Watch: Montana town perplexed by mystery of three bikes on a log

Jan. 23 (UPI) -- Residents of a Montana town are at a loss to explain a years-long local mystery -- the presence of three bicycles on a log in the Missouri River.

The three bikes have been wedged on top of the log in Great Falls since at least the fall of 2020, and despite efforts to solve the mystery on websites including Reddit, the questions of who put them there, and why, remain.

An investigation by KRTV's Quentin Shores failed to find any answers, but raised a few theories including the idea that the bikes could be an urban art installation or a prank of some kind.

"I know nothing about who's responsible for putting the bikes on the log," Rebecca Engum, executive director of Great Falls, Montana Tourism, told Shores. "I recall seeing them driving by one day and thought it was just this beautiful kind of impromptu urban art feature."

Engum said the installation of the bicycles would have been a complicated endeavor.

"For people to still be carrying bikes out to the log and somehow securing them is a unique thing that is happening," Engum said.

Krystal Pfleger, general manager of Mackenzie River Pizza Co., said the bikes are a frequent topic of local conversation.

"A lot of our guests come in -- especially tourists -- and they're like, 'What are those bikes up there?'" Pfleger said. "Honestly, I don't have a good answer for them, but I think it's really cool."