The Buang Biker™ Takes a Walk – How Odd

Recovery from the Bosley Avenue wipe out has been an incredibly frustrating period. Over a month without being on the saddle has taken its toll. No more stamina. On the other hand, Netflix rocks!

Aside from not being able to ride,the splint makes it difficult and frustrating to do, well, just about everything. But especially typing. So lack of adventures and difficulty typing lead to a quiet blog.

The new splint certainly makes me feel like I have Spider-man’s wrist webbing devices on.

[Speaking of Spider-man, we must pause to remember the greatness of Steve Ditko who passed away on June 29, 2018. Aside from co-creating the web head, Mr. Ditko also created one of my favorite characters: The Question. Ye shall be missed.]

Still, I did get a chance recently to take a lunch time stroll which led to an Odd Towson investigation. Having seen from a distance a long white stick rising above a regular old telephone/electrical cable support post, I had to investigate.

My suspicion was and remains that it is an antenna of some sort. Though I’ll be darned if I can figure out exactly for what. Here’s a shot of it on the post in the alley between Pennsylvania and Allegheny Avenues just west of Bosley.  It’s easier to see when it isn’t cloudy, but it hasn’t been not cloudy long enough to get a better shot since I took the stroll.

The cable from the bottom of the antenna seems to lead to a large, non-descript box near the bottom of the post. No indication of what is in the box, but other cables lead into it as well. I’ve never seen anything similar anywhere else. Very odd.

As I continued my stroll, I started looking at all the support posts along my walk. How much weight can these posts support? Looking at this one it’s hard to imagine how it hasn’t collapsed under the strain!

Anyway, it’s a long slow slog to recovery. 🙁 Can’t wait to be back on the saddle. Meanwhile, I can live on vicariously through Henergy on Wheels™ and his new activity. But that’s a story for another time.

Pedal on!

Odd Towson

Welcome to Odd Towson, the Buang Biker™ Zone’s newest feature.

These posts will highlight interesting finds during my travels in the greater Towson metropolitan area. The “oddities” may consist of objects or features that are easily overlooked, of historical interest, or just plain out of place in this day and age. We begin, appropriately enough, with a look at Towson’s Odd Fellows.

Their headquarters overlooks the heart of downtown Towson, just south of the traffic oval. At street level there’s little to catch one’s attention during a typical day’s hustle and bustle. But look up and you will see the heart in hand that vaguely reminds one of the crazed magic man in Indiana Jones II. The all-seeing eternally vigilant eye ever watches o’er Towson’s constant metamorphosis.

In reality, there’s nothing so sinister about the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Towson Lodge #79. The chain links represent friendship, love, and truth. The Heart in Hand is a symbol of charity. The Eye of Providence symbolizes God watching over humanity.

In the days before Big Government, private organizations took on some of the social netting the government now provides. More background on Odd Fellows can be found on their website.

In the case of the Towson Lodge, famous local war hero General Nathan Towson was asked to be a foundong member. However, like Free Masons, Odd Fellows and Catholicism don’t co-exist well.

The Buang Biker™ Wipes Out

Unfortunately,  The Surfaris weren’t involved. It was the rough, ripped roads of Towson that brought me down.

At one point my hand looked like James T. Kirk’s in J.J. Abram’s first
Star Trek movie after an allergic reaction to McCoy’s injection.

The Joe ended up looking a lot worse. Wheels flopped like frisbees. Race Pace Bicycles of Towson trued the wheels in a day. It’ll take the Buang Biker a bit longer to recuperate.

Hopefully, I’ll be back in the saddle when this heatwave ends, because the Buang Biker loves to ride at 40 Fahrenheit. However, he withers at 40 centigrade.

Pedal on!