The Pleasure of Bike Riding in Portland, Oregon

[Paul Berg]

~

A Portland bicyclist was thrilled to encounter a skunk on the
Springwater Corridor Trail, on Monday night as the sun was going down.
"At first I thought it was a little black and white kitten" said the
bicyclist, who preferred to remain anonymous, "I have seen snakes and
turtles and possums and raccoons and heron and eagles and even a deer,
but I did not know we had skunks living in our city. And I had no idea
they were so cute!" The bicyclist stopped to watch the skunk for a
moment and then bicycled home.

~

Poster's comment: The bicyclist must have never biked by City Hall, for
there are a good number of skunks there.

~

 

[David L. Johnson]

Paul Berg wrote:

> Poster's comment: The bicyclist must have never biked by City Hall, for
> there are a good number of skunks there.

Apparently the poster knew very little at all about skunks, or he/she
would have done anything but stop and watch.

--

David L. Johnson

A mathematician is a machine for turning coffee into theorems.
-- Paul Erdos

 

[hal lillywhite]

Paul Berg wrote:

> A Portland bicyclist was thrilled to encounter a skunk on the
> Springwater Corridor Trail, on Monday night as the sun was going down.
> "At first I thought it was a little black and white kitten" said the
> bicyclist, who preferred to remain anonymous, "I have seen snakes and
> turtles and possums and raccoons and heron and eagles and even a deer,
> but I did not know we had skunks living in our city.

Skunks live darn near everywhere there is a bit of territory for them
to hide and get something to eat.

Back when I was at Ft Benning in jump school everything was labeled
airborne. The airborne mess hall, the airborne barracks etc. One day
I saw an airborne skunk going under the airborne mess hall.

>And I had no idea
> they were so cute!" The bicyclist stopped to watch the skunk for a
> moment and then bicycled home.

Safe if you do it from a reasonable distance and don't give the
critter reason to feel threatened. IOtherwise you might have
something worse than a serious case of BO.

My father in law, a farmer, once took a direct hit from a skunk. That
was just before he had to go to a church meeting. He didn't have time
to really clean it off so went anyway. Everybody kept commenting on
how close that skunk must be but nobody realized it was him.

> Poster's comment: The bicyclist must have never biked by City Hall, for
> there are a good number of skunks there.

Yeah but two-legged skunks are not nearly as cute as the four-legged
variety.

 

[[email protected]]

On Sep 12, 8:58 pm, "David L. Johnson" <[email protected]>
wrote:
> Paul Berg wrote:
> > Poster's comment: The bicyclist must have never biked by City Hall, for
> > there are a good number of skunks there.
>
> Apparently the poster knew very little at all about skunks, or he/she
> would have done anything but stop and watch.

I've had two VERY close encounters with skunks. One was as a friend
and I were crossing a foggy field in the dark, just before setting up
camp for the night. That skunk passed within about five feet of us.
The other was as my family and I sat at a picnic table in a state park
at dusk, when the skunk walked directly under the table.

In neither case was the skunk smelly, or even nervous. Both times, we
froze immediately, but the animal passed by without incident.

Not that I'd voluntarily tempt that fate!

- Frank Krygowski

 

[Mike Jacoubowsky]

> A Portland bicyclist was thrilled to encounter a skunk on the
> Springwater Corridor Trail, on Monday night as the sun was going down.
> "At first I thought it was a little black and white kitten" said the
> bicyclist, who preferred to remain anonymous, "I have seen snakes and
> turtles and possums and raccoons and heron and eagles and even a deer,
> but I did not know we had skunks living in our city. And I had no idea
> they were so cute!" The bicyclist stopped to watch the skunk for a
> moment and then bicycled home.
>
> ~
>
> Poster's comment: The bicyclist must have never biked by City Hall, for
> there are a good number of skunks there.

I think the point is that life passes by at just the right speed on a bike.
Think about that one for a moment, and whether that might be the way it
really is.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

 

[Lobby Dosser]

"David L. Johnson" <[email protected]> wrote:

> Paul Berg wrote:
>
>> Poster's comment: The bicyclist must have never biked by City Hall,
for
>> there are a good number of skunks there.
>
> Apparently the poster knew very little at all about skunks, or he/she
> would have done anything but stop and watch.
>

Skunks in urban areas are pretty used to people and will not spray
without provocation. Standing watching them is unlikely to provoke them.
If, however, you have a dog with you, you better beat feet! Much more
serious than skunk spray, is the fact that they may be rabid. I'd fear
the bite more than the spray.

 

[Lobby Dosser]

"Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email protected]> wrote:

>> A Portland bicyclist was thrilled to encounter a skunk on the
>> Springwater Corridor Trail, on Monday night as the sun was going
>> down. "At first I thought it was a little black and white kitten"
>> said the bicyclist, who preferred to remain anonymous, "I have seen
>> snakes and turtles and possums and raccoons and heron and eagles and
>> even a deer, but I did not know we had skunks living in our city. And
>> I had no idea they were so cute!" The bicyclist stopped to watch the
>> skunk for a moment and then bicycled home.
>>
>> ~
>>
>> Poster's comment: The bicyclist must have never biked by City Hall,
>> for there are a good number of skunks there.
>
> I think the point is that life passes by at just the right speed on a
> bike. Think about that one for a moment, and whether that might be the
> way it really is.

Also kind of sad that someone's first sight of a skunk is not as a child.
Before I was nine I'd seen all of those critters up close and personal
while wandering the woods with friends.

 

[Curt]

"Paul Berg" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> ~
>
> A Portland bicyclist was thrilled to encounter a skunk on the
> Springwater Corridor Trail, on Monday night as the sun was going down.
> "At first I thought it was a little black and white kitten" said the
> bicyclist, who preferred to remain anonymous,

I would too, if I was admitting to a paper I couldn't tell a skunk from a
kitten.

Curt

 

[Bill Shatzer]

Lobby Dosser wrote:

> "Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email protected]> wrote:

>>>A Portland bicyclist was thrilled to encounter a skunk on the
>>>Springwater Corridor Trail, on Monday night as the sun was going
>>>down. "At first I thought it was a little black and white kitten"
>>>said the bicyclist, who preferred to remain anonymous, "I have seen
>>>snakes and turtles and possums and raccoons and heron and eagles and
>>>even a deer, but I did not know we had skunks living in our city. And
>>>I had no idea they were so cute!" The bicyclist stopped to watch the
>>>skunk for a moment and then bicycled home.

>>>Poster's comment: The bicyclist must have never biked by City Hall,
>>>for there are a good number of skunks there.

>>I think the point is that life passes by at just the right speed on a
>>bike. Think about that one for a moment, and whether that might be the
>>way it really is.

> Also kind of sad that someone's first sight of a skunk is not as a child.
> Before I was nine I'd seen all of those critters up close and personal
> while wandering the woods with friends.


Your friends were skunks?

Figures.

Peace and justice,

 

[[email protected]]

On Wed, 12 Sep 2007 22:38:34 -0700, Bill Shatzer
<[email protected]> mumbled:

>Lobby Dosser wrote:
>
>> "Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>>>A Portland bicyclist was thrilled to encounter a skunk on the
>>>>Springwater Corridor Trail, on Monday night as the sun was going
>>>>down. "At first I thought it was a little black and white kitten"
>>>>said the bicyclist, who preferred to remain anonymous, "I have seen
>>>>snakes and turtles and possums and raccoons and heron and eagles and
>>>>even a deer, but I did not know we had skunks living in our city. And
>>>>I had no idea they were so cute!" The bicyclist stopped to watch the
>>>>skunk for a moment and then bicycled home.
>
>>>>Poster's comment: The bicyclist must have never biked by City Hall,
>>>>for there are a good number of skunks there.
>
>>>I think the point is that life passes by at just the right speed on a
>>>bike. Think about that one for a moment, and whether that might be the
>>>way it really is.
>
>> Also kind of sad that someone's first sight of a skunk is not as a child.
>> Before I was nine I'd seen all of those critters up close and personal
>> while wandering the woods with friends.
>
>
>Your friends were skunks?
>
>Figures.

JEalous your rellys went over to his house?

 

[[email protected]]

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] wrote:

> In neither case was the skunk smelly, or even nervous. Both times, we
> froze immediately, but the animal passed by without incident.
>
> Not that I'd voluntarily tempt that fate!


I wouldn't want to tempt that fate either, but...

The people I know of who have gotten close enough to make them feel
threatened say that the skunk gives a lot of warning before spraying.
Since they noticed such things (in all cases the skunk started dancing
around on its front legs, for example) they avoided getting sprayed.

--
-Glennl
e-mail hint: add 1 to quantity after gl to get 4317.

 

[Lobby Dosser]

"[email protected]" <rem sleep> wrote:

> On Wed, 12 Sep 2007 22:38:34 -0700, Bill Shatzer
> <[email protected]> mumbled:
>
>>Lobby Dosser wrote:
>>
>>> "Mike Jacoubowsky" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>>>>A Portland bicyclist was thrilled to encounter a skunk on the
>>>>>Springwater Corridor Trail, on Monday night as the sun was going
>>>>>down. "At first I thought it was a little black and white kitten"
>>>>>said the bicyclist, who preferred to remain anonymous, "I have seen
>>>>>snakes and turtles and possums and raccoons and heron and eagles
>>>>>and even a deer, but I did not know we had skunks living in our
>>>>>city. And I had no idea they were so cute!" The bicyclist stopped
>>>>>to watch the skunk for a moment and then bicycled home.
>>
>>>>>Poster's comment: The bicyclist must have never biked by City Hall,
>>>>>for there are a good number of skunks there.
>>
>>>>I think the point is that life passes by at just the right speed on
>>>>a bike. Think about that one for a moment, and whether that might be
>>>>the way it really is.
>>
>>> Also kind of sad that someone's first sight of a skunk is not as a
>>> child. Before I was nine I'd seen all of those critters up close and
>>> personal while wandering the woods with friends.
>>
>>
>>Your friends were skunks?
>>
>>Figures.
>
> JEalous your rellys went over to his house?
>

And a Really Pathetic comeback.

I can remember lying on my stomach watching a mother skunk and three kits
walk by less than three feet away. Precious times. And they're still
around if you look for them. The bicyclist is paying attention.

 

[Lobby Dosser]

[email protected] ([email protected]) wrote:

> The people I know of who have gotten close enough to make them feel
> threatened say that the skunk gives a lot of warning before spraying.
> Since they noticed such things (in all cases the skunk started dancing
> around on its front legs, for example) they avoided getting sprayed.
>
>

ROTFLOL!!!

Yeah, dancing around on the front legs is a sign they're perturbed about
something. They sure ain't telling the other skunks the distance and
direction to a food source!

 

[The poster last in PDX in 2003]

On Sep 13, 12:03 am, Lobby Dosser <[email protected]>
wrote:
> [email protected] ([email protected]) wrote:
> > The people I know of who have gotten close enough to make them feel
> > threatened say that the skunk gives a lot of warning before spraying.
> > Since they noticed such things (in all cases the skunk started dancing
> > around on its front legs, for example) they avoided getting sprayed.
>
> ROTFLOL!!!
>
> Yeah, dancing around on the front legs is a sign they're perturbed about
> something. They sure ain't telling the other skunks the distance and
> direction to a food source!

Not the Macarena...

 

[hal lillywhite]

[email protected] wrote:

> I wouldn't want to tempt that fate either, but...

> The people I know of who have gotten close enough to make them feel
> threatened say that the skunk gives a lot of warning before spraying.
> Since they noticed such things (in all cases the skunk started dancing
> around on its front legs, for example) they avoided getting sprayed.

Don't count on it (as you say, don't tempt that particular fate). The
critter will give the warning before spraying if it thinks it has
time. It has only a limited amount of "chemical warfare agent"
available and doesn't use it lightly. However it can cut loose in a
hurry if it feels the need. And of course the skunk is the sole judge
of what makes it feel the need to fire quickly.

Back on the farm we had machinery sprayed regularly. The skunk could
have moved out of the way had it noticed but often didn't notice until
the machine was right on top of it. The reaction was a quick squirt
of skunk oil and a stinky machine. Also often a tailless skunk since
the machine was often a mower or something similar that would clear
the body but cut off the tail of the animal.

 

[Ted Mittelstaedt]

"Lobby Dosser" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:_53Gi.3342$1n1.856@trnddc02...
> "David L. Johnson" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > Paul Berg wrote:
> >
> >> Poster's comment: The bicyclist must have never biked by City Hall,
> for
> >> there are a good number of skunks there.
> >
> > Apparently the poster knew very little at all about skunks, or he/she
> > would have done anything but stop and watch.
> >
>
> Skunks in urban areas are pretty used to people and will not spray
> without provocation. Standing watching them is unlikely to provoke them.
> If, however, you have a dog with you, you better beat feet! Much more
> serious than skunk spray, is the fact that they may be rabid. I'd fear
> the bite more than the spray.

Rabies is extremely uncommon in Oregon. The health dept. has
graphs and statistics. I don't believe there has ever been a case of
rabies in a skunk in Oregon. As I recall the most common carriers are
bats, foxes, dogs and cats.

Rabid animals that are in early stages of the disease act like
any other animal - they would avoid a skunk. Rabid animals
in late states of the disease that attacked a skunk would pretty
much ignore the spraying and end up killing the skunk.

Pets are the most common vector of transmission to humans
followed by bats. Any bat bite should automatically be assumed
to have come from a rabid bat. And more importantly, people
who spend a lot of time in places bats frequent - splunkers,
pest removal, chimney sweeps, and such - should have the
rabies vaccination series that is given before exposure.

You do not have to be bitten to contract rabies. There is a
documented case of a woman who died of rabies having never
been bitten. She had rabid bats living in her chimney in her
home.

Ted

 

[Lobby Dosser]

"Ted Mittelstaedt" <[email protected]> wrote:

>
> "Lobby Dosser" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:_53Gi.3342$1n1.856@trnddc02...
>> "David L. Johnson" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> > Paul Berg wrote:
>> >
>> >> Poster's comment: The bicyclist must have never biked by City
>> >> Hall,
>> for
>> >> there are a good number of skunks there.
>> >
>> > Apparently the poster knew very little at all about skunks, or
>> > he/she would have done anything but stop and watch.
>> >
>>
>> Skunks in urban areas are pretty used to people and will not spray
>> without provocation. Standing watching them is unlikely to provoke
>> them. If, however, you have a dog with you, you better beat feet!
>> Much more serious than skunk spray, is the fact that they may be
>> rabid. I'd fear the bite more than the spray.
>
> Rabies is extremely uncommon in Oregon. The health dept. has
> graphs and statistics. I don't believe there has ever been a case of
> rabies in a skunk in Oregon. As I recall the most common carriers are
> bats, foxes, dogs and cats.
>
> Rabid animals that are in early stages of the disease act like
> any other animal - they would avoid a skunk. Rabid animals
> in late states of the disease that attacked a skunk would pretty
> much ignore the spraying and end up killing the skunk.
>
> Pets are the most common vector of transmission to humans
> followed by bats. Any bat bite should automatically be assumed
> to have come from a rabid bat. And more importantly, people
> who spend a lot of time in places bats frequent - splunkers,
> pest removal, chimney sweeps, and such - should have the
> rabies vaccination series that is given before exposure.
>
> You do not have to be bitten to contract rabies. There is a
> documented case of a woman who died of rabies having never
> been bitten. She had rabid bats living in her chimney in her
> home.
>
> Ted
>
>
>

<http://www.ohsu.edu/health/health-topics/topic.cfm?id=9223>

[Rabies is a widespread, viral infection of warm-blooded animals. Caused
by a virus in the Rhabdoviridae family, it attacks the nervous system
and, once symptoms develop, it is 100 percent fatal in animals.

In North America, rabies occurs primarily in skunks, raccoons, foxes, and
bats. In some areas, these wild animals infect domestic cats, dogs, and
livestock. In the United States, cats are more likely than dogs to be
rabid.]

 

[Curt]

"Lobby Dosser" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:QApGi.9142

> [Rabies is a widespread, viral infection of warm-blooded animals. Caused
> by a virus in the Rhabdoviridae family, it attacks the nervous system
> and, once symptoms develop, it is 100 percent fatal in animals.

There was an article last year maybe about a teenage girl who got bit by a
rabid bat, wound up with rabies. They kept her in a coma for like 3weeks, on
Valium or something to stop the seizures, and I think they kept her body
temperature down too IIRC. She survived -- they said it was a total miracle
and she was like one in a million to do that.

Definitely not the disease you want to get.

Curt

 

[Hank Wirtz]

On Sep 14, 3:26 pm, "Curt" <[email protected]> wrote:
> "Lobby Dosser" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> news:QApGi.9142
>
> > [Rabies is a widespread, viral infection of warm-blooded animals. Caused
> > by a virus in the Rhabdoviridae family, it attacks the nervous system
> > and, once symptoms develop, it is 100 percent fatal in animals.
>
> There was an article last year maybe about a teenage girl who got bit by a
> rabid bat, wound up with rabies. They kept her in a coma for like 3weeks, on
> Valium or something to stop the seizures, and I think they kept her body
> temperature down too IIRC. She survived -- they said it was a total miracle
> and she was like one in a million to do that.
>
> Definitely not the disease you want to get.
>
> Curt

Not just one in a million...the only known person to survive rabies
without vaccination, in the world, ever.

 

[Tom Keats]

In article <[email protected]>,
[email protected] writes:
> On Sep 12, 8:58 pm, "David L. Johnson" <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>> Paul Berg wrote:
>> > Poster's comment: The bicyclist must have never biked by City Hall, for
>> > there are a good number of skunks there.
>>
>> Apparently the poster knew very little at all about skunks, or he/she
>> would have done anything but stop and watch.
>
> I've had two VERY close encounters with skunks.

I've had many.

They're very sociable, and they enjoy the company
of humans who don't freak them out or startle them,
or run them over with cars.

They're not quite as frenetic as ferrets or otters,
but just as willful. Once you become acquainted with
'em and they understand you're no threat to 'em, they
won't let 'er rip on ya. In fact it's dead easy to
get 'em to eat outa yer hand.

Just don't let them get their claws on ya.

If you befriend a pregnant skunkette, eventually she's
just gotta drop by and show off her offspring to you,
who'll follow behing Mom like boxcars behind a locomotive.
Don't touch them -- just admire and approve of them and
Mom, and give 'em your positive vibes from a respectful
distance. They'll give you their positive vibes too. As
long as you don't hassle them. Skunks are very much like
humans. I guess that's why they're attracted to us.
That, and our garbage.


cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca