Today was boredom punctuated with two milestones.
I made it to Texas.
And I saw the most amazing display of canine athleticism.
I should backtrack lightly.
I'm currently on the Southern Tier of a cycling route network from this wonderful organization known as the Adventure Cycling Association (ACA). When you purchase maps for the routes, they come with a long list of helpful hints, local services, and warnings and expectation for the area. Western Louisiana and eastern Texas are populated by wild and domestic dogs that tend to just kind of run free. I've already had my fair share of sprinting away from dogs and an incident where I had to kick one in the jaw as it got too close. Which is painful. All dogs are good boys; but I have to assume the worst when a furry missile bearing teeth is heading straight for my ankle. Dog bites are extremely dangerous for various reasons so it's understandable that when I hear barking, I get on edge.
At this point in the day I was already exhausted from riding and frustrated by the amount of dogs that were not fenced up. In the last week I've had several scares of dogs sprinting at me or coming very close. I was understanding more and more my very vulnerable position as a cyclist.Then I heard the familiar, aggressive barks of a dog that wanted to run. I looked over to see two dogs behind a six foot-high chain-link fence. I let out a sigh of relief as I assumed I was safe and my final two miles of the day would be a cinch.
Nah.
I witnessed one dog, from a sitting position, clear the fence that touches the neighbor's yard. And the dog's form was gorgeous. Without hesitation it wound up, fired off it's back legs, used its front paws to get a bit of leverage as the rear legs came up and over the top of the fence. That would get a 10/10 even from the Russian judges. For a second or two Kona and I coasted in awe at what we had seen. Even the other dog look impressed. I hurriedly checked the neighbor's yard for a fence. Fortunately, that yard was also fenced in. Or so I thought.
A half-second later, as I rounded the other side of the neighbor's barn, I saw that the other side wasn't fenced. OH COME ON I screamed internally. Fortunately, my bike pump is attached to the bottom of my top tube and is very accessible while riding. I unlatched my pump, swung it around, and tried to create some distance with the pump and me. I even sung at the dog and the doggo fortunately understood my message and backed off.
I want a dog.