AllYearGear.com

Category: Ride Report

  • Random Detroit Photos

    I did a bike ride from Royal Oak to Belle Isle yesterday. On the way, I checked on the Russell Industrial Centers bike-in Motor City Moviehouse facilities, sneaked a peek at the Dequindre Cut, and took some interesting photos (below).

  • Biking and Running Around Interlochen

    Tipi camping at Michigan\'s Interlochen State ParkI recently spent time in Interlochen, Michigan, just outside of Traverse City. While it’s know mostly for the Interlochen Center for the Arts, it also has one of Michigan’s first state parks and miles of great roads and trails.

    We stayed at the state park. Our original intentions were to camp in a tent, until I saw the tee pee rentals for only $30. It was darn cool lodging despite the fact that Michigan Indian’s didn’t live in tee pees, We had a great view of the lake and it kept out most of the torrential rain.

    As for riding, the roads around Interlochen are great until you start getting too close to the busier Traverse City area. Many of the major state roads had paved shoulders.

    I also hit the trails both on bike and foot. The Lost Lake Pathway just north of Interlochen was a decent, flat, and sometimes sandy trail. Further northwest was the Lake Ann Pathway, which was a lot of fun to ride — more hills and less sand. I’d cross country skied part of this trail back in January.  It was pretty straightforward riding between the two trails and including a rest stop in the interesting Lake Ann general store.

    And, I did head to the southwest and briefly rode on the Platte River snowmobile trail (very sandy) and Betsie Valley trail.

    I could have spent a week up here exploring.

  • Red Wings Parade hits Downtown

    Kris Draper in the 2008 Red Wings ParadeCup fever has hit Hockeytown and today’s parade downtown really capped off the celebration.

    With a million spectators expected, the newspapers warned about traffic and parking problems ($20!). No problems for biking. In fact, it seemed like a lot of other folks had the same idea.

    Fortunately I was able to get around and take quite a few photos of Red Wings, the Cup, and more.

  • Urban Farms blossoming in Detroit

    Today I rode over to the Georgia Street Community Garden on Detroit’s eastside, not far from the Better Maid potato chip factory.  Cub is developing the garden first for growing vegetables and later for fruit trees.  Members of the DetroitYES forums came by today to help kick start the garden effort.  It was simply a great day to work outside and meet other DetroitYES forum members as well.

    The Ford tractor shown in the gallery below was from another nearby urban farm.  The more I bike around Detroit, the more of these I’m bumping into.  A new community garden is underway on Second Avenue in Highland Park.  I noticed an established garden over in North Corktown.  And then there are the goats.

    It’s a great thing to grow your own food.  It costs less, it’s fresher, and it’s local.  With all the vacant land and lower density,  urban farming is something Detroit can pull off easier than nearly any other urban city.

  • Biking through Detroit’s Cinco de Mayo

    Mexicantown is always fun to ride through. It’s a dense and diverse community with plenty to see and do. And it has my major bike ride requirement: good locally-owned bakeries.

    But this area is even more fun to ride through during Cinco de Mayo. The Mexican pride seems to overflow into Hispanic pride and it’s all good cause for celebration.

    Vernor, the main drag, gets clogged with slow moving cars. It’s more like riding a bike through a parking lot than the heart of the main business strip. There is a bit of drinking going on so it’s probably best ending ones ride before sunset.

    Also, yesterday saw lines at all the restaurants. Apparently the I-75 re-construction isn’t hurting business too badly, at least for Cinco de Mayo.