A Close Call!

Yesterday evening, my wife and I rode the S'wing Trike out to our favorite fried chicken restaurant, Chicken Mary's. If that name sounds familiar, it's because Chicken Mary's & rival restaurant Chicken Annie's were featured in an episode of the Travel Channel program, "Food Wars." Both restaurants are located a few mile Northeast of Pittsburg/Frontenac, Ks in a nice rural setting on a small county road.

After a nice meal, we packed up our leftovers in "to-go" boxes and mounted the trike to head home. We headed East down the county road and had rode maybe 100 yards when a young female Whitetail deer came charging out of the ditch on my right and passed in front of me, barely missing hitting my front wheel!   The doe also barely missed getting flattened by a car coming in the opposite direction that was nearly even with me! She was a very young deer (probably a yearling) and I doubt she weighed more than 60 or 70 pounds. My wife thought at first that it was a dog.

Fortunately, I missed hitting her, but had we collided, I think the damage would have been minimal and I could have maintained control of the trike. We were barely going 20 mph.

I shudder to think what might have happened if we were travelling 55 or 60 mph, the deer was full-grown, and we didn't miss!   Whitetail deer are numerous in this area and are a real hazard when driving in the evening.

Close call for sure Gyro...  I just myself made a 2,400 mile trip and had a close call at 60 mph on a hwy.  After that I got up on the Interstate...  In all the years I have been riding I would never get on the Interstate so was a first for me and I enjoyed it but missed the country views.  I was able to put 526 miles on the trike one day and also found she can suck up some fuel if you run her at 80mph but handle great and is a fine ride with the Voyager Trike Kit.

Magoo

Dear me........glad you're okay.

Glad your OK. Deer and other animals have been a concern for us as well. Especially when we are caught riding later into the evening than anticipated. When we where down in Texas I couldn't believe how many cars drove without headlights on well past dusk.

As I get more mature (read old) I tend to ride much slower after dark. Vision is not as good plus critters tend to be more active! Here in Arizona, there are deer and coyote to contend with PLUS javelina (a type of wild pig). Any of these could ruin a nice after dark ride.

Up in Washington, the situation is much worse. Deer, bear, elk and moose are just a few of the hazards to keep an eye out for. I tend to drive even slower up there.

It amazes me how the locals will blow past me doing 75 mph (in a 65 mph area) after dark... I have a friend in body shop business and he said these people keep him in business!!!

BE CAREFUL!

Glad you were aware. My cousin hit a deer in N. Minnesota; forks bent; windshield and fairing buster. He managed to ride it home but hasn't been back on a bike since. His wife and kids came out to look at the bike and his Daughter said, "Dad, there is deer poop all over the side." He said. "That's not deer poop." ;-)