Cycling Instagramers: responsible for the...

..systematic shutdown of our "open" roads in our amazing county. I'm the first person to encourage folks to enjoy the questionable "roads" in our beautiful backyard, but day-lighting every last one of them to Instagram is something the Johnny-Come-Lately crowd is doing and it needs to be put in check.

I understand that this is now reality and there are probably positive (I think) things that come out of all the social media other than selling swag. But enough is enough. I guess I'm just that guy now...and I'm totally ok with that (and not alone).

I bit my tongue when I read the "how to poach" Big Basin via Mr. Isaacson's property above the Buddhist Center on a very popular cycling blog. Those knuckleheads don't know what they don't know and need to understand that he is donating a ton of land to the Land Trust and folks should give him his well deserved space while he is still on this planet (after all, it's freaking private). An article like that is innocent in nature and can unfortunately jeopardize deals that will ultimately benefit the public. It's easy, just enjoy it, don't post it.

I remained silent after I was verbally eviscerated after performing some serious damage control for a bunch of familiar faces when the Locatelli's reached out to me professionally asking who are all these cyclists (Instagram photo links) sitting in the Eagle Rock Lookout trespassing through their property. I apologized and came up with some stupid ass excuses for them. Needless to say, I was hot thinking the whole thing would have never happened if folks would have just tread lightly on the land and in the cloud.

You are here by empowered to not post an amazing ride. If you are under 40, you might call it going "old school".

                  I weathered 3 decades of riding this road and Instagram has finally killed it.
                     (I know..you can walk a bike through over the gate...that's not the point)

PS- sorry for the rant, everyone has their limit. Being an avid cyclist in Santa Cruz since 1986 has its advantages and disadvantages...I've turned into a grouchy ass (I'm working on that). For the record, social media would be a lot better if people actually posted real things we all experience every day like: couples arguing, boring jobs, mundane errands, moments of anxiety, happiness, frustration, love, hate. Wait a minuet, now that I write it out, it doesn't sound so great. Maybe that's why folks only post vacations, staged events, perpetual smiles and all the other social media vomitous that people don't give a shit about. I feel way better now.  If I had Instagram, I would snap a picture of myself smiling with a cup of artisanal coffee and a quote or tag that referenced killing it, winning it or crushing it and you would have had no idea that I was actually taking a break from a very boring 3 hour review of a fire department budget. Good night and be safe out there.