Today’s ride marks the return of the Sunday Mission Recon Ride for the 2011 season. My goal today was to travel all the way down to Riverview, MI., to join up with the family and Hitch a ride back home via Jen’s Car. The goal was to find/map out a way that brought me from Lathrup Village all the way down to my in-laws’ house, that kept me off all Major Roads as well as in-between Greenfield and Coolidge/Schafer Hwy. The Question was could it be done? With my latest Navigation App loaded up on my Blackberry, I thought today’s ride would be made up on the fly, so as to be influenced by the flow. I left that house at 1:00 on top of my trusted Mountain Bike once again; the temperature was 29 degrees as I took off to the South on into the Sun.

Church Street dead ends in to a closed street/grass trail as it makes it way on down to 8 mile. This route is one of my favorite off-road ways to get into the city. With the wind at my back I set the pumps free and started to pick up speed. Many times while I am out rolling through the city of Detroit, I spend the time thinking of heavenly things and always make time to reach up and out with the best thoughts and words I can muster. About a week earlier Jen and I talked at great length about the self-less trail and how maybe the goal is not to speak the magical/sacred words that would bind and force the classes and elementals into ones service? Maybe the best trail is one that they all would willingly join, of their own free will, if only asked to be invited; with certain heartfelt intent, grounded in what would be for the good of everyone, in attempts to bring the Kingdom down to our feet, to honor our divine father and mother? With Jens guidelines etched in my mind, and the first time since I began my study 5 years ago, I spoke aloud. Okay now back to the route…..
Traveling by Cooley High School, I was shocked and amazed that it had been closed down and had a big ole’ for lease/sale sign in front of it. For those of you who have never been by I beseech you to make a journey before it becomes yet another ruin. In my opinion this school is the finest piece of educational architecture the city has to offer to the viewing public. Many symbols abound the façade all that originally pointed to a higher intent can be found only if you get out of your car and onto pedestrian level. As I approached Michigan Avenue, I crossed over onto Schlaff and made my way into Prospect Park for a quick breather. Apart from the Freeways, Train Tracks also make it difficult to flow through the city on the path least traveled. So, as it were, I tracked on out to Greenfield and headed on down beneath the rail road bridge over head. On the way back up the hill two fine Arab-American(?), teenagers yelled with accented english form their car to “Get back on the F*****g sidewalk”! I thought that they should maybe brush up a little on the rights of cyclist on city streets and roads?

I stayed on Greenfield and crossed the Rouge on my way to Allen Road. Turning right I made my way through Melvindale and from there through Allen Park; pushing South all the way to Champaign which is where you can turn left and easily cross over I-75. From there I made my way to Abbot and on through Lincoln Park. With a slight swizzle to the right, then left, I continued down on Burns but made my way west just before Eureka Road onto Ford Line Road. I turned left again and made my way across Pennsylvania Ave. Finding Civic Park Drive, I slid down on the East side of the park and crossed over Sibley into my in-laws subdivision. I arrived at 3:00 p.m. sharp and with the some 32-34 miles behind me I thought I made good time.

Bike Detroit! J. Meyers bike explorer.