Over the years I have had many close calls with cars when riding my bike and occasionally while running.
However the most bizarre encounters have been with non humans.
Both episodes occurred within a few kilometres of my home.
One morning as I was running in the fields that I had run in frequently I came across a herd of cows. Yes cows, not bulls as I had many times previously. On this occasion like many others the cows wouldn't let me pass and decided to run ahead of me. One by one they peeled off until there was one left. After several 100 metres the track narrowed and came to a gate. Aware of this I slowed down and waited for the cow to turn around and pass me from a safe distance. The cow had other ideas and immediately charged me. By a slim margin I frantically hurled my self out of it's way over the wire fence. An extremely lucky escape!
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| They look harmless enough |
The other episode happened within close proximity of the cow confrontation. This time it involved bees!. Once again I was following well worn paths in familiar territories. I had never before concerned myself with the bee hives that I had passed on a nearly daily basis for several years. However this was not a typical day. As I passed by the hives I became aware that I was being followed. Before long I had bees swarming around my head. A frightening experience! I pulled my T Shirt over my head and picked up the pace. I would have looked a sight! They were relentless and continued to buzz wildly all around me. After about 1 km I managed to outrun them or maybe they lost interest. It took a while for me to settle down from the adrenalin rush of being chased by angry bees! Fortunately I escaped without a sting.
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| Not too close |
Have you had any close encounters of the non human variety?
13 comments:
You sure lead an adventurous life, although I think those kind of adventures you could probably do without, but they sure make for entertaining stories :-). If there was no fence, would you have managed to outrun the cow? And running a km with a t-shirt over your head... that must have been a bit of an experience...
I think the only encounter of the non human variety I really had was when I used to deliver magazines as a 13 year old. A fox terrier jumped over the one fence, chased after me as I rode away on my bike and then bit me on the leg. I kicked it really hard in the face.
Both encounters sound very scary.
When one of my daughters was younger she did a paper round and there are a lot of seagulls around here. Well one day as she was doing her round they started to dive and swoop at her. Very scary.
:) :) :) :) :) not nice for you both in one respect, but in retrospect, soooooo funny!! I hope it wasn't too bad a bite Lea.
Paul, I so hope I can join you on a run one day, they sound like a lot of fun!! A great work out, hurling yourself over fences because of cows!!
I sure have... cows, bulls, bees and one time Vultures....http://lifeforus.blogspot.com/2009/06/stumphouse-tunnel-and-isaqueena-falls.html I'm sure if anyone had been watching Scott and I they would have been laughing their pants off as we tried to protect each other from the "scarey noises"
Nothing wrong with a lil adventure while running! lol Makes for an entertaining run.
I have only had an encounter or two with a human being from Lower Hutt. I got awfully interested in your beautiful country but as it is so far away, on the other side of the world, no luck so far to travel there. My pen friend no longer is alive and I'm old now. We wrote to each other from the first year I had English at school. I was 12 years old then. This has nothing to do with your post but the name of the town rang a bell. I'll start reading you.
Fortunately for me I have not! The only dangerous thing I've encountered is myself! As you know from my 2 falls within 3 months of each other.
I am glad you got away unscathed! The bees would have terrified me!
I skidded on a slug once. Was attacked by wasps, apparently 15 mph is the speed to escape them. Maybe the same speed for bees. My running days were finished by a border collie which sideswiped me.
By the way Paul, those cows look more like bullocks to me.
wow that cow does look harmless...oh and omg a swarm of beese I gotta run!!!!!-James
Cows are more dangerous than they look. The bees were scary. I had to run really fast. Thanks for commenting on my blog, James.
it was James Bright and I spelt bees wrong I was typing so fast
Thanks, James. We all make mistakes, even teachers.
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