I met Rocky on the side of a cliff, A Real Cliffhanger!

It was a quiet Sunday morning. I planned on riding 18 miles to Grant Park along Lake Michigan's Shoreline. As I rounded a corner 6 miles short of my destination, the bike started making a bothersome noise. I stopped and found a broken spoke, the second one in a hundred miles! This makes no sense, I pondered. Forty years of riding and not one broken spoke and the way I use to ride.........I should have broken every spoke not to mention every bone in my body.

I decided to ride no further as I would have to limp back 12 miles on that bike. At least I was at the Lake shore! It was a familiar spot, high bluffs and isolated beach areas. At least I would have some peace, quiet and solitude; or so I thought. I did, for several hours..........

Then I wondered further down into the more isolated areas. Isolated because you can not safely traverse the high bluffs to the shore line. Yet every once in a while some-one seems to drop in from above. Two weeks ago it was a suicidal driver who drove himself over the edge! He missed me by 500 feet and fifteen minutes, he ran right over my previous footprints. I was not in them, he missed my first passing by an hour or two.

Today I was going to meet a co-worker of his!

As I sat nestled between two fallen trees on along the shore, wading knee deep in fresh cool water, I spotted a man running my way. As I he got closer I noticed a dog on the side of the cliff. I knew this was a recipe for disaster. You see the slopes were recently rain soaked and were still breaking apart here and there. Tom, the dogs owner was trying to get the dog down, and the dog was ready to jump. Since Tom was 30-40 feet from the sand below and the dog was on a ledge 12 feet above him, I warned him "If that dog jumps you are both going to be falling the rest of the way down, and that dog is already injured(I could see him limping). " Tom told me the dog fell off the top of bluff. I looked at the situation and realized the dog needed to be raised up the cliff or down it as there would be no safe way from either side. I told Tom this but he said "Who do we call???" I said "The Fire Department, they have repelling gear, I saw them using it to get to driver who drove over the cliff." Tom said "That was a co-worker of mine." I replied "Where do you work, I want to make sure I don't work there as it seems to drive people and dogs over the edge." lol~~ We shared a laugh.

The fire department was called , but the dog was still in a tight situation. The Dog was a Golden Labrador named Rocky. I told Tom to keep the dog calm and I would see if I could make my why to Rocky. I know nature and nature knows me, so I said "Mother Earth hold this ground together and guide my feet, Divine Being be my eyes and show me the safe passage to this dog or tell me to turn back!"

I would have to go down a few hundred feet in order to find a safe way up and then snake my way to the dog. There was no sure footing, but a few plants with deep roots gave me the go ahead to grab on and borrow there strength. It took 10 minutes to shuffle my way across the slope to the dog. Rocky was happy he was no longer alone! I checked him for injuries and he seemed mostly ok. Still the limp and the fall had my concerned for more internal injuries. I ran my hands across the dog and asked for healing. There I was keeping the dog calm and safe and keeping Tom calm too. Rocky had no collar or leash and there was no way back with the dog. We would have to go straight up or straight down.

The fire fighters took about a half hour to get to us. They understood how the dog got there.......gravity, but they asked "How did you get here????" I said "I flew, but I can not fly down with a dog in my arms." We all chuckled.......I continued "I took a secret path only I could find, but it is not a path I could take the dog down."
One fire fighter asked "Can you get back down?" I said "Yes, but I would rather borrow your rope and climb down here, it is far safer then the other pass I took." I would have had more fun if I had a Spiderman costume, then I would have just had a blast disappearing before they could stop me.

The dog was harnessed and lowered down safely. I was given my first lesson in repelling and quite frankly I like the my own way of climbing up and down ropes, but oh well. Rocky ran straight into the water like any dog would do. I limped back home 12 miles on my bike. The new bike whose spokes come undone, for no apparent reason except perhaps to guide me to someone who needs a hand.

I dropped off the wheel for repair and ........
They are going to replace the wheel with a stronger one at no charge!

I loved reading your story Sparrowhawk, I like your sense of humor too. It's neat how you were put there to help and you did. (-:

What a lovely and happy ending to your story Sparrowhawk, life is very strange, what happened to your bike that particular day was meant to be.

I am also very glad you have a caring nature to put yourself in a position to rescue someones dog, I too am a dog lover/owner and my dogs would mean the world to me if they ever got into a tricky or dangerous situation as Rocky did..

And what an apt name for the rescued dog (Rocky)

Today I picked up my wheel w/ new rim........
I 'm wheel happy about it........


I wonder if Rocky dropped off the cliff on purpose........
Something I forgot to mention......
Rocky had an eye infection and 4 vets failed at treating it. I told Tom you need to treat this now. Get some fresh aloe leaves, slice off the barbs on the sides, slice in half and cut into eye-patches, hold it directly on Rockys eye for one hour each day for the next thirty days. People do not often listen to me when I suggest these things, but dogs with health problems seem to find me wherever I go..............

I am ONE with DOG.........hmmm.

LOL.....
that was really you....!
Blessings to SH, yeah rah-rah....
good job
LOVELOVELOVE