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…

4/19/09 7:00 a.m.  Mission Recon: A solo journey to map out and discover what feels good and what areas the groups we bring should avoid.

Today I decided to search the narrow strip between Greenfield and Southfield road.  Heading South through Lathrup Village I stayed on the West side of Southfield road.  It amazes me that you do not have to be in Detroit to see and expereince 1920’s Architecture.  The trail slid by numerous English Tudor homes built in the 1920’s.  I stoped in front of Ty Cobbs Prohibition Party house that he had build back in the 20’s outside of the city limits, the adoring Sheriff left him and his parties alone.  The house is situated behind what was once the location of the Golden Mushroom resturant, which had been sold and distroyed to make room for another drug store to help feed the sickness of a drivethru society.

Crossing over 10 mile I slid down into an area that has a historic Elementry School again built in the 1920’s and fashioned in the Tudor style, masonic markings and details can be seen in the facia.  Heading south from there I stumbled upon numerous 1950’s Japanesse influnced Calfornia Ranch styls homes.  As far as I know a collection of this Architectrual style exist nowhere else in the metro Detorit Region.  Hitting Mt. Veron I turned west and headed over the Lodge Fwy. and continued on a bike trail only into another subdivison and headed over to Lee Baker Street, turning left I was ushered down along an arching street and was dumped out on 9 mile crossing over I followed the city posted bike route signs and as I moved closer to 8 mile I entered into a old area of Southfield again dotted with historic homes built inbetween the 1910’s-20’s.  The area had parks with Forsythia in bloom and was quirky-cool.  Exiting out on a sidewalk of a closed street I hopped the curb at the easement on 8-mile and decided to set my bike up agains a monstrous Steel structure supporting powerlines overhead and droped and gave the easement 25 push up’s proper form, (meaning 4 senconds down, 4 seconds up, complete body toching the grass on the down stroke).  I am pretty sure the drivers on 8 mile had neve seen that. 

Jumping across 8 mile I slid through a nieghborhood to what seem to be a road halfway between 7 & 8 mile, noticing that it had the ability to travel over the Southfield Freeway I decisde to turn left.  Letting my feelings and eyes guide me, I meandered down and across 7 mile, down and across 6 mile and as I got closer to 5 mile the roads became quite interesting .  I stmbled upon a street named Blitlmore.  Since I have been to the Builtmore estae in Ashville North Carolina I decide I should exlore further.  WOW 1910 Craftsmen style homes abound.  I discovered a Stone house with a beautiful Pergolia  covered front porch.  What I saw next still amazes me as I sit here and write.  What was anchoring the Northwest corner of the home was a Canadian Hemlock planted in the 1910’s.  I guessed his age to be somewhere north of 110 years old.  Towering up, it had droped its normal lower branching habit sheding the illusion and habit of a nice christmas tree, it had become an over-story evergreen tree, just like I have seen up north, native and wild!  It is the biggest Canadian Hemlock that I have ever seen in and around Metro Detroit.  Most people who have planted this tree have no idea as to what it becomes as it matures.  Passing around the corner I looked up into the sky and saw a towering Sycamore branches 3 blocks away.  When I turned the corner and went down the street I was amazed by this towering Giant.  I guess him to be somewhere north of 150 years old.  The base of the tree was 6.50′ across as the branching habit was 100′ x 100′ wide.  I rode up on the side walk and touch the tree thanking him for making it.  I told him to keep up the good work.  Passing under the tree it felt like was sprinkeling magic all around as the whole block on both sides felt better for it.

Heading South I crossed over Grandriver and discovered the Grandmont Historical Nieghborhood.  I have never read about it in any of the History books, but what I can say, is that in all my travels in and through Detroits Historic Nieghborhoods I never been through one that felt as nice!!!  No paper no debris beatiful styles of Architecture, incredible trees, amazing.  This one for sure will be on a upcommig tour.  Snaking back and forth I eventually came out near the Greenfield and Schoolcraft intersection as I was looking for away to get over 96.  Approching the brige my feelings gouided me across to the northbpound side of greenfield, jumping on the sidewalk I headed by the do not enter signs towards Fulerton Street.  When I turned out the street was empty and something very strange happened next, it was like a window of time was opened up and what I saw was hundreds of 1920-1930 flat bed trucks loaded heavey with industrial materials.  Perhaps on the way to the old Massey Ferguson Plant?  Looking up at the sky I saw next was another Masonic temple floating way up high.  Coming out on Plymouth road I was shocked and amazed to discover the the Chrysler Jeep and Truck Enginering division had thier entire design team practicing thier craft in a Masonic Temple.  Built in 1927 a star chart hanges over the entry symbolically revealing the cyclic natures and the 7 planets having influence down here on earth.  Sucurity gaurds were on me in less than 45 seconds telling me that I could not take picturs from the public sidewalk where my bycilcle lay?  I shared my opinion about public side walks and easement but as a suv pulled up to block my way I decisde it was time to leave.  I wonder what they were hiding or what they were afraid of?  I headed a little farther South and then east over to Meyers road.  I turned left and headed north slapping the peddles all the way home.

 J. Meyers bike explorer