Great thread!
101fwy southbound near the 405 interchange back in 2008:
An entire 4x4 transfer case not in the middle of the road per-se, but close-enough. I avoided it... But not by much.
Once while driving southbound on upper I-95 NJ I almost hit a transmission from an early model American car, I'd say 70's, looked like a Turbo Hydramatic... Wonder if that's what happens when you throw it in reverse at 80mph, is that what they mean when they say "drop your transmission"?!!!
Jumped a few dead deer, one on I-295 Trenton NJ, others all on I-55 between St Louis and Chicago. Once they get packed down by a couple of 18 wheelers they make great soft ramps. Too bad they'd been mutilated beyond making a great dinner...
plenty of boxes, wood, ladders, mattresses, they seem to grow wings and fly away from their owners. Along with mud and rock slides, we've all seen the roadsigns warning of them, I'll attest that they actually do happen from time to time.
Once, a washout in West Virginia, my lane of the two lane was lost down the mountainside, just absolute pure luck that I saw a large very dark spot in the road ahead and slowed down in time!
But one of the more interesting ones - right outside of Santa Cruz here, a very nice ornate wood dresser, fully upright with all drawers in, standing perfectly square in the left lane of a bit of a curvy four lane. I expected a four post bed, possibly a couple nightstands and an armiore just past it... What made this one interesting, though, I saw the object a short ways off while I was slipping into the right lane preparing to whip around the guy in the fast lane, a slight bit before he did. So I slowed quick to give him a few car lengths and steered my bike to the far right shoulder for good measure. A split second later the guy saw it, he must have thought I was still right next to him, as he first tried to aim for the left side of the dresser, between the dresser and the center divide, but there was clearly not enough room for him to fit. After he exercised some rapid head bobbling and realized he was clear on the right, he served hard to the right at the very last minute and we both got out clean. He's among a few I've come across that I still thank in my head from time to time, for being first off willing to trash his car if necessary to avoid hitting a motorcycle, and second for being very aware and very quick to look everywhere to reassess his situation while in the throws of his emergency.
