Roads of Death

 Day 228

Today we leave Austin and head northwest to San Angelo, here we will stay for the next four nights before moving onto New Mexico. The day was cool with grey skies that would normally bring snow back home. It certainly is different to be away from what we would call a normal winter season.

The drive was excellent and the Rv has been performing wonderfully on the roads (knock on wood). The one thing both Lori and I have had our fill of is the amount of roadkill we have seen during our trip, our hearts really go out to these creatures. We have have seen more dead wildlife than living, and that is a real sad comment to make. So far we have seen dead deer, rabbit, skunk, opossum, cow, moose, elk, birds, mice, frogs, turtles, alligator, raccoon, coyote and armadillos. 

During our stay in Austin, we learned a little about the armadillos. The little guys normally give birth to identical quadruplets and are among the few known spices that can contract leprosy systemically. They are particularly susceptible due to their unusual low body temperature, which is preferable to the leprosy bacterium. Humans can acquire a leprosy infection from armadillos by handling them or consuming armadillo meat. Armadillos are a presumed vector and natural reservoir for the disease in, Texas, Louisiana and Florida. Their defence mechanism is to actually jump up in the air rather than roll into a ball like some of its relatives in South America. Unfortunately, this defence mechanism makes it easy prey to highway vehicles. 

Poor little guys get the poopy end of the stick from humans. Humans are responsible for bringing the leprosy viruses to the New World and transmitting it to the armadillo, along with that, a large number become road kill each year. 

Our home for the next few days San Angelo KOA