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So to carry on -

July 2nd 06

I was up rather late on this morning. We had a Independence Day party the night before, and although I didn't booze it up myself, I was up late with the booze hounds and I myself had my own meditational curative. The folks throwing the gig had fireworks and food and other people brought their own drinks and party favors. It was a good time, and loosing part of the next day was sort of the after effect of the party hardy.

Around 2pm I finally had eaten, had coffee, helped Loonette get on her way with the kids back to Ohio, and had begun reloading the ZRX. I called my buddy in Mt Clemens (who had left from the party late, but made it home in one piece - not a drinker himself). He is a cage driver, but he has a motorcyclist in him, and as I proceed with the second part of this day, you'll see why I say this.

I now have to make my way back south and east to get to Mt Clemens from the Clarkston area. I am no longer of the mindset that I need to take my time and take in the sites. I need to get myself moving and maybe have some time to ride after I can drop my luggage. It does not effect the way the bike handles much, but I'm always thinking of this tower of my things bungeed and tied to my seat. It makes me back off a notch from how I enjoy riding. Hey, I use the throttle and I use the brakes heavily. My bike has both in spades. My engine braking via downshift is amazing, and sometimes I can ride for hours and not use my brakes, but there are times there is no match to coming hot into a corner, pulling the binders in, and rolling in and through like a you're on a rail.

So I'm south bound on 24 again (called Dixie Hwy up this far north of Detroit). If you've been reading along you know I took 24 North from I-75 to get to the gig. But on my way there, almost 10 miles south from the destination I passed 75 a second time. Today I need to jump on 75 South from this direction. I-75 in this neck of the woods is odd. If you were to take 24 due north from the south 75 exit it goes directly north. If you stayed on north 75, You'd end up heading a little east while going north and then back to the west again. So it loops away from 24, but now I needed to go east, and 75 takes me to M-59 which leads me east to Mt. Clemens.

The trip goes fast and as with all travel around Detroit you rarely have to speed above other traffic. Everyone seem to go 80 to 85 in the 70 and 65 MPH zones, where I spent most of ride to his house. Good thing people seem so predictable to me in Detroit - it's good to be home in this case. It had to be less than 30 minutes worth of almost all freeway blasting.

I arrive and my buddy is waiting for me. He's quite ready to get going and mentions a accoustic guitar night at some bar and wanted me to join him. I said "Ride?". He had to check with a dude who was going to meet us, he might need a ride. Not the case though, so I need a few minutes to sit on his couch and relax. It is around 4:20.

Then I wonder to myself - does anybody read all this?

My buddy Jon has been riding as my pillion for a couple year now. Well, this would be the second year now. When I first started riding, my first summer I rode up to Detroit on my FZ6. I visited him then, but I never had a pillion on that bike. It was the ZRX that inspired confidence in control and power and made it feel comfortable to take a passenger.

Jon always like to ride if I'm in town with my bike. This last trip he said "man, this is the way to travel." I bring one of Loonettes old helmets, since Jon has a smaller cranium then I, and my extra large mellon protector bobbles around on his head. Found that out on the first trip. So Jon has been indoctrinated into wearing gear on the bike, how to sit still and be cargo, how to signal if you need something, and how to holler loud enough to point things out along the way. I really do want to purchase a on bike comunications device.

More about my evening cruising along Jefferson and down to the Ren Cen coming up...

scanevalexec wrote:So to carry on -

Then I wonder to myself - does anybody read all this?

i need pics mr. scan.

anyway... doing 80-85 on a 70 is pretty conservative compared to a lot of the people here.

Alrighty, I owe an update from that big trip back in the begining of July. Basically in a nutshell Jon hopped on and we hit the road towards the lake, where the accoustic jam was happening. Uneventful trip through downtown Mt. Clemens, but I always enjoy being in the area riding. It was one of my old "stomping grounds".

We arrive at the bar where the jam session is taking place and there is an area right near the door where there is a Harley pulled up. Not designated parking, but with small amounts of skill could be navigated by motorcycle. I decide this self-designated bike parking is a good thing, so I park next to the other bike on this concrete patio near the door.

I won't say a lot about the jam session, except there was this one guy who could play and sing like Johnny Cash, and it was worth the trip just to hear him. He looked nothing like Johnny, but he sure caught the mood and the sound. Many others played too, but nothing that drove me wild. Typical accoustic fair. All great players (far better than myself) and it was a good break in my afternoon. I made the bar tender make me some coffee and I think she was annoyed. She brought me a cup, and I gave her a dollar tip and the dollar cup of coffee. When I went to get a refill once she charged me again. I gave her another dollar tip, and she then informed me the refill were free from here on in... as I was getting ready to leave. Gee, thanks.

Leaving there I had no specific destination, but I wanted to take Jon for a spin and see some of the sites in the city. In my previous life I was a city dweller, so I always love poking around Detroit. We were right on the water's edge at that bar, on a road called Jefferson. I decided we could take Jefferson all the way to the Ren Cen downtown. My little bike parking area was now empty except me, but turned out to be safe place to leave the bike. The parking lot was gravel, so it was good to have a solid ground parking space.

South on Jefferson we pass through several communities and as you go south from where I was, near Mt Clemens, it gets richer and richer. The houses and cars get nicer, and you see more access to the lake hidden by houses, hotels, and boat bearthing. So I'm zipping along at near speed limit out pops a cop from one side street. I'm not going fast, so slowing to speed limit was easy. He was a little in front of me and was going sub-speed limit. I was catching up to him, and it was a two lane each way sort of road with a turning lane. I passed him and all the cars behind me slowed down. I checked the speed limit sign again and found I had not been speeding, so I proceeded.

A little down the road, I was passing other cars and he was still way behind me with a growing traffic jam behind him. He then picks up speed and gets behind me. I think, damn, why is he going to hassle me? Am I missing something. He signaled, went around me, and got in front of me. He then at the next light moved up to a 10 over the speed limit tact in front of me, so I let him get a good 10 or 15 car lengths in front of me and matched him. I continued to pass traffic following my new found escort. He broke off at a corner and that was it for his involvement in my day. Later I asked Jon what he thought, and he thought for sure this guy was going to hassle us too. It felt like we were a mouse to his cat as he let me pass, came up behind, passed slow, and then took off. Maybe he ran my plate and moved on. I guess.

I mentioned it gets richer and richer on the way down to Detroit. Well that is true until you get to Detroit. The last city before Detroit is Grosse Pointe. Mansions-o-plenty. You also have a view of the lake as it runs into the river. As we were just about to leave Grosse Point I got a good look at a ore hauling ship moving down the lake into the river. Huge ships. I mean, these are no oil tankers, or cargo carriers you see going out to sea, but they are impressively big.

When you enter Detroit it is like a smack in the face. Boom. Welcome to Detroit, now get out. There are spots driving down Jefferson where I am ready to run a red light if I have to - not just for traffic, but also for the guys hanging around the corner who don't seem to have anything better to do. I can't decide if I want to just get downtown and leave, or actually check something out down here.

I decide I will stop at Belle Isle. As you head south on Jefferson, only about 2 or 3 miles from downtown proper, right in the middle of the river is a city park on an island. That is Belle Isle. I had been there many times when I lived in the area, and it is a crown jewel of Detroit. It is not taken care of very well, but it was at one point a world class park I'm sure. You can see signs of it everywhere. Opulent buildings, statues, fountains, and even support facilities. It is about 1 mile or so long and about a 1/2 mile wide. A road circles the island and provides many stopping points to view the river and at the south end a great view of downtown, from the river.

Anyway, I turn off of Jefferson and head across the bridge to the island. 25 MPH speed limit is killer. There are not people or other cars on the bridge, but I know once I tweek my speed there will be a Detroit cop just waiting for "some suburban guy thinking the rules don't apply to him" and whatnot. So I slowly enter the clockwise flow of cruising traffic on island. This leads us south past a huge fountain area (which I'm told runs in the eveneing, but I did not see that myself), and on the right are picnic and play areas. We stop at one of the most south areas and take bio break. I discover as a the same ship from early passed by closely going down the river - I don't have my camera. Duh.

After Jon got done with his bio break we were ready to get rolling again. Just as I was gearing up a fella came up and asked how much the bike costed, and how fast it was, and wanted me to start and rev the engine. Real nice guy. Sort of big and scary, but nice. He was duly impressed. I always like those who are impressed by my bike.

So now back north around the island where you can see they have, or had museums, aviaries, observatories, and other cultural buildings. Most seem to be closed and in a permanent way. Sad really, as it seems like this was a wonderful place at one time. I love it still in the way I enjoy most of this area, but it provides so little now to such a small population. Too bad. Anyway, speed limit on the island was 20 I think. Painful. And I get behind a Detroit cop at one point and so I'm not going faster at all. I'm in another rolling traffic jam provided by law enforcement.

Leave the bridge from the island I decided to wrap up my Jefferson tour by getting on downtown. At this point, Jefferson is no longer the closest road to the river, so I head a bit east and ride along Atwater, which runs right up to the Ren Cen. The whole area from Belle Isle to downtown is weird. Fortresses to keep the city people out, and keep the rich folks in. A couple blocks inland from the river front and you are in some of the most run-down parts of Detroit. This reminds me of a cold front and a warm front hitting each other. Old warehouses near the river, and new structures are where fancy condos, facilities for those with money, and expensive resturants is what you find by the river. A fortress for those with and to keep those without away.

So passed the palaces and castles on the river and to the biggest one, the Ren Cen. Atwater goes by the back of the Ren Cen and also leads you behind Cobo Hall and Joe Louis Arena. Oddly enough, it pops you back onto Jefferson just south of this civic center area. I like that last bit before Jefferson again, as you get to go through some tunnels, and I love listening to my bike in tunnels.

The next leg of my tour of the city was to lead me back north on Jefferson and then head out of downtown on Woodward. Woodward runs right between the big downtown buildings, under the people mover, and past the casinos. It is like most downtown areas, except it always seems so quiet down there for a big city. I guess most people only go there if they have a purpose, and recreation downtown seems a rarety. Also leaving town this way takes you past the Fox theatre which is right across from CoAmerica park, home of the Tigers (for the past couple years now). Only a couple miles from the old Tiger's statuem, which is still in one piece. I wonder what they will do with that old building.

I decided once we had gone a few more miles up Woodward I would turn off and cut through Hamtramck, where I lived for a few years before my kids were born. Loonette and I lived there in an upper flat and did some of our best hippy beatnic training there. The coffee house I lived at (practically) is now gone. Most of my hangout places are different or gone. Ten years is ten years after all, so I passed by and remember - you can't go back.

Now I'm getting tired and I know Jon has not spend the kind of hours riding that I have, and I don't want to wear out my pillion. After all, I plan to drag him around elsewhere in the next day or two anyway. I need him to be up for that, so I start bee-lining home. I leave Hamtrack north on Mound. This runs me out of Detroit, past 8 mile, in through Warren (home of the speed traps) into Sterling Hgts (or Sterile Whites, as we call it). I need to stop for gas finally and a coffee seems in orders. Since Belle Isle we've been riding for about 1.5 hours, and it was about 1 hour into Detroit from Mt Clemens. I suggested going home after this, about a 15 minute ride, but Jon suggested heading to our old home (where Jon and I both went to High School) Rochester. This would take 30 minutes and then 45 or so to get home after. It was getting dark, and although I had a clear sheild for me, I did not carry a spare for my pilliion. He did not care about the time or his vision in the dark, so we headed for Mr. B-bar in Rochester for a pizza and our final stop for the day. We started around 5pm and we ended up in Rochester close to 9pm.

I thought I'd finish this day, but I've running out of writing time again. I will try update the blog from here. You know, I wanted to finish this because I have several rides to write about, but I want this one done. I'll try to wrap this up soon.

scanevalexec wrote:
Then I wonder to myself - does anybody read all this?

Oh, oh! I do. You update yours about as much as I update mine.

Still July 2nd - 06, now around 9pm

So, we finish the ride to Rochester by staying on Mound north bound. Just past Hall Road (also called M-59), Mound turns into Avon Rd. and starts heading west. After crossing a few major roads I turn right, heading back north on Dequinder, which dead-ends at Bloomer State Park. But really you can also turn left to come into Rochester from the the back way.

The road is called Diversion and it starts off paved but changes to poorly groomed dirt. The road curves back and forth and down at a pretty steep pitch. I forgot not only was I not in a car taking this road (for the first time) but I was also taking a pillion. So I kept in the lowest safe gear (I think it was second) and rode down the hill engine braking down. Luckily no traffic and at the bottom it resume paved road.

The rest of Diversion is light industrial and curves up to Main Street in town. Actually Main Street is Rochester Road and comes down a big hill into town from the South. Diversion comes from the East and runs under Rochester Road bridge into down town. You then come around from the West by following Diversion up to where Main Street is at the bottom of its bridge. Anyway, hard to describe and challenging to ride.

We went to Mr. B-bar and had some pizza. Good thing. Around 10 or so we jumped back on the bike and headed back to Mt Clemens. I left town on one of the more northern roads, Parkdale, so I could avoid jumping on M-59 to go back. It would be faster on the M-59, but I don't like highways much. We took 23 Mile Rd. almost all the way back, until Romeo Plank, which turns into Cass Rd, and put me right back at my buddy's house.

So that wraps up day that day. If I can remember the next day, I'll write some more about the rest of this trip. Oh yeah, I went to Ann Arbor on 3rd. It's coming back to me.

Wow, talk about a trip!

Too cool, man. It's weird to us northern Michiganders to actually WANT to go ride around in Detroit -- all we hear about is the and the and the occasional



Been to the CoMerica Park and the Fox, seen the sudden break from mansions bigger than the lot I live on...to a guy drinking from a bag on a parkbench.

Cool travelogue!

noodlenoggin wrote:Been to the CoMerica Park and the Fox, seen the sudden break from mansions bigger than the lot I live on...to a guy drinking from a bag on a parkbench.

Cool travelogue!

Thanks. Glad someone is enjoying all this typing.

I thought the funniest thing is if you are on Jefferson heading south toward downtown and leave Grosse Pointe - right after you enter Detroit if you turn right (heading away from the river) on a side street you will see the same mansions that you see in Grosse Pointe, only abandon and big empty lots that use to have mansions on them. What a contrast to the place just across an imaginary line.

Monday July 3rd 06

This day was going to be my big day our by myself. I knew my Jon had to work and would be gone most of the day. I had a lot of different directions I thought about taking this day, but one of the formost was to get on down to Ann Arbor, where U of M resides. Great college town and it is hilly and the city is pretty hip.

So morning comes around, and I'm sleeping through most of it this day. Around 10 or so I get up, go make some coffee, and try to find some food to call breakfast. The guy I'm staying with is single and pretty low in finances. There is not any food in the house, and coffee is usually scarce. I carry a small amount with me in case I have a place I can make some, but none is in that place. Such is the case here - he has a coffee maker, but no coffee.

I begin to clean up, but this guy is not big on the whole housekeeping thing, and the bathrooms suffer highly in this regard. Low t.p. inventory. Very dirty towel haning in the bathroom. No hand soap. I'm spoiled by domestication at home, so this is a little painful. I love hanging out with this guy, but the compromise is I have to prepare. Like going camping. So I clean up best I can and hear noises upstairs. He was suppose to leave before 8am to get to work, so could it be him hear well after 10am?

Sure enough he comes down and says good morning. I asked him if he was still working today, and he said he was, but he might have to work later now. Bummer, but I wasn't leaving early either, so I'd be out later myself. He got on his way, and I finished my being lazy and geared up for going.

Now, going to Ann Arbor is simple really. It is right off I 94 and I'm only a few miles from I 94 about 25 miles east. That is not a direct line, but it is the fastest way there. Not me though. I take Moraivian south after I leave the immediate neighborhood. This will take me down to Metro Parkway (16 mile rd) which will run me west until I hit Rochester Rd. This time I'm way south of the city of Rochester, which is closer to 23 or so mile rd.

Rochester takes me down to Royal Oak and just past that is I 696, a major east/west highway north of Detroit itself. I thought of stopping in Royal Oak for a short break, but it was so busy and parking near where I'm going to be is critical to me when I'm riding. So I pass and figure I'm going to a much hipper place anyway.

I 696 is a speedway. I could take it a long ways out, but I'm going to turn south on M 24 again, Telegraph. I'm really only going to take that a few miles down and get on 12, which is Michigan Avenue. That will take me all the way to Ann Arbor, but without any freeway. Traffic is heavy, but moving and again predicable and I find it meditational to work the traffic.

At some point I got messed up and turned off of 12 and was heading south, which at this point was not going to Ann Arbor, but I crossed I 94 and one exit up was the State Street exit. I rolled of the highway and rode State straight into town. You have to come down this big hill into downtown and back up again to actually get to where the college is and all the shops and stuff. Once I got to the actual city area I rode around and tried to figure out where to eat something. I found a samich shop and parking right near by.

Also nearby - a coffee house. After lunch I decided time for a coffee. Pretty cool though, they had oranges on the counter for sale, so I bought one for later as a snack.

I'm taking a blog break, but I'll post a few photos from Ann Arbor next and then it will be the trip back to Mt. Clemens.

Here are a few photos from my arrival in Ann Arbor -

Up the street from where this shot was taken, on the right corner on this side of the street is a very good sandwich shop of which I can't recall the name. Anyway, this is a table out in front of the coffee house Beaners. I like the name. Anyway, you don't get to see me there, but you see my Icon and my tank bag. AND my fuel, the coffee.


This is just a shot looking more properly down the street. The theatre right there is The Michigan, seen in a later photo.


You see The State theatre at the end of the road. That road is State Street. There are a lot of cool streets in Ann Arbor.


Beaners is on the right next to the theatre.


You know, besides the 4th of July party, I didn't take any other pictures of this odyssey.