Four Blocks to Everywhere
The Nosy Neighbor Retires
There’s a particular kind of dread that sets in when you catch yourself slowing down in front of someone’s house, head tilting, eyes narrowing at their garden beds. That was me, doing my lunchtime neighborhood loops, gradually becoming the guy. You know the one. The one who’s just... around. Peering. Lingering near mailboxes for no good reason. I wasn’t proud of it.
The thing is, neighborhood walking has a shelf life. When you first move somewhere, every block is a little mystery. After a few months, you’ve seen the mystery. It’s a beige house with a broken gate and a wind chime that never stops.
So I made a small, almost embarrassingly simple change. Four blocks on the bike, and suddenly I’m somewhere worth being. Pond on one side, river on the other, a skate park full of teenagers doing things I’d never attempt on two wheels. Canada geese stationed at the water’s edge like they own the place, because honestly, they do. Missoula’s river corridor give the whole area this raw, almost unfinished feel, even in early March when the cottonwoods are still bare and the hills still carry a little snow.
It turns out the fix wasn’t more willpower or a better playlist. It was just four blocks in the right direction. More nature, less concrete, zero risk of becoming a neighborhood legend for the wrong reasons.
March 5th’s Muddy Lessons
A look back at March 5th across 24 years of adventures, from 171-mile flu rides to frozen Hell Rides to mud season mishaps. The consistent thread? Keep pedaling forward, especially when it makes no sense.
Read more: https://8i11.vercel.app/story/cp4e8az4