Out fishing for the first time this year; nothing was biting. I'd left the minnow traps at the culvert overnight and had a few large minnows ... perhaps they were so large they scared away the fish ! Perhaps because it's now Fall, the bass aren't biting. I don't have enough minnows to go after crappie.
The water is actually warmer now that it has been for most of the year, my depth finder reading 69.5F. I went out in a t-shirt, incredibly warm for this time of year. It was hot on highway 69 as well, when I went for my bike ride.
I can now say that I've had my third police encounter with my bicycle. The first was back in 2007 riding by Arlene's. The second was two years ago riding through Mt. Dora early early a.m. no cars on the road, 4am, stopped after going through a red light. I remember that encounter -- I told the officer that the sensors wouldn't pick up our bicycles. His response was that we didn't give the light a chance ... give it a chance ? Well, whatever.
Yesterday I got to the one lane bridge over Still river, controlled by lights during construction. I rolled ahead onto the wide shoulder past the light about 15 meters and waited by the concrete barrier. The construction worker came over asked me to move back. I told him not to worry, I was waiting for the light. But you can't see the light, says he. But I can tell when the cars go, says I, and they'll only go when it's a green light. You're breaking the law, he says. Back and forth, but I'm not moving and he's p'd off because I'm not listening to him. He pulls out his phone, places a call (could have been faking, for all I know), the cars start moving past me and I roll on.
Just before the Magnetawan River, I hear whoop whoop behind me and I pull over. I guess he wasn't faking. I turned around and rolled back to the police car.
Him - Do you know why I pulled you over ?
Me - Yes, I was ahead of the traffic light at the bridge.
Him - We normally issue warnings for this.
Me - I explained that I roll forward to give myself maximum time to clear the one way before the light changes.
Him - You crossed the bridge on a red light.
Me - no, I waited ahead of the light and rolled on when the light changed
Him - worker says that you crossed the bridge
Me - no, he's lying ... I was standing right beside him when he placed the call, saying that I was riding a Litespeed
Him - you were standing beside him ?
Me - yes, about 15 meters ahead of the light, waiting for the green
Well, that pretty much took the wind out of the issue. He explained that it's a timed light and I would have lots of time (I'm not sure about that, depends on when I catch the green, but I wasn't arguing the time). We chatted some more; he asked for ID, said that he had to check me out and then I could continue. I didn't have my wallet, explained that I'm a US resident but gave him my name, local address and phone number --
him - Oh, I was just in that area the other day --
me - yes, I waived to you both ways on 522 -
him - yes, I remember -
me - you talked to my wife -
him - the lady with the dog ? -
me - yes, you were investigating some 4-wheelers going too fast
him - yes, had a complaint from that road that goes quite a ways north from 522
me - Smith's Bay
him - that's the one
So he went to his car, came back in a minute ...
him - you don't have an Ontario Drivers Licence
me - no, I'm a US resident
A little more chatting and he then suggests that I wait by the light next time ... ok, says I. I also suggested that he talk to the construction worker about exaggeration ... and he replied that he was only going by what came across on the machine, didn't actually talk to the worker.
I seriously doubt whether he would have issued a ticket to me standing on the shoulder ahead of the light. Had he done so, I'm sure that it would have been thrown out if I went to court. This was all about the construction worker being angry because I wasn't obeying his instructions and I'm pretty sure that his call-in said that I went through the light.
The officer asked whether it had been worth it ... I said probably not ... but in my head I was saying "absolutely, this is my chuckle of the / story of the day !!"
On my way back north I was ready to give the construction worker a cheery waive but there wasn't anyone in sight.
Back at the ranch, Sandy went for a walk with Cassie who found it so hot that she walked alongside Sandy rather than running through the bush. We sat in the gazebo for a bit but quite frankly, even after 4pm it was hot and humid ... if it wasn't for a bit of breeze off the lake, we would have needed a fan !
Onward ...
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