Earlier today there had been an accident on the transition ramp from 217 north onto 26 west. On my ride home I hit an extremely slick patch of something covering the road from side to side. It's nasty white sludge that was slick enough to snap the bike off track and make it squirm all over the place while I regained control. I'm guessing it's leftover fire retardant, but can't be sure. VERY dangerous. It's likely to stick around for a day or two if they don't get a sweeper crew out there to clean it up properly.
If it's fire fighting foam, and it keeps raining, it will wash off on it's own. You say it's a white sludge though, it's more likely to be some sort of oil, or possibly diesel mixed with something that was put down to absorb it. Thanks for the heads up, and glad to hear you kept the rubber side down.
Suppose it could have been powder from a canister extinguisher. Or possibly absorbent. Could have been some sort of load the wrecked vehicle was carrying. Definitely wasn't diesel/oil. My bike is covered in a crusty white patina. Looks like the local Duc fan club had a bukkake session. Had a well-earned drink or two last night to settle my nerves.
Good save. Just one question though, why are you riding in freaking winter?! Where was your truck with a heater and coffee cup holder and either sports talk radio or Rush Limbaugh?
I told u I wuz hardcore. Oh, and I figured it out. Drove over that patch today during work, and I could see it was oil absorbing powder. So not only is it slick as hell, it's going to stay around for a week or more. Time to clean my chain again...
