I really appreciate the offer but at this point I'm so emotionally drained from the whole day it's tough for me to process. I can only hope someone extremely needy finds it and gives it a good home.

In the meantime I'll be saving up for a new 705.

The 705 has a circuit and batteries in it yes ? Perhaps a metal detector could come in handy. If there is a local club of some kind, a member will more than likely be willing to come hunt for ya. Likely gratis, or for the price of a drink after the find.

I myself have recovered the following at request...

I pod from snow covered hill (tobogganing)
Wedding band at ski area
Knife under snow on a hunting trail

etc. etc.

That's an interesting idea, gerald. Assuming it did fly into the brush, it'll probably still be there tomorrow. i'll give that a shot.

bd, first I am very glad you're ok and not seriously hurt. When I say what I am about to please do not think it is in anyway making fun of you and your accidentand losing an expensive device like your Garmin. It has to do with losing your Garmin.

Am I the only one who finds losing a Garmin GPS device, then not being able to find it, a little ironic and humorous? Think about it for a min. A lost GPS device, isn't that kind of funny? GPS's are used to help us find our way and track where we've been and are at, right? I don't know about you but I find it just a bit funny that a lost Garmin can not be found. Let me guess. When the inventors of these things created them no one ever thought to put in a feature that allows the unit itself to be found, if ever lost. If that is the case I find that ironic.

Again bd I am glad you're ok an dsorry you lost your Garmin. But yo uhave to look at the funny and ironic side of this. I am also trying to cheer you up a bit as well. I do hope you find your Garmin, I know they are not cheap.

Does it have any sort of built in homing device that would allow you to use another GPS device to locate it? If not what better reason to invent one.

If I ever find it, or when I save up enough to buy a new one, I am affixing some kind of "safety leash" to it, that's for sure.

So I explored an alternate way through that dreaded Custis Trail switchback this morning where BD had the first of two accidents yesterday. Headed east towards DC, about 20 yards before the Lee Highway overpass, there is an unnamed exit from the trail on the right side. The exit had some leaves too (not as many as the switchback though) but no turns. Take the exit for a few seconds and you'll be on the south side of Lee Highway near the 66 on/off ramp. You have to ride briefly on the sidewalk and use a crosswalk to cross the 66 on/off ramp. Then you cross Lee Highway at a stoplight with a crosswalk. Once you cross Lee Highway, the Custis Trail picks right back up after the dreaded switchback.

All in all, I'm sure it is a little slower than walking down it. The crosswalks are well regulated and safe and even at rush hour there was not a lot of traffic so I did not feel like I was replacing the dreaded switchback danger with irate motorists. If the trail is wet and leafy, it would be better in my view to use this alternative. Now that I'm so freaked out about that switchback after knowing so many others wiped out there too, I take it really slow anyway so unless it is wet and leafy I'd probably just use the trail. I also would not use the alternate headed west since you are not likely to wipe out going uphill.

I've never wiped out going up that hill, just down it.

Thanks for finding the alternate, JPCowan

Man, that hill really blows this time of year... between the leaves and the paint line it's an absolute blast. I've luckily never gone down there but I've skidded out on the paint once or twice. My natural instinct is to take the second switchback too tight and end up clipping the line.

If I've got a few moments the next time around I'll hop into the brush and take a look. Then tell you I couldn't find it no matter what...*kidding*

On threads like this I can't help but think that there should be some kind of DC area "facebook" where we can post pics of our bikes so we can all say hi to each other. I'm the dude on the Blue Surly LHT with screaming yellow Ortliebs panniers, though most days I use the Williamsburg Blvd bike lane to the Chain Bridge to get from West FC to Bethesda.

Here's to keeping the rubber side down,

-Tyler

I've got the screaming yellow Ortliebs too, usually just need one though, on a Novara Safari. I only notice the people going in the opposite direction because I can see them for a few seconds. Coming and going as sure as the sun rises I always see this one guy with two small blue Ortlieb backrollers on his rear rack.

If it weren't for the fact that I know how dangerous that hill is, I actually kind of enjoy it Only when the pavement is dry and clear of leaves and twigs however, which isn't often. I about lost it there a couple of years ago rolling over a twig, and I've been super-cautious about it ever since.