They found enough clothes to make entire outfits, enough auto parts to build a car, one hobo's house, and assorted underwear, socks, condoms, beer bottles, bed springs, odd shoes and even a bong.

All of this--and more--was picked up by volunteers yesterday during the biennial Rappahannock River cleanup day.

Sponsored by Friends of the Rappahannock and the North Stafford High School Learn and Serve program, this year's fall cleanup attracted 275 people. A road cleanup also was held in conjunction with the river cleanup; the two events were for Make A Difference Day.

Between the two, organizers had so many volunteers that they ran out of gloves and trash bags.

They picked up trash at 23 locations on both sides of the river, from Little Falls boat landing to Mott's boat landing.

Last year, 12,000 pounds of trash were taken out of the river, and another 7,000 pounds from along roadsides.

"People pull out huge tires, bikes," said Cynthia Lucero-Chavez, with Friends of the Rappahannock. "But it's usually primarily bottles, beer cans."

And, of course, all those other odds and ends.

One group of volunteers arrived back at the cleanup's base at Old Mill Park bearing a long length of metal wire cable, so long and unwieldy it took four people to tote it.

The group that found it had to leave behind an even larger piece of metal wedged in the river. They also came back with about two bags of trash apiece.

Thom Renaud, who was picking up trash with his daughter, Lauren, said it was an eye-opening experience.

"You get to see how much trash there really is, and you go home and you don't throw something out the window because somebody's going to have to pick it up," Renaud said.

A number of school and church groups participated in the clean-up.

Cydnea Cline, Monica Lizama, Monica Klock and Mitchell Schafer were among 42 students from Brook Point High School who came out. Their group filled the bed of a pickup truck with trash from behind the Ferry Farm Wal-Mart.

Cline said the cleanup was a bonding experience for their class, and Schafer said he hopes they set an example for anyone who saw them picking up the trash.

Stan Piper, of North Stafford, and his son picked up trash from the Chatham Bridge to a railroad bridge. They're the ones who found a bong, along with fluorescent lights and bed springs and pretty much every other kind of household trash imaginable.

All the garbage picked up yesterday will be taken by the city of Fredericksburg, said Krista Sharp, one of the organizers.

Unfortunately, however, all those broken beer bottles will go to the landfill with the rest of the trash. Their jagged edges make sorting them for recycling too dangerous, Sharp said.

To reach CHELYEN DAVIS: 804/782-9362 cdavis@freelancestar.com