A Road Side Treasure

[RangerRick]

As I was driving down I-40 westbound last week I spied a leaf blower lying up against the cement barrier that separates east/west lanes. Fortunately I was in the right hand lane so with a "light speed" look in the rear view mirror I pulled off on to the shoulder. Jumped out of the truck and back tracked a ways and with great aplomb I hopped, skipped and jumped across two lanes of Indy 500 traffic and laid hold of my find. Back at the truck I found that it was a "new" model 380 Stihl with a busted backpack and torn up shoulder straps. Got my little jewel home and as it still had fuel in it I choked it once and she fired up like a prom queen. Next day I went down to the local Stihl store looking for the parts guy. Found out the 380 sells for $350 new and a new backpack unit with straps was $138 - bah humbug! Went back to the shop and found the guy that does the wrenchin and we looked through his scrap/parts pile. Sure enough he had an older model 440 with the same pack and straps. He said $50, I said $15 and it was mine for $25. The fuel tank has a bit of "tire scuff" and the backpack looks used but everything works well. Ya'll keep your eyes peeled out there as you never know when you'll come across those "road side treasures".

;D

Ranger Rick


http://i35.tinypic.com/2i9jxbr.jpg

[Cil]

Sweet! Nice find! :D

[flatwater]

I know that anything on the roadway is fare game but I think a little different now because about a year ago I had a chain saw bounce off the back of my truck about five miles from where I live. I turned around to go back and it was gone. I did learn an important lesson though #1 I should secure things better.#2 Theres always someone right behind you that will take what you own. Now when I see something along the road I'll waite a day to see if someone comes back for it. If someone else picks it up so be it.
Flatwater

[RangerRick]

Geepersl flat, I just hope it previously belonged to some illegal alien running a yard service out of his uninsured pickup. *Knowing that would really make my day.

Rick

[Dawgus]

A few years back I was on the way home from work and spotted something yellow/gold colored laying in a ditch. As I drove by, I noticed it was a pair of drywall stilts, so I pulled over. Next to the stilts was a dewalt screw gun and a bucket full of finishing tools. I took em home, asked around the jobsite the next day....nope, no one there lost tools. YAY! They're still in the garage.
Back when I was about 25, I found a kerosine turbo heater on the roadside, and another time maybe 5 years ago, a 32ft fiberglass extension ladder.

[leera]

It's amaizng,that people will pay high $$ for new items,and then so carelessly put them unsecured in the bed of a truck or lay them on a trailer........and then wonder why it fell off??

The other night leaving work,as I was coming down the on ramp.....spotted debris in the road.......it was a trail of small appliances........didn't have time or room to avoid crushing a toaster......

Good score BTW.

[cubcadet]

Where ever I have lived, I always look on the side of the road for stuff when I`m traveling. Matter of fact, I know what everyone has in their backyard when I`m travelling. I`ve found everything from used lumber, to a roto- tiller. I even found some things for sale, even though there was no for sale sign. It`s funny, but the old saying is true- everything is for sale- at the right price. I always ask if the item is in the trash, if there is even a shread of doubt. I`ve found good friends, and even gainful employment, by following this simple ethic.

[anna]

Just my luck, I found a couple boxes of nails scattered all over the road!!!!!!!!

[RangerRick]

Just sold the leaf blower through Craig's List to a couple guys with a lawn service today for $200, nice profit and everyone is happy.

;D

Rick

[Katrina-Sisu]

Just my luck, I found a couple boxes of nails scattered all over the road!!!!!!!! *

Did you get a flat? Sorry if so :(.

Dad and Mom found a razorblade in their truck tire, it was between the tread and really weird. They are blessed with luck behind they got the flat just in front of Midas lol!

Kat

[bassntrout]

One man's trash, is another man's treasure! I get some of my best finds on my bi-weekly dump runs. ;)

[TNDadx4]

Amen to the dump runs! Our youngest son can't wait to go every week. He's found bikes to fix up, a grass trimmer, etc.

He says that "One man's trash, is another man's treasure" is his motto, too :)

[walls0stone]

Dump runs are fun...last week, I spent time with new friends who call dumpsters near a lot of camps The Mall
You know the kind of cabins and clubs were no member makes less than 100,000+ a year and the "Camp" is decorated in the first 3 pages of the L.L Bean Home catolog.

They found new...paint hardly scuffed push mowers with the pull cord broken, tillers, like new furniture.. I was thinking...um yea right.. but when I saw the actual furniture, and saw it was like new..just out of style..I thought what stupid rich folks.

[bookwormom]

??? ???out of style furniture? I would not recognize it if I saw it. wish we had a dump like that around here.

[sbemt456]

Out of style furniture? You mean there are people who think furniture goes out of style. Darn they would trash every thing I own. My hubby used to bring home books that he found in an illegal dump on a road where he worked. I have some wonderful old old cook books thanks to this.

stella

[WileyCoyote]

Used to crack me up when the snowbirds would move south to the "resort extended living facility" - they would always rush right out and buy the expensive wicker furniture and the palm tree-wood stork pillows and coverings. After about six months they would realize that those wicker couches and chairs were uncomfortable and that the glass-topped tables were hard to keep clean, so out it would all go. I went into a consignment shop and saw no less than 10 prints of the identical 'wood stork in marsh' painting! Then every two years they would redo their bedrooms and living rooms, and sell everything including the spreads and curtains - if they couldn't sell it at a garage sale, they would put it out for the garbage.

It took me six years to decide on my china pattern - and I got the whole set, service for 8, for $99. It took me five years to decide on the couch I wanted (HAD to have certain colors, and HAD to be a fold-out), and I've had it for 12 years. *I get what I want for the price that I want and am willing to wait for it. Style? I have my own style. The only thing that irks me is that somehow, two years after I buy something, suddenly everyone else decides that is the 'new' style!! ::)

[bassntrout]

I failed to mention some my roadside treasures of late included bucked wood-- that's gold!

[MYellowRose]

* And some people wonder why I want a small pickup truck. LOL Kinda hard to haul things in a sedan or small car.

[flatwater]

When I would take my DD Adults on bicycle trips we would go down hiway 2 because it had a wide shoulder to ride on. There wasn't a trip that went buy that we didn't find some sort of strap or bungy cord. Most all in good shape to new
Flatwater

[Maranna]

A friend and I were on the way home from church and came across a bunch of stuff in the road. It turned out to be several boxes of almond joy candy bars. One or two had been run over, but most were in good shape. We split them lol.