Story of the Day

I just have to put this story on my blog because a few months ago, my partner in triathlon crime, Michelle, told me about how she was riding her bike on the Ft. Fraser trail near here and that she hit a squirrel. Like, ran him over- with her bike tires. I, being the great friend that I am, of course, told her Liar, liar, pants on fire, because as many times as I have been out on the trail I have never even been close to hitting a squirrel. They are incredibly fast and so skittish that they run when you are still at least 30 feet away. But alas! I have been rebuked! Because about a month ago while biking on that trail, I HIT A SQUIRREL! Seriously, I could not believe it. I was going, as Michelle says she was, "at a phenomenal rate of speed" and there was a squirrel frozen in the middle of the path ahead. I kept getting closer and closer and was sure he was going to bolt, but finally I was right there and when he zoomed to the right, I ran him over! Even better was the fact that there were two very professional looking biker guys coming my way who witnessed the entire thing from start to finish- Me, looking concerned....me, talking out loud saying, "okay, you can move now".....me, saying "you better move stupid squirrel!"......me, screaming like a little girl when I ran it over. They were highly amused. I didn't crash, only wobbled for a second or two. The squirrel I am sure, is no worse for the wear. After the thud on my tire, he scooted off the trail into the trees, where I bet he told all his squirrel friends the hilarious account of how he successfully scared the crap out of another cyclist. Michelle and I are sure this is the same squirrel- the odds are just to great to ignore. So if you are out the trail, watch out for that guy! Oh, and if you come up on a snake stretched out across the trail, go to the side of his tail, not his head. That is yet another biking story, but for another day...