Things you see on the road

[phenrichs]

As riders we have our eyes on everything while we are on the road.

What is the strangest, funniest, most out of place (you get the idea) thing you have seen while on your bike? Anything. could be a road sign a bumper sticker, whatever.

??? ??? ??? ??? ???

[phenrichs]

I'll start.
While driving through Illinois we passed a sign that said something about 'State Penitentury for the mentally insane' I can't remember the exact wording. The one that got me was one mile down the road was the familiar "Hitchhikers may be escaped convicts" sign and there was a guy standing under the sign smoking a cigarette.

We didn't stop.

[gofs99]

While riding behind a woman that was driving like she was completely clueless, I noticed that she had a bumper sticker that said "Get off the phone and drive!"

Of course as she quickly stopped in front of me to make a left turn, she was on the cell phone.

[glwilson]

Well mine isn't as good as the both of yours; but I was riding down a four-lane road when all of a sudden a car was "closing-in" at a fast speed from behind, weaving in-and-out of busy and "tight" traffic.

I, of course, kept my eye on the car the whole time worring it would pull in front of me into the "safety" distance I was keeping behind the car in front of me.

When the car got next to me I started to slow-down because she (now I can see it was a woman) definitely was looking to pull right in front of me in her "weaving" pattern.

She did so -- cutting me off; which is when I saw the "MADD" bumper stickers (yes plural -- there were two Mothers Against Drunk Drivers stickers).

I thought to myself... I guess driving reckless is only allowed when sober.

Coming home from Pennsylvania in July, I was following a car with a bicycle on a carrier on the back bumper. It fell off as we were going through Des Moines, bounced about 10 feet in the air, and then slid off the road.Before it came off I had already changed lanes so as not to be behind it.

[gofs99]

Driving on the Kansas Turnpike a couple years back, I was passed by a car that as it got by me was passed by its own rear, drivers side tire that had came loose.

The look on the drivers face was priceless as he watched it roll down the median of the highway.

[glwilson]

Saw a lot of things today. None of them very exceptional; but none the less I thought I would post them.

Just got back from a six-hour ride up into Wisconsin today. No offense to Wisconsin (it is a beautiful state and one of the best to ride in); however you will see the "goofiest-stuff" that people make or do up there. I am not sure I have been in any other state that does these types of things the way they do either.

I didn't have my camera today; but I know where these sites are at, so sometime in the future I am going to take pics and put together a Photobucket slide show of them to prove they exist.

I saw a mailbox post that was made out of the front of an old motorcyle.

I saw an entire house made out of concrete and old soft-drink bottle caps and glass bottles "stuck" in it all over.

I saw concrete sculptures of various animals in a yard (and not done very good either).

I saw various welded sculptures of strange animal shapes made of old car parts. (These seemed to be everywhere.)

I saw 5 old farm tractors suspended on top of heavy-duty metal poles about 25 feet in the air. They were lined along each side of a farmer's drive to his house. (Really strange -- and had to cost a lot of money to do so. The farm didn't look like they had any money though.)

Saw a "grotto" made much like the house I mentioned above; only the minister that did it 50 years ago used everything under the sun in his concrete -- all depicting religious scenes. Not very attractive to say the least; but I had to stop and look.

I saw more; but I think by now you get the idea. I think I'll wait until I put together pics of these and more.

[stretch]

I was driving on I-55 in Central Ill and saw a guy on a sportbike on Old 66 riding a wheelie with no helmet and a t-shirt on, He road it over a 1/4 mile. Also saw a sportbike rider in Bloomington riding with no hands with three lanes of traffic going one way. Skill? Daring? or Stupid? ::)

[scion0]

Originally Posted by stretch

I was driving on I-55 in Central Ill and saw a guy on a sportbike on Old 66 riding a wheelie with no helmet and a t-shirt on, He road it over a 1/4 mile. Also saw a sportbike rider in Bloomington riding with no hands with three lanes of traffic going one way. Skill? Daring? or Stupid? ::)

Just stupid!

[glwilson]

Originally Posted by stretch

I was driving on I-55 in Central Ill and saw a guy on a sportbike on Old 66 riding a wheelie with no helmet and a t-shirt on, He road it over a 1/4 mile. Also saw a sportbike rider in Bloomington riding with no hands with three lanes of traffic going one way. Skill? Daring? or Stupid? ::)

A statistic that makes all of our insurance higher.

[glwilson]

I saw something earlier this year that I had always heard mentioned by my parents and grandparents -- a "poor farm".

I always thought that when they said "poor farm" is was just a figure of speech, but I learned that there were actually poor-farms in existence.

The one I saw is still standing near Galena, Illinois. (I wanted to take Scion0, roadman, and stretch by it when we met in Galena the other day -- but I decided to take another road instead)

Someone recently bought it and is planning on making it into a "resort-type" of thing. It was rather interesting to see it. There are two buildings left standing that are of brick and are in relatively good condition. The entire site is on the historical registry, which means the owners are limited to what they can do to the original buildings.

Anyway; what interests me the most when "riding" are the "odd" types of sites; or beautiful sites that you wouldn't normally see if you weren't on a bike trying to take the back roads. The "back roads" are always where you will find what you miss on a daily basis and the back roads are always where your mind can relax the most.

[glwilson]

Okay... I wasn't riding my bike; but I did see a "bunch" of wild turkeys today on the side of the road.

These birds were huge. Wouldn't want to hit one while driving.

I can remember a day when you would have had to go to a sanctuary to see a wild turkey. Now in Northern Illinois you see them all over the place -- especially in the winter months.