Ride Day 133

After a nice night at the Comfort Suites in Wixom MI I lounged around the hotel until mid day. I pigged out on the free breakfast just like I did on the free dinner the night before. I finally packed my bike up and handed in my key to checkout and just as I went to go out the door the rain started back up. I turned around and sat down in the lobby to read the paper and wait out what looked to me as a shower. About a half hour later it let up and I rode 100 yards over to Mcdonalds to wait a bit longer in a new place. I chatted with a woman in Mcdonalds about bike riding and then the skies seemed to clear so I ambled out the door and down the road. I only had a thirty mile ride to do today but it was almost all on a not very bike friendly busy road. I ended up riding slowly along sidewalks for most of the way because of no or narrow shoulders combined with fast heavy traffic. The sidewalks of course have lots of bumps so I had to ride slow and kind of jump my bike over the larger bumps of which there were plenty. I stopped for coffee and every other thing I saw along the way to kill some time because I had 4 full hours to go only 30 miles. I enjoyed the slow pace for a change. I usually race along at a fast clip or I would not be getting so many century rides in so this was a major change of pace for me. I arrived at Regi's place and made friends with Clyde her pit bull and met her kids and husband. Regi got home about 15 minutes after I did. She made some tacos for dinner while we caught up and then she took me for a short tour of Detroit in a light misting rain and failing light. The weather seemed right for the setting of an almost dead city. There were signs of renewal here and there by hipsters that bought up entire blocks and turned them into enclaves of their own design and control. The standard practice here seems to be to stop paying the mortgage wait for foreclosure and then burn the house down. There were lots of burned out shells lining all the streets. The arson investigation units here must be over worked to say the least. There were some very nice neighborhoods close to ruined ones and then there were the reborn areas with new facades and stuff. I enjoyed the tour and was sorry to miss the Henry Ford estate. Joe Lewis's fist was the centerpiece art work downtown. Tiger stadium was empty but all lit up. I got a good night of sleep with Clyde keeping me company for most of the night. Today I am spending time trying to figure out which route I am taking to get out of here without being a moving target for all the gang bangers roaming around the burned out streets. more later