Things that go bump in the night

Posted 8/21/12

We set the clocks back this time of year, thrusting us back into the darkness of the morning. My morning has me out of the house before 5 a.m. each day. There is a different world outside my door at …

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Things that go bump in the night

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We set the clocks back this time of year, thrusting us back into the darkness of the morning. My morning has me out of the house before 5 a.m. each day. There is a different world outside my door at that hour, an eerie world of wildlife with night vision. Sometimes, I cringe when I hear the crunch of the leaves, not knowing what creature is out there in the dark. Sometimes, at the edge of the property, it’s just a pair of glowing eyes staring at me; or there are the screeches, howls and other things going on in the dark. When I get spooked by these denizens of the night, I have a good 30 yards between the house and my truck across the street by the barn. It can seem like two football fields some mornings. I feel safe once I close the truck door, but getting there can be half the battle.

One morning I noticed our garbage can had been knocked over. As I got closer I could make out the rump of a black bear sticking out of the can. His upper torso was fully inside the can and he was in garbage heaven. Knowing that trains wait for no man, I had a choice to make: miss the train or try to get “Boo Boo” to move. Luckily for me, I have an alarm on my truck, so I was able to dissuade him out of the can and on his way with the sound of the truck horn at a safe distance, thanks to my key fob.

Being safe once I am in the truck is not always a guarantee. The deer are in rut this time of year and the mating season has them all crazy. They stand at the edge of the road just looking like they are ready to play chicken with me at any second as I drive by. One morning, a big doe bolted just as I was passing her. She began to run right next to my truck. We were literally eye to eye as she ran alongside me; I could see the breath coming out of her nose. I hit the brakes and she ran back into the woods, off to play the game with the next passing car, I am sure. My heart was still racing from the encounter as I finally boarded the train.

Deer also like to play chicken with the train; unfortunately the train usually wins. A train passenger can tell when this happens by a few tell-tale signs. First there is the sound of the horn, which the engineer lays on long and hard. Next is the slowing (not stopping) of the train. Then you will hear one of two things, either nothing, as the train comes back up to speed or the hard thump as the train hits the deer and comes back up to speed. (Note: no stopping occurs). The thump is followed by a sound no one will quickly forget, especially those in the first two cars. It is the sounds of the deer being broken apart and the clink-clank-clunking of the bones as they rattle under the train car. It’s a horrific experience, for everyone including the engineer, who is really going too fast to stop on a dime.

One morning, this fall routine was playing itself out as it does; the sound of the horn woke me up. This time it was followed by the screeching brakes and the feeling of the train coming to a hastened full stop. We sat there for a time as the engineer flashed the lights and lay on the horn. Apparently this time there was a 300 lb. black bear sitting on the tracks in no hurry to move. Eventually, he moseyed on his way and we were off on ours. Good thing too, since there are a few things that can damage a train. A 300 lb. bear will do more than just go bump in the night; the train might actually lose this one.

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