So Long, Grodsky

Motorcycle Saftey Expert and Rider magazine columnist Dave Grodsky died in a collision with a deer this week.

In the November 2005 issue, he listed changes he had seen since he began riding in 1970. Number 5 was Deer:

"Unbelievable as this may sound, nearly one of every 200 vehicles in the United States will collide with a deer this year! In 2005 they roam the neighborhood the way dogs did in the days before leash laws. Unlike inattentive drivers, who invade our space from well-known coordinates, deer explode at full gallop out of anything vaguely green. It's a game of chance, but the odds are markedly better for the who manage their speed and who understand where and when deer are most active."

We *will* miss him, indeed. I've always enjoyed his articles in Rider and I took his death to heart. My wife and I were out in the fields and forests for a ride at dusk just last night, and I thought, "What the hell am I doing out here in deer country at this time of day?" We pulled up to a stop light at the next town, and I leaned over to ask my wife how she was doing. She said she was fine, but she was thinking about Grodsky through that last stretch. I told her her head was in the right place, dialing it down and watching for deer. I suppose as I continue to ride I will collect these little momentos, these little memory triggers. Like I think of target fixation every time I pass that spot I fixated on a patch of gravel and set it down. And now I'll dial it down and watch for deer, in memory of Grodsky, when I ride in deer country or in the deer hours.