Road signs can be challenging.
After living enough years in Europe, I pretty much get all the international signs. After all – I have passed the test more than once and they really are not all that hard.
It is not those signs that are challenging, even when there is road construction involved and you know that you are going to be crawling along in a single lane for kilometres “ohne ende.” The road might be two lanes through the construction site and be posted at 80 km, but there just happens to be this oversized 18+ wheeler that likes its lane in the middle.
Where was I?
Oh, right, signs. Coming back from Landstuhl (finished all but one part of my VA physical and the final part is scheduled for early on Wednesday) I motored along, behaving myself and looking at the country side along the A6 till just past Coleman Barracks heading toward the A6 split.
Along the side of the road is this lovely white triangle of a sign with red border. In the center of the sign is a deer. Below it on the post is a rectangle noting 6 km. Most of us would read that sign as telling you to watch out for deer for the next six klicks. As I drive along the first four of the six klicks – I notice something interesting. Tops of trees at the level of the road on both sides as the road is elevated. The embankment is almost vertical and drops more than 20 metres. As the land along the Autobahn heads into another hill, the ground comes to the point where it is almost level with the roadbed at a couple of rest stops. Of course, there is a significant fence along this area.
Must be some deer to be able to bound to tree top high or over massive fences to dart and play among the cars at night. Or, perhaps they just hike up the exits and stick out a hoof looking for a bit of excitement?
Oh, that’s funny. Or maybe they hitch a ride on the local eagles to the
best spot to stare into your headlights.
Unless the autobahn has built in some deer tunnels through that ridge, I suppose the deer use the autobahn to get from hill to hill. In northern MN they use the bridges that way. Why get your hooves wet and struggle through all the undergrowth when you don’t have to?
Are you sure it is a deer on the sign and not a reindeer? (think Santa
Claus & sleigh . . .)
ever seen a deer jump a fence and jump into the side of a car moving 75 mph?. jumped the fence crossed four lanes aof traffic and jumped into the side window of a conversion van right ahead of us. very nasty mess. they like windshields …..