June 16th was our first scheduled Trail ride,  Mat6t showed up at 5:25 and we waited for others until 5:40 then we were oft.  Over the pedestrian bridge @ 696 we entered into our first trail section and discovered a few more Ash had fallen down across so we had to portage just once.  On Thur over the the 9 and evergreen system.  Back in there for 20 min. going up down and through all of the trails that took us so long this Spring to clean up what fun.  From there took the back roads up to the sidewalk at 9 and Lahser.  Snaked South on Berg and turned right on the first street.  From there headed West and crossed over telegraph at the turnaround.  On the bike trail we headed to an area South of 9 mile behind McArthur Elementary school.  This area is located behind Lear Corp world head quarters and is the first of the areas that has virgin watershed topography.  Got back into it and encountered numerous Ash trees recently blown down across the trail. This place needs another Ranger Run prior to bringing a group back.  form there headed north to 9 mile and then went west bound over Beach road and down and up the hill to the  Ravine’s sub.  Snaked through and entered into the Carpenter Lake Rec Area for some good trail fun.  After a good loop we headed back to nine mile and East from there.  Crossing over Beach to the first street being McAllister.  Turning North on up to Larkens we headed East, past a stop sign and just before you enter into Eisenhower elementary school you will see what looks like a gravel drive on your right.  Hung a right and went down about 200′ and you will see the trail entry on your left.  Entered in and did a fun and fast loop all clear.

From there headed East through the elementary school parking lot and through the fence tunnel that leads to Kinsel.  Turned left on Kinsel and headed north to 10 mile.  Crossed over at 10 and headed through the old Telex plaza parking lot onto the sidewalk in front of Meriwether’s then down into the fast snake that runs along the rouge river and allows fo safe passage under telegraph road.  Took the trial along the East side of the river, under civic center drive we held to the rivers edge and crossed back over the river on the pedestrian bridge.  Took that trail all the way up to 696 and turned back around behind the retirement complex and up along the bike path running south of civic center drive.  Into the City of Southfield Civic Center area we made our way to the nature trails.  $ big ash have fallen and block the path extensively.  We thought about turning around but hiked on over and through until we found the easement trail that leads back into Southfield Lathrup.  Crossed Southfield Road and said our good bye’s 29 miles later are buts were kicked.  Need some more trimming then it will be smooth sailing from there.

 J. Meyers bike explorer

The rain was feeling good, that is of course if you have the proper gear!  REI has everything you need to empower you to make bike riding an example of will and intent.  Far too often people choose to hold the weather in such a way so as to have it stop them from living their dream, or practicing a balanced healthy life, this night was no different. Departed from Honest Johns up to Motor City Brewery to see if Dan was still going to come out on the ride?  He had said last time that he never really explored the west side of
Detroit.  Keeping to that view I headed do west, snaking my way over the lodge looking for the Canfield trail.  Snaking back and forth through some industrial ruins, I happened onto Military and

just west of the old fort trail, better known as Livernois. I started to dream and imagine what life was like back in the days of the grand old fort and the development that headed north along the old fort trail.  There is an interesting collection of architecture that becomes older and better made almost on a block to block basis.  The old fields must had been planted with orchards and grains as the original Cattle farms were out towards what is know called ‘Southfield’ at least up until the invention of freeways which lead to urban sprawl and the ruining of our localized agricultural infrastructure.Anyways….  back onto

.  Underneath the massive tracks that head west from the Grand Central Station there is a closed down tunnel bridge above

.It looks and felt like another dark doorway, left from behind, when the corruption was in full purple gloom.  A “equilateral” cut through a chain link fence, four seconds in, four seconds-breath out in front of me, ignited I ventured in.  Narrow to narrow four corridors accompanied by two opposing sidewalks.  The lanes are so small, made for another time, that no modern day car, unless you are ‘Smart’ could ever venture there, but on bike way cool if you dare?  After what seemed like a hundred yards I came through back into the light through the triangle opening.  A behemoth chop shop fork life met me there, intimidating destruction energy-stare-streamed?  Without talking simply painted a view that sewed? “I am just a bike explorer, no judgment no harm”?  Without a word he said go on thru…Flew on down to the old Jefferson Trail and Headed South West to Kovak’s bar, (north side of the road, west of the Fort, East of Zug Island Bridge), anyways the place is circa. 1887, has an original map of the ‘

Village of
Delray” The one Matty Moroon is currently painting with his view? Go Cost Guard, (Jen thinks you guys are Hot ;-).  There you will find an old regular fellow still on the trail he invented decades ago… Ma Kovak 65+ still keeps the doors open holding onto to her dreams of memories when the place was a historic dance hall were big bands used to play.  The ‘Locals’ would come on in every day and during dance weekends play and play and play.  Remember back in a day when communities were alive and not displaced by the cars that drove them away?  A place were good advice is still dispensed by a wise old woman, well lit and true, who has lived enough to somehow become a door and can transcend that which consumes you, ready to let it go-grow-goa?  A few Labatt blue lights, and we were saying are good byes.  I have promised her that we will comedown someday with our kids in tow and that when there are more people on bikes we will come again.From there on back up and over to Motor City Brew to meet up with J.P. Rasta.  An organic fellow, to talk about the rebirth of Urban Agriculture in the City, Bio-Intensive Farming Cost and when in the hell was he going to go on a bike ride?J. Meyers bike explorer

Fresh, not from the night before, took a solo trip down and back to return Dan’s daughter’s sweater.  35 plus miles of smooth fun.  Looking forward to Thursday June 11th as we are heading out West or on downriver…..

We joined our buddy Big Mike and headed out from his place to Swizzle the pedestrian path ways in and around Rochester Hills and oh boy hills are right.  A far departure from the low land Urban City Assults we are used to.  20 plus miles later with a few push-up stops along the way, Curly Matt, (guy pictured in the trail reconstruction pics), was cramping and walking the last mile, as we practice group we all dismounted to join him, thats when the vernage got a little bit much as I had to listen to them tell me in more ways than one, that if it was me, they would leave my ass hi and dry…. ha ha ha….

Recently discovered and soon to be include on our trail loops we have discovered yet again Virgin Watershed Topography with 50′ plus bluffs, and a valley floor that has the largest collection of virgin trees I have ever seen in Michigan.  Tom, Sal, Jen, Sephera, Ted, Alex, Rebecca and Ellen all hiked the trail with us on Sunday morning 6/7.  All were mistified as to the grandure.  We have all witnessed the largest Sycamore that I have ever seen in the United States, along with a Tulip tree I hold to be the largest I have ever seen!  The Native White Oaks and Sugar Maples stand on their own as this place reminds me of a magaical Valley that you would find in New Zealand and not in Metro Detroit.  The river Rouge clean up cleared the trails for our bikes so who ever wants to come join us for the first Bingham Farms/Birmingham trail loop later on this month…..

Lasr night with the threat of rain looming, coupled with an air of something angry or dark about town, it turned out to be a solo exploration ride.  I headed West and explored the South side of I-94.  Peolple have no idea just how far the latin quarter/Mecican town extends out from the Bagley and 96.  It was near dearborn I decided to head north through a mixed bag of Architecture.  Central have is a mix of industry and fractured nieghborhoods partitioned by both I-94 and 96.  As I explored the South side of the I-96 coridoor I encounterd numerious Arts and Craft pieces, some magnificent Art Deco gems and a few Victorian pieces intermixed.  Weaving in and out makeing mental notes I ended up on Forset Ave and high tailed it on over to the Motor City Brewery.  Had a great talk with Joh and Dan as we discussed the new raised vegtable garden across from mario’s on Second Ave.  I wonder if the people who built that know about wholminized wood?  Couple that with the petrolum based black liner and you have a somewhat toxic garden.  i would not eat vegtables out of any of those beds as leaching is sure to be an issue.

5/14/09 What fun.  The whole city was a-buzz with the new bike trail opening the D-cut was in bloom.  Poped in the Green Garage to see part of the presentation of the proposed Bike infrastructure.  Wow what a dream come true.   We had a Gal come in from Chicago to join us on the ride.  7 of us headed out including Dan from Motor-City-Brewery and made our first ride.  We stopped at the Hiedelberg Project for some push ups and photo’s then onto Belle Isle.  The good weather had the car drivers mucking up the place with Spring fed amped up driving energy, which made it hard to cross over the road via the white lines.  What ever, we made a partial loop and got the hell out as Marky Mark would say.  Down on the waterfront and over to Andrews bar for a cold one.  It was there that the Gal from chi-town said, “no way in hell could you rid ebikes like that in her city!”  So Haaaaaa we have something the rest of the big cities don’t have so lets use it for our enjoyment and bring people here because of it!!!  Anyway’s finished up at HJ’s and it felt like we were all on Vacation and we did not have to schedule the time off nor drive a car to get there!

Bike Detroit!

5/12/09 Today was the day I decided to ride the mountain bike thru the awaiting muck so as to garner how well our winter efforts were when it came to actual bike riding.  The Southfield/oak Park section was muddy but fun.   There was one are that i did turn around on because to go any further would have been a slippery mud bath.  Cutting through the streets I arrived at the second trail section near the corner of 9 and evergreen, wonderful on the way in but…. as I was starting to sink in one of the mud boggs I stood up to put some heavey down pressure, picked up a stick and snapped my derailure in two!!!!  No phone I hoofed it  back home and four miles later said to my wife that I enjoyed the walk.  Long and the short of it is we still need to do more work out in the woods so riders beware…

Jim

That seems to be  a common question from people who have never ridden in Detroit: “Do you have a gun?”  There are some areas in Detroit that are really scary, I agree.  And I never ride there either.  There are too many sites to see in the city to let fear steer me away.  Be smart, keep your eyes open, know where NOT to go, keep your prejudices at home and ride.  If you still need that safety net, ride with a group.  Nobody will ever mess with a group of riders.  When it comes to drivers, Detroit is the most pleasant place to ride in the area in my opinion.  It seems like the suburban soccer moms and the overworked dads are more revved up and rushed than the Detroiters.  

Well after almost everytweekend this year being commited to trail clearing and recon, my wife and true inspiration suggested that I bike with the family and back into her heart.   Soooo we headed North not South and toured the Pierce coridoor up to her sisters house and onto some friends in Birmingham, with our little daughter Sephera in the Chariot being towed byby yours truly aka mr thighs.   Some fellow blikers commented on the shirt as one person asked if I carried a gun when I rode in the city?  To that I could only reply, “just the one my wife says I carry in my pants”.. He did not say much after that…