On roadside trash, and bicycle letters

An invigorating two-mile hike on a crisp and sunny Saturday morning sounds like a good way to start the weekend.

Unless, of course, the two miles run along new US-27 east of St. Johns with cars and semi-trucks whizzing past - and you're picking up roadside litter.

Still, the sunshine was brilliant two weeks ago, the sky was a blue, and there were trash-picking companions to chat with - fellow SJ Rotarians Dave and Don Rademacher, Janet Wolfinger, Rod Yaich, and Mark Stapelman.

As a rookie captain for this particular pick-up of our club's commitment to the Adopt-a-Highway program, Dave did an excellent job - even accurately predicting the late afternoon cloudburst that moved the originally scheduled date from Thursday to Saturday morning. If you ever get tired of that accounting gig, Dave, I'm sure you'd give Andy Provanzano a run for his money.

Because this was the third and final pick-up of the season, the roadside was relatively clean - at least it appeared that way driving past on my way into St. Johns. Once we got down into the ditch, so to speak, it was a different story - it's amazing what objects motorists, and their passengers, pitch from vehicle windows.

• Assorted cans and bottles, both of the soft drink and lagered varieties. My personal observation from the area I cleaned gives Bud Lite the clear lead as the beverage of choice among highway travelers.
• Lots of food wrappers; packages with remnants of chips and such inside; and bags from various fast-food establishments - several still containing half-eaten burgers.
• Chunks of rubber from blown tires, I spose, and pieces of sticks and hunks of wood which probably blew off someone's truck.
• A variety of animal hides - thankfully, none still containing whatever creature had once inhabited them.
• Articles of clothing - a pair of socks (strewn yards apart); a hat that had definitely seen better days; and my personal favorite, a men's pair of BVDs, size 34. One can only speculate what prompted the owner to dispose of them while driving - or whatever.

I also found a baseball in relatively good condition which I claimed as a souvenir. If that's against MDOT regulations, I promise Mike Nobach I'll return it - back to the spot it came from.

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While we're on the subject of transportation, the newly revised bicycle ordinance which the city of St. Johns recently adopted is continuing to be a subject of interest for readers, based on letters the News received this week.

It will be interesting to see what, if any, action the city takes in amending the ordinance that prohibits bike riding on the sidewalks and streets adjacent to the Clinton County Courthouse.