Trail and Bike Lane "Debris"!

When you ride your bicycle regularly for transportation you really do start to notice things around town.  One of those things is how much detritus, debris, and garbage is on the streets.  This is more true at the edges of the roads as vehicle traffic tends to kick things to the side of the road.  The problem is....this is where we put our bike lanes.  As a result they are continually full of junk.  The result is that rider (especially roadies with skinny tires) tend to ride toward the vehicle side of the bike lanes and this increases interaction with traffic.

Today however, I found the "debris" to be a little more substantial!

Now of course this is on the river path, so traffic is no concern, but I'd hate to not be paying attention and hit this.  I did stop and try to remove it.  Rest assured it is definitely still right where you see it in the picture!  So if two are three of you are riding together you might be able to roll it off the trail but it's not a job for one person. 

River path revival.

Refuse collected by volunteers during the Truckee River cleanup day.

The other really great event taking place this weekend was the annual Truckee River Cleanup.  I felt really bad missing the event this year, but due to my regular Sherpa duties (see the previous post) there was little choice.  Based on my ride in this morning, dodging piles of trash at almost every turn from Reno to Sparks the event gathered a good group of volunteers.  And let's give credit where credit is due....these people are awesome!!!  These guys (and gals) are working in heavy brush and undergrowth, getting hot and sweaty, and picking up some pretty nasty garbage all to make our river and community look the best they can.  Think about this the next time you drop even that scrap of paper and make the conscious choice to not to.  And if you have the moxie, let the guy who just dropped his cigarette butt know it's not cool.  

***Personal safety warning***  

 If you  do try to let someone know they're littering, do so in the nicest way possible.  Even with this tack, you're probably going to be rebuffed in a less than polite manor, but they might think again before a repeat performance!