Saturday, July 3, 2010

It's The Unexpected Things

Sometimes the odd memories from bike rides just stay with you...so then you blog about them.
Did You Forget Something, Sir?
Last week on a ride I rolled up next to a car at a red light. As I typically do at intersections, I positioned myself just far enough forward  to be visible to the driver next to me.  This guy apparently had the same idea so he inched his car forward, which was kind of odd. I looked over and the driver apparently forgot to wear anything from the waist down. Maybe he was on his way back home to finish dressing, but I sort of doubt it.



Seeing Red
Steve-O and I were on a ride through North Portland on a Saturday.  We had on our red cycling jackets, which must have been the wrong color. Geez, I'm a school administrator. I should have seen this coming. Anyway, a couple of "young ambassadors" for the neighborhood were standing on the sidewalk, staring us down as we rode past them, and one of them demonstrated his skills with a butterfly knife.  Even though he seemed to be very skilled, we didn't stick around for further conversation. 


Sobering...Or Not
I remember almost getting nailed head-on by a drunk on a bike.  I was cruising on the Springwater Trail at 26 mph when it became obvious this guy on an oncoming bike was moving fast, way out of control and headed straight for my handlebars. Life went into slow motion as I did the math (really I did) and figured this was a 45+ mph impact in the making.  I imagined losing my front teeth and my bike getting mangled.  I honestly had no idea how this was not going to end up in a bad crash. I squeezed the brakes hard and went into a straight-line skid until just before contact and then swerved just enough to totally miss him. The smell of booze should have been enough to knock me over, but somehow we both kept upright and went on.



Creating An Impression
Once at an intersection, I came alongside an expensive Mercedes convertible. At just the wrong moment, a stone wedged between my tire and the pavement. The high pressure from my tire launched the stone like a missile into the right side of the Mercedes. It hit the car door with a loud "kersmack!"  I'm sure it left a good sized dimple.  Coulda seriously hurt the driver if it flew any higher. I was anticipating a "conversation" with him, but he drove on like nothing happened. Sorry!




6 comments:

Anonymous said...

When I commuted daily to/from Gresham, I used to pass by a brand new strip mall on my way home. The bike lane on Burnside wasn't swept well there, and my tires inadvertently shot rocks at the windows of 24 Hour Fitness fairly regularly. There were a few times I could hear the rock loudly hitting the window, which was set back a good 20 feet from the roadway, over traffic. : \ Yikes!

Kelly Carlisle said...

So glad to hear that this stuff happens to other people, too! :)

Tina said...

I remember when we lived in Chicago, there was a year where we only had one car (and honestly, with our bikes and great mass transportation, we only NEEDED one....I miss that....but I digress....) But I remember one time getting ready to leave work, I discovered I had forgotten my shoes (Tyson would drop me off with my bike so I was only riding home--didn't miss them in the morning). So here I am, cycling in a Midwest rainstorm with my riding clothes and high heels. In hindsight it probably would have been easier to go barefoot....

Tina said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kelly Carlisle said...

Tina, I'm told there's never a wrong time to be stylish. :)

Jessica said...

Tina, PLEASE tell me you have a picture of that! I'd probably pay to see it! LOL!