Jeremiah Watt

As Jeremiah's EGO, I have not been asked or better yet given much opportunity to speak of my own expieriences during this ride, it seems that what ever JW says is how it was. I remind you that it took ME to bring out the truth of the night in the Park in southern Colo, and don't forget that it was ME who had to lay out the details of the Tornado back in Canvas. So rest assured that when I speak, I will speak as a voice independant of that of JW and with a voice of clarity and reason..............I will not fall prey to the "excited tourist routine"!!!!

We would be fools to think that a cross country trip of this magnitude would go without a hitch or flaw of some sort, and old Tanglefoot was just such a hitch. You can't get chased by dangerous animals from one coast to the oterh and just by mere coincidence escape all comers..............yes indeed I do know how powerful Jeremiah's legs have become, lets be resonable though.

This incident happend in the worst of situations for a cyclist, and it happend just like I am about to describe. I would suggest a box of tissues and maybe something to drink before we get started it is not a story for the weak of heart. If your a hairy legged MALE type ( for my nephew Walker I have chosen leg hair not facial hair of which he has none, for the measure of a man) , if adventure includes a degree of dangers that go unseen in the day to day suburban world, then this account is just what you need before the Sunday Football game.

The road ahead is wending it way up a long series of inclines that lead to a peak of sorts over to the Buchanan side of a mountain range, the pitch is a 6-9 percent type. The colored autumn leaves have been flattened as colored pavers against the blacktop by last nights rainfall, now the sunshine gives them a renewed brilliance in thier last gasp of presence in this years life cycle. The grass along the edge of the road shows a brilliant green amidst the fall foliage of weeds and leaves, burrdock and ragweed abound. You could hear it before you could see it. I was aware but was he, was JW listening or simply lost in one of his "Oh, look at the color" days. You just never know with JW.

As I rode there with JW, I thought that I was the one aware and ready but I found that indeed I was the one a sleep at the switch so too speak. I seen it too, that moment in which ol'Tanglefoot's foot left the safe haven of the grassy road's edge..............and he entered himself upon the ROAD GLADIATORS COLLISEUM. I was prepared because I had heard the barking off to my right and my focus had shifted from leaves to the danger that my fine tuned radar had sensed. But I was not as ready as Jeremiah, indeed I was not. I mean ol'Tanglefoot had only placed but one paw onto the roads edge, his awesome long black claws scratching the surface of the blacktop making sparks fly. We had been caught on our cycle in a low slow gear at the pre-precipice of a steep incline ( thats an uphill for Walky and Duster ), the time left to react was but a nano-second since our enemy had approached without narry a bark. The barking we had heard was from another adversary in a different yard................Tanglefoot indeed understood the tactics of guerilla battle and administering lethal blows to his would be victims..................he had played his first move in this game of life-chess, with his desceptive practise of laying low within a ditch as an unwitting rider passes by.............ambushing his prey in guerilla fashion.

The speed of Jeremiahs one deft movement is still a blurr of amazement to me, and folks, I am not given over easliy to being impressed by any one least of all JW. HIs foot unclipped and his leg was over the burdensome saddle bag in one lightning movement, the second foot left the pedal just as the bike was laid over to its side. I found myself scrambling up off the ground in a rather hap-hazard fashion not being able to react near as fast as did JW. Like a cornered cat JW hit the defensive crouch stance.................

body low with legs wide set, the center of his immense gravity as close to the ground as it could be placed. Primordial man has been given an inherent desire to survive, in some men it runs strong and pure...and in others well its been all but bred out by the urban lifestyle, with JW the instinct to survive as the hunter gatherer that he is runs deep and strong. This may be a greater challenge for ol'Tangleffot that even he was prepared for.

The eyes were fiery red with anger, a throbbing and intense lust for the eating of his intended prey,........the claws dug deep into the roads hard surface as Tanglefoot's body lurched out onto the blacktop to face off with his now prepared assailant, his neck extended his, his back up his own crouch low in the expectant stance of a victor.........it was just another day of lunch in spandex for him. It was survival or burial for Jeremiah. I couldn't believe my eyes as I sat in the safety of a lower limb of a nearby tree........I don't want to mention my own family background and the Leakey Family side of things. The speed of Jeremiahs movements was like watching a grand master of Kung Poa a classic ballet of life and death...........leathal and fluid in one smooth move each counter offers his quarry a difficult tactical decsision to make....a game of chess for ones life...........one false move could could leave an opponent exposured to victoryor defeat. A mistake here would be painfull, and potentialy lethal. Boy Howdy, I was sure glad my side of the family was of the tuck tail and climb a tree type.

There it is, its the stunning blow, the one fient that would take ol'Tanglefoot off his strong right legged stance and leave him exposed to an attack counter move from the low left side.

You cannot know these sorts of things as JW does so instinctivly unless you have voluntarily placed yourself in dangerous situations....situations just like this or worse, say........... serving pancakes to a group of kids at AWANA's. It all happened so fast and with such deft movements that even Tanglefoot himself was caught up before he could open his mouth in retailiation to the move. HIs legs taken out from under him by a swift roll and grab move from JW, the roll came from under the menacing head and extended neck of Tanglefoot.

Being as how the point of purchase or grip was from so low around Tanglefoots body it renderd his jaws of little use. One last critical placement of body wieght for JW, and Tanglefoot found himself now unside down and of no harm to any passerby....................yes, you could see defeat written in this animal's eyes. He knew that he had been bested by a BEAST much fiercer than he had expected................the confidence of this silent "ditch attacker" was now shattered................he would forever be a changed animal after his encounter with my buddy, my ride partner, good ol Jeremiah

Uh, huh, huh...........hey, Jeremiah is it okay to come down now..............you not going to just turn him loose are you Jeremiah. This is what I so like about my buddy JW, you know what he said, man I am so touched. " No my friend, not till after you have had time to hide in the saddle bag, and then I will turn him loose in his ditch lair from which he arose. But don't be concerend for the next passerby, because as the famous war tactian Sun Shoe has said if you defeat an enemy physically he is defeated forever but retains respect...........defeat him Spiritually and he will remain an enemy forever without respect."

And so ends one of the most spectacular and dangerous encounters with that menace of the roads ways Tanglefoot of Botentourt County that I have ever witnessed..............and I think that all of america's cyclists will reap the benefits of this one episode by my buddy ol'JW. For they can now ride in complete safety within Botentourt County thanks to ME and Jeremiah.

For my children, Pine Winslow and Nevada Colleen.........whom I love!