Commuting - Creepy Commutes

Did my first commute last night home from my friends at about 1 am. I moved outside of town (Newark, DE) into the state park and I have to ride down a former road that's now closed to be a walking and hiking path. Definitely lots of strange/interesting animal noises. There's also a lot of lore about the area of the woods (White Clay Preserve) being haunted. Anyone have any good scary commuting stories? Give me a few months and I'm sure I will.

I once saw someone walking on a sidewalk around here... scary sight.

hahaha

There is a state forest in Wrentham Massachusetts which was a site of the slaughter of Native American women and children at the hands of european colonists led by Myles Standish during what is referred to as "King Phillip's War". A very sad, little known fact about US history.

There was not a King Phillip, it was the christian name assigned to the Native Amercan leader by the colonists, his real name was Wamsetta (I don't think I spelled that right), which means warm heart. The colonists mocked him by calling him King Phillip.

I swear that forest is haunted. A couple of friends and I were night riding in there a few summers ago and we stopped for a water break. I was bringing up the rear and when we stopped, we shut off our lights to conserve the batteries, since there was enough moonlight to see by. At one point during the rest I turned around and there about ten feet away was a faint silhouette of someone standing watching us, I could make out the clothing but no face. As I stood watching the image faded into nothing.

That place gives me the chills everytime I ride by at night.

The Hockomock Swamp in Massachusetts, which is also an area I bike past, has also been long rumored to be haunted. People have also reported seeing a bigfoot type creature in the swamp area. Even the Native Americans didn't like that place, Hockomock is the native word for devils swamp.

crazy. The part of the woods I have to ride through is known as "The Wedge", here's some interesting info on it.


http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Wedge_(border)&redirect=no

There is a local author/former University of Delaware professor named Ed Okonowicz who writes all these great books about the local folklore and supposedly the Wedge is haunted by a "Witch" who attacks all those who enter at night with an army of animals. I have yet to be attacked heading home through there or hanging out past dark (her turf backs up to my yard). Maybe they sense I'm a vegetarian haha. I hear all sorts of crazy noises at night, some familiar animals others I've never heard before.

I took an alternate gravel path through a wooded section of the park when my paved path was closed. During this same time, I was trying helmet-mounting my light, instead of having it on the handlebar.

Cruising between the trees, I looked toward to the side - only to have my helmet light illuminate about 10 pairs of yellow eyes, all staring at me from the undergrowth along a 50 foot stretch of woods.

It was only a bunch of feral cats who've been breeding in the park for years, but it was a little disconcerting at first glance.

Sweet...

In the town where I grew up there's a street called Thomas Maynard Road -- so named because one night a young man named Thomas Maynard went walking down it alone, and was never seen again. (Or so the story goes).

It's a narrow dirt road with only a couple of houses on it. There are no streetlights, of course. The sides are lined with trees, and the branches nearly meet in the middle, giving it the appearance of a long, dark tunnel. At one end of the road is a home for the mentally disabled (who are actually quite harmless, but potentially creepy if your mind is wandering in a certain direction already). At the other end is a graveyard.

I've walked down it a few times in the dark (never actually biked it), and it's every bit as spooky as it sounds.

I rode home one evening, after dusk (barely lit sky), through a "tunnel" of tall trees... with a bat leading me for about 50-100 yards.

Wife found that disturbing and spooky when she heard about it. I thought it was pretty cool.

a couple of month back, just before summer, when night time was still dark.
i biked by a cemetery at night, and it was foggy, with light chilly breeze when the cars drives by...

that long stretch gave me the chills up my spine until i cleared that area, but i still felt eyes following me even long after i left the area :eek::twitchy:


Did my first commute last night home from my friends at about 1 am. I moved outside of town (Newark, DE) into the state park and I have to ride down a former road that's now closed to be a walking and hiking path. Definitely lots of strange/interesting animal noises. There's also a lot of lore about the area of the woods (White Clay Preserve) being haunted. Anyone have any good scary commuting stories? Give me a few months and I'm sure I will.

I am more scared of running into a skunk around here ,then a ghost.

I am more scared of running into a skunk around here ,then a ghost.

Nah, that's not a ghost. that's Mayor Hazel wandering in the dark after hours. :)

An old uncle told me once he rode through a graveyard one night in his home town (in asia). As he rode through, he felt his bike became heavier and heavier. He told me he was quite freaked out and dare not looked back. Local folk lores often said that when going through graveyards, one can pick up "passengers". Anyhow he did make it through. He checked his panniers at the back to find two small tombstones there.

Encountered mama bear and her 2 cubs while riding home one night, they were right at the edge of a rural stretch of MUP I ride. I thought they were fake at first, until Mama gave a "WHUFF?" and all 3 stood up on hind legs. I had my flashing LED helmet light on, and their eyes strobing right back at me was creepy, all right! Didn't want to ride directly past them, so the four of us stood there for awhile eyeing each other and trying to figure out what to do next. It would have been a great Far Side cartoon. Fortunately, Mama dropped to all fours after awhile and took off into the brush with the 2 cubs in tow.

I live in New Orleans. The whole place is creepy after dark. I think that fact has made me a faster rider.

My buds and I have been riding a defunct golf course late at night too. The paths are still usable mostly. Rats often cross the path in front of my wheel under the moonlight. No ghosts tho.

Encountered mama bear and her 2 cubs while riding home one night, they were right at the edge of a rural stretch of MUP I ride. I thought they were fake at first, until Mama gave a "WHUFF?" and all 3 stood up on hind legs. I had my flashing LED helmet light on, and their eyes strobing right back at me was creepy, all right! Didn't want to ride directly past them, so the four of us stood there for awhile eyeing each other and trying to figure out what to do next. It would have been a great Far Side cartoon. Fortunately, Mama dropped to all fours after awhile and took off into the brush with the 2 cubs in tow.

My biggest concern riding at night on my way in to work is moose and or deer maybe a bear crossing my path. That is why I invested in the airzound horn, I have seen moose and deer along my route, no bear yet (knock on wood)

Wrote this about three years ago in October:

As I’ve posted elsewhere I‘m currently car-free for ten days. Normally I have ready access to my wife’s vehicle, but last week she drove off to Sault Ste. Marie to help her sister, and the kids and I are doing without. I’m car-light anyway, and commute by bike most of the year, so I looked forward to it, but it has required some adjusting and led to some new experiences.

One night this past week I decided to go out of my way to return some videos. I normally leave work at about 6:30 pm, after the worst of rush hour has subsided, and ride pretty much due north on residential and feeder streets, but this time I had to head a fair bit east, to the Rogers Video at Bayview and Eglinton, and I wanted to set out right at 5 pm as I had to run that errand, then buy some groceries, and get home to cook dinner for the kids. That meant crossing town in the peak of rush hour, on leaf-slimed streets, and in the early dark of this time of year.

I decided I’d avoid some of the traffic hassles by heading east from Yonge St. through the Mount Pleasant cemetery, a sprawling necropolis that doubles as a public park and lays across uptown Toronto like a cumberbund. I knew the graveyard would be poorly lit and mostly deserted, but I’m not particularly spooked by that stuff normally. In summer the twisting, criss-crossing roads in there can quickly lead to disorientation, but in the current season, with most of the leaves off the trees, I knew I could navigate by keeping an eye on the silhouettes of the tall buildings that march down two sides of the property.

I rode up across St. Clair, headed east on Heath St. to Yonge St., then entered the wide open gates of the graveyard just north of the intersection. It was even darker than anticipated, but the adjacent buildings were clearly visible, and I began to wend my way among the quiet memorials.

I admit it was creepier than I had expected. The distant noise of traffic was muffled, and as I rode in utter solitude, the larger mausoleums loomed over the road in hulking silence. I was startled at first to see here and there some brief, faint flashes of yellow light through the distant underbrush. Even after I realized I was catching the reflection of my headlamp off some of the more polished markers, I still felt goosebumps starting to form.

The graveyard is bisected midway between Yonge St. and Bayvew Ave. by Mt. Pleasant Blvd, a busy four lane road with traffic lights only at the north and south ends of its course across the cemetery. You can exit the graveyard at gates placed midway along that section on either side of the street, and 100 m north of the gates, there’s an underpass that connects the two segments of the park.

As I approached Mt. Pleasant Blvd, I decided not to continue through the second section of the cemetery to Bayview Ave. I was starting to feel uncomfortable, and I knew the next part would be more difficult. The eastern section is larger, hillier, and has more irregular roads, and there are fewer large buildings nearby to act as landmarks, so I figured it was possible I could get lost in there and have to wander for a while in the dark trying to find an exit. In fact, I remembered I had never actually used the Bayiew exit and wasn’t sure exactly where it was. Some segments of the periphery are flanked by houses, and I wasn’t keen to have to climb a fence and scramble through someone’s yard if I couldn’t find the gate.

Still, I didn’t want to exit on the near side of Mt. Pleasant Blvd, because I’d be on the wrong side of the street to head north in the general direction of Eglinton Av, and crossing that busy section of the street without traffic lights would be a daunting exercise. I decided to bear left and head for the underpass, go through that, then loop back to the gates on the far side of Mt Pleasant so I could head north from there.

In daylight, the way under Mount Pleasant is short and brightly lit, but at night it’s long, dark, and musty. As I coasted down the incline into the tunnel mouth I actually felt an ominous feeling, as if I were entering a haunted mine-shaft. Of course, I was through in a moment and started to climb back up to street level as the pavement curved to the right. It was a wide, sweeping turn that took me deep into the eastern section, but eventually the road straightened out and headed south, parallel to the well lit boulevard some distance away. Up ahead I could see the faint outline of a road crossing, where a last right turn would take me to the gate and finally out of that place.

But then I saw something I had never before encountered: a tombstone flanked by two pale blue-grey LED lights that glimmered in the gloom. I’ve never seen such a dismal, chilling sight. It was right beside road and I had to ride within a couple of metres of that icy blue glare, which almost seemed to throw cold the way an incandescent bulb throws heat.

I passed that ghastly scene and I reached the corner, and noticed to my left a utility building with one or two lights on inside, but my route was to the right. Making the turn I could see a car up ahead in the driveway, facing into Mt. Pleasant Blvd just outside the gate, and a man getting into it. The huge wrought-iron vehicle gates were closed behind his car and in an instant I realized he was a park official heading home, and had just locked the exit behind him. I quelled my anxiety as I knew there were pedestrian gates to the sides, and upped my cadence. He got a break in the traffic and drove off just as I arrived. The gates are suspended from massive stone columns and right next to the vehicle gate was the pedestrian gate, also a formidable wrought iron affair with tall spiked tips. I squinted in the darkness and saw the gate latch and metal gatepost were wrapped in a heavy chain with a sturdy padlock. I was trapped!

Looking to the side I realized the imposing gates were just for show…a little further along the graveyard was protected only by a chain link fence about four feet high with the ragged upper edged protruding an inch or two above the aluminum top rail. I heaved my bike over then started to scramble over as quickly as I could without tearing my clothes. I suppose I should claim that by then I was fearful that ghoulish, skeletal fingers would suddenly claw at my backpack, pulling me back into the graveyard for all eternity, but in truth, I was just getting tired of and irritated with that place.

I got out of the graveyard, mounted my bike, and went on my way.

One morning I rode pretty close to 2 loose large animals that looked either like pit bulls or some kind of panther. Hope they already had breakfast.

I also had a homeless guy kick a soccerball at me on my bike trying to knock me over.

One night riding the bike trail next to the river at twilight a bat flew right into my sternum while I was down in the handlebar drops. Completely freaked me out. What the H was wrong with his sonar ?

All of these got my adrenaline flowing and I sprinted out as fast as I could.

Last weekend I heard a story about a guy (from his wife) who encountered a "black squirrel" while riding ... only to realize ... he fortunately sprinted out of range when the stripeless skunk tried to spray him. He thought for sure he would be sleeping at the nearby cheap motel until he could de-stinkify himself because she wouldn't have let him back in the house.

WOW! :eek: that's why i always try to avoid passing by or through graveyard places when the sun is starting to set, it's freaky, even though you know such thing doesn't really exist, but still.... :p


Wrote this about three years ago in October:

As I’ve posted elsewhere I‘m currently car-free for ten days. Normally I have ready access to my wife’s vehicle, but last week she drove off to Sault Ste. Marie to help her sister, and the kids and I are doing without. I’m car-light anyway, and commute by bike most of the year, so I looked forward to it, but it has required some adjusting and led to some new experiences.

One night this past week I decided to go out of my way to return some videos. I normally leave work at about 6:30 pm, after the worst of rush hour has subsided, and ride pretty much due north on residential and feeder streets, but this time I had to head a fair bit east, to the Rogers Video at Bayview and Eglinton, and I wanted to set out right at 5 pm as I had to run that errand, then buy some groceries, and get home to cook dinner for the kids. That meant crossing town in the peak of rush hour, on leaf-slimed streets, and in the early dark of this time of year.

I decided I’d avoid some of the traffic hassles by heading east from Yonge St. through the Mount Pleasant cemetery, a sprawling necropolis that doubles as a public park and lays across uptown Toronto like a cumberbund. I knew the graveyard would be poorly lit and mostly deserted, but I’m not particularly spooked by that stuff normally. In summer the twisting, criss-crossing roads in there can quickly lead to disorientation, but in the current season, with most of the leaves off the trees, I knew I could navigate by keeping an eye on the silhouettes of the tall buildings that march down two sides of the property.

I rode up across St. Clair, headed east on Heath St. to Yonge St., then entered the wide open gates of the graveyard just north of the intersection. It was even darker than anticipated, but the adjacent buildings were clearly visible, and I began to wend my way among the quiet memorials.

I admit it was creepier than I had expected. The distant noise of traffic was muffled, and as I rode in utter solitude, the larger mausoleums loomed over the road in hulking silence. I was startled at first to see here and there some brief, faint flashes of yellow light through the distant underbrush. Even after I realized I was catching the reflection of my headlamp off some of the more polished markers, I still felt goosebumps starting to form.

The graveyard is bisected midway between Yonge St. and Bayvew Ave. by Mt. Pleasant Blvd, a busy four lane road with traffic lights only at the north and south ends of its course across the cemetery. You can exit the graveyard at gates placed midway along that section on either side of the street, and 100 m north of the gates, there’s an underpass that connects the two segments of the park.

As I approached Mt. Pleasant Blvd, I decided not to continue through the second section of the cemetery to Bayview Ave. I was starting to feel uncomfortable, and I knew the next part would be more difficult. The eastern section is larger, hillier, and has more irregular roads, and there are fewer large buildings nearby to act as landmarks, so I figured it was possible I could get lost in there and have to wander for a while in the dark trying to find an exit. In fact, I remembered I had never actually used the Bayiew exit and wasn’t sure exactly where it was. Some segments of the periphery are flanked by houses, and I wasn’t keen to have to climb a fence and scramble through someone’s yard if I couldn’t find the gate.

Still, I didn’t want to exit on the near side of Mt. Pleasant Blvd, because I’d be on the wrong side of the street to head north in the general direction of Eglinton Av, and crossing that busy section of the street without traffic lights would be a daunting exercise. I decided to bear left and head for the underpass, go through that, then loop back to the gates on the far side of Mt Pleasant so I could head north from there.

In daylight, the way under Mount Pleasant is short and brightly lit, but at night it’s long, dark, and musty. As I coasted down the incline into the tunnel mouth I actually felt an ominous feeling, as if I were entering a haunted mine-shaft. Of course, I was through in a moment and started to climb back up to street level as the pavement curved to the right. It was a wide, sweeping turn that took me deep into the eastern section, but eventually the road straightened out and headed south, parallel to the well lit boulevard some distance away. Up ahead I could see the faint outline of a road crossing, where a last right turn would take me to the gate and finally out of that place.

But then I saw something I had never before encountered: a tombstone flanked by two pale blue-grey LED lights that glimmered in the gloom. I’ve never seen such a dismal, chilling sight. It was right beside road and I had to ride within a couple of metres of that icy blue glare, which almost seemed to throw cold the way an incandescent bulb throws heat.

I passed that ghastly scene and I reached the corner, and noticed to my left a utility building with one or two lights on inside, but my route was to the right. Making the turn I could see a car up ahead in the driveway, facing into Mt. Pleasant Blvd just outside the gate, and a man getting into it. The huge wrought-iron vehicle gates were closed behind his car and in an instant I realized he was a park official heading home, and had just locked the exit behind him. I quelled my anxiety as I knew there were pedestrian gates to the sides, and upped my cadence. He got a break in the traffic and drove off just as I arrived. The gates are suspended from massive stone columns and right next to the vehicle gate was the pedestrian gate, also a formidable wrought iron affair with tall spiked tips. I squinted in the darkness and saw the gate latch and metal gatepost were wrapped in a heavy chain with a sturdy padlock. I was trapped!

Looking to the side I realized the imposing gates were just for show…a little further along the graveyard was protected only by a chain link fence about four feet high with the ragged upper edged protruding an inch or two above the aluminum top rail. I heaved my bike over then started to scramble over as quickly as I could without tearing my clothes. I suppose I should claim that by then I was fearful that ghoulish, skeletal fingers would suddenly claw at my backpack, pulling me back into the graveyard for all eternity, but in truth, I was just getting tired of and irritated with that place.

I got out of the graveyard, mounted my bike, and went on my way.

Kill it with fire

Riding home from work at 6am. The sun is rising. The air is cool. I was headed up the last road to my house, which has a steep hill. On the left side of the road is nice open field of fresh cut hay, ready to be baled. I notice about 200ft away, a tan colored kitty-cat standing in the field looking at me. Like an idiot, I autonomously blurted in a high pitched voice..."kitty-kitty".

As I looked again, the little kitty-cat seemed familiar. Then it dawned on me, this was no "LITTLE" kitty-cat.


It was a "BIIIIIIGGGGGG" kitty.....


..... nice kitty.....


.....easy kitty......


.....just don't eat me kitty.....


.....stay right there while I ride far, farrrrr away kitty....



(a cougar)


They're actually pretty common around here, and quite a few running around on the Kitsap peninsula.

I work 2nd shift so I ride home late, I see people passed out, homeless and just doing weird ***** all the time. We have bicycle police here too I think sometimes people think I am one they kinda just freeze when I pass by heh. I almost ran over a guy passing under a bridge once he was just laying there in a sleeping bag wtf. The freaks come out at night for sure, me included :-)

*edit... I would though have to say the strangest thing I have seen to date is one time around 1:30 in the afternoon I seen a guy laying on his side ,on a sidewalk, pissing LOL I rolled by was like did I just see that? Wish I had the VholdR that day. I guess he was just too drunk to stand and handle business

Passing through/by Cypress Hills cemeteries at night I kept remembering stories about local ghosts reputedly being seen wandering between the mausoleums...then kept imagining that I saw glowing red eyes floating and staring at me from among the tombstones... :twitchy:

Had a bobcat walk out and cross the road about 30 yards ahead of me. Kinda of scared me. Later I saw a coyotte watching me as I went past. He didn't even move. Just stood there. That worried me.

This was a thread done a couple of months ago about scary commutes:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=493294