Misadventure can occur to anyone, anytime. A miscalculation of distance can do it. Forgetting to look both ways before entering an intersection can also result in disaster, even in the case of a one-way street. There\’s always the possibility of a driver going the wrong way; and often enough, I see cyclists riding against one-way signs. That is a no-no for cyclists as much for motor vehicle operators.

I wonder whether the rider of the bicycle shown above was wearing reflective clothing. Or was using lights. Either one might have prevented this crash.

This morning I nearly had my own misadventure. Coming back from Wal-Mart, I had to take to a main road for a short stretch. I neither saw nor heard anything coming when I got to that road. But before I got to the place where I can leave the road, I heard a big truck coming up behind me; and another vehicle was approaching from the opposite direction!

I got off the road as soon as I could, but I heard the truck\’s brakes hissing. My \”escape hatch\” was the dirt-and-gravel access ramp to a mini-industry. I use it when I ride toWal-Mart; and today it was a big struggle getting up that ramp!

I had a heavy load to begin with. The surface was loose and skid-y. My feet couldn\’t get any purchase, and neither could my bicycle\’s tires. The load was poorly distributed between my two panniers, and it was nearly impossible to keep the bicycle upright. I had to wrestle that bike off the access road and get into the grass.

But I ultimately got home in one piece, and that\’s the important thing. I\’m just glad I won\’t need to go to Wal-Mart again soon.