To cyclists who wear headphones

"A person operating a motor vehicle or bicycle may not wear a headset covering, or earplugs "

I have a lot of trouble with people who use bike paths while wearing headphones. I understand why they do it, but it's very frustrating to approach a runner or slow cyclist from behind who is more often than not in the middle of the trail while calling out 'ON YOUR LEFT' only to have them completely ignore you. As you squeeze by you notice they are wearing earphones and are completely oblivious to the needs of all other trail users. Selfish and stupid.

I've lost a lot of friends to drunk and distracted drivers. It's the same thing. If we want drivers to drive responsibly we have to ride responsibly. If you must listen to music use a single earpiece in the right ear so you can still hear traffic. This is legal. Covering both ears is not legal.

I went running up in Big Bear last night. It's mainly trails with some road. I used my bluetooth earpiece in one ear only. There are some mountain bikers on the trail and they need to get by me safely. If they call out, I need to be able to hear them. It's common courtesy. It was raining over Mount San Gorgonio when  I started and there was a partial rainbow over Big Bear Solar Observatory.

Rainbow over Big Bear Solar Observatory

 I added a few extra miles to my normal run making it seven miles (I walked most of it because my knee is still healing.) When I got to the turn-around it was almost dark and the view over Big Bear Lake was awesome. I am so lucky to be able to run in such a beautiful part of the world.



Looking West over Big Bear Lake after sunset

Running back in the dark I was glad of the years I spent as an amateur astronomer because there was no moon and I could barely make out the trail. At one point I could smell skunk and it occurred to me I would not be able to see a skunk even if it was sitting in the middle of the trail so I started whistling to assure any nearby skunks that I was a good guy with no ill-intent and certainly there was no need to spray me.

Near the end of the run I pass through Serrano campground. I started thinking about the psychology of camping. It's like we want to get back to the good old days when we lived in caves and almost every disease was fatal. All the campers had their brightly colored portable caves, their propane powered bulrush torches, and applewood smoked mammoth bacon. Don't get me wrong, I used to love camping. I don't do it anymore, probably because I don't like being outside and stationary for long. When I'm outside I want to be mobile - hence the running and endurance cycling.