Strange Bike Ride
Danny Hopkins , Ohio, USA
July 2000
Back in the summer of 1996 I use to do a lot of bike riding to pass the time when I was bored beyond my wits. (I am a guy I figure thats what guys do is do sports activities anyway ^_^).
This encounter, as I will call it, occurred one evening when I was late getting home and the sun was starting to set. I had been riding all day and was getting really worn out. I happened upon a road that I knew could take me a across a hill the normal road went around and took to much time. The only thing is I had to go over a large metal gate with a No Trespassing sign.
At the time, being young and some what in a rush to get home, I went ahead and carried my bike over the gate and onto the dirt road.
Anyway I rode up to a small hillock and then turned around a small curve that went around a large pine tree and then down hill a ways. This first hill is where I got scared by a small horn honking behind me..it was a classic black 1921 style car with it's head lights on and two old people sitting in it. The old lady, who was riding beside her male friend, waved to me and spoke a very firm and cheerful "Good Evening" and I returned the word and she waved on as the car went down the hill and turned around the next bend (which heads to the left) and vanished around the hill. The road is very steep there and I didn't want to chance riding down it and ending up in the woods hurt. So I walked on down pulling the bike beside me. I rounded the corner and came to another down grade with a curve, this one to the right and you could see through the woods to where it was after the curve. When I got to the curve I noticed the car, maybe about 10 or 11 feet away, was just ahead of me so I rode the road on out after the curve. (I came to a few more curves and a steep grade up.) After going left, left, right, and left again I was still catching up to the black trunk of the vehicle.
After the steep grade there was a creek that was ankle high but a swift enough current that I had to carry the bike over (The creek is very muddy and flows across the road and down into a crevasse in the woods where it collects and forms a pond of sorts).
After crossing the creek I came to yet another, this time steeper, climb upwards. After walking the bike up that way I expected to see the car just ahead but instead there was another gate blocking me just after the steep climb. I had to climb over it and then duck under two large branches that hung lower then normal to get off the dirt road.
I came off onto the main road and went on home, I was still a bit curious how someone could have gotten out area with out opening the rusted gate or breaking the branches.
And then it hit me..the gate had been closed near the mouth of the road too when the car had come out of nowhere and I hadn't noticed the lights till I heard the horn. Plus no turn offs till the end of this road.
I won't claim this as a ghost story but it IS very true and very spooky when I go to think about the creek...had anyone drove a car across it I figured it would have left some muddy tracks, especially with the car's weight, or would have gotten tracks in the mud. Also the fact remains that I could easily keep up with the car without it going ahead to far.
What ever it was...it definitely WAS creepy and till this day I won't ride down that road again unless the gates are open and I have my car with me.