What's so LOVABLE about a bug?

Hurricanes are good for something....or so I thought until yesterday afternoon....

Last saturday before the mass exodous from southern Louisiana for Gustav, Ryan and I went for our long ride. We figured we needed to get in in before all hell broke loose and there was no
telling what the next few days would be like. (turns out that was a good idea). The ride was one of the most trecherous I've ever been on - people driving like maniacs to get from here to there with trailers full of generators, plywood, and gas, to prepare their homes or properties or deer stands...whatever. I was almost hit a few times by oncoming traffic - people passing on two-lane back roads at high rates of speed. And ryan was run off the road by an apparently angry dump truck driver who i guess thought bikes had no business on the road that day.

The traffic was a necessary evil of the day and we knew it would be nuts going in, but there was no excuse for the new love bug invasion. Highway 450 was downright ugly. Remember the scene from "You,Me & Irene" with Jim Carey on the motorcycle with the bugs in his teeth? well, that was me. I didn't think it would be that bad because early on in the ride it wasn't super hot and the sun wasn't totally up - but once it heated up and the asphalt got relly hot - they went crazy. They are apparently attracted to the heat of the roads. I think I swallowed a few, and I had to stop once along that stretch to wipe my sunglasses clean of dead bug guts.

Towards the end of my ride, I was glad to be almost done and still upright (and not in a ditch somewhere) and thinking how awesome it would be if this hurricane just comes along and doesn't do any damage and completely wipes out the love bugs. how cool would that be? surely they couldnt survive 100+ mph winds? They're splattered on my windshield when I go 40 in the car. It was good timing for some high winds I thought selfishly - clean the air out. save my face from the pelting of dead bugs. at least a hurricane can be good for something other than forcing me to clean out my fridge and freezer....

Well, I rode yesterday, and my theory was shot to hell. not only did Gustav do his damage around here, but he left those pesky little boogers behind. clever little creatures. again, it started off cool (cool for us...the 80's) and was overcast most of the morning, but by 10, the sun peered through the overcast sky and the heat came up and VOILA! there they were! just in time for the last 10 miles of my ride. smack! wham! splat! It was terrible. How did they survive? It amazing how a little bug can be soo annoying! They make me crazy....especially when they don't die when they hit you, and thay stick to your arms b/c you put on sunscreen...and then they crawl into your jersey and helmet and torture with an itch you can't scratch unless you stop...but if you stop, they all find you and you cannot escape....then you finally get to your car and open the back to put your bike in, get in quick and drive home only to find there are 100 love bugs inside your car and if you can only make it home without wrecking it will be a miracle....

Oh, boy.....I LOVE LOUISIANA in September!

Now I'm gonna grab a beer and check out Ike's path...