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Strange things found on your commute

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Old 06-04-14, 06:24 PM
  #576  
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I found the base of my clip in pedal that broke off a week ago. I had gone back to look for it at the time (unclipped, went to clip back in, discovered I couldn't). It was right where I thought it should be, but I've ridden by there all week, and never saw it until today.

I'm not sure if this is good luck or bad luck. They are cheap $39 Performance Campus Pedals. Forté Campus Pedals - Save On Components During National Bike Month

I guess ten years of use, with the last 3 using them through the salt and snow in MN winters was too much. I'm thinking the screws just rusted out. Now I have a project to see if I can fix them.
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Old 06-04-14, 11:03 PM
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I passed a Pez museum in the next town over!
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Old 06-05-14, 02:34 AM
  #578  
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A dog shock collar.



A shocking find?

- Andy
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Old 06-05-14, 04:23 AM
  #579  
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Found a BMX bike on the side of a mup while riding with my guy. It had the seat and a few other bits striped off. I wanted to stop and throw it on my rack but was talked out of it.
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Old 06-06-14, 12:35 AM
  #580  
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Originally Posted by Chris_in_Miami
That's actually sort of cool (in a dangerous way.) I've had Conrad's Heart of Darkness flung at me several times, but never Faulkner. I suppose people are a bit more literate in your area.
"several times"? Here in Anchorage, beer bottles and one-fingered gestures get thrown at cyclists, not literature...
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Old 06-06-14, 07:12 AM
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I found these two bags and a checkbook beside the road soaked from last night's rain. Luckily I have fold out panniers so I stuffed them in. That made my last climb a little more difficult! I called the number on the checks and the person had no idea they were missing. By a strange coincidence, she once worked where I do many years ago.
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Old 06-06-14, 07:19 AM
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Found a really little kid alone and crying on the Libba Cotten Bikeway this morning coming in to work. Good thing I did... his mom and their bicycle were crashed down in the ditch. She'd passed out. She was still sitting down there, awake but kind of dazed. She said she was diabetic. I gave her some of my water, chained their bike to a sign, and walked them to the nearby Weaver Street Market, then went back to get their bike for them. Some jerk was already trying to take off with the trail-a-bike thing.

Some people. =( At least I got it back to them safe and they were okay.

Best,
Ash
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Old 06-06-14, 07:58 AM
  #583  
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Originally Posted by Elphabasan
Found a really little kid alone and crying on the Libba Cotten Bikeway this morning coming in to work. Good thing I did... his mom and their bicycle were crashed down in the ditch. She'd passed out. She was still sitting down there, awake but kind of dazed. She said she was diabetic. I gave her some of my water, chained their bike to a sign, and walked them to the nearby Weaver Street Market, then went back to get their bike for them. Some jerk was already trying to take off with the trail-a-bike thing.

Some people. =( At least I got it back to them safe and they were okay.
Talk about being in the right place at the right time, twice.

Good for you, man. Made my day just to read this.

Last edited by SMorrison; 06-06-14 at 08:03 AM.
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Old 06-06-14, 08:12 AM
  #584  
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Originally Posted by Elphabasan
Found a really little kid alone and crying on the Libba Cotten Bikeway this morning coming in to work. Good thing I did... his mom and their bicycle were crashed down in the ditch. She'd passed out. She was still sitting down there, awake but kind of dazed. She said she was diabetic. I gave her some of my water, chained their bike to a sign, and walked them to the nearby Weaver Street Market, then went back to get their bike for them. Some jerk was already trying to take off with the trail-a-bike thing.

Some people. =( At least I got it back to them safe and they were okay.

Best,
Ash


Yes you.

- Andy
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Old 06-06-14, 10:15 AM
  #585  
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Originally Posted by TransitBiker


Yes you.

- Andy

This.
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Old 06-06-14, 10:24 AM
  #586  
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Originally Posted by TransitBiker
A dog shock collar.



A shocking find?

- Andy
Ther is a happy dog out there somewhere!
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Old 06-06-14, 11:07 AM
  #587  
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I had forgotten about this. Last week I found a woman at the base of a tree, lying in the fetal position with her bags. A runner and I stopped, the woman said she was okay and just resting. The jogger and I hesitantly went on our ways. I was a few minutes from home and when I got home I told my wife I was going back to check on her again. My wife went instead and found her. The same jogger was walking with the woman already. My wife offered a drive and other assistance and verified if everything was okay.

I hope the woman was okay, my wife said it seemed like she had a seizure, bad trip, migraine or fatigue maybe. Hopefully not a stroke, she seemed coherent enough and lucid. She was dressed as if she had been on her way home from work. I hope she was okay.

It is always worrying to find someone in this situation.
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Old 06-06-14, 02:28 PM
  #588  
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Nice camera.
A year ago, I was riding in the rain after a stormy night and saw what looked like a discarded black garment. As I passed, I glanced again and saw it was a camera, covered with mud because it was next to a construction site. I picked it up, took it home and carefully cleaned it. Not a scratch on it. Olympus E520 SLR. Not a topline model, but pretty good. I turned it on. It activated, but the battery was almost dead, and of course I had no charger. I bought a charger online cheap, and was able to view photos on the memory card. They were clear but did not indicate the owner. I put up an ad on Craigslist for three weeks with precise location where I had found it. No one claimed it.
I took it to a wedding a couple weeks later, and the photos were some of the best anyone had produced. Same with another wedding six months later. Those were the only times I have used it.
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Old 06-06-14, 02:40 PM
  #589  
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Last week, coming back from the bank I found a water bottle in the road.

I was happy to see it because going to the bank my water bottle had somehow bounded out of the water bottle holder at just that place. It had obviously gotten run over, and was crimped at the bottom, but it was still water tight, so it's back in service.
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Old 06-06-14, 04:07 PM
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Originally Posted by joeyduck
I had forgotten about this. Last week I found a woman at the base of a tree, lying in the fetal position with her bags. A runner and I stopped, the woman said she was okay and just resting. The jogger and I hesitantly went on our ways. I was a few minutes from home and when I got home I told my wife I was going back to check on her again. My wife went instead and found her. The same jogger was walking with the woman already. My wife offered a drive and other assistance and verified if everything was okay.

I hope the woman was okay, my wife said it seemed like she had a seizure, bad trip, migraine or fatigue maybe. Hopefully not a stroke, she seemed coherent enough and lucid. She was dressed as if she had been on her way home from work. I hope she was okay.

It is always worrying to find someone in this situation.
I found a guy laying face down in the dirt one night, breathing but not moving otherwise. Another guy and his son got to him before I did, and we called 911. It turns out he was a regular for the cops, and one of them had found him passed out drunk so many times he knew who he was without seeing his face.
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Old 06-06-14, 04:08 PM
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Originally Posted by TransitBiker


Yes you.

- Andy
Yep, good for you.
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Old 06-08-14, 05:28 AM
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Originally Posted by no motor?
I found a guy laying face down in the dirt one night, breathing but not moving otherwise. Another guy and his son got to him before I did, and we called 911. It turns out he was a regular for the cops, and one of them had found him passed out drunk so many times he knew who he was without seeing his face.
One Sunday morning I found a lady lying face down in the yard in front of my apartment. I tried to rouse her. She was conscious but refused to move. That is until I let her know that the cops had been called. That got her up. Unfortunately for her, by the time she got up, the cops had arrived. After they talked to her and found that she had some small packets in her possession, they generously gave her a ride.
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I don't care if you are on a unicycle, as long as you're not using a motor to get places you get props from me. We're here to support each other. Share ideas, and motivate one another to actually keep doing it.
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Old 06-08-14, 06:12 AM
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Do shopping carts on the MUP count? I find new ones every day but it may be unusual for you. It's nice when they're not blocking the path.
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Old 06-08-14, 06:48 AM
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I found a guy face down on the sidewalk. I just wanted to make sure he was alive. He didn't respond until I said I was about to squirt him with my water bottle. He popped right up, then.

We talked for a bit. He was on business from England and got too drunk. He was glad I found him before the cops did.

The weird part was, he didn't come across as the blackout drunk kind of person.
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Old 06-09-14, 07:43 AM
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I have found a few broken, thrown out cell phones. I always look for the memory chip. What I didn't LOOK for, but have found twice were selfies of their male genitilia. Strange.
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Old 06-10-14, 02:05 PM
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This wasn't during a commute, but it was on the same route as my regular commute. This was along a canal path, with one side paved concrete, and the other a dirt path. This person was on the dirt path side. Turns out he/she's there every morning.

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Old 06-10-14, 02:58 PM
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I found a live Beaver yesterday, but decided best not to attempt to carry it home with those claws and teeth if you know what I mean, besides I don't think my pool would be a very good place for it to live.
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Old 06-10-14, 08:30 PM
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After years of commuting quite a few items, many useful:

Have been using for several few years

Cuisinart food processor - didn't look used much, labels still on blades.
Vacuum cleaner
Inverter - so I can plug household electrical items into car
step ladder (lots of clearance from passing traffic when riding with 4' ladder across back of bike).

Raspberries, occasionally blackberries or blueberries

Other items
bicycle frame (Reynolds 531 frame)
Tools (primarily pliers, screwdrivers)
Other bicycles being discarded by neighbors

Lots of bungee cords; most useful when I needed an extra cord for the ride home
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Old 06-11-14, 07:17 AM
  #599  
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Was this cyclist such a weight weenie that they had to discard on the side of the road a used CO2 cartridge and a repairable tube?

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Old 06-11-14, 07:25 AM
  #600  
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Rolled into downtown yesterday afternoon and saw this hovering above the art museum. Crappy cell phone pic, but it's the DirecTV blimp.

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