I guess sharing the MUPs is just like sharing the road-- lots of food for thought & discussion.

I wanted to add that I've ridden this path a couple times per week over the last couple years, and only had one other negative experience in all that time. Mostly, I enjoy this path a lot. It's lovely & it's a busy park. That's part of the charm for me, and I ride there specifically when my intention is to do a slow, easy recovery spin. All the people & dogs actually make it easier for me to glo slow, which is my goal.

I've had so many small moments there that put a smile on my face...

Last year, I came upon a group of young boys that had stopped in the middle of the path. I stopped to give them a moment to move, and they asked me if I happened to have binoculars with me. I didn't. They pointed to a big tree in the distance & told me that they thought there was a spy in that tree. They went on to say that once I passed a certain point, I'd be entering the ghetto, and did I have a weapon. I admitted that I did not have a weapon & they started an earnest conversation amongst themselves about whether or not I could proceed, deciding eventually that because I was a grown-up it was probably all right. It was comic.

The other day, I passed (very slowly) a small girl on a bike with training wheels. She grinned & pointed at me & said "Look, mom, a racer girl!" I'm 49.

Another time, I saw a couple people looking up at a tree, very intently. I slowed & looked but didn't see anything. The next week, I saw another group, looking at this same tree again. I stopped and asked what they were looking at, and it was a baby owl, who nested in that tree all last summer.

I love the mix of people there-- mom's with jogging strollers, the local cross country team, kids on bikes, families at the playgrounds, elderly people who are just shuffling along... It just puts a smile on my face when I ride.

I like the green space & the birds & the ducks & nearly all of the dogs.

I've learned to expect people to behave unpredictably, when I come up behind them. I do call out. And 99.99% of the time, it all goes well. Maybe that's why I felt so bad getting yelled at in such a pleasant place, it was just so unexpected.