Vermont cycling

I grew up in South east Wisconsin, and I remember pick-up truck
yellers and beer bottle throwers quite vividly. Maybe it was the rural
area, maybe all the cow maure went to their head I dont know which.
But it was common, to be biking down a rural country road when out of
no where would come a ratty pick-up truck...horn blaring, kids
screaming, fingers flairng, just all to see what response they would
get. One time I responded back(immature, and not smart), deicded to
show them a bird of my own. Well that didnt go over well. It went from
horn blaring, kids screaming, fingers flairng to brakes screaching, me
panicking, then me racing off the road though the woods, with yahoos
chasing me. To say the least that was the first and last time I ever
flipped anyone the bird. Ended up changing my route after that. I can
laugh about it today for that was over 15 yrs ago, but yes some people
get on a ego trip with their quote big vehicles and need to harrass
anyone that is quote smaller than them.







(Dick Durbin) wrote in message . com...
"trg" wrote in message ...
What is it with guys in pickups yelling at bicyclists for no reason? Is this
a uniquely American phenomenen? (The yelling part, not the pickup). The only
time I get yelled at from a car for no reason in Europe is to be offered
encouragement (bad weather, big climb, ...).

Interesting. In 30 years of riding I can't recall ever being yelled
at by someone in a pickup truck. Teenagers in Hondas, yes, but no
pickup trucks.

The folks in rural South Georgia and North Florida where I ride
usually wave, using all five fingers, as they pass.

Dick Durbin
Tallahassee

"Dick Durbin" wrote in message
om...
"trg" wrote in message
...
What is it with guys in pickups yelling at bicyclists for no reason? Is
this
a uniquely American phenomenen? (The yelling part, not the pickup). The
only
time I get yelled at from a car for no reason in Europe is to be offered
encouragement (bad weather, big climb, ...).

Interesting. In 30 years of riding I can't recall ever being yelled
at by someone in a pickup truck. Teenagers in Hondas, yes, but no
pickup trucks.

The folks in rural South Georgia and North Florida where I ride
usually wave, using all five fingers, as they pass.

Dick Durbin
Tallahassee

Me too. I'm amazed at the percentage of people that smile and wave as they
pass. I think they are just impressed that an old dude is out getting in
some exercise. I find nothing but friendliness from people when I'm on my
bike - well, people, perhaps - that pack of dogs on Riley Road isn't very
friendly.

Fred

A close cousin of the pickup yellers are the "Rev-em Up Rangers".
This subclass of morons used to be solely populated by owners of
Detroit Muscle
Cars, but is now branching out into the aftermarket bedecked Oriental
Rice Rockets. Almost on a daily basis one of these pathetic creatures
will pull up along side, rev their engine once or twice, and then
speed off down the road. Theses guys are not a hazard per se, but
more of a humorous annoyance -- sort of like a mime in a clown car.

I really don't know what they are trying to prove ...

Steve McDonald wrote:

Most of the shouts coming at me from motor vehicles are
unintelligible.

I was yelled at yesterday afternoon. Some guy in a maroon Buick said
something I didn't understand as he passed by. It occurred to me that
he may have been saying something like "Looking good!" This was at
the top of a hill I just hammered up. I've yelled similar words of
encouragement to cyclists on mountain roads -- I wonder how many of
them think I was shouting insults.

The only time the yeller was in a pickup was on a Farm-to-Market road
somewhere north of Forth Worth, Texas. I was cluelessly pedaling
along as a funeral procession drove by (yeah, a little thoughtless of
me) when an old guy in a pickup I was passing on the side of the road
clucked and said "Don't you have any respect for the dead?"

RFM

(Art) wrote:

You're fortunate. During yesterday's Watermelon Century Ride that
ran from Baldwin, FL (near Jacksonville) to Folkston, GA and back,
we had more than a couple of trucks come by with guys yelling and
waving one finger. To be fair, some folks did honk, wave and
smile. Then again, we rode by a group of guys on their front
porch shooting their guns at something. Luckily, it wasn't us.

Are you sure? Maybe they were just bad shots. If they were like most
drivers, they would have assumed that you were only going 5 mph, so
they would have been shooting behind you.

--
Ray Heindl
(remove the X to reply)

On Mon, 8 Sep 2003 20:34:23 +0200, "trg"
wrote:

And what do the pickup guys say? I never have been able to understand it.
Are these the same people who make announcements in train stations? Are they
just practicing for their day job?

They all want to do TV commercials for Oxi-Clean and The Dent Doctor.

"di" wrote in message ...
They are a unique species of animals called "red neck *******s", their
primary habit is in the rural south, but rapidly expanding to all areas.

I believe the word you are looking for is habitat.

They are only noisy when in the company of peers, because without an
audience there is no one to show off to.

Sounds a bit like the urban types with the trunk of their Japanese
sedan full of bass speakers.

For the most part they are
harmless as they have very small balls when it comes to backing up their
actions. Their favorite gathering places are World Wrestling Federation
events, stock car races, and bait houses. They are easy to identify, they
dress very sloppy, don't shave often or comb their hair, can't seem to
figure how to put a dirty baseball cap on their head straight.

"Sloppy" is an adjective. I believe you meant "sloppily". Actually,
rednecks wear their caps straight, with the bill tighly curled. The
guys who don't know how to put them on straight are the urban types.

Most didn't
get out of grade school because any grade number above 5 was to much for the
to comprehend, beside going to school took to much time away from their
fishing.

Given your errors, I don't think you want to cast aspersions on anyone
else's lack of education. I grew up , and still live, among the folks
you insult. They are the kind of people who, when I slid off into a
muddy ditch a few weeks ago, stopped and pulled me out with their 4X4
pickup trucks.

By the way, what do you have against fishing? Ever read Hemingway?

It's appears you got the message without problems as you were able to pick
each word apart, wish I had that much time.

To answer your concerns, I do have a very good education, and have lived
around and with my description of "rednecks" all my life (60+ years of it).
Also I have fished all my life, but there is a wide range of fishermen, The
Hemingway you are referring to was a sportsman, the group I was describing
are on the opposite end of the scale. When they pulled you out of the
mud with their 4 wheel drive, they weren't doing you a favor, it just made
their day. They finally had an opportunity to use their $30,000 machine,
which along with their bass boat, probably cost more than their house. So
they don't wear their dirty baseball caps wrong, I guess it's their heads
that are on backwards.

"Dick Durbin" wrote in message
om...
"di" wrote in message
...
They are a unique species of animals called "red neck *******s", their
primary habit is in the rural south, but rapidly expanding to all areas.

I believe the word you are looking for is habitat.

They are only noisy when in the company of peers, because without an
audience there is no one to show off to.

Sounds a bit like the urban types with the trunk of their Japanese
sedan full of bass speakers.

For the most part they are
harmless as they have very small balls when it comes to backing up their
actions. Their favorite gathering places are World Wrestling
Federation
events, stock car races, and bait houses. They are easy to identify,
they
dress very sloppy, don't shave often or comb their hair, can't seem to
figure how to put a dirty baseball cap on their head straight.

"Sloppy" is an adjective. I believe you meant "sloppily". Actually,
rednecks wear their caps straight, with the bill tighly curled. The
guys who don't know how to put them on straight are the urban types.

Most didn't
get out of grade school because any grade number above 5 was to much for
the
to comprehend, beside going to school took to much time away from their
fishing.

Given your errors, I don't think you want to cast aspersions on anyone
else's lack of education. I grew up , and still live, among the folks
you insult. They are the kind of people who, when I slid off into a
muddy ditch a few weeks ago, stopped and pulled me out with their 4X4
pickup trucks.

By the way, what do you have against fishing? Ever read Hemingway?

"di" wrote in message .. .
It's appears you got the message without problems as you were able to pick
each word apart, wish I had that much time.

Well, everyone needs a hobby. By the way, you should have capitalized
"South" in the context in which you used it.

To answer your concerns, I do have a very good education, and have lived
around and with my description of "rednecks" all my life (60+ years of it).
Also I have fished all my life, but there is a wide range of fishermen, The
Hemingway you are referring to was a sportsman, the group I was describing
are on the opposite end of the scale.

Tell you what, I would rather spend a day bass fishing on Lake
Seminole with a cracker that knows how to tune up an old Chevy than a
day on Silver Creek with a suicidal drunk that couldn't write a
coherent line of dialogue. The cracker wouldn't kill his catch like
Hemingway, either.

When they pulled you out of the
mud with their 4 wheel drive, they weren't doing you a favor, it just made
their day.

You say that like it's a bad thing. A lot of folks get a sense of
satisfaction out of helping others. Try it; you might like it.

They finally had an opportunity to use their $30,000 machine,
which along with their bass boat, probably cost more than their house.

Those boys look at folks with big fine houses and shake their heads in
wonder. "If that ol' boy had bought a double-wide he coulda' afforded
a truck and a boat. What was he thinking?" It's all a matter of
priorities.

So they don't wear their dirty baseball caps wrong, I guess it's their heads
that are on backwards.

You are overlooking the practical application of a backwards baseball
cap. When you drop the hammer on that 225 hp Mercury at the bass club
championship tournament, you don't want your Dale Earnhart memorial
cap to fly off. You would have to turn that big ol' Ranger bass boat
around and go back to retrieve it.

Tell you what, I would rather spend a day bass fishing on Lake
Seminole with a cracker that knows how to tune up an old Chevy than a
day on Silver Creek with a suicidal drunk that couldn't write a
coherent line of dialogue. The cracker wouldn't kill his catch like
Hemingway, either.

Should you have said "I'll tell you what"? I wouldn't know, you are the
english professor. (should that have been caps?)

Where did the drunk come from, I don't remember him?


You say that like it's a bad thing. A lot of folks get a sense of
satisfaction out of helping others. Try it; you might like it.

I didn't say it was a bad thing, you did. I have tried it once, offered to
pull a Chevy sedan out of the ditch with my Ford Bronco, the driver hooked
the chain wrong and it pulled the entire front bumper off, he wanted me to
pay for it. I drove off and left him in the ditch.


Those boys look at folks with big fine houses and shake their heads in
wonder. "If that ol' boy had bought a double-wide he coulda' afforded
a truck and a boat. What was he thinking?" It's all a matter of
priorities.

Even if their family members don't have decent clothes, the truck and boat
are still that important.


You are overlooking the practical application of a backwards baseball
cap. When you drop the hammer on that 225 hp Mercury at the bass club
championship tournament, you don't want your Dale Earnhart memorial
cap to fly off. You would have to turn that big ol' Ranger bass boat
around and go back to retrieve it.

I guess the air conditioning system in a restaurant will also blow their
Dale Earnhart hats off because they are still worn backwards.


In all seriousness, I've been an outdoor person all my life, I've fished and
hunted for just about everything locally that could swim or fly. I've
owned three 4-wheel drives and 3-4 boats. I know the mentality of the
type of person that will drive by and yell at others doing something they
don't quite understand. I still contend they are more than likely fit my
original description, that's not saying all the people that enjoy hunting,
fishing, or stock car racing fit that profile.

You have a good weekend, it's been a joy communicating with you.