Moose Mishap

I clipped a calf moose following close behind the cow who darted out in front of me at Milepost 50 of the Richardson Hwy on my way down to Valdez.

It was dark & snowing. I was going about 40-45mph. When all of a sudden there they were, about 30ft in front of me, crossing the road.

Moose collisions are not only breaking vehicles this year they are breaking records. With the deep snow in the mountains they are hanging low in the valleys. More moose on the roads, train tracks & neighborhoods causes more chance of encounters. Most not friendly.

As I braked and turned into a slid to the left, hoping to miss the calf, when my right front collided with its right rear haunch. The impact knocked it off its feet sending its rear onto my hood. Then bounced off towards the right snowbank and luckily not into my windshield & front seat.

My mechanic in Valdez punched out the dent (my hood opens!) and duct-taped the plastic blinker cover back on but wasn't able to fix the electrical problem. No tail lights! So I scooted back to the Mat-Su Valley during the day light & have an appointment at Bumper to Bumper tomorrow to see if they can find the short. Also lost the plastic blinker cover somewhere so I am checking junk yards. Must have needed MORE duct-tape!

On the way back I saw a lone cow moose at 50 Mile with no calf. I feel so bad.

Be careful out there and don't over run your headlights like I did. No matter what the speed limit or road conditions the moose are out there. Closer than you think.