Frank Krygowski wrote:
On Oct 25, 9:28 pm, (It's Chris) wrote:
...
And running.

And running.

We finally lost him as we pulled into the town of Hickory Grove, after
FOUR AND A HALF MILES!

What's the farthest y'all have ever been chased by the same dog?

Riding due west in South Dakota, we were struggling with a brutal
crosswind, one that tried to tip us off your bikes and kept us down to
about 11 mph, despite perfectly flat roads. This (like almost all
South Dakota) was the middle of nowhere. But a friendly farm dog
appeared and trotted along with us, running at the edge of the
cornfield, keeping a very respectful distance.

We rode for about half a mile with him, then I stopped to show my
family the map. We were due to head north a day or two later. I
proposed changing our route to let the headwinds blow us north.
Everybody agreed - even the dog, who by this time was enjoying being
petted.

So we rode - no, _flew_ north, propelled along flat, new pavement by
nearly 30 mph tailwinds. We were easily cranking well over 20 mph,
but that dog was charging along after us. He was still being smart
enough to stay well off the road, running through the weeds at the
edge of cornfields.

In about half a mile, as we crossed a bridge over a creek, we finally
saw him peel off further right and head down to the creek. We figured
that was the end of our escort.

But he soon reappeared, soaking wet but still game for the chase. He
charged along with us until we finally came to a very slight downhill
- one that allowed us to get up to 28 mph. There he finally dropped
off.

Now, it's interesting that I had guessed he ran with us for about
three miles. But just now, browsing the location on Google Maps, I
see the total was closer to a mile and a half. Still, it was a fun
experience for all of us! I've been chased by many dogs in 30+ years
of riding, but that was my favorite.

- Frank Krygowski

Do cows count?
Last year I was out in the boondocks pushing about 12 MPH into a
headwind when a small herd of cows decided to pace me. With all the
bells it was a constant dingle-ling for about a mile then they had to
stop for a fence. On the way back they did the same thing, following
next to me until they hit the fence. Cows don't like petting though.
On another road there are three horses who follow me and last week I
decided to get off the bike and approach them. Two of the three liked
the attention and the ear scratch, but the third would not come near me
for some reason.
My next challenge is an Emu that someone has for a pet. Kind of like a
funky Ostrich, but it won't come closer than about 5 feet, so I don't
know if it would like the petting or be annoyed by it.

Bill (random riding) Baka