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Found a Prewar Rollfast Bicycle in the Middle of the Woods Today

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The Carolina Rambler

Finally riding a big boys bike
Hello everybody. I went out on a nature walk today and encountered something unexpected. A 1930s prewar Rollfast bicycle! I was in a stand of old woods dating back probably to the 1800s. I saw some colonies of wildflowers and I went over closer to take a look. There, amongst the colonies of plants I saw something odd sticking out of the ground, figured maybe some old farm equipment, and there it was, it was an old bike. I would reckon that this bike has been out there for perhaps 60 years. Now obviously, a bike of this sort given its extremely decrepit state is of no monetary or useful value other than perhaps the badge which is still good; but never the less it was still neat to be able to find something like that. Something you don't see everyday!

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Here are the woods.

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Probably the first time its been touched by human hands and stood up since it was abandoned out there. Has an early New Departure Model D Hub.


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Here is the colonies of beautiful little plants growing near the bike. So stripey!
 
This is the fate of ALL those girl's bikes that have been parted for the sake of their brothers. They never go away. Just rust away forgotten. Got a good eye and now a good badge!
 
Cool yet strange find. Any spring flowers around the area? That's usually a sign of an old house site that is long gone.

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Yes, every typical spring bulb and flower around here in Western North Carolina is blooming, like daffodils and yellow bells and whatnot. And it is doing so earlier than I have ever seen previously; each year has progressively been earlier and earlier for about the last 5 or 10 years. I figure there could have been an old home somewhere there, but there is no trace of it at all. I almost wonder if those are native plants, I actually am working to identify them to know for sure.
 
An update. I have learned that these plants are Italian Arum of Western Europe. So not native, but not invasive. Really pretty, I think I will collect a few plants for around the house, and being as they are non native, I will be able to do this in good conscience knowing that I will not be disturbing a native or rare wildflower. It is bad to collect native plants, sometimes even illegal and rightfully so, but these European ones are fair game! Yay!
 
Cool. Almost definitely a home site if those are non native plants there. Maybe someone settled there who brought some native plants with them to remind them of home. Grab a metal detector, I bet there is an iron field in that area where a house was.

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did you bring it home?
I believe for now I will leave it where it sits so that I can go and see it from time to time on a walk. I question though if there are plans to log that wilderness. I hope not, but there are signs that it could go down, in which case if that unfortunately happens I will bring it home. Otherwise it will almost certainly get demolished if loggers go in. I might get the badge alternatively now, just so that it won't continue slowly weathering out there. Its a little lower on the priority list.
 
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