Tonights ride was a train wreck...

My brother and I are out on a 40+ mile ride this evening. Halfway back, we see flashing lights up the road, near a railroad crossing. As we get closer, the picture comes clear. An SUV tried to cross the tracks (no crossing guards) and had its front end ripped off by a locomotive. No sign of the driver of the SUV (I assume he was taken to a hospital). The train was still on the tracks, a few hundred yards away.

We stop. The County Sheriff walks up and says "You can't cross my scene." "So we have to go back?" I ask. "Yes. Its just as scenic that way." I say "yeah, but we are heading back home now. We have to go 5 miles out of our way?"

Really the "scene" consisted of broken glass and plastic scattered across 20 feet of road.

"Can we just walk around a few hundred feet over there?"

When it became apparent to the sheriff that we were not going to leave, she finally said "OK,
walk in a straight line and don't step on anything." Apparently the exact placement of the broken side view mirror glass is vital to determining exactly what happened.
I bet the glass will still be there, waiting to give me a flat. In late November.


8 miles later, I found a ratchet.

Yup, a Craftsmen 3/8 in. ratchet. Still works. Street value - $16.
Not bad for a 2 hour Saturday evening ride.