And now, you know the rest of the story.

 Back sometime in early May a fox crossed rte. 97 in front of me when I was returning home from fishing. Didn't give it a thought. Probably saw the fox a couple more times before the strangeness of the encounters started to register.  Each time, the fox crossed the road from the shoulder on my side to the shoulder on the other side. I can see him in the headlights but the crossing takes place far enough ahead of me that the fox is well out of danger. Instead of ducking under the guard rail and disappearing in the tall grass the fox stops on the shoulder and lets me go by. It wasn't until I'd seen him a few more times that I became aware that he was limping. If you've ever had the pleasure of watching a fox in the wild, you can't help but be impressed at how light footed they are.  Their feet seem to hardly touch the ground.  Not this one, he is clearly struggling. 

Because the encounters take place in the dark with me traveling at 55mph it's been a slow process piecing together the pieces of the puzzle.  For sure one of the fox's front legs is not in working order. If he was able to navigate the tall grass I'm sure he would do so, he stays on the road because that is where he is able to function with his disability. All of the encounters have taken place in the vicinity of the Cow Lick and Smith's Motel. Both commercial establishments have fairly large mowed areas surrounding them as does the one residential property on the other side of the road. The fox probably can navigate (hunt) more efficiently on the mowed lawns.  He may also be getting hand outs from guests at the motel or scavenging dropped ice cream cones at the Cow Lick. 

But why is he on the side of the road so much (I've probably seen him close to a dozen times)?  Well for sure on rainy nights the road is covered with frogs and he is probably able to move fast enough to catch some moles or voles crossing the road. Why does he cross the road in front of me, always in the same direction?  He doesn't. If he happens to be on my side when I am approaching he is more comfortable crossing over to the side farthest away from the car. If he is already on the other shoulder he stays put and I don't even notice him.

Clearly he has a serious disability, (a coyote would make short work of him).  I don't know when he was injured but he has worked out a system for survival that goes far beyond anything that can be attributed to instinctual behavior. 

The fishing - (Just to keep the editor happy).  I didn't even go out until after six. Drove up to Stilesville and counted at least a dozen anglers strung out in the long flat above the Red Barn pool (it was Friday night after all).  Imagine my surprise when I discovered both the Red Barn parking lot and pool were both empty. Paid my $5.00 and fished what was undoubtedly the tail end of a good invaria hatch. There were lots of splashy risers that paid no attention to my fly.  The few that I saw eat a dun at least gave my fly a look.  It was over by 8:00 so I got in the car and drove downstream to another secret spot (the Hale Eddy Bridge) where, you guessed it, there were no cars and not a single angler in sight.  Dorotheas were on the water and fish were eating them with relish. Some even ate mine. 


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