We were all excited to take to this ride, as taking the kids out along with us on a Thursday night is really a dream come true. Most of the Thursday night rides are out and away from their smiley-silly faces. My heart was warmed as the family arrived and started to unpack the cars and assemble the Chariots for tonight’s ride.

Once on our way, we made our way through Eastern Market and down onto the top of the Dequindre cut.

From there it was race time! Jen had been twitching all night, telling Val how she was going to. ‘Spank me’ on a sprint down the cut to the River front tonight. She had wee Chemeah and the single chariot, with me had I Sephera and Raphael. I let her take off and head on down the ramp before we began the chase. We were on her at the first bridge and shortly thereafter, went by pushing 28mph. Ooops she forgot about the things called ‘Leggs’. We all three toyed with Jen and Val all the way to the end. I answered every call from Sephera’s ‘I want faster daddy’. Alas 50 yards from the end, the Gentleman in me re-emerged and we three let Jen pass and win the race after all.
From there we were onto the River Feast and the Storm Shower that came in to meet us. We set up camp under the restroom carousal tent; Jen broke out snacks for all the kids to enjoy. Fresh Mulberry smears all over beautiful faces! It was a different sight then most would normally see on a Thursday night.

Good fun and packing up quickly, we made our way back to the parking lot, the kids happy to have spent time with each other again!

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Bike Detroit! J. Meyers bike explorer.

We left around 7:15 p.m and headed down, free together again I smiled to myself and enjoyed the view, remembering the freedom of our earlier years, riding back and forth from the city on all those hot summer nights. A young teenage ass made a fool of himself by hurling a chunk of concrete at Jen on our way down Third. I swung around as it was hitting the ground only to see chicken and his friend run into the house and hide, I called him a loser as Jen said a little bit more than I should write. We turned around and continued on down, this time we were on guard. We made it to MCB just in time to meet Val and Dan then Shang-hide- off to a loft party down near the old MGM Casino. Whooshing on over, weaving in and out of little used streets, avoiding cars and traffic, we arrived at the party just as the night started to fall down around the buildings and sky.

Jen ribbed me and said that she, “was not really dressed for a party”, well oaky I got understand. Most of the group we had earlier met at the Brewery over the past few years so I figured loose non form fitting shirt? We joined the group up on the loft-deck- roof and enjoyed far off in the distance, the somewhat mutt led and moofed semi brilliant sky. More than half of the show was snuffed out by the now empty post industrial ruin, shucks…….

As soon as the last Boom had rung we were up saying our goodbyes as we knew we had quite the journey ahead of us. We slide away from the traffic of northbound Trumble and made our way on over to Honest Johns for a few glasses of water and few more good memories.

We stepped-em smooth, good and true all the way home as we completed the last 16 miles of the journey in about an hour. The empty streets and quite Midnight Sky always leaves an impression of haunting clarity, there is something crystal that happens when other vibrations and energy are gone? Landing home, we spent 10 talking to Heidi and Andrea both about the journey and the night with the kids. Good day, better night and an amazing month of bike riding behind us we both agreed it was time to go to bed, goodnight!

Bike Detroit! J. Meyers bike explorer.

I always look forward to this ride as it takes us deep into the once foul heart, of a devouring beast of corruption, Young Boys Incorporated. After thinking about it, the theme of tonight’s ride could read ‘Cocaine Neighborhoods’ for without Demetrius Holloway, Maseratti, and White Boy Rick and the infamous Timothy Peoples, Crack and the Chambers brothers would never of happened. So in typical fashion we stepped back a little further in time and ended up on Dickerson Street, headed on up and over to the center of it all.

Demetrius Holloway lived near the Dickerson I-94 interchange Hampshire and Newport, (still is a drug corner as we rolled through) a mere mile and a half away from City Airport. His number (1) Maseratti Rick lived just 2 blocks away from the City Airport, where they could safely manage and receive a minimum of 2 direct flights/shipments from Panama every week, on the 2 separate private jets that they owned. Think about this, everyone must have been involved and on the take! Customs, the County, the City, the Feds, the Airport itself, the local Police, all of them every one of them, for this operation lasted for more than 12 years.

This area of the city was/is devastated to this day, still Held by the Dark Forces of Addiction. Dan saw this first hand as he saw Grandmas home and neighborhood, crumbled down the burning path of devastation and ruin, (pretty dark stuff, alight I get it, but if you saw the house it is a burned out-ruin). Okay some would question, why go to this place? Because it is an opportunity to feel good unto others and let the kids that were out see for themselves, something different, something fun, and something ok. At least for me that was the ‘conversation in my head’ as others who came along for the ride made it known they just wanted to “Get Going”!

It was a great ride other than that one Bermuda Triangle of strange streets. Everyone loosened up as soon as were across Gratiot, out of the bad section, onto to St. Cyril, Concord Street back across and right onto Palmer under the belly of the old Packard Plant we slid left onto Ferry and made our way back and in for a beer and conversation.

Bike Detroit! J. Meyers bike explorer.

Last week’s down note for me was quickly turned over as I removed my cast Sunday night and started stretching my way back to riding again. Tonight’s ride was about old school bikes and old school fun. I broke out my recently restored Schwinn Traveler III and was excited to see who else and what else might join in on the fun theme tonight.

Val was not planning on it, but with much chiding she finally agreed join in with the group as we would be escorting two sisters from Hamtramck on the their first Bike Detroit ride. They were each sporting different versions of the 1960’s recently ‘Shang-Hide’ from Gramp and Grannies place! What we had standing in our midst, on all but deflated tires, was a Huffy 5 speed and 1old classic Schwinn in pea soup gold paint.

The ride was about our guests as we set out on a tour to show them all the things they wanted to see. The riverfront, the Dequindre cut, and a quick Pop-on- over, to see our Burly man friend/bar keep down at Andrew’s on the river. It was nice to ride with Val as she took the lead, we both had time to talk and to get to know each other further. My ankle was happy that the ride was a tour and reminded me once again in the morning, that we still had a journey to take…….

Bike Detroit! J. Meyers bike explorer.

I met the group down at Motor City around 5:00 p.m. as there could be no better a fitting place to begin. Sporting my new soft cast/surgical boot, hobbling in, this would be my first missed ride due to injury. There was/is no one better than Dan to lead a group through the city, in search of our own Brewing history.

Dan asked me to follow in the car and meet him/everyone there? I was not up for it and quickly said my goodbye and wished everyone a good journey. Dan commented later on how it had been fun, yet wished I was there, me too.

Bike Detroit! J. Meyers bike explorer.

Cooler temperatures and weird skys left me and Dan standing in the bottling room of MCB talking about our weeks and what we had been working on. We decided that with it being just us that we should keep it simple and head on down to the river and on over to Belle Isle for a good old fashion loop.
Stopping early on, just because, we made our way into ‘Andrews’ to see our good ole burly ABBA loving bartending friend. After a single round, High-life as it were, we were back up on our bikes, streaming on over to the Belle Isle bridge. Dan took the low road and I stayed up on the high side, peddling it with the sky, up over and down the bridge.

Once on the island we slowed down and talked some more, enjoying the glistening sun light and our fellow citizens out enjoying the beam as well. Cutting up the middle by the old Aquarium, we looped out towards the forest and back on to Outer Drive as we made our way back over the bridge.

We cut our way into and on through Easter Market and made our way back to the MCB parking lot. We said our goodbyes before we dismounted and both were off back to our homes and families in a blink of an eye.

Bike Detroit! J. Meyers bike explorer.