OMG !!!!Man with a Gun!!!!

[DarcyInOregon]

Never in a million years did I think I would have a freaky story to contribute to this forum. Well I sure was wrong.

I live in rural Oregon. I have to put my bike on the car carrier to go someplace to bike. I can't bike out my door like everyone else.

I hadn't gotten a ride in for three whole days because of the rain and the responsibilities. Today I had a 25 mile ride planned. I was all prepared. My TE friend Suzie had talked me into getting my very first cell phone of my life, but when I checked the phone before putting it into the sports bag the battery was dead. I plugged the phone into the charger and took off in my car without it.

And of course I needed a cell phone desparately. How would I know?

I got to the bottom of the mountain and I had just turned onto the rural highway. There was a man standing by the side of the road, just off the road. This is a dangerous rural highway with no shoulders, and in the entire 30 years I've lived here I've never seen a pedestrian on the highway. I look, and in his right hand is not a cell phone, but a GUN! As I get closer to him he steps onto the highway, brings his right hand up, and points the gun at his head. I was freaking!

As I pass him in the car he starts walking down the highway. I have all of these thoughts going through my head. Like, did he just murder a house full of farmers. Or, is he going to commit suicide. Or, is he going to start shooting at motorists. And then I think, gotta get to a phone. And then I think, what about my bike ride, I need my bike ride, what is this going to do to my bike ride.

I pull into a farm house that has cars sitting in the drive, but no one is home. I go out onto the highway and flag down a delivery truck, who pulls over a bit further down the highway and I have to walk to his truck and I am dressed in my bike getup, the kind of togs only bicyclists understand and everybody else thinks we are nuts; I was wearing black tights with brightly colored Smartwool socks up over the bottom of the tights, biking shoes, jersey, and Gore-Tex rain coat. Get this, the man is delivering ice, which I suppose ice has to be delivered somehow but who has ever noticed a delivery truck for ice before? He has a cell phone. I explain the problem and he calls 911. Meanwhile motorists are passing and swiveling their heads looking at me because I am dressed oddly. The police take the call and I did my duty.

Meanwhile I am second guessing myself. Should I have followed the man and risked getting shot? Then found a phone.

I got back in the car and went for my ride, but 20 minutes into it I realized I was so upset I couldn't focus and I was going to have a careless type of accident. Then I started to think that what if the man with the gun made it to my house, which was four miles from where I saw him, but who knows. I have an invalid husband, 5 doggies and 5 kitties, and I just started obsessing that the lunatic was headed for my house and was going to murder my spouse and pets. So I turned around and headed back to the car. My bike ride was a pathetic 6.4 miles.

I am still freaked out. The sight of that man holding a gun to his head, like he had just murdered a bunch of people and was getting the courage to do himself in, that was unbelievable.

Oh yeah, in my opinion, bicyclists are more observant than other motorists when driving a car. It is because we have to be so attuned to our environment when we are biking, it is a characteristic that is also part of our driving behaviors. I wonder if I saw the man with the gun because I am a cyclist, and other motorists don't look and don't care.

There is an entrance to a rock quarry about a half mile from where the man was, and I think that is where he was headed. It is just my gut feeling.

Darcy

[Duck on Wheels]

I think you did the right thing! Maybe that too is something cyclists are better at than the average motorist. Maybe you should call back to the cops and find out the outcome. If they've found the guy and found out what the situation was, that might help you get back in balance.

[spokewench]

That is really freaky - I would call the police to find out if they ever found the guy. Hopefully they did. If they didn't I would not feel too safe for a while???

[Geonz]

Welp, since when you went by, he went to the side of the road, it sounds like you did the right thing; who k nows waht he would have done if you had stopped? You certainly don't. Sounds like you done good.
I'd go see a movie to get some different images in my brain... this one's going to be there a while! Hoist one for me!

[Bikingmomof3]

What a frightening experience. You did the right thing.

[CyclChyk]

You know, I always wonder what I do would do in situations like this if it ever presented itself. I hope I handle it as well as you did.

I'm sorry your bike ride was foiled, but you did a really good thing. Maybe you saved a life that was reaching out and no one else saw it...... Of course if he had been on a killing rampage, maybe you should have opted for your bike ride and let him be............

Did I just say that outloud????

[SouthernBelle]

Stuff like that is why I carry a cell. Get a car charger!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Thank God you were in your car rather than on your bike when passing him!
This guy was either drunk, crazy, desperate or murderous...so your top priority would be to put distance between you and him, which you did.
Scary world we live in. I'm glad you are safe!