What does the legend of a bicycle embedded in a tree hide?

A bicycle in a tree has long been a landmark of Vashon Island. But the sentimental legend that it belonged to a guy who was urgently sent to the First World War is not quite true. So how were things really going?

The legend goes something like this: in 1914, a certain guy chained a bicycle to a tree, and just a few minutes later he was sent to the First World War, from where he did not return. In memory of him, his parents did not touch the bike, which eventually grew into the bark and became a local landmark. 

But something doesn't add up here. For example, the fact that the States joined the war only in 1917, and the bike itself clearly could not belong to a guy of military age — a boy of ten years old would fit on it at most. If you dig deeper, then such a brand of bicycle did not exist at the beginning of the XX century. 

After the bike became widely known, its owner was still found and told the true story of the appearance of a local miracle. The owner was a 72-year‑old retired sheriff Don Paz, who now lives in Kennewick, and this story happened in 1954, when he was an 8-year-old boy.

Don grew up on Vashon Island and lived there until 1992. In 1954, a tragedy happened in his family — his father died in a fire. The inhabitants of the island felt sorry for the widow and orphans, began to bring them various things, among which was the same bicycle. Don admitted that he didn't like the bike right away — it looked like a three-wheeled bike for kids, only on two wheels. In addition, it had a thin steering wheel and hard tires.

Soon Don's family moved to a house near the swamp, where he once forgot his bicycle. However, as he himself says, he was not worried at all. 

Many years later, in 1995, Don came to the island to visit his sister, and at the same time to look at the famous ingrown bicycle. The first thing he said: "Yes, this is my bike!" But the fact that the bike has become famous, it has not become more attractive in Don's eyes. 

Speaking of this natural phenomenon, the tree is unlikely to have lifted the bike up on its own, it's too heavy. Most likely, someone threw it there, and over time it has grown. At the same time, local residents value the ingrown bicycle very much, carefully change worn-out parts, sell souvenirs. Of course, because many tourists come to the island just for the sake of it!