an invitation to isolation

on the mixing of oil and water

How do you mix oil and water?

You don’t because they don’t.

For some cyclists, ATV’s ‘Quads’ and Side by sides are problematic.

These tend to be the classist, university educated, professional, elitist fuckers.

Complaints include ruts in the trails, noise and dust clouds when being passed.

Locally, ATV association that are largely composed of blue collar / trades based people are at odds with community conservation groups that are mostly composed of soft handed office workers. They are vying for control of the trail networks that have sprung up on all railway beds.

To be clear, this is neither a safety nor eco issue. It’s a class based fight for dominance. When we ride our bikes in remote places, most of the time we’re following old logging roads and ATV routes.

The Lake Charlotte Mini Epic takes place almost exclusively on ATV trails. We’re guests in the house of mud, noise and dust.

I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Amongst middle class people things like jet skis and ATV’s have a bad reputation. Those same ATV’s were essential to get to and fight the many fires that burnt around these parts last summer. And jet skis? They may be annoying but so are hippie street parties where they ‘reclaim the roads’ and slow me down.

We humans annoy each other all the time. Hippies don’t like jet skis. I don’t like street parties.

And potluck dinners?

Those patchouli soaked affairs ought to be declared grimes against humanity.

My wife was once was rescued by an indigenous dude on a jet ski despite up until then not really liking them that much.

And when we’re forty kilometers into the bush with no cell phone service, it’s pretty nice to have those ATV riders around.

When there are few people nearby and shit goes sideways, you can use all of the help you can get.

The problem with humans isn’t the humans themselves, it’s a question of density.

The closer we are, the more we connect, the more often we rub each other the wrong way.

And this mobile device you’re reading this on?

You have the ability to bump into about a billion people’s assholery in the run of a day.

Put down this diseased spreader of filth.

Go get lost in the woods.

And?

If you see someone you might not like when you’re out there, connect the best you can.

They might be all that you have.