Smokey Bob was back today

[ian74]

I have to disagree with you. Smokey Bob (or Smokey Joe as some of us call him) has been around all winter. It seems his cut off is about 35-40 degrees. Trey and I pass him almost every morning as we cross the 14th street bridge. He is always walking from the DC side and seems to leave at exactly the same time everyday, as we always pass him every time at approx 5:45 am. I assume this because we leave the same time everyday and always pass him in the same spot. He’s friendly and we wave and say Hi everyday.

Yes, I passed him yesterday, but also on Tuesday and Wednesday if I remember correctly. Also, I can tell you the paper started showing up yesterday and was already on the ground near the airport long before Smokey Joe would have made it there. I am convinced Smokey Joe and the paper shredder/bottle breaker are not the same person. I won’t make any assumptions about him being a junkie as I haven’t stopped to ask him about it but he seems alert and coherent when we pass and say hi.

I don’t know his backstory, but he seems ‘mostly harmless’

[ChampionTier]

@ian74 174764 wrote:

He is always walking from the DC side and seems to leave at exactly the same time everyday

I was talking with a classmate about Smokey J and how we could tell how early/late we were based on where we passed him.

Not sure of his drug usage or mental capacity, but I agree that he seems alert enough to return my “‘mornin'” as I whiz by him. I like to think he’s the opposite of what he appears — like he enters the Boeing building and everyone in the foyer says something like, “Good morning, Mr. Steele” as he passes and then he gets in his own private elevator that takes him to his C-suite. That or he’s a hitman.

[anomad]

@ian74 174764 wrote:

I have to disagree with you. Smokey Bob (or Smokey Joe as some of us call him) has been around all winter. It seems his cut off is about 35-40 degrees. Trey and I pass him almost every morning as we cross the 14th street bridge. He is always walking from the DC side and seems to leave at exactly the same time everyday, as we always pass him every time at approx 5:45 am. I assume this because we leave the same time everyday and always pass him in the same spot. He’s friendly and we wave and say Hi everyday.

Yes, I passed him yesterday, but also on Tuesday and Wednesday if I remember correctly. Also, I can tell you the paper started showing up yesterday and was already on the ground near the airport long before Smokey Joe would have made it there. I am convinced Smokey Joe and the paper shredder/bottle breaker are not the same person. I won’t make any assumptions about him being a junkie as I haven’t stopped to ask him about it but he seems alert and coherent when we pass and say hi.

I don’t know his backstory, but he seems ‘mostly harmless’

Interesting! He must have been ahead of my schedule, I hadn’t seen him in months. Then again I haven’t seen you in months either.

I’ll go back to the drawing board with my conspiracy theories.

[AFHokie]

I’ve seen Smokey J in Crystal City and I believe someone else has mentioned they’ve seen him Old Town.

As other’s have said, he is like clockwork; I always know if I’m running late, by how far he’s made it across the 14th St bridge when I pass him. Ideally, I’ll pass him near the DC side around 6:05/6:10 in the morning.

[creadinger]

Does anyone have a picture of this Smokey character? I routinely see a guy walking south near the north end of the airport, and like Hokie said, I can tell if I’m running a few minutes ahead or behind by where I pass him. I’m gonna estimate around 6:45.

However, I haven’t seen him for much of Jan-Feb. I’m not a daily commuter though either. My assumptions were that he works at the airport. Few things would inspire such a strong routine than a good job though right?

[ChampionTier]

@creadinger 174847 wrote:

Does anyone have a picture of this Smokey character? I routinely see a guy walking south near the north end of the airport, and like Hokie said, I can tell if I’m running a few minutes ahead or behind by where I pass him. I’m gonna estimate around 6:45.

No picture but he’s about 5’8″, W/M with a slim build. Smoking may have accelerated his aging, but I’d put him in his early-mid 50’s. Blondish-grayish hair swept back and neatly trimmed. Typically wears a vest jacket (iirc it’s off-white with a horizontal colored stripe). Generally upbeat gait, neither hunched over or too upright. His eyes suggest a late night compensated by stimulants (appearances only, not sure if that’s the case). If memory serves, he typically holds his smoke in his right hand.

Incidentally, I think we’re on the MVT at about the same time; I’m the guy on a black Niner with a big black backpack. See ya on the trail!

[accordioneur]

@ChampionTier 174785 wrote:

Not sure of his drug usage or mental capacity, but I agree that he seems alert enough to return my “‘mornin'” as I whiz by him. I like to think he’s the opposite of what he appears — like he enters the Boeing building and everyone in the foyer says something like, “Good morning, Mr. Steele” as he passes and then he gets in his own private elevator that takes him to his C-suite. That or he’s a hitman.

There used to be a guy who would emerge from the bushes alongside the W&OD (around mile 4) at about 6:30 AM, well groomed and in decent looking “business casual” attire – ready for a day at the office. I always wondered who he was and whether any of his co-workers knew his full story.

[creadinger]

@ChampionTier 174855 wrote:

No picture but he’s about 5’8″, W/M with a slim build. Smoking may have accelerated his aging, but I’d put him in his early-mid 50’s. Blondish-grayish hair swept back and neatly trimmed. Typically wears a vest jacket (iirc it’s dark blue). Generally upbeat gait, neither hunched over or too upright. His eyes suggest a late night compensated by stimulants (appearances only, not sure if that’s the case). If memory serves, he typically holds his smoke in his right hand.

Incidentally, I think we’re on the MVT at about the same time; I’m the guy on a black Niner with a big black backpack. See ya on the trail!

Wow! Detail! Pretty sure he’s the guy. The gait and and eyes are were the tell-tale bit. Interestingly, you all remember him as Smokey J, but if someone asked I couldn’t say yes or no if he smoked or not. How have I missed that bit all this time?

I’m the big guy on the midnight blue Surly. In general, I don’t recognize anyone on the trails. I don’t know how any of you do your low 5’s etc…. And if I do recognize someone it’s because I watch them do something dumb or annoying. I’m seriously not trying to be anti-social or anything, I just go into commuting mode or something.

[Tania]

@creadinger 174880 wrote:

Wow! Detail! Pretty sure he’s the guy. The gait and and eyes are were the tell-tale bit. Interestingly, you all remember him as Smokey J, but if someone asked I couldn’t say yes or no if he smoked or not. How have I missed that bit all this time?

I’m the big guy on the midnight blue Surly. In general, I don’t recognize anyone on the trails. I don’t know how any of you do your low 5’s etc…. And if I do recognize someone it’s because I watch them do something dumb or annoying. I’m seriously not trying to be anti-social or anything, I just go into commuting mode or something.

I recognize people by their “cycling gait” – posture, knee flair, etc. I can usually recognize someone from pretty far out just on their moving silhouette.

[wheelswings]

@ChampionTier 174855 wrote:

No picture but he’s about 5’8″, W/M with a slim build. Smoking may have accelerated his aging, but I’d put him in his early-mid 50’s. Blondish-grayish hair swept back and neatly trimmed. Typically wears a vest jacket (iirc it’s off-white with a horizontal colored stripe). Generally upbeat gait, neither hunched over or too upright. His eyes suggest a late night compensated by stimulants (appearances only, not sure if that’s the case). If memory serves, he typically holds his smoke in his right hand.

Incidentally, I think we’re on the MVT at about the same time; I’m the guy on a black Niner with a big black backpack. See ya on the trail!

Oh! This describes well the man I saw walking along the trail near the airport yesterday as I was riding home in the mid-afternoon. He was walking southward on MVT while tearing and scattering these bits of paper. I was wondering what the heck he was up to….

[creadinger]

@wheels&wings 174915 wrote:

Oh! This describes well the man I saw walking along the trail near the airport yesterday as I was riding home in the mid-afternoon. He was walking southward on MVT while tearing and scattering these bits of paper. I was wondering what the heck he was up to….

MID-AFTERNOON?! As far as I know, we all thought it happened in the middle of the night, which was why no one ever saw it happening in person.

[ChampionTier]

@Tania 174907 wrote:

I recognize people by their “cycling gait” – posture, knee flair, etc. I can usually recognize someone from pretty far out just on their moving silhouette.

Isn’t it amazing how we spend so much time and money to develop cameras and sensors to detect and identify people but our eyes and brains are capable of identifying someone from way on the other side of Gravelly Point in low light while we’re moving? Humans are awesome.

[Steve O]

@ChampionTier 174930 wrote:

Isn’t it amazing how we spend so much time and money to develop cameras and sensors to detect and identify people but our eyes and brains are capable of identifying someone from way on the other side of Gravelly Point in low light while we’re moving? Humans are awesome.

Yep, and then when it’s someone you’ve met like 20 times before, you can’t remember their name. Awesome.

[ChampionTier]

@Steve O 174950 wrote:

Yep, and then when it’s someone you’ve met like 20 times before, you can’t remember their name. Awesome.

Smile. Shake hands. Mumble a name that sounds like Steve….

[Author]

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