February 10, 2016 - "Identify These Things Contest"

I thought I would stir things up a bit and try an experiment. The above items are things that I found while hiking during 2015, and they are all things that I was intrigued with ... I had no idea what they were and how they ended up in the middle of nowhere. So. If you know what any of these items are, and can email me information, pictures, web page references, to convince me you are right, then for the first person to convince me, I will happily mail you the 8X10 print in 11X14 mat and plastic image of your choice. Below are more detailed photographs of the items and any background information. I have, for fun and scale reference, included in each picture also a watch and a nickel. The watch was given to me as a gift when I was travelling in Pakistan in 1993, and it is 'Made in the USSR'. I thought it somewhat funny and appropriate that the watch stopped working after only a couple days.

I will do my best to update this page as people 'win' ... so please email me your deep thoughts to , and, enjoy!

ITEM #1 - I found this while hiking up the road to Sunset Peak Lookout here in Idaho, at a place about 100 feet off the road near what looked to me to be a very old inactive mining site. Now, I am SURE there is someone out there that knows what this is!

ITEM #2 - I can't remember for sure where I found this, but I think it was a few miles off-trail in the Owyhees.

ITEM #3 - I found this about 2 miles from my truck while hiking to the Camel Creek Falls in the Owyhees. The top end can be pushed down, against the pressure of the springs ... it is a very odd thing that I would be very curious to know ... what it is.

ITEM #4 - I found this on the dirt road up to either the Sunset or Pilots Peak lookouts ... it was on the road. I'm sure some gear-head will know what it is, I suspect it came off an ATV?

ITEM #5 - I found this item while hiking away from a fairly obscure dirt road in central Nevada ... basically the middle of nowhere. Since I found it not too far north of Area 51, I actually found myself wondering if it could perhaps be radioactive? I am generally inclined to not be too paranoid, but I admit I did not choose to sleep near it. The top part has a nozzle-like look to it, and the top part also can slide out to be longer or shorter. So I don't know ... is identifying this thing rocket science?