Unwanted Pillion

[Uggles]

Been fairly busy of late trying to wind up a little project at work. All sorts of wierd hours and all... Anyway on my way back to work from site this morning after spending a pretty frustrating 4 hours there when I go to pull up at a stoplight. No biggie.... until I'm just about stopped and dirty great big hunstsman SPIDER comes down from the top of my helmet, props on the visor for a second, then wanders off!!!

 

I mean this thing was about 3 inches across, no kidding.

 

What do you do?? Dump the bike and do the jiggy thing?? Or as I did and do the jiggy thing on the bike then hunch down in to my riding gear 'cos it was then that the lights turned green and I had to go.

 

Not too far from work so I stay hunched down until I pull in. Prop the bike, have a look for the thing in my reflection in the window. All OK so off with the helmet and just about to put it down when out of the corner of my eye I'm staring at it on my shoulder!! AND I dropped the helmet.

 

Nerves take over and I do the jiggy thing with arms flailing much to the amusement of my co-worker who had just pulled up behind me.

 

Still there!!! grab the gloves and brush it off. WHEW.

 

Co-worker coaxes spider on to twig and deposits it into a nearby bush where, hopefully, it will scare the crap out of someone else.

 

Go inside and off with the ATTGAT and feel the creepies for the next half hour. EEEEEEWWWWWW.

[HappyMan]

Dang! I'm sorry for laughing but I'm rolling on the floor. I need to add this one to the "Things that make me smile" post.

[russell_bynum]

LOL!!!!!

[Bill_Walker]

Stories like this remind me of Bill Bryson's assertion in In a Sunburned Country that Australia "has more things that will kill you than anywhere else." I have no idea whether a huntsman spider falls into that category, but any spider too large to be grabbed using a single tissue would give me the heebie-jeebies, too!

[Uggles]

Huntsman's are the common or garden house spider around here and are so big they are usually referred to as Tarantulas.

[rdfrantz]

Pictures.

 

Please.

 

Especially, "the jiggy thing".

[Ginger]

Hi -

I'm thinking it was a FEMALE spider who wanted her own helmet since she was riding pillion. Very cool story, despite the creepies!

Ginger

[Bill_Walker]

Huntsman's are the common or garden house spider around here and are so big they are usually referred to as Tarantulas.

 

From your URL:

Huntsman spider bites usually result only in transient local pain and swelling. However, some Badge Huntsman spider bites have caused prolonged pain, inflammation, headache, vomiting and irregular pulse rate.

 

Well, isn't that a relief?

[Les is more]

I had to wipe the tears out of my eyes in order to see well enough to type.

 

It also says, on the site you linked to, that they only eat invertebrates. So, unless the spider determined from your jiggy thing that you were a spineless coward, I'd say you were safe.

[ClearwaterBMW]

mark,

that's a great story

but i can close my eyes and see the whole thing unraveling in front of me

i HATE spiders

i heard some comedian do a bit years ago about how before you get married you better make sure that one of you is in charge of killing the bugs...

in MY house, it's carol!

glad you were ok

 

i wonder if Stephen King could write a book on this topic

greg

[madness522]

Sorry but I had to laugh too! I really don't like spiders, I'd rather be thrown in a pit of snakes than have a spider riding pillion on my shoulder. Congrads on remaining amazingly calm. Man it would have been a jiggy-dance fest for me. But, I wouldn't have let the bugger go he would have been jiggy danced on until my feet hurt....

[Voodoo]

Mark,

 

I don't blame you for the Disco Rendition at all. This thing would scare the begesus out of me too!

 

[tallman]

As you can see, ours likes to ride and practices holding on for the high speeds.

[rocks]

Holy crap that's funny...

 

But I'm not sure about this

Congrads on remaining amazingly calm

 

Calm you say, calm?

 

Forget the pictures I want video of the "jiggy thing"

[rfc1992]

Good reaction; I applaud the Jiggy dance.

 

I would have been tempted to try to beat the hell out of it with the motorcycle if necessary.

 

The following bugs/spiders should be illegal:

1) those large enough to not die when any part of them is stepped upon.

2) those that can cause concussion if flying/dangling in front of a rider at 50mph.

3) any of which that can cause vomiting, pain, or death due to a bite.

 

I really don't like spiders.

[KMG_365]

Nice new title, Uggles!!

[DiggerJim]

i HATE spiders

They're crunchy and delicious with milk

[KMG_365]

Forget the pictures I want video of the "jiggy thing"

 

 

 

[Mod edit: deleted dead link]

[ednap]

The real jiggy thing takes on a new dimension when you realise the darn thing is on the INSIDE of the visor

[MotoBoy]

Great post. Reminds me of an experience I once had with a bumblebee.

 

Look at it this way: if it was a female, perhaps she was on an egg-laying mission. This would give you many possible future opportunities to do the "jiggy" thing!

[SpaceKing]

As you can see, ours likes to ride and practices holding on for the high speeds.

Tim, where do you come up with this stuff? You kill me.

[Uggles]

You got it!!

 

Not as graceful I assure you but just as prolonged

 

and Ben, didn't you ever watch Dr Who? That episode gave me the willeys way back then.

Cheers

[Uggles]

I'm thinking it was a FEMALE spider who wanted her own helmet since she was riding pillion. Very cool story, despite the creepies!

Ginger

Just remembered an incident from last summer. Was taking off the tupperware for some reason and there was one of these buggers with a nest between the tupperware and the tank!!!! Maybe I should go check again.......

[Blake]

OMG!!! LMAO!!!!

 

i'm not laughing at you, really, or with you for that matter, more at the thought of you describing exactly what i would have done.

 

can you imagine how you must have looked to the other people on the road. i'd have paid some really good money to see that. LOL!!!

 

all funnin' aside, i'm sure glad, for your sake and the sake of others around you, that it WASN'T on the inside!

[Bob Foley]

Uggles-- when I saw the title I assumed is was about someones S.O. that was being a pain. But after reading your story its to bad that Tim Conway is no longer on the Carol Burnett show! He could hire you as a writer. Thanks for a great laugh and ride safe!

[gottago]

I'm still laughing. I would not only do the jiggy thing but when done I'd do the fainting goat thing. Pretty neat to have a man admit he doesn't like creepy crawly things.

[steve.foote]

That's the funniest post I've seen in a while.

 

I've passed it over for about a week, and just now saw it.

[lithoman]

That's hilarious