Why did the cicada cross the road?

[pineappleunderthesea]

Answer:  to smack into my visor and nearly cause me to wipe out.
 
But seriously, what the hell?  Went for a ride this morning and these things were flying all over the place.  Into a tight corner I see one coming right for me and whack!  right into my visor.  I instinctively turned my head to the side at the last second, causing me to tense up and almost go wide into the corner.  It's one thing if it was a fly, but these things are almost 2 inches long!
 
I don't know about other parts of the country, but in the Pittsburgh area they're all over the place once you get onto country roads.  They're also large enough that you want to flinch everytime one comes at you, pretty hard to fight those instincts.  They strike hard on the visor, and leave quite a bit of guts behind.  What's even worse is that at low speeds they land and attach on your gear, those beady little red devil eyes staring at you, and frankly it takes amazing amounts of self control not to jump off the bike and tear all your clothes off in fear that they'll crawl up into your helmet.  And then it's Star Trek II Wrath of Khan all over....
 
Anyway, just wanted to make the point that it's unnerving to see something 10 feet out flying right at you without flinching or shutting your eyes.  Maybe I just need to slowly ride into swarms of these things so I get used to them wacking me....
 
 
 

[Guest 2wheeler]

Funny you mention those goofy looking bugs...
 
A couple months ago an old roommate of mine died. I'll let him live on by telling a story about him that blew me away.
 
It was a huge cicada time in VA, and I was over visiting him. We were standing outside by a tree with a bunch of cicada on it. He made a comment about how tasty they were. I said WTF, are you crazy. This was followed up with an "I don't believe you - prove it to me" Well.... he picks one off the tree, pulls it wings off, and eats it. We aren't talking just swallowing it, but chewing it up well. I was speechless other than to ask him why he pulled the wings off - he replied that he didn't like the texture of the wings.
 
Feeling quite sure that he wouldn't do it again, I dared him. Yes, he readily grabbed a second one, went through the same procedure, and then bitched about this one not being as tasty because it was sorta dry tasting.
 
No, he didn't die from eating cicadas.
 
The takeaway from this story is that if you are out riding, and a big swarm is heading right for you - open your mouth and get a free meal/snack (puke)
 
 

[Guest Ralph]

Took a Pheasant on the fairing of my Suzy V-strom on a Scottish back road when 3/4 of the way
to the ton, the bike more or less undressed itself and I got a bruised knee it had popped
all the fasteners but it all went back ok and apart from the Pheasant we lived to ride on.

[Beemer]

LMAO! You po thang!
 
 
[attachment id=1779" thumbnail="1] C I C A D AAAAAAAAAAAA!!!
 
Lived in Ohio and Indiana and have had my share of "run-ins" with those damned bugs. I hate them for their noise alone but triple the hate for them when on a bike! Try setting your phaser to KILL! heh! 

[sorkyah]

LMAO! You po thang! 
 
[attachment id=1779" thumbnail="1] C I C A D AAAAAAAAAAAA!!!
 
Lived in Ohio and Indiana and have had my share of "run-ins" with those damned bugs. I hate them for their noise alone but triple the hate for them when on a bike! Try setting your phaser to KILL! heh! 

phaser to disintegrate
flamethrower to maximum spread
i envision a mad-max style war on these damned bugs
 
We get the larger grasshoppers/locust here in phoneix every 2 years or so
 
We had some last year almost 5" long....
those were a bitch just walking through
cant imqgine getting hit by one on the bike
 
 

[Beemer]

 
 
[attachment id=1780" thumbnail="1]< "Faster! The humans and their bikes are coming!"