I turn around expecting to see a grocery-laden neighbor or something like that, but to my surprise it was a smiling woman on a folding bike..... on the sidewalk.
I suppose she was on the sidewalk because she decided that it was safer or more convenient than salmoning in the street. What's funny is how slow she was riding, making her sidewalk salmoning all the more beguiling. I bet if she rode on the street one block up in the correct direction, it would be much faster than slowly weaving through pedestrians who aren't expecting to encounter a bike in their space.
I snapped that picture and assumed it was a fluke, that surely this isn't common practice and that most cyclists are, like myself, reasonably law-abiding. I returned to my loitering and breeze-shooting for not five whole minutes before I saw another sidewalk salmon!
My camera took longer than usual to take the photo for some reason and I actually couldn't see this guy anymore when I took the picture. Upon opening it on the computer, I saw the common-though-elusive "sidewalk fry," the youthful version of the sidewalk salmon that is known to flit to and fro on neighborhood sidewalks.
I suppose this is the time of year when salmon are greatest in number and I should learn to disregard people who's behavior I find questionable, though sidewalk salmoning attains new levels of ridiculousness and should be quickly nipped in the bud.
Cyclists are always whining about how everyone is against them and nobody respects the bike lanes and blah blah blah... I have to say, abiding by the rules isn't going to make people sing your praises, but breaking them isn't going to win you many fans either.
Next time I see sidewalk salmon, I can assure you I won't be quietly shooting photos, instead I'll be shooting mean glares and perhaps say something derisive if I can break my stony, disgusted silence.
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