An albino squirrel - don't see that every day!

DD

- no disparaging another member, vulgarity, etc.
Just a peanut truck and a clean song (and dance).


You are obviously too young to remember fresh, hot roasted peanuts that used to be available at many stores. In Nashville there was a Planter's Peanut shop downtown that had an aroma that pulled clients in from a block away. And the Woolworth's (5 and Dime store) had a Soda Fountain that roasted peanuts on Saturday morning. I used to pass it most every Saturday after the Hop-A-Long Cassidy or Cisco Kid movie (and cartoon) at the local movie house, 10 cents for the 1st Sat showing. But I never had the money for peanuts after splurging on the movie.

Jet

Farm 013 by iabisdb, on Flickr


Wedding

Farm 024 by iabisdb, on Flickr


What wasn't there, the road itself

Marengo02 by iabisdb, on Flickr



Crucifix

Germany 211 by iabisdb, on Flickr



Flood

2013 Spring Classic 024 by iabisdb, on Flickr



What's left of a deer

Namekagon 002 by iabisdb, on Flickr

Saw this on my way through the UW campus this afternoon. I honestly thought I might be looking at a dead body:



I did a quick u-turn, leaned over, touched his arm (which was cold) and asked if he was alright. No response. His breathing was so shallow I couldn't detect it. I asked a passerby for a phone to call 911 since I wasn't getting anything from this guy - that's when he opened his eyes and looked up. I again asked if he was okay; nothing. He just closed his eyes and laid his head back on his arms. Whatever, dude!

I did some business at Recycled Cycles and on the way back 45 minutes later passed the same spot. I circled round and sure enough, he was still there (that's when I took the pic). Clothes were too nice/stylish/new to be a homeless guy. In the final analysis I think maybe he was nodding (we've got a heroin epidemic in Seattle according to local news sources).

DD

I guess that the most interesting thing I have come across on a ride is not a thing...but a people...

First, Richard Petty, of Nascar Racing fame! I lived near him many years ago...I was out for a ride and this guy pulls in beside me and asks if we can "ride along?" Sure! So we ride for about a dozen miles...and I am watching him, he looks SOOO familiar! But, he does not have on his cowboy hat and/or swept back sunglasses, he, of course, has on a helmet and a pair of Oakley's! Well, about about a dozen miles, we stop for a few minutes and chat. He takes off the Oakley's...WHOA! YOU ARE RICHARD PETTY! He smiles and says..."took you long enough!"...but in a good way, smiling and kind of laughing. We rode on for a bit and he pulled off to head home...

Second person was more cycling related. I was riding near my cabin in the Boone, NC area when I get swept aside by a guy going MUCH faster than me. He turns and looks...and I recognize...and realize why he was SOOO much faster...it was some dude named Lance! The Boone area is where he recovered from his cancer concerns, although this was well after that.

Santa Susana Depot, Simi Valley, CA. Lucky shot of Amtrack passing by.

A totally nude lady taking a bucket bath, a 2 foot long monitor lizard, a cobra on 2 separate occasions, an albino water buffalo, a couple of hundred 1 hundred dollar bills (fake, they throw them during a funeral or on Chinese New year), a 1000 year old Temple in the middle of nowhere.

I use to ride the maintenance road around Charlotte motor speedway, 2 miles. Several drivers stopped me to ask what kind of bike I was riding? It was my 1987 7/11 bike .

On the road:
- A car with the rear end leaning against a telephone pole. Bonus: the car is at a 45 degree angle to the ground. Double Bonus: it is also upside down. There was a flatbed tow truck driver beginning retrieval efforts. He was taking pictures of it, because his buddies wouldn't believe him.

- A fox, carrying a squirrel in mouth. I spooked the fox, it dropped the squirrel, and the squirrel ran away with the fox in close pursuit.

- A dead deer with part of a bumper sticking out of the midsection

Along the rail trail near my house:

- a full, cold case of 24 cans of Coors Light. That went to my neighbor.

- a fairly new Werner aluminum extension ladder. Not a short one, either. Again, on a trail, at least half a mile away from any roads or bridges, and not close to any houses\garages. Went past it on my way out, it wasn't there on the way back.

- snowpants, a nice Descente ski parka, and lots of gloves and hats. In August.

- a rear Skyway 20" mag wheel. No tire, and the hub didn't have a freewheel. Or an axle\bearings.

- a kid complaining about the 'weird old bike' his dad was making him ride, and how he wanted a 'cool' bike like his friend. The weird bike was a vintage Hutch Pro Raider BMX in fantastic shape. The allegedly cool bike was a Walmart Mongoose. I chatted with the dad, turns out the Hutch was his childhood bike. He was surprised to hear that his son was riding around on something collectors would happily pay him lots of money for.

Now that I know DD has a weakness for turtles, a denizen from my ride on Cape Canaveral AFS.

CCAFS4 by L Travers, on Flickr

Other than that, about the only thing I found on a ride was a small baggie with funny green stuff in it.

..

So, this morning marks the fourth cell phone I've found on the road while cycling this year. Today's find was a massive, huge button, sparkly pink something or other. The first three I came across were iPhones, two of which had already had fatal encounters with automobile tires. Do that many people lay their phones on top of their car, and then absentmindedly drive off? I can't think of any other explanation for the volume of cell phones on the road. ...oh, and they've all been spotted within about a three mile stretch of road.

Here's something we came across today and it's pretty weird:



It's a wooden frame 636 meters long, 12 meters high and was built in the 18th century. The frame is completely stuffed with branches of wood. Windmills pump water to the top and it trickles down to the base.

Here's my bicycle for scale:


It's a bit horrible to behold:




... and smells vaguely of fish.

Can you guess what it does?

Wallet with 600 cash. I live in a small town, owner lived in nearby town. I phoned her and she was at my place in 20 minutes with her daughter. Grabs the wallet, daughter whispers 'is it all there' as mom hastily counts. Back in the car and GONE. I really didn't want anything but a sincere thank you. Made me wish someone else found it. Bloody rube.

I'm gonna guess it's an evaporator for a salt mine.
I've seen similar apparatus at salt mines in Germany.

Quite correct [MENTION=73614]rhm[/MENTION] ! It's the largest graduation tower in Europe (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graduation_tower)

I found a five dollar bill once...not terribly unusual, but at the time I was unemployed and dead broke, I had a grand total of $3 to my name when I found the fiver. More than doubled my net worth!

Second story: back in college, I was riding home at dusk, it was just about dark. Up ahead there's dark figure standing by the side of the road. As I get closer, the figure turns to face me--and its eyes started glowing bright red! Momentarily spooked me--I didn't think I was THAT stoned at the time--but it turned out it was some kid wearing "sunglasses" that had tiny red lights on them to freak people out.

Lotta' curious stuff here. I usually find tools, 6mm hex wrenches, 1/2" sockets, an occasional open-end/closed-end wrench, etc.

My younger brother has always been a huge RP fan; he loved this story when I related it to him. As a racing fan myself, I too thought it was pretty cool. I hear he's one of the most down-to-earth people you'd ever want to meet.

DD

Is that a tortoise?

When on a ride up the North Fork (Snoqualmie River) a week or so ago we passed a yard in which was a huge tortoise (North Bend). The front yard was too deep to get a good pic of it, but I pointed it out to everyone. That was a first.

Did you find the green stuff in the baggie along with the tortoise? Maybe that would explain why he was just sittin' there veggin' out

DD

Damn. And you can see the daughter has already learned bad behavior from mom (basically suggesting right in front of you that you may have already removed your own "reward" ). Too damn many of these kinds of people in the world today

DD

I think you may be right about it being a tortoise. AFA the baggie...way far away from him/her.

The usual, cell phones - people are usually happy because of the pictures and contacts not the hardware and give you a reward.

Tools - lots, mostly cheap screw drivers and combo wrenches but some scores - a complete set of craftsman reversible ratcheting combos W/foam holder, a couple snap on impact swivel sockets, a 1/2" milwaukee corded drill, a arborist grade pole saw.

Cash - I don't stop for change unless it's at a light but folding money I do, biggest was a $20, in River Hills one of our richest suburbs.

People having sex on the trail - One bent over on a MC, the other standing in the middle of the trail and being orally active. Both incidents were within 20 yards of each other, but right where there is a spur to the trail from a Walmart.

Lots of animals as my main commute trail is along a river. Deer, turkeys, coyotes, foxes, herons, ducks, turtles, muskrats, beavers along along with the usual rabbits etc.

In spring lots of fiberglass snow plow markers. Because I plow, I grab them. Spring is one of the best times to find stuff as the snowbanks melt and uncover the winters collection.

I once found a plastic container of new brake rotors and calipers, must have fell off a parts delivery truck. Some other guy stopped and grabbed them in a car.

A Dominos pizza hot bag. Dropped it off and got a free pizza.

One of the oddest things was 4 new full gallons of coleman fuel. I will never need to buy it ever again.

At the same time? Inquiring (dirty) minds want to know

DD

Wanted to find a pic of King Richard on a bike, but could only come up with this:



Would a have been a snap to ID on this rig.