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! 

I feel ya...

"I Feel Ya" © Mike Moore Studios

Don't feel like I'm making much ground lately. Not sure why it matters, not much needs to get made, but still feel off pace. I've been down for a bit, trying to fight through, but it's hard. Our old boy Bucky will be leaving us soon, soon as in "the appointment's been made". This is our last weekend together. We're all sad, all dealing with it differently, but sad is the prevailing mood. I guess I've been sad, and slow for a while now. His health started declining during the home renovation we just went through, which had it's own share of still ongoing issues. Between the two funfests, my spark has dimmed.

Reckon like my friend up there though, even slow is still going.

Have Fun! 

 

I had to...It's the law.

"Bluebonnets" © Mike Moore Studios 2024

 By law in the State of Texas every citizen must take a keepsake photo of something placed lovingly in a bluebonnet patch a minimum of once every 10 years*. Our kids are too grown to be able to talk them into it, and the cat just won't cooperate, so I had to make do.

While out on this ride, the mind meltingly grand idea to incorporate each ride with a post here came to be. I want to challenge myself to come up with something to write about or an image to share. My pocket microbrain (phone) is with me to keep track of the rides, may as well use it as the Swiss Army documenting device that it is. Generating creativity is the goal...and riding my bike. 2 great things together...like the ol' peanut butter and chocolate commercial. "You got your photo on my bike ride." Hopefully something more clever, or at least vaguely funny, will transpire than that last little bit of quotation mark contained tripe.

Naturally once the idea was born, the panic soon followed. "Well, now what?" That's completely what I don't want, pressure to perform. I'm going to attempt to...RELAX. That's the whole point of all of it, right? Get out, see something, do something, CHILL. So, I'm gonna listen to music, ride my bike, think my thoughts (maybe jot down a note or 2), take some pix of interesting things, and enjoy the process of being in it, doing it.

"Monolith" © Mike Moore Studios 2024

My rambling took me into part of a local Corps of Engineers park that has been closed to cars since the park flooded in the early 90s. Nature, time, and the typical bored miscreant has reclaimed, or destroyed much of the park's former creature comforts. This old concrete water fountain caught my eye. I suppose I could get all arty and say something about the contrast between manmade and nature and blah blah blah. I just thought it looked cool.

Oh yeah, if you wanna be an Ace Photographer, just like yer ol' pal Mike here's how: I'm using an iPhone 14 standard model. Photo app of choice is currently Hipstamatic Classic with the Tejas "lens" and Ina's 1969 "film". Hipstamatic has been around for a long while, one of the OGs in the "put a cool filter on your snapshots" game. I've decided to use it and the settings to create a cohesive look, so you the beloved user, has a more pleasant viewing experience. Ya know, cause I'm a giver.

Take some time to treat yourself right. Heck, treat somebody else right too.

Have Fun!

*The legally astute amongst you will quickly realize that this is a complete fabrication, no such law exists in Texas. It IS however illegal in Texas to eat your neighbor's garbage...without permission. Look it up.