The trail was remarkably absent of the usual litany of joggers, cyclists and outdoorsy folk hiking. Whether it was because they had better things to do on a Friday afternoon or were wary of working out in the extreme heat, we couldn’t be arsed to give a damn. We were having a blast. Sending it down hills, carving up pavement, cruising to our heart’s content. It was L I T.
But getting there... That was another matter.
The sting of yesterday lingered in my memory. I thought about my interaction with the officer, and if I should have handled things differently. If I hadn’t made the left down that street and crossed paths with the cop, would today have gone the way it did? If I’d kept my cool instead of speaking my peace and letting him know I was not amused by his shenanigans -- crossing into my lane, shouting at me like I was a child, attempting to intimidate me -- would I still be able to roll down the street without worrying about getting a citation? It’s unclear. But when I think about how my actions were harming no one, and I was simply minding my own business, the near brush with death at the hands of a cop behind the wheel of a large SUV was completely unwarranted. I find myself in a rage all over again.
Mission accomplished, asshole! You successfully rid your town of a criminal element, the scourge of the streets: the menace skateboarder.
Fortunately, I guess you could say there was a positive outcome... Because that’s what it took to get us here. Today would not have nearly been as much fun were it just another solo ride down my street.
The heritage trail that runs alongside the Lackawanna River may be less convenient than hopping out my front door, but the benefits are obvious: no cars, no hassles or catcalls, and no cops. (Err... actually, we did pass a bicycle cop, but it was a much different situation.)
All in all, there’s a much better experience to be had on the trail. It offers a much more diverse terrain as far as hills, curves, and the like. We were able to travel at our own pace, carry on a conversation, shoot video and take pictures of our stunts. The huge smile on my face completely belied the oppressive heat that bore down upon us. Dripping with sweat, gasping for air; as long as we had a supply of fluids to fight off dehydration, we just couldn’t help but skate on. It was too much fun to go home early.
Then you have the beauty of the surrounding woodland areas, the wildlife spotting -- squirrels, chipmunks, foxes, opossums, stray cats and more. All manner of flora and fauna set to the soundtrack of white noise coming from the river just off to the side. It’s peaceful, serene. As much as skating allows you to get out of your own head, the wilderness gives you a place to explore. It’s the perfect antidote to a busy, stressful life.
But at what cost? If not for the trail, where would we go to skate freely? In a world of people who fetish their cars and clog up the roadways with traffic jams, are we not even free to choose alternative forms of transportation? No, we are not.
Electric bikes, boosted boards, e-scooters and the like all fall victim to the almighty automobile, usurping roadways that would better serve humanity if they were designed to allow pedestrians and those choosing public transport safer, more efficient ways of getting around.
Where else would we be allowed to skate without some asshole bringing the hammer down on us? That’s the only thing that still bothers me; the idea that I can’t do what I love because it’s illegal almost everywhere. Instead of changing the way we skate to avoid public roadways, we should change public roadways to allow skaters.
Until that day, if skateboarding is a crime, I guess I’m just all about that criminal lifestyle. *