Are we stewards?

But there's a Sonic right down the street...

 

Not sure how you managed to get three likes for this one...

 

Is the drive-thru part of the standard loop?

 

Slow day...

 

Must be. That's what lured @mtnbikej on his last FLoop adventure. According to him, anyway...

 

Made me think of the graffiti artists I saw the other day.

I was riding home on the river trail and saw two guys working on graffiti art under an overpass. Me personally, I am cool with it. Is it legal? No way in hell. But, while I haven't seen the finished product yet in daylight (I will today), the one was spraying a mural of what looked like a jazz saxophonist playing. Obviously, not to be confused with tagging, no one likes tagging.

Stickers annoy me, but don't anger me. But graffiti I think is cool. But, creating a mural with spraypaint takes talent and effort, slapping a sticker on something doesn't.

 

A climbing partner of mine glued holds on the wall of a San Gabriel River Trail underpass. There were some amazing murals there. The wall with the holds was graffiti, and the taggers tripped out on his shoes and skill. It didn't stop the tagging for long though, and at one point he had to hustle to keep those guys from spraying his climbing shoes!?!

 

Wow... We've diverged a little bit from the original intent of this thread. Which I've been thinking about all night...

Maybe we can get slightly back on track...

In terms of how we are perceived as a community, @mike certainly has a point. Maybe the most important point of all. The stickers are just a lasting symbol of our presence out there... One that other user groups see. In some cases, the stickers remain long after their message has lost relevancy- STR at the Black Star parking lot? Nailed to the telephone pole? Although I still think the "totem pole" on Maple Springs is an OK target, recently I've started noticing stickers in places where there hadn't been any in the past. The gate at the top of Black Star has a prominently displayed "The Path" sticker at the little walk-through that everyone sees. It stands out like a sore thumb... Not a great message.

Although other trail users and land managers may not see us in the same light, we do have to be better than the average bear out there, both in our behavior and in our lasting presence. Our two wheeled death machines do not give off warm fuzzy vibes... Adding a forever memento may not be in our best interests.

 

I totally get @mike's original posts and thoughts on the issue. In a perfect world, I would prefer a perfectly clean palate, whether it be in the forest on on buildings in the city. I absolutely despise tagging and graffiti. I generally don't like it even when it's allowed and considered "art". However, and I don't have a reason for my logic, sometimes I actually appreciate the sticker thing. I don't want to see them on every sign of course. Maybe it's because my coolers and old motocross tool box were covered with industry related stickers. Sometimes the practice just gets accepted as the norm though I realize that can be a slippery slope. Think about walls or alleys of used gum that are now tourist draws or all the padlocks (locks of love) on bridges all over Europe. That all started with one piece of vandalism (gum or padlock) and now is accepted. There's some places where the sticker thing has taken on a life of it's own as well. First world problems....

 

Well said @Faust29 and @mtbMike and I'm mostly in agreement, just wish the thread was named "Sticker Shock" cuz that's closer to what it's about.

There are all kinds of 'stewards' on this site and in our user group, doing their part to improve and preserve our trails. Focusing on one aspect of trail use or advocacy is misleading. In my experience, we are, as @da big hills so eloquently wrote, the user group who does the most in terms of trail work, patrolling, helping in emergencies, monitoring our own behavior and asking others in our group to please assess their own actions.

Should we put a sticker on a trail sign or be upset when someone else does? Good questions and a great discussion topic. Personally, I'm not going to do it. But we can't stop everyone, and if that's the worst thing fellow riders do, I can live with it.

 

I really appreciate the above few posts... they are thoughtful and conversational.
We are NOT going to agree on everything, nor should we be expected to.
But getting along in our virtual club-house is sure nice!

 

I joyfully agree with this!
This type of discussion is what I always dream of. The ability to share and communicate in a fashion where we have no problem "Liking" something we may not agree with, but thank the person for their thoughts.
I have found that in any debate where I am beating my point across, I have never changed another persons position. The art of planting seeds is a gift, because sometimes they get watered and philosophies change. It leaves a person with a feeling of respect and does not damage ego or pride.

 

Exactly... If one disagrees, just demand to have your account deleted. Easy as pie!


Too soon?

 

Oh, stuff it.

 

Nope