Sometimes cycling can be a treasure hunt. Over the years along side of the road I’ve found cash, assorted tools (including two very nice Leatherman multi tools worth about $55 new) and the occasional adult novelty item. I leave the latter untouched of course; but the tools and cash I can use.
Recently I found a wallet containing $165, some Home Depot and Lowe’s gift cards, a bank card and various pieces of identification. Unfortunately there was nothing that had an address or phone number. I reported the find to the sheriff’s office and deputy actually came down Brumby Road to take it and try to find the owner. He said they had databases they could look through to try to track the owner down. Since one of the ID cards was a State of California Benefit Card (whatever that is), I’m pretty sure the owner got his money back. And I say ‘his’ because the first name on the cards was “David”. If parents are naming their female offspring “David” for some woke reason I don’t understand, mea culpa.
Today the air is miserably smoky and it probably would have been better to stay off of the bike, but I decided to ride anyway, and just go very easy. That I did: my average heart rate was all of 91 BPM, which is low enough that I could do all my breathing through my nostrils and hopefully avoid getting those evil PM 2.5 particles embedded deep in my lungs.
As I was pedaling on the east end of Armstrong Road, I noticed some envelopes on the side of the road that looked the official mailed ballots that Stoker and I recently received. I circled back and took a look. Sure enough, there were two ballots sitting on the ground at least 100 yards from any house or mailbox.
I took note of the address on the envelopes, then rode my bike looking for the house. It was only about 200 yards from where I found the ballots. No one seemed to be home, so I put the ballots in the mailbox with the same address as the ballots after taking this photo. The names have been redacted for national security reasons.
Mistakes happen, but finding two ballots alongside the road does not exactly inspire confidence in the integrity of our mail only elections. I mean, a less scrupulous person could have marked the ballots, faked a signature hoping no one would check, and mailed them. No one would ever catch me if I did that.
I was somewhat tempted to cast two more votes with my preferences (which I’m sure my readers can guess, but this isn’t a political blog and I ain’t sayin’). But I didn’t, of course. That would be wrong. One person, one vote. If you can retrieve your ballot from the side of the road, that is.
Rich Freggiaro Cycling Blog 