Within the first few miles this morning, we were in Mississippi. There are many things one might say about Mississippi, and two of those are that it has a LOT of Baptist churches and a LOT of unsecured dogs. At our cue sheet meeting last evening, two route options were offered: a shorter route that, for 25 miles, follows a busy highway frequented by wood chip trucks, or a route longer by 10 miles that meanders through country roads where dogs bit a rider or two on the ST trip last year. Hummm, wood chips flying at my head or dogs’ teeth chomping at my ankles. A tough decision.
I voted to go with the dogs, figuring that I could muster up that loud, guttural “NO”, as recommended and demonstrated by Chef Linda, to stop the beasts dead in their tracks. I also rode in a group of five, hoping for safety in numbers. After all the hype about potential dog problems, there was only one who did pose a threat. This dog seemingly came out of nowhere, going right for my left leg. I let out the aforementioned “NO” in my most intimidating voice. The dog suspended for a moment in mid-air, landed on the asphalt in full belly-flop position, and slid several feet before stopping. The dog looked completely shocked and befuddled, and likely has a severe abdominal road rash as a reward for its crass behavior.
The terrain changed from the predominantly flat of Louisiana to some gently rolling hills as we got further into Mississippi. We passed a couple of beautifully manicured horse farms, and even a llama ranch where we saw this mom with her young'un.
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1 comment:
Carol, I'm really enjoying following you and the other women on the ride through your blogs. I don't know any of your group personally. But my husband and I are close friends of Jan B's nephew. I'm a cyclist so he thought, correctly, that I'd enjoy reading about your venture.
Loved the dog belly flop story!
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