Yesterday I rode downtown to take in the Labor Day parade. Many folks had the same idea, motivated perhaps by the appearance of Barack Obama in Hart Plaza.
There were huge crowds waiting to get into Hart Plaza, so I didn’t try entering. Fortunately some videos of Obama’s speech have been posted. I did follow the parade and here are some of the highlights.
I’ve had some WTB custom bent titanium handlebars for over ten years now. They’ve been on more bikes than I can recall. They’ve finished multiple Leadville 100s, XTERRAs, and other races. They’ve served me well.
But yesterday they finally gave in and snapped.
And I can’t fault them I wasn’t just riding along.
I was riding up a small flight of stairs at Harmonie Park in Downtown Detroit. And I was still buzzing on energy from recently eating a delicious Katie crepe (apples, caramel, and salted butter!) from the nearby Good Girls go to Paris crepe stand.
I wheelied up the first couple stairs before hitting the top one. The bar quietly broke in half. Oddly enough I didn’t crash.
I temporarily fixed the handlebars using sticks, wood, and rebar that I found along the way. That allowed me to ride a bit longer before heading home.
And on a related note, my Dad’s handlebar stem snapped today. He ended up with what appears to be a separated shoulder. He’s in his usualy high spirits, though this is definitely going to affect his bike mileage goals for the year.
Rifle River is a great state recreation. It’s relatively large and very scenic with camping and some great trails for running. If you don’t mind the occasional sand, the trails are fun for mountain biking as well.
And it’s only a 2.5 hour drive from the Metro Detroit area.
Unfortunately the flies were bad yesterday in many spots. It really made me pickup my running pace to try and “drop” the flies.
Any one who hikes, runs or bikes trails is familiar with the sounds of scurrying critters. Normally in Michigan this has been deer, chipmunks, squirrels, or the occasional skunk. I have been fortunate to see a couple porcupines at times. Last week I came across a small possum at night that stared me down and refused to yield the trail.
But yesterday at Rifle River I came across a badger about 5 feet off the trail. His fur was more brownish than the Wikipedia photo on the right, but his face markings were unmistakable.
Oddly enough, he wasn’t fierce or apparently too worried about me as he slowly waddled away. It made me wonder what the University of Wisconsin was thinking when choosing mascots.
I should mention that a half marathon will be run on these trails September 13th. It’s the Ken Willard Memorial River Trail Half Marathon. The registration form notes the challenging hill and I will back them up on that. You can register for the event on-line.
Everyone knows biking and ice cream do together well. The newly opened Dairy World adds falafel and other Middle Eastern foods to that winning combination.
Dairy World is on Woodward just south of Seven Mile, but perhaps more famous for being next door to Dutch Girl Donuts.
It’s a family run business that seems to have a lot of funk, and lately has been gaining more and more customers. I know I’m doing my part by sampling their menu nearly every time I bike past. I can vouch for the grape slushies, vanilla malts, soft serve cones, and the falafel platter. They’re all good.
It sure seems like more and more folks are riding their bikes around Detroit. Last weekend’s City Fest certainly seemed to have more people getting their by bike. If you live even close to the New Center area, it’s probably faster to bike there due to the heavy car traffic and ease in parking your bicycle.
Below are a few photos from Sunday right around the time when George Clinton, Funkadelic, and Parliament took the stage. The crowd was awesome. The band was awesome.
