not too weird but I found a pair of pliers today on my second AM commute ever. Oh, what lies ahead....

Once long ago on a MUP, I came across a huge Black snake. He'd been hit and was ruptured. I felt pretty bad for him (her). It was a fine specimen. I helped it over to the bushes where it could die in peace.

Last year, on the way to work, I rounded a corner on a very short section of MUP that I used. Suddenly, before I could stop, I rolled through some stinky yellow and clear liquids that got all over me, my bike and bags. I think it was some separated paint. Smelled bad, ugliest yellow I'd ever seen. It looked like someone had broken a fresh dinosaur egg in the middle of the path. Yolk and clear white. I still find flecks of it on the bike (blue one in logo below.)

Other than that, the usual shoe, hat, shirt, bottle, dead critter, bra, is all I've ridden by.

On commutes/tours over the years:

Multiple license plates (two Texas, one Missouri), a non-disposable plastic drink bottle, CDs, bungee cords (used to find these on highways in Indiana all the time, not so much here in Texas), more gloves than I can count, a bicycle tail-light (a few days after a big triathlon in my area), a plug nickel, a Chicago Cubs cap, a destroyed GMRS handheld radio, diapers (a few years ago someone was dumping a lot of them alongside the road in my area), a crescent wrench and a regular wrench, a William Faulkner novel (actually this was thrown at me from a vehicle window), and a wallet with twenties packed in it and scattered on the ground around it (which I reunited with its grateful owner).

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. :)

a plug nickel,

You know, what is a plug nickel? I remember, growing up, my Dad complaining that something or other was "not worth a plug nickel!"

I got the drift, but not the reference, and I never did ask him to explain.

A USMC enlisted man's camouflage cap. I was bummed when I got it home and it was too small; gave it to my wife.

Pacific Daylight Time has plunged my morning commute into darkness again. On the MUP I passed under an underpass and another cyclist was heading my way. We blinded each other with our headlights and I heard "THUMP THUMP - Ow! Hey!" Trying to avoid me he ran over a couple of bums who were hauled out like harbor seals on the MUP. I guess when they bedded down the night before they had no idea that this nice clean flat concrete with a roof over it would have bike commuters headed to work in the morning. So add another use to the list of multiple uses of the path: dormitory for the mentally ill.

Only thing I've found was a Gerber folding pocket knife on the MUP on a ride near Tybee Island, GA about a year ago.

After reading this thread for the first time yesterday morning, I went for a ride in the afternoon ... and found one of these ...

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=194092

... a navigation chart for Apalachee Bay, Florida.

Must have blown out of someone's boat on the way down to the coast.

Now in my boat.

If I remember correctly the little popouts from electrical junction boxes (pre punched opening...you have to punch it out to get the hole open and then put romex or the like through) are pretty much the same size as a nickel and some people tried to use them as legal tender..... with the results the most people were told they were worthless, though I would guess some very early vending machines could have been fooled

always stop for tools

the plugs from the junction boxes I knew were always more quarter sized. Never had the guts to try getting a gumball with one, but I often wanted to try.

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/260800.html lol i didn't know either. so i looked it up

Yesterday on the commute home, there were two pretty large rugs within 50 feet of each other in the middle of Rt 20.

nothing yet :cry: but I want to find cool stuff. guess I'm too focused on the road

I just found a loveseat in the bike lane. I called Non-Emergency and they had it picked up by the time I finished lunch today.

I often find cars parked in the bike lane. I might take the next one I find home with me. The owner won't miss it if they're that careless with it and it can't be worth all that much, right?

Just a Few: Can show the dead cow pic if requested.

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...theroad006.jpg

A plug nickel is a nickel sized blank piece of metal fashioned from electrical junction boxes, usually. When one goes to connect one box to another a piece of round pre-punched metal is removed. These are about the size of a nickel and were often used in old vending machines and payphones. They required some smoothing out to make them round enough to work.

I've found gloves, bungee cords, bike taillights, 20.00 bill and about 20.00 more over the years. Oh yeah, on my way home from work one night I found a herd of donkeys on the road...about 30 of them. It was crazy. Took me about 2 months to find out where they'd come from. It was a 'Gentleman's Farm' about 2 miles away. :p

They grew close to quarter-sized when wiring got larger. On the really old junction boxes for single-conductor knob-and-tube wiring, they were close to penny sized.

Two-conductor wire was bigger, and needed bigger knock-outs, about nickel sized.

Then they grew again, to accommodate three-conductor cable in a bushing to prevent chafing.

Nothing particularly odd about finding a nice pair of side-cutters along side the road.

But over the last 18 months, I've found three pairs, exact same model, in almost exactly the same spot, along side I-90 between Seattle and Mercer Island.

A few years ago, I think I previously mentioned, I found several scissors during the year. I have a hard time picturing the scenario by which they get there.

The snakes I understand.. but what's a "dunger"? Is it like our "P.O.S." phrase on the top side of the world?

I like the way you set up a little display area for your found stuff.

The 3 Cell D Mag light was interesting. I was commuting to a LD bike ride.
I saw the flashlight about 1/2 block away, laying in the center of a lane.
A car arrived there first, the driver got out and picked it up.
I arrived and asked him if it was his?
He said, No. I said that I would like to have it and he gave it to me.
It was in a perfect condition, had not been dropped.

10 Wheels: my husband has found some of his most useful tools while out riding. Some of them we've never actually identified, but he's found uses for all of them.

LOL, very cool

We have found everything from cell phones, wallets, gloves (the whole pair??) socks, a quite nice watch, but the thing that always makes me scratch my head is: ever notice the quantity of shoes in the road? I mean really, what gives? Where DO the shoes come from!?

I often find cars in the bike path here too--and ocassionally on the "toe-path" (sidewalk). Makes you wonder why it looks like a parking lot to the owner!

I always figure it starts with someone putting the shoes on top of their car before they get in. Then they forget they are there and drive off and the shoes eventually fall to the ground. Maybe someone else has a better explanation.

found a 150$ pocket knife once, its still in my toolbag and has been impressively useful, a bunch of hobo camps (i like to 'explore' industrial areas, apparently they like to camp there.)
Best was a still hot pizza in one of those delivery bags from papa john's...must have been left on top of car. Ate the pizza, returned the bag the next day.