by Kevin Allen Rappahannock News Staff Writer The night

by Kevin Allen

Rappahannock News Staff Writer

The night of Nov. 5 is one I will never forget. It was a crisp and beautiful night in Rappahannock County and I was driving home to Warrenton after a night hike up Old Rag Mountain with Hunt Harris and 10 others from the Ragged Mountain Resource Center.

The hike was a wonderful experience with spectacular scenery and great company. Little did I know, however, that the night’s true adventure would start after the hike ended.

I drove home from Old Rag under clear, starry skies and a beaming full moon. It was the type of evening where everything seemed right with the world.

And that is when everything started to go wrong.

I cruised along U.S. 211, passing the Town of Washington at roughly 10:30 p.m., and that is where the adventure (or should I say misadventure?) began.

I had just passed Rappahannock County Park when the inky darkness in my rear view mirror was illuminated by the flashing blue lights of a state trooper.

I pulled over and handed him my license and registration. He told me I was driving 71 mph in a 55-mph zone and handed me the first speeding ticket I have ever received.

Rattled and ready for bed, I continued eastward with one eye on my speedometer and the other watching for deer along the side of the road.

Early November is the peak of the mating and migration season for whitetail deer. I was hoping my first speeding ticket would not be followed up with my first deer collision.

That thought acted like a self-fulfilling prophecy. A few minutes after I passed through Amissville, a doe darted out of the median as I rounded a bend in the road. I had no chance to avoid the animal and my Nissan Sentra collided with it while traveling 45 miles per hour.

Luckily, I was alive and uninjured. My immaculate driving record, however, had