle of ducks on the other side of the street waiting for my light to turn green.

There was one mother duck, and probably at least 10 chicks, walking across the street.
Once at the other side, Mama Mallard hopped up on the curb. The rest of chicks watched her, and tried to hop up. Two of them made it, while the other 8 failed miserably, jumping up and down in the road, trying to get onto the sidewalk, and falling back down. Mama Mallard would waddle five feet ahead, away from fierce traffic, trying ... okay, I'm giving up on the alliteration now... trying to get the chicks to follow her, then she'd run back, quack at them, and walk away again. She repeated this several times, getting visably angrier at the chicks each time for being unable to hop the curb.

By now, the light has turned green, and I continue across route 11, and pull over just beyond the ducklings.

I get off the bike, and walk over to the helpless hatchlings, heartily hoping to help crap, I'm doing it again by lending them hand. I approach the chicks, arms outstretched, to allow them to use my gloved hand as a little step up to the sidewalk.

Okay, here's how this is remotely relevant:

Trust me when I say that you do not ever, EVER want to try to touch a gaggle of cornered chicklets in front of their mother unless you are wearing full gear, head to toe.

My smooth, calming voice to the chicks saying "Here, ducky, don't worry, I'm just going to help you" quickly changed to an aggrevated "LOOK YOU STUPID BITCH, IF YOU KNEW HOW TO CROSS AN INTERSECTION I WOULDN'T HAVE TO DO THIS!" as the webbed claws dug into leather, her beak grabbed my armored elbow, and feathers fluttered into my facesheild.

Well, finally the last of the ducklings hopped up from my hand onto the curb, and then started to scatter around in every direction, so the hen finally decided that maybe herding her young was a more responsible and productive activity than testing if her beak was stronger than CE armor, and led them all off in some triumphant march, as if she was so proud that she'd not only defeated the giant, but as also miraculasly teleported her young up out of the road.

I mean, I wasn't expecting any great exhibition of gratitude, but I've had vultures show more respect.

Next time I get off my bike for that dumb bird, it won't be to pick up her young. I'll be picking her up for duck a l'orange.

[pilotgeorge747]

LOL reading through the entire duck part of the story I kept waiting for the "some car hit my bike on the side of the road" or something. Glad the bike and you were unharmed. I guess if you choose to drive your car from work and decide to help some ducks you better have your riding gear in your trunk! Or hell just wear it while driving you never know when/how it might save you.

[Alex]

You'd make TheDuck proud.

[SSR]

Hahahaha

Great story. Mmmm....duck a'lorange

[gt_turbo]

awesome!

[LazinCajun]

Don't forget to wear your gear when bringing the cat to the vet too. Ask me how I know... I should've made that dumb cat ride pillion.

[ninja_sleeper]

That's so cool you stopped to help.

I am glad to hear nothing happened to your bike!

What a sweetheart.

[2010Zen]

WOW...that sounds like something that would happened to me...knowing my luck and my passion for animals. Loved the story and thanks for sharing!! Good to see that there is others out there that do have a care in the world for animals. Here in Vegas...there is a duck crossing on the west side of town and you will be cited if you hit a duck when its crossing the street. Kinda funny..lol

[choneofakind]

haha sounds like an alternative real world use for motorcycle armor that you never knew about.

but seriously you shoulda grabbed it and punted it like a football after it attacked you. that's what I woulda done

[alex.s]

what a brave duck, hopelessly taking on such a savage monster trying to attack her poor chicks

["A"]

Wild ducks, you should leave them alone unless they're ready to be eaten.

[ruben]

lol

i remember something similar happening to me. there was a strong storm that swept through here [so fla] there were little twigs and stuff scattered all over the street and i heard a bird chirping under our tree in front of out house. i go to inspect and i see theres a baby blue jay trying to crawl up the tree trunk [not too bright i guess]

so seeing as this little bird was unaware of gravity, i said 'ah let me help the lil booger before some cat eats em' so i kinda cup my hands around it and let it hop onto my palms. BOOM i hear 4 or 5 birds just squaking their little lungs out. i set off alarms or something so im looking up at the tree to see if i can see a nest or somewhere to place em. so as i walk away from the tree to get a better look, all hell breaks loose. birds are flying at my head and a few of them actually pecked me in head. IM JUST TRYING TO HELP BRO!

moral of the stories, birds are evil. Big Bird is jerk off the set, im sure of it.


is this my first post? if it is, hello forum. i guess i can get back to lurking now.

[ruben]

Originally Posted by Ren13

when I was little I thought duck sauce was made out of duck blood.

me too! but discovered 2 years ago it was made from Armand Van Helden and A-Trak

[Johnnyscoots]

Ducks around here don't seem to have problems with the curbs as the eagles tend to swoop down and make them into dinner. Afflac Au Gratin is what one feathered raptor told me as he finished off a hapless webfooted insurance spokesduck wannabe.

Johnny

[CynicalC]

You should have taken one ofthe ducklings as a pet to teach the mom a lesson.

[etiainen]

Agreed!! Just saved my butt today!!! Sadly my bike isn't happy. In the crash section :/