Roadside carnage

On Tue, 22 May 2007 17:07:03 -0400, "(PeteCresswell)" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Per [email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Odd spring-suspension seats were common back then because the roads
were so rough. (Keep reading and you'll come to a detailed picture.)

To get from New York to California, Lenz often rode on the railroad
tracks--not beside them, but over the wooden railroad ties.

It's always wondered me that today, when bikes are mainly
playthings, sprung saddles seem tb the ultimate in un-cool.

OTOH back when bicycles were really used day-in and day-out it
seems like *everybody* rode on sprung saddles.

Dear Pete,

From Berto's "Dancing Chain," here's my candidate for the undisputed
world champion of sprung saddles (and the first safety bike, too,
despite young nephew John Starley's reputation):

http://i7.tinypic.com/6b0p1xw.jpg

Only a tandem could offer more spring to a saddle.

Note that low-spoke-count wheels were cool back then.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

On Tue, 22 May 2007 22:33:26 GMT, Jay Hill <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Caution: increasingly gruesome pictures.

Thanks for taking & posting them.

Quoted message said:

The shadow in the last picture shows how close the camera was...

I'm surprised it let you get so close. How did it behave as you
approached?

Dear Jay,

About like a hungry customer behaves after the waiter says, "Enjoy
your meal!" It noticed me, but didn't really care.

I pedalled past it on the far side of the road, dropped my bike, and
started taking pictures back down the slope and across the road.

Here's the first one, #952 in the sequence:

http://i18.tinypic.com/4uubf46.jpg

The hawk just kept ripping chunks off its dinner.

I sat down and used the handlebars as a rest for a few pictures--you
can see a pedal here in #958:

http://i13.tinypic.com/4zyodco.jpg

The hawk ignored me.

I turned my face away, sidled along the road to some thick wooden
barrier posts along the top of the dam, sat down, and took more
pictures across the road using a barrier as a post--#971 was taken
across the road from the hawk and from high enough that you can see
the shadow of a traffic sign on the road:

http://i18.tinypic.com/67iqpmw.jpg

Pretty soon I was looking directly across the road:

http://i16.tinypic.com/4xpei4h.jpg

The hawk kept eating.

Two cars came up the dam road, ignoring everything on both sides of
the road, a third went by downhill towing a boat, with its driver
glaring at me, and finally a fellow on a touring bike pedalled
downhill, completely oblivious to the hawk, but waving at me.

I walked downhill in a gentle arc, crossing the road, and took some
more pictures looking back uphill toward the bluffs that I pedal
toward every day. This is #981:

http://i18.tinypic.com/67dsoaq.jpg

The hawk just kept stuffing itself.

I walked slowly past the hawk in the grass on its side of the road and
took a few pictures. This is #984:

http://i14.tinypic.com/4mciwm0.jpg

The hawk looked up, but didn't mind.

A little past the hawk, I sat down, facing away, turned, and took a
few pictures looking up from about twenty feet away. This is the last,
#992, and shows how big the hawk's feet are:

http://i18.tinypic.com/66jacmp.jpg

The hawk finally had enough, either of the snake or my bad table
manners, and flew off. From #952 to #992 took just under nine minutes
for 41 pictures.

Here's an old picture of the sign and the wooden barrier at the same
spot:

http://i17.tinypic.com/4uymw00.jpg

The hawk would be to the right. The zoom foreshortens things
considerably--the truck is half a mile away, the trees a mile, and the
bluff top close to three miles.

The trick is to work with a hawk that's used to hunting along roads,
keep your face turned away while you move, walk in curves around your
quarry instead of toward it, pick a hawk that's awfully hungry--and
then get lucky.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

In article <[email hidden]>,

G.T. said:

Ted Bennett said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

Caution: increasingly gruesome pictures.

I came upon this gory scene next to the no-shoulder two-lane road on
my daily ride and took pictures from different angles.

The victim, a racer (red for speed) was not wearing a helmet.

According to authorities, the assailant (it was obviously no
accident)is a naturalized immigrant from Jamaica, who fled the scene.

The shadow in the last picture shows how close the camera was--yes,
those are ribs.

Click on the lower right to view full size in Explorer.

http://i3.tinypic.com/6hft9br.jpg

http://i14.tinypic.com/6g2lso8.jpg

http://i13.tinypic.com/61ju64l.jpg

http://i13.tinypic.com/6f5kbr9.jpg

http://i14.tinypic.com/4ub2qsi.jpg

http://i18.tinypic.com/62fvi3r.jpg

http://i17.tinypic.com/52nx1ef.jpg

Last time I watched an eagle kill and eat a snake was near the Rogue
River in a somewhat wild part of Oregon.

I'm going to begin carrying my camera with me more often, but I do wish
there was an easy way to combine bicycling and 8 x 10 format plates, not
to mention the bellows, sufficiently sturdy tripod, etc.

I once saw redtailed hawk fly over with a garter snake in it's talons
with a baby hawk flying wing.

I live in an area with houses cheek-by-jowl. And yet we have an
occasional Cooper's hawk take station near our bird feeder.
They even catch the occasional sparrow and dine al fresco.

--
Michael Press

Heh! Heh! bird feeder, get it?

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Caution: increasingly gruesome pictures.

I came upon this gory scene next to the no-shoulder two-lane road on
my daily ride and took pictures from different angles.

The victim, a racer (red for speed) was not wearing a helmet.

According to authorities, the assailant (it was obviously no
accident)is a naturalized immigrant from Jamaica, who fled the scene.

The shadow in the last picture shows how close the camera was--yes,
those are ribs.

Click on the lower right to view full size in Explorer.

http://i3.tinypic.com/6hft9br.jpg

http://i14.tinypic.com/6g2lso8.jpg

http://i13.tinypic.com/61ju64l.jpg

http://i13.tinypic.com/6f5kbr9.jpg

http://i14.tinypic.com/4ub2qsi.jpg

http://i18.tinypic.com/62fvi3r.jpg

http://i17.tinypic.com/52nx1ef.jpg

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

So which one is the immigrant from Jamaica" and I've never seen a pink
snake in the wild. What kind is it?

When I lived in NM the neighbor kids used to go 'falconing" with a red
tailed hawk. From time to time it would take a little prairie rattler. It
would hit the snake in a full dive and both critters would roll over for
about 3 feet.

If the snake was still alert after being hit the hawk would do a dance
with one wing stretched open in front of the snake. The snake would strike
at the feathers then all of a sudden the hawk would catch the snake by the
neck with a super fast foot, one bite to the head and it was lunch time
for the hawk.

Chas.

"catzz66" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

dvt said:

catzz66 said:

[email hidden] wrote:

> Caution: increasingly gruesome pictures.

Nice Photos, Carl!

Quoted message said:

Where were these taken? Do you know?

Near Pueblo, CO. Your question is an invitation for a really long
answer. 🙂

Heh. Looks like where I grew up, though, Land of Enchantment (NM).

NE NM is much prettier than SE CO, especially south and west of Raton.

Chas.

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Tue, 22 May 2007 22:33:26 GMT, Jay Hill <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Caution: increasingly gruesome pictures.

Thanks for taking & posting them.

Quoted message said:

The shadow in the last picture shows how close the camera was...

I'm surprised it let you get so close. How did it behave as you
approached?

Dear Jay,

About like a hungry customer behaves after the waiter says, "Enjoy
your meal!" It noticed me, but didn't really care.

I pedalled past it on the far side of the road, dropped my bike, and
started taking pictures back down the slope and across the road.

Here's the first one, #952 in the sequence:

http://i18.tinypic.com/4uubf46.jpg

The hawk just kept ripping chunks off its dinner.

I sat down and used the handlebars as a rest for a few pictures--you
can see a pedal here in #958:

http://i13.tinypic.com/4zyodco.jpg

The hawk ignored me.

I turned my face away, sidled along the road to some thick wooden
barrier posts along the top of the dam, sat down, and took more
pictures across the road using a barrier as a post--#971 was taken
across the road from the hawk and from high enough that you can see
the shadow of a traffic sign on the road:

http://i18.tinypic.com/67iqpmw.jpg

Pretty soon I was looking directly across the road:

http://i16.tinypic.com/4xpei4h.jpg

The hawk kept eating.

Two cars came up the dam road, ignoring everything on both sides of
the road, a third went by downhill towing a boat, with its driver
glaring at me, and finally a fellow on a touring bike pedalled
downhill, completely oblivious to the hawk, but waving at me.

I walked downhill in a gentle arc, crossing the road, and took some
more pictures looking back uphill toward the bluffs that I pedal
toward every day. This is #981:

http://i18.tinypic.com/67dsoaq.jpg

The hawk just kept stuffing itself.

I walked slowly past the hawk in the grass on its side of the road and
took a few pictures. This is #984:

http://i14.tinypic.com/4mciwm0.jpg

The hawk looked up, but didn't mind.

A little past the hawk, I sat down, facing away, turned, and took a
few pictures looking up from about twenty feet away. This is the last,
#992, and shows how big the hawk's feet are:

http://i18.tinypic.com/66jacmp.jpg

The hawk finally had enough, either of the snake or my bad table
manners, and flew off. From #952 to #992 took just under nine minutes
for 41 pictures.

Here's an old picture of the sign and the wooden barrier at the same
spot:

http://i17.tinypic.com/4uymw00.jpg

The hawk would be to the right. The zoom foreshortens things
considerably--the truck is half a mile away, the trees a mile, and the
bluff top close to three miles.

The trick is to work with a hawk that's used to hunting along roads,
keep your face turned away while you move, walk in curves around your
quarry instead of toward it, pick a hawk that's awfully hungry--and
then get lucky.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

I have some doves that hang around my house. I went out to my car one day
and saw a small hawk or falcon in the middle of the street chowing down on
a bird it had just taken.

Passing cars had to drive around him. I was feeling a little sad because I
thought he had one of the doves. I slowly approached to about 5 feet away
and saw that he had a pigeon not a dove - Bon Appétit....

Chas.

"* * Chas" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have some doves that hang around my house. I went out to my car one day
and saw a small hawk or falcon in the middle of the street chowing down on
a bird it had just taken.

Passing cars had to drive around him. I was feeling a little sad because I
thought he had one of the doves. I slowly approached to about 5 feet away
and saw that he had a pigeon not a dove - Bon Appétit....

All the same Columbidae to me, you say tomato, I say tomato.

Greg
--
Ticketbastard tax tracker:
http://ticketmastersucks.org/tracker.html

Dethink to survive - Mclusky

"G.T." <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"* * Chas" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have some doves that hang around my house. I went out to my car one

day

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and saw a small hawk or falcon in the middle of the street chowing

down on

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

a bird it had just taken.

Passing cars had to drive around him. I was feeling a little sad

because I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

thought he had one of the doves. I slowly approached to about 5 feet

away

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

and saw that he had a pigeon not a dove - Bon Appétit....

All the same Columbidae to me, you say tomato, I say tomato.

Greg
--

"Pigeons and doves are in the order Columbiformes and family Columbidae.
There are five subfamilies within Columbidae, 42 genera and 308 species.
They are easily recognizable and have a world-wide distribution (although
they are not found in Antarctica)."

NO winged rats in Antarctica!

In SF minced squab was a popular item on the menus at a lot of Asian
restaurants. Someone noticed a reduction in the number of pigeons in the
local city parks.....

Chas.

* * Chas said:

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Caution: increasingly gruesome pictures.

I came upon this gory scene next to the no-shoulder two-lane road on
my daily ride and took pictures from different angles.

The victim, a racer (red for speed) was not wearing a helmet.

According to authorities, the assailant (it was obviously no
accident)is a naturalized immigrant from Jamaica, who fled the scene.

The shadow in the last picture shows how close the camera was--yes,
those are ribs.

Click on the lower right to view full size in Explorer.

http://i3.tinypic.com/6hft9br.jpg

http://i14.tinypic.com/6g2lso8.jpg

http://i13.tinypic.com/61ju64l.jpg

http://i13.tinypic.com/6f5kbr9.jpg

http://i14.tinypic.com/4ub2qsi.jpg

http://i18.tinypic.com/62fvi3r.jpg

http://i17.tinypic.com/52nx1ef.jpg

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

So which one is the immigrant from Jamaica" and I've never seen a pink
snake in the wild. What kind is it?

When I lived in NM the neighbor kids used to go 'falconing" with a red
tailed hawk.

[snip]

Dear Chas,

A) Google your childhood bird's scientific name and its odd history.

Hawks along the front range of the Rockies can be maddeningly varied
in their plumage and difficult to identify in flight, but this one was
kind enough to pose, displaying the unbarred underside of its tail
feathers and near-spotless white leggings.

B) A racer, red.

In south-east Colorado, the normally black western coachwhip is a
beautiful dusty pink. Here's a relative of the deceased:

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.bicycles.tech/msg/6b8da54e7bac1b65

Cheers,

Carolus L.

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

* * Chas said:

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Caution: increasingly gruesome pictures.

I came upon this gory scene next to the no-shoulder two-lane road on
my daily ride and took pictures from different angles.

The victim, a racer (red for speed) was not wearing a helmet.

According to authorities, the assailant (it was obviously no
accident)is a naturalized immigrant from Jamaica, who fled the scene.

The shadow in the last picture shows how close the camera was--yes,
those are ribs.

Click on the lower right to view full size in Explorer.

http://i3.tinypic.com/6hft9br.jpg

http://i14.tinypic.com/6g2lso8.jpg

http://i13.tinypic.com/61ju64l.jpg

http://i13.tinypic.com/6f5kbr9.jpg

http://i14.tinypic.com/4ub2qsi.jpg

http://i18.tinypic.com/62fvi3r.jpg

http://i17.tinypic.com/52nx1ef.jpg

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

So which one is the immigrant from Jamaica" and I've never seen a pink
snake in the wild. What kind is it?

When I lived in NM the neighbor kids used to go 'falconing" with a red
tailed hawk.

[snip]

Dear Chas,

A) Google your childhood bird's scientific name and its odd history.

Hawks along the front range of the Rockies can be maddeningly varied
in their plumage and difficult to identify in flight, but this one was
kind enough to pose, displaying the unbarred underside of its tail
feathers and near-spotless white leggings.

B) A racer, red.

In south-east Colorado, the normally black western coachwhip is a
beautiful dusty pink. Here's a relative of the deceased:

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.bicycles.tech/msg/6b8da54e7bac1b65

Cheers,

Carolus L.

The scientific name is Buteo jamaicensis but I couldn't find any link to
Jamaica.

Many years ago we were taking an early spring ride on NM Hwy 6 near Rio
Puerco. It was a warm day and the grass alongside the road was already
about a foot high. I was riding close to the edge of the road due to the
behavior of the local 4 wheeled varmints.

I ran over 2 prairie rattlers (Crotalus viridis) that were laying part way
out of the grass. They must have just come out of hibernation because I
found about 3 or 4 more on the road. I got off the bike and chased them
off of the road with my Silca pump (fully extended) so that they wouldn't
get run over by a car. NM prairie rattlers in that area only get about 20"
long and they are a dusty tan color. They keep the rodent population in
check.

Chas. Linus

* * Chas said:

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

* * Chas said:

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
> Caution: increasingly gruesome pictures.
>
> I came upon this gory scene next to the no-shoulder two-lane road on
> my daily ride and took pictures from different angles.
>
> The victim, a racer (red for speed) was not wearing a helmet.
>
> According to authorities, the assailant (it was obviously no
> accident)is a naturalized immigrant from Jamaica, who fled the scene.
>
> The shadow in the last picture shows how close the camera was--yes,
> those are ribs.
>
> Click on the lower right to view full size in Explorer.
>
> http://i3.tinypic.com/6hft9br.jpg
>
> http://i14.tinypic.com/6g2lso8.jpg
>
> http://i13.tinypic.com/61ju64l.jpg
>
> http://i13.tinypic.com/6f5kbr9.jpg
>
> http://i14.tinypic.com/4ub2qsi.jpg
>
> http://i18.tinypic.com/62fvi3r.jpg
>
> http://i17.tinypic.com/52nx1ef.jpg
>
> Cheers,
>
> Carl Fogel

So which one is the immigrant from Jamaica" and I've never seen a pink
snake in the wild. What kind is it?

When I lived in NM the neighbor kids used to go 'falconing" with a red
tailed hawk.

[snip]

Dear Chas,

A) Google your childhood bird's scientific name and its odd history.

Hawks along the front range of the Rockies can be maddeningly varied
in their plumage and difficult to identify in flight, but this one was
kind enough to pose, displaying the unbarred underside of its tail
feathers and near-spotless white leggings.

B) A racer, red.

In south-east Colorado, the normally black western coachwhip is a
beautiful dusty pink. Here's a relative of the deceased:

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.bicycles.tech/msg/6b8da54e7bac1b65

Cheers,

Carolus L.

The scientific name is Buteo jamaicensis but I couldn't find any link to
Jamaica.

[snip]

Quoted message said:

Chas. Linus

Dear Chas,

The hawk was first described where people who described such things in
latin were thick on the ground. Here's a typical explanation:

"What is the scientific name?"

"Buteo jamaicensis Pronounced BEW-tee-oh jah-may-ih-SEN-sis"

"What does it mean?"

"'Jamaican hawk.' Buteo is Latin for 'falcon' or hawk. 'Jamaicensis'
is the Latinized version of Jamaica, an island in the West Indies. The
first specimens of red-tailed hawk to be classified came from
Jamaica."

http://home.sou.edu/~rible/wildlife/redtail.html

Later, naturalists reached the interior of the less hospitable lands
north of the Gulf of Mexico and discovered that Buteo j. was no more
limited to Jamaica than the Norway rat was limited to western
Scandinavia.

See Carl Hiaasen's "Strip Tease" for more Jamaican predators turning
up in the Rockies, dumping a geek drowned in a Florida bath tub into a
Montana trout river.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

* * Chas said:

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Wed, 23 May 2007 13:41:41 -0700, "* * Chas"
<[email hidden]> wrote:

>
><[email hidden]> wrote in message
>news:[email hidden]...
>> Caution: increasingly gruesome pictures.
>>
>> I came upon this gory scene next to the no-shoulder two-lane road

on

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>> my daily ride and took pictures from different angles.
>>
>> The victim, a racer (red for speed) was not wearing a helmet.
>>
>> According to authorities, the assailant (it was obviously no
>> accident)is a naturalized immigrant from Jamaica, who fled the

scene.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>>
>> The shadow in the last picture shows how close the camera

was--yes,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>> those are ribs.
>>
>> Click on the lower right to view full size in Explorer.
>>
>> http://i3.tinypic.com/6hft9br.jpg
>>
>> http://i14.tinypic.com/6g2lso8.jpg
>>
>> http://i13.tinypic.com/61ju64l.jpg
>>
>> http://i13.tinypic.com/6f5kbr9.jpg
>>
>> http://i14.tinypic.com/4ub2qsi.jpg
>>
>> http://i18.tinypic.com/62fvi3r.jpg
>>
>> http://i17.tinypic.com/52nx1ef.jpg
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>> Carl Fogel
>
>So which one is the immigrant from Jamaica" and I've never seen a

pink

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>snake in the wild. What kind is it?
>
>When I lived in NM the neighbor kids used to go 'falconing" with a

red

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

>tailed hawk.

[snip]

Dear Chas,

A) Google your childhood bird's scientific name and its odd history.

Hawks along the front range of the Rockies can be maddeningly varied
in their plumage and difficult to identify in flight, but this one

was

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

kind enough to pose, displaying the unbarred underside of its tail
feathers and near-spotless white leggings.

B) A racer, red.

In south-east Colorado, the normally black western coachwhip is a
beautiful dusty pink. Here's a relative of the deceased:

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.bicycles.tech/msg/6b8da54e7bac1b65

Cheers,

Carolus L.

The scientific name is Buteo jamaicensis but I couldn't find any link

to

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Jamaica.

[snip]

Quoted message said:

Chas. Linus

Dear Chas,

The hawk was first described where people who described such things in
latin were thick on the ground. Here's a typical explanation:

"What is the scientific name?"

"Buteo jamaicensis Pronounced BEW-tee-oh jah-may-ih-SEN-sis"

"What does it mean?"

"'Jamaican hawk.' Buteo is Latin for 'falcon' or hawk. 'Jamaicensis'
is the Latinized version of Jamaica, an island in the West Indies. The
first specimens of red-tailed hawk to be classified came from
Jamaica."

http://home.sou.edu/~rible/wildlife/redtail.html

Later, naturalists reached the interior of the less hospitable lands
north of the Gulf of Mexico and discovered that Buteo j. was no more
limited to Jamaica than the Norway rat was limited to western
Scandinavia.

See Carl Hiaasen's "Strip Tease" for more Jamaican predators turning
up in the Rockies, dumping a geek drowned in a Florida bath tub into a
Montana trout river.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

On a slightly different note, tumbleweed is not native to North America.
In the late 1800s immigrant farmers from the Ukraine settled in western
Canada.

Russian thistle - Salsola kali (tumbleweed) seeds were mixed in with the
flax seeds that they planted. In less than 100 years tumble weed spread
throughout North America. Have you ever been hit by a large tumbleweed
blowing across the road? It's enough to knock you off the bike.

Chas.

On Thu, 24 May 2007 23:56:24 -0700, "* * Chas"
<[email hidden]> wrote:

[snip]

Quoted message said:

Have you ever been hit by a large tumbleweed
blowing across the road?

[snip]

Dear Chas,

http://i1.tinypic.com/2dir7t0.jpg

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

In article
<[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

See Carl Hiaasen's "Strip Tease" for more Jamaican predators turning
up in the Rockies, dumping a geek drowned in a Florida bath tub into a
Montana trout river.

Perhaps his best book of many good ones.
"Skinny Dip" is very enjoyable.

--
Michael Press

Quoted message said:

Last time I watched an eagle kill and eat a snake was near the Rogue
River in a somewhat wild part of Oregon.

I'm going to begin carrying my camera with me more often, but I do wish
there was an easy way to combine bicycling and 8 x 10 format plates, not
to mention the bellows, sufficiently sturdy tripod, etc.

--
Ted Bennett

Haven't done 8x10, but easily have done 4x5 out of a BOB trailer. With
careful packing should be able to handle 8x10 as well. Used a bunch of
extra foam padding as I was a bit worried what all the bumps would do to all
the mechanical stuff that makes up LF gear.