Another Mystery Sighting

It was a day for odd things, or at least out of the usual. The all happened within a short period of time on a day that was itself rare, but very welcomed. Steve got to go fishing again, down on his favorite river bank on the St. Croix, the sandbar that forms in low water levels around the boat ramp called Franconia Landing. I can drive down, turn and park, unload Steve, his fishing gear, his chair and the platform that goes under it preventing his chair from tipping in the loose sand. It had been over a year since he'd gone fishing, and he was finally feeling well enough to go. 

I had promised to take him, but one of his sons with his wife met him there. They usually pick him up from our place but today was a doctor visit with a doc who always takes a long time with each patient, something I appreciate, but which leaves Steve waiting in the lobby long enough that he can get irritated, especially when fishing awaits. I dropped him off afterwards, and left after taking my mandatory pictures. Like a red wild flower perfectly framed in front of a weirdly shaped hollow in a still living tree on the bank.

Sure, it's tilted, but still stood long after all kinds of rain and ice storms that took out more healthy looking trees in all kinds of nearby locations over the last few years.

Fish were biting well, enough that a second trip had to be taken for live bait later. While I was there however, the fish were already biting. Steve's son was getting ready to toss this one back in.

It's all catch-and-release. Much as the family loves fishing, nobody cares for cleaning. And while I was there, nothing worth eating was caught anyway. Later I heard tales of bigger fish, because of course, and this shot is included  even though the topic is about odd things. These are not odd. Nor are the smallmouth bass and red horse suckers which started biting later. But hey, bragging rights, right? Some days any fish is worth noting.

For the neighborhood, these are not unknown, but I scratch my head at anybody who lets their chickens run wild where cars, dogs, or foxes could eliminate their flock. They did have interesting colors however.

Uphill on the same road coming downhill from the highway, a farmer occasionally has horses out in their field. Previously, if we saw any, there were only two, a white and a brown. Recently we saw either one horse or none at all. Today there were four, close to the road and making a good horse shot impossible. None of these are unidentifiable, or even much worthy of a photo if the day hadn't been so ho-hum so far. I had no idea what was to come.

Meanwhile I headed home to wait for the phone call informing us that Steve's new prescription was ready. I promised to drop back on my way to pick it up, along with some groceries,  and leave the second house key with Steve. While his fishing supplies were in the car before we left for the doc's, the thought he might need to get back in before I did was nowhere in our thoughts.  Eventually the call came, I ran all my errands, and headed home. So of course, because that's how it happens, I was on a busy highway, no opportunity to pull out the camera, when my mystery critters ran across the road.

I slowed a bit when the first ran out from the shoulder. I slowed more when the next one followed, then the next, and I realized I had no idea exactly what they were. I just kept watching, noting details. And while doing that, I did what one does, I suppose: I counted them.

My view had the late afternoon sun on the opposite side, so all I saw was black shapes. My first impression, with their backs arched up in a perfect curve, was they were toys. I've seen toy wooden cars with that shape. I presumed that was wrong, that these were living. I saw no fur spikes, but again, assumed they most likely had some. They weren't fish, nor birds, nor any appearance of any reptile I've ever seen. Think of taking a circle and cutting it in half, with a straight flat cut across for the belly, then adding tiny feet front and back. No bend indicated any knees. There was nothing except direction of travel to indicate head, the curve was so perfect. I made the assumption that they were presumably mammals, were going in the direction their (also presumed) heads were pointed at. Tiny sets of feet, one set on each end perfectly continuing the curve down to the road on both sides, were taking rapid fire steps without spoiling those lines, occasionally enough distance between the feet as to show light between, indicating their speed. They also served to elevate the totally straight horizontal body about two inches above the pavement. The body lines didn't change a bit the whole time, same back arch to the pavement, same flat stomach.They didn't bounce with those rapid steps, just seemed to glide across, maintaining the illusion of toys the entire time.

Right behind the first, possibly two feet back or a bit more, was number two. Everything identical: shape, size, speed. Next came number three, again everything identical, but add noting that the distance between two and three matched that of one and two. Same between three and four, then between four and five, and finally between five and six.  I recalled my initial idea of toys: these could easily have been pull toys with identical - but invisible - strings. By the time number six was running on the highway inside the right shoulder paint strip, number one was just hitting the left shoulder paint strip, then down into the ditch and hiding. Each followed in military precision.The parade took perhaps half a minute, possible a few seconds more. No other cars, in either direction, were close.

One other thing bothered me. Shouldn't they have had tails? I was busy looking at every detail I could note while they crossed, and could not see one tail. Not a stub, not a paddle, nothing pointing away from that smooth curve except tiny running feet. Not up. Not back. Not tucked under. I mused about "what-the-hell?" on the way home, then got busy hauling groceries. That image returned several times, but other things were happening, until it was bedtime.

The image of the parade of six returned in the morning, a clear silhouette. When time allowed, I started hunting online, working out key words to describe what they looked like and how they weren't like other animals.

Eventually I put in North American mammal, back arched when running. I figured wrong answers would point me to better narrowing it down. I was right. It gave me a mouse. I gave it back foot long. It was a start anyway. I couldn't define it more perfectly since I never got that close and only had highway to estimate measurements  by.

This time it came up with muskrat. Hmmm, OK, I know we have those in the area, but usually in the local lakes, a couple miles further west of my location. I had more questions, of course. Do they stray that far from water? Do they move in groups like that? Can they hide their tails that well? I'm going to defer to family members who might have those answers AND read this.

And thanks in advance!