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Strange things found on your commute

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Old 08-01-13, 02:59 AM
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Found a tape measure the other day. In years passed, I've also found a large Crescent wrench that was painted orange (must have belonged to a road crew or something?) and what is called a drilling hammer (basically a small sledgehammer). The only useful stuff I seem to find are tools and money, can't complain I guess. Building up my toolbox...
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Old 08-01-13, 07:15 AM
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Strangest thing I ever found was a piece of firefighting equipment. It was some kind of enormous valve I guess - very heavy and probalby quite expensive. Had to weigh 20 - 25 lbs or so. Must have fallen off a firetruck, as it was just sitting in the middle of the road. I carried it while riding with one hand to a firestation about 1/2 mile away and just left it by one of their doors (volunteer station, nobody was there).
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Old 08-02-13, 02:03 PM
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I once had to stop traffic to remove a very large leaf spring leaf which some falling-apart beater truck had somehow dropped in the road.
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Old 08-02-13, 09:03 PM
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A couch (or is it a love seat?) on today's commute home:

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Old 08-02-13, 10:04 PM
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Dead racoon, dead posum (really dead), dead deer.
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Old 08-02-13, 11:23 PM
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Originally Posted by MileHighMark
A couch (or is it a love seat?) on today's commute home:

Your bicycle probably has syphilis now, good going.


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Old 08-02-13, 11:38 PM
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Found this ninja star while crossing through some grass....Unfortunately only after it found its way into my rear tire

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Old 08-03-13, 12:28 AM
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Originally Posted by frant
Found this ninja star while crossing through some grass....Unfortunately only after it found its way into my rear tire

Oh man! If you posted that anywhere else, people would probably be shouting you photoshopped that! Your emoticon really sells it though!
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Old 08-03-13, 12:34 AM
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Originally Posted by frant
Found this ninja star while crossing through some grass....Unfortunately only after it found its way into my rear tire


Made my day
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Old 08-03-13, 01:12 AM
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A pair of military style rifle bipods on the side of the road in suburban California.

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Old 08-03-13, 01:38 AM
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Originally Posted by leicanthrope
A pair of military style rifle bipods on the side of the road in suburban California.

Nice! Wish I had found those 15 years ago when I thought it was cool to have bipods on our SKS's!
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Old 08-03-13, 07:49 AM
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Originally Posted by frant
Found this ninja star while crossing through some grass....Unfortunately only after it found its way into my rear tire

Wait a second. How could you have it penetrate that way and keep rolling? And why is the tire still inflated? And there is no way that thing would be lying on the grass then tilt up as you roll over it an penetrated the tire. In addition to that it would have damaged the rim the way it's in there. Next photoshop please.
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Old 08-03-13, 11:56 AM
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Originally Posted by kookaburra1701
Your bicycle probably has syphilis now, good going.


I'm OK with that if it means I can get another bike.
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Old 08-03-13, 12:27 PM
  #539  
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Leather work gloves. Lots of them. I guess they fall off of trucks. I have a drawer for the good condition ones that must have over a hundred.

A huge grasshopper. I stuck it in an empty water bottle and put it in my insect collection.

Like new pair of Oakleys in a hard case.

Various hand tools.

Harley Anniversary edition stuck down the ditch near the road. The owner came back with a farmer driving a tractor. They lifted the bike up in the air - about 6' - and as he started to swing back onto the road the strap broke. I didn't stick around for the wrecker to arrive.
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Old 08-03-13, 03:23 PM
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Originally Posted by rekmeyata
Wait a second. How could you have it penetrate that way and keep rolling? And why is the tire still inflated? And there is no way that thing would be lying on the grass then tilt up as you roll over it an penetrated the tire. In addition to that it would have damaged the rim the way it's in there. Next photoshop please.
I only wish I was clever at photoshop! However I assure you I'm not Tis Tis...
Believe me, I would rather have not the flat. What am I going to do with the Star?
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Old 08-03-13, 09:47 PM
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Originally Posted by frant
I only wish I was clever at photoshop! However I assure you I'm not Tis Tis...
Believe me, I would rather have not the flat. What am I going to do with the Star?
Headbadge? Pound a curve into it.
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Old 08-04-13, 06:02 AM
  #542  
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Originally Posted by MileHighMark
I'm OK with that if it means I can get another bike.
Now that's turning a negative into a positive. I approve.
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Old 08-04-13, 06:19 AM
  #543  
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A nice and considerate car driver...
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Old 08-05-13, 11:12 AM
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Since I started commuting on BTWD, I've found a number of things:

Things I picked up:
Snap-On E11 External Torx driver - useless, I have no external torx head fasteners to drive, and the ones they sell at Home Depot are internal.
2 brand-new bungees
Specialized water bottle.

Things I did not pick up:
Lighters, baggies of unknown substances, handgun shell casing, spoons, all sorts of clothing, rubber bungies (mostly pieces), and old bungies.

This selection of items sort of reflects the neighborhood I ride through, unfortunately.
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Old 08-09-13, 11:47 AM
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I almost ran into/over this on the way home last night:

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Old 08-09-13, 12:06 PM
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Wouldn't want to make that guy angry.
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Old 08-09-13, 12:16 PM
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Originally Posted by MileHighMark
I almost ran into/over this on the way home last night:

When I lived in S California we would see these critters on occasion sunny themselves on mountain roads, going up we gave them a wide berth but coming down doing over 45mph we simply ran them over because it was safer to that then to try to swerve. I don't think the bikes would kill them but they didn't like it either because you would here their rattles shaking. First time I experienced I pulled my feet out of the pedals and held them up as high as I could, later I found out we were going to fast for them to strike us.
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Old 08-09-13, 01:04 PM
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Originally Posted by JamesR650


Wouldn't want to make that guy angry.
He was pissed when one guy tried to coax him off the trail with a large piece of wood. We're talking multiple strikes.
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Old 08-09-13, 01:24 PM
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I found this guy hobbling around in a busy street. I picked him up and carried him a few blocks where I released him over the fence of a mansion that had a pond in the back. Wonder if that duck is OK today...

This is the guy whose house it was:
https://photography.nationalgeographi...r-robert-haas/

I tweeted him to let him know but he never responded.

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Old 08-09-13, 01:35 PM
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Wasn't commuting (was out on a MUP/picnic ride with my wife), but we found a baby goose lost and wandering on the trail. It was the 4th of July and the river had a LOT of tubing traffic. They tubers were congregating on a sandbar that is normally filled with geese, and this little guy (or gal!) was right in that area. We transplanted them a half mile up where there was access to the river. Hope the little guy/gal made it.
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