Can We All Just Get Along?

"Tight Squeeze" © Mike Moore Studios 2026

 This is a fun hunk of trail about 3 miles from my front door. It's a semi fast downhill made more interesting by the narrow, nearly 100 yard, fence lined chute that starts it. If the fence doesn't maliciously reach out for your right grip in an attempt to pull you into its chainlink embrace, it's fairly smooth sailing after this. Usually.

Why "usually"? Because USUALLY that's all you have to worry about. There have been "incidents". See the big rock on the left in the grass? I've moved it out of the center of the trail twice. Rocks have been moved into, and out of, places in attempts to stop the wheels from rolling. Why? Is it just random mouth breathers with too much time on their hands kicking and throwing rocks simply for slack jawed giggles, or are there those that don't want to share? Probably a little from Column "A", and a little from Column "B".

These trails are designated multi-use and are multi-directional. Personally, as a mountain biker, I give hikers the right of way and I try to make sure they know I'm near. It doesn't always work. Earbuds, headphones, and ass-cheek ear muffs, have kept more than one hiker from knowing I'm there. I've scared a few. Multiply this a few times by riders who, maybe, aren't as courteous, and I can understand some bent feelings on the hiker's part. But sabotage? Why?!?! Luckily rocks have been it, no trail spikes, garroting wires, IEDs, or tiger traps. Does getting startled equate causing possibly severe bodily injury or worse?

"Can we all just get along?" was Rodney King's plea during the L.A. riots after he was beaten by 4 officers, who were later acquitted. While I'm not trying equate rocks on a trail to eons of racial inequality & violence, I am pointing out the divisiveness. The "Us vs Them" that has permeated our world. Does anyone even attempt to get along anymore? I'm asking myself that question too, as I'm as guilty as the next person. "That guy in the red cap is an @sshole." Is he really? Maybe, maybe not, doesn't matter, he's been tried and convicted and didn't even know he'd been charged. WTF? What happened to getting to know someone before you called 'em a d!ck?

I've never attempted to claim sainthood, not being Catholic helps, but I know I can do better. I definitely lean more "progressive" than "conservative", but that's no measure of diplomacy. We "progressives" can be just as closed, or narrow, minded as "them". We're just the other side of the same coin. Same? How can that be? Spoiler alert...'cause we're all human! Yep, it's true! Black, white, brown, red, yellow, liberal, conservative, gay, straight, cyclist, e-biker...all of us...HUMAN! It's hard wired into our DNA to want safety, comfort, & happiness, no problem there, the problem comes when we do it at the expense of others. Lame.

Can we all just get along? I'm just asking 'cause I've been over it all for a long time, even while participating. I'm tired of trying to figure out who "us & them" are at any given moment, on any given subject.

I've got the answer! We should all go ride our bikes! Don't worry about what anyone else is riding, or how they're riding it, just be happy that they're riding. If we all do that, it'll just be us, and we won't have to worry about them.

Good times!