Fun at the Inn


Message posted by JB737 on December 26, 2007 at 2:18:21 PST:

Prior to attempting Tikaboo last week, I decided to take my girlfriend Linda up to Nellis and Rachel. I think it was Wednesday the 19th (not 100% sure without checking gas receipts.)

We got to Nellis more like 4pm than the 3:30pm planned to see planes returning, and saw nothing except a pair of A-10s over the highway before arriving there. Oops, should have allowed more time to get there.

Then we headed north, making my customary stop at the Alamo Chevron for gas, restrooms, and a few groceries to take along in the car. Being dark out, I took it easy at 55mph on Rt 375, and still had a close encounter of the "cattle butt in my lane" kind, which could have been an accident at higher speed.

There were small amounts of snow off the side of the road in/near Hancock Summit pass, but the road was dry and the scene serene. A couple of jackrabbits tried their luck at running across in front of me, successfully. Then a bird of prey did the same, missing the windshield by only 3-6 feet horizontally, having sailed across the road at windshield height.

Connie pulled up to the Inn just as we did, and she made us nice turkey sandwiches while I played "cowboy darts" with the locals including Pat's grandson and a non-Campbell Glen. They took me to be a darts hustler when I hit the 25 ring from the lunch counter, but no money changed hands. :-)

On the way back to Vegas, another (or maybe the same!) bird of prey again sailed past my windshield, missing by the same distance (or should I say, margin of safety!) as previously. Very strange. How the avian equivalents of car-chasing dogs get enough practice at harassing cars where there is so little traffic, to avoid getting hit, is unclear to me. It took my mind back to the hummingbird-in-face incident of June 30th on Tikaboo and the Pave Hawks a year ago. My only trip where a helicopter or bird was not in my face in the last year, was on Easter Sunday.

I decided to surprise Linda by turning onto the road to Tikaboo. She got exponentially more nervous as we proceeded farther from pavement, so I turned around after only a mile or so. The road was snow-free and in good shape. The usually-soft sandy section was actually much firmer than usual...I wouldn't have even noticed it if I didn't already know it.

All in all, an easy afternoon/evening trip out into the country, nothing more unusual than the two identical bird fly-bys.

JB737



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