Yeah i took the police approach because if i started asking around (there was 0 people on the street at 6.30am) it was too easy for anyone to say yeah that's mine.

At least to collect from the cops they need to provide approximate dollar amount and location.

I'd hate for a legitimate owner to have been short $3200. I think it's akin to stealing if you don't do what you need to do in order to return money that wasn't legitimately yours in the first place. I don't need that bad juju on my life.

All worked out well for me in the end though, it ended up funding my new Giant Defy and then some.

Ah well. It sounds like you did everything demanded by prudence, responsibility and good citizenship. Enjoy your winnings. That's quite the wad.

Golf balls. A hot pink one and a bright yellow one. My ride starts on a loop around a golf course.

A month or so ago I found an older IPhone and Otterbox case. First I saw one part of the case....then the phone. Phone was working and undamaged thanks to the otterbox. It likely fell from a car as the person who owned it was an old man and based on my interaction, it was not dropped from a bike. It was unlocked too. If I were not a nice person, I could have accessed all sorts of stuff. When I spoke to owner, I told him he should use the lock feature.

A mouse. Alive, and scooting away from the curb, under traffic waiting at the stoplight.

Tomorrow perhaps: a squished mouse

This very morning. Luckily, right near the end of the ride so I didn't have to tote that thing in the jersey for two hours.

Lego pieces.

And a 10mm socket T-wrench on the very day I really could've used one.

I have found a guinea pig the last 3 times I rode.

I'm sure it's the same one as it's in the same place every time. Obviously it's a runaway pet. But every day it's sitting there in the same place and runs into the bushes as soon as I approach.

That's a new one on me.

Funny... I was sure that story was going to end with "every day it's sitting there in the same place because it's squashed"

0n my commute I found all kinds of tools and even cash money! One day I found a six lb bar of copper.

Do you by chance live or commute past strip clubs? Ewwwwwwww

Man, I've found so much stuff I keep my eyes peeled now. In fact, about 2 days ago, while riding out in the country around here, I spotted a smart-phone hidden in the grass just off the pavement. I knew that had to have slid off a car roof or something, (which turned out to be the case). I turned around and grabbed it, the screen came right on, and when I stopped at the store where I top off my bottles, I started looking through recent calls to find someone to ring up. Long story short, that evening the girl's father came to get it, and even gave me a $20 gift card from the Dollar Store right up the road, LOL!!
I've found a couple single Allen wrenches, of the common bike size, so i assume they were lost by cyclists. I've found numerous other tools, (adjustable wrenches, screwdrivers, rolls of duct tape, etc), good work gloves, nice wool beanie cap (best one I own now). I once found a nice Columbia rain jacket, with a few bucks in the pocket, and business card for a hair salon on the other side of the county ( I called, but no joy). It was too small for me, so I gave it to my niece.
I also found a cool OD green Frog Toggs rain jacket, which I came back to at the end of the ride, and carried home (it's my car jacket now).
My mom needed a way to organize her snakes-nest of extension cords for her leaf blower and weed-eater, and all of a sudden, I spot one of those things that hold wrapped-up extension cords !!! The timing on that was downright weird !
I've found people's car keys, then posted them on Craigslist lost & found, but no luck there. Same with a kids baseball glove I found that had his name on it, I posted it, but no luck there,either.
Heck, I'm sure I'm still forgetting several things.

(edit: yep remembered another one! I once found a little nylon/velcro pouch that I believe attaches to the shoelaces of joggers, to carry a little cash and car/house key, and it did have several bucks in it.)
Years ago, my home-made bike rack in the garage needed some padding where there bike's top-tube rested across two 2x4's, and I happened to find about a 4-5 ft piece of foam pipe insulation. It may have fallen from a construction/plumbing truck, but it looked to be exactly what i needed. I folded it up across the mtn bike handlebar, and rode home with it, and it worked perfectly !

saw 2 large adjustable crescent wrenches Friday (several miles apart). neither was in nice enough condition to turn around & pick up

I feel like the pickings are slim here because there’s a lot of homeless getting to it first. Cf my story above about the purse.

Same goes for the cherry and orange trees

Today:
- Nicely cut rectangle of sod, roughly 2' x 10' (I assume it fell off a landscaping truck).
- Christmas stocking.

Why don't you decide you need 3 or 4 gold bars....and I'll ride in front of you that day.

You guys are lucky. I found poop on the trail. Smallish grazer poop. I wonder if the yak men got a new yak?

I found poop today. The past month, road crews have been working on resurfacing the residential neighborhood I ride through before I get to the arterials. The road that will be paved today (I might get to ride on it tonight) had half a dog turd on it. I briefly wondered if the dog's owner left or planted it there on purpose to see if any of it was evident through the new layer of asphalt

Oh there's always something on the trail; otter, raccoon, dog, just usually on the edges not right down the middle for a surprisingly long stretch.

Owner was probably walking half a block ahead with his phone out and head down when the dog did his duty.

True story: we have a dog who does not like anyone to watch him poop. We take him camping to RV parks and he won't go during a walk, he needs to be off leash and my back turned. And although that's a place I definitely need to pick up after him, sometimes I just can't find it.

I found some birth control / STD prevention devices today. I make a reasonable living and can afford my own so I left them for the next guy who might be a little less fortunate.

I wanted to say something funny about recycling, but I've got nuthin'.

I found half a roll of duct tape this morning, and found it a half block from work. Who doesn't need more duct tape?

A couple days ago I found a gasket, then a red lens, then a AAA battery, then a black plastic object, then another AAA battery.
I put them all together and had a functioning, undamaged Cateye taillight.