A Short Visit to Detroit City

In 2016 David Maraniss authored a wonderful book about the city of Detroit titled "Once in a Great City". He said that the word "in" was important to the title because it conveyed the idea that his book focused on a portion of the history of a city that continues to be great. The years he wrote about were the early to mid-1960's, a turbulent time in many parts of the country. The three pillars of the book are race, the automobile industry, and Motown music.

I read the book last year and it created desire in me to go to Detroit and explore what the city is like now. Last week I arrived in the Detroit area on a rainy Tuesday evening. In planning the trip, my first thought was to stay in downtown Detroit. But some study of the area revealed that the cost of a room was not justified by the activity available within walking distance of the hotel. The area I chose was near the charming little town of Wyandotte, which hugs the Detroit River just south of the city. Wyandotte's restaurants were excellent and the first night I sampled Gregorio's for some outstanding Italian food.

The Ford GT 40: Built to defeat Ferrari

I arrived at The Henry Ford complex in Dearborn early the next morning. The Henry Ford includes an opportunity to tour the factory where Ford assembles F 150 trucks. The Ford F 150 is the best selling vehicle in America, and the workers produce 600 trucks during each eight hour shift. The tour was self-guided, but knowledgeable staff members were available to answer any questions. Like many factory tours, it was enlightening to see how robots have transformed the manufacturing process.

Within the confines of The Henry Ford is the Museum of American Innovation and I took the Insider's Tour of the artifacts assembled there. Highlights for me were the Le Mans-winning Ford GT 40 from the 1960's and several Presidential limousines. Next, I had just enough time to take a quick tour of Greenfield Village.

Thomas Edison's workshop

The most interesting buildings for me were the ones that Henry Ford had brought from Menlo Park, New Jersey. They were the offices and workshops of Thomas Edison, a good friend of Ford.

I was back in Wyandotte that evening, this time for some excellent barbecue at Alvi's. After dinner I mapped out my visit to city of Detroit the next day.

The traffic was light as I entered the city at about 9:00 am. I parked near the Renaissance Center, now the site of the world headquarters of General Motors. The center is mostly offices, but there is a nice display of the newest GM vehicles. It opens on to the river walk and I took the opportunity to walk south toward Cobo Arena. There was an international robotics competition for kids going on at the arena, so there was a lot of excitement in the air. As I walked around the downtown I was struck by the fact that there was little traffic and very few people walking on the sidewalks. There were some food trucks set up near Cadillac Square, so maybe there would have been more people a little later in the day.

It was near lunch time, so I hopped on the People Mover and headed for Greektown. Here I found the Pegasus Taverna and enjoyed a meal of olives and roast lamb. It was delicious, but more than I normally eat for lunch.

Fighting off the urge to take a nap, I got back in the car and headed west on the famous Woodward Avenue. Known as the street for cruising back in the sixties, Woodward has recently been reconstructed and is easily navigated. My destination was the Detroit Institute of Arts about a mile west and I could not help noticing the empty areas on each side of Woodward. Whole blocks of what at one time were residential areas are now prairie, with perhaps a house or two left standing.

Woodward Avenue entrance to the Detroit Institute of Art

At the DIA I wanted to see the huge Diego Rivera murals painted on the inside walls of one of the galleries inside the institute. Commissioned in the 1930's by Edsel Ford, Henry's only son, they were quite controversial when unveiled. They contain what some consider communist symbols and the murals depict the workers in local manufacturing industries as being just cogs in an overbearing capitalist engine. There were some who demanded they be removed, but when Edsel was asked what he thought, he said, "I like them".

Maraniss spent a good portion of his book on the Berry Gordy family and the development of the Motown brand. The story is fascinating, so a stop at the Motown Museum was a must. It is just south and west of the DIA, and is located in the house Gordy grew up in.

The house from which Motown shook the music world

The family eventually bought several houses on the block to run their expanding music business. The tour takes visitors into the famous Studio A, where the Supremes, the Four Tops, and Smokey Robinson and the Miracles recorded their biggest hit records. The incredible part of this story for me is how many of these artists grew up in the neighborhoods right near the museum, now referred to as Hitsville, USA. The museum is planning a large expansion which will give them the opportunity to display many of the artifacts that are now in storage.

Standing next to Jack White's rig wearing a Third
Man Records logo Stormy Kromer cap

By chance, I learned that Jack White has opened up a Third Man Records store in his hometown of Detroit. He is trying to help the city refresh an area known as the Cass Corridor. While much of the area is desolate, his store is fixed between an upper end clothing store and an upscale brewpub. There is much work to do to revitalize areas like this, but it is heartwarming to know that natives like White are willing to come back and help the city where they can.

After the huge lunch at Pegasus, I chose pub grub for dinner on my last night. R.P. McMurphy's in Wyandotte serves up an excellent choice of brews, sandwiches and salads. Despite its name, it advertises itself as a German restaurant as that is was in the building originally.

"The Fist" in downtown Detroit

Reflecting on my brief visit to Detroit, I am hopeful that the city will return to its days of glory. Just within the past few days the city was released from state financial oversight and Mayor Mike Duggan stated that "Detroit is once again a city of full self-governance." Much work needs to be done, but it seems that the Motor City is on the right track.

Late Winter Fat Biking

Northeast Wisconsin received a good snowfall in mid February and I got in a last ride on the trails at the Reforestation Camp. I went out there in early March after some more snow, but the the trails were closed due to the ice under the snow. Since then I have been exploring the bike trails around Allouez.

I started riding a fat bike in December thinking it would be a great way to get outside during the winter. It proved to do just that, but now that spring has arrived I am anxious to put the fat bike away and get out my road bike. The weather has not cooperated however, so I am staying on the fat bike. The local trails are free of ice and snow, but they are still coated with salt and sand from the winter. I am reluctant to subject my Trek Alpha 2.3 to riding through that, so I am waiting for the county to use the blower on the trail.

The Fox River Trail and East River Trail, the two closest trails, do not connect on either the north or south ends. But if I ride south it is a short ride through De Pere to get from the Fox River Trail to the East River Trail. There is traffic to deal with as well as a few roundabouts, but it is not difficult. Once on the East River Trail, a rider can stay on it all the way north to the old Green Bay Packers City Stadium in east Green Bay. Then it is back on a few city streets to connect with the Fox River Trail.

Yesterday was the first day of spring, but it was not very spring-like here. So I put on my winter riding gear and headed south on the Fox River Trail. The temperature was in the mid-20's, but a brisk wind came out of the north. That made the first half of my ride pretty comfortable and I cruised easily a few miles south of De Pere.

After my usual turnaround the wind made itself felt. My Trek Farley weighs a relatively light 30 pounds, but those big tires provide some noticeable resistance when riding into the wind. But I enjoyed being out and stopped to take a few pictures on the way home.

Late last year the county received some donations and was able to install a few bicycle maintenance stations along the trail. The stations provide a bike stand, air, and a few tools. I have taken advantage of the stands already this winter and they are a nice amenity for riders.

By the time I reached home the wind seemed to have increased a bit and a warm lunch was in order. For now I am keeping the fat bike in the garage, grateful that I have a bike I can ride in this weather.

March Motorcycling

The calendar says this is the first day of spring, but Mother Nature never cared much for calendars. It is overcast, windy, and about 25 degrees in northeast Wisconsin. There have been a few avid and eager motorcyclists out recently, but most are waiting for the salt and sand to be washed off the roads by a hard spring rain.

Early last week the forecast indicated a temperature in the high 40's by midweek, so I made preparations to get out for a ride. On Monday I took the cover off of my 2011 BMW R 1200 GSA. Over the winter I had removed the aluminum panniers and gave them a good cleaning with Nevrdull. The left one installed easily, but I had some trouble with the latch on the right side. It required quite a bit of pressure to get the lock turned and the key out, but finally it locked. After checking that the Battery Tender was still connected, I closed up the garage and waited for the weather to warm up.

On Wednesday the temperature crept up into the 40's, so I took the bike out for the first ride of 2018. Bayshore Park is about a 20 mile ride up into Door County and that is always my first stop. On the way up I used the Tire Pressure Monitoring System to check the tires and listened for any odd engine noises. All seemed well as I turned off the highway into the parking lot.

Green bay was still ice covered and there were a few vehicles belonging to ice fishermen in the parking lot. There is a steep hill down to the shore and it is blocked to vehicular traffic in the winter. So the fisherman load up sleds and haul everything down to the ice. Often I will see people enjoying some winter camping, but there were none to be seen on this day.

I parked the bike and pulled a banana out of my pannier. The sun was shining brightly and it took some of the chill out of the air. I was surprised that I noticed a cold wind more when I was stopped than when I was on the bike. Before starting back toward Green Bay I checked the signal lights and brake light, something I had neglected prior to leaving home. They were all working properly and as I rode south I realized I had benefited from a pretty good tailwind on the way up.

After making two more stops to conduct some business and a brisk ride down I 41 to Wrightstown I was ready to go home. The weather forecast was not too great for the following days so I was happy that I had gotten out for my first ride and that both my BMW and I had survived another Wisconsin winter.

Fat Biking at the Brown County Reforestation Camp

The rear tire began to slip just a bit as I stood up to climb the snow covered rise in the trail. This was the first time I had ridden the trail so every turn and elevation change was a surprise. A different gear may have helped but it was too late for that now. Once I reached the top the route made a sharp right turn and then a quick, narrow descent between two Jack Pines. As I cruised onto a rare flat, straight portion of the trail I realized that this was why I bought this fat bike. The sun was beginning to set on the Brown County Reforestation Camp as I loaded the bike into the back of my Toyota Tacoma and drained the last water from my now ice-filled bottle.

The camp, located in northeast Wisconsin, was established in 1950 after the forest in the area was destroyed by fire. A prison camp was set up and a quarter of a million saplings, including White Pine, Norway Pine, Cedar, and Jack Pine, were planted by the inmates. The camp eventually became a part of the Brown County Park System. The facility now includes a zoo, fishing ponds, picnic shelters, mountain bike trails, and a zip line.

The county has groomed about six miles of fat bike trails within the confines of the camp. There is some double track near the trail head, but the rest of it is single track. In December the area received enough snow to open the trails and I found it an excellent place to ride. The county charges a $5.00 fee for a daily pass and $30.00 for a season pass. The passes are also good for cross country skiing on trails in a different part of the camp.

There is a parking lot right next to the fat bike trail head. Restroom facilities are available, but nothing else. If you wish to pick up a drink or snacks, they are available across the road in the park headquarters. You may purchase daily or seasonal passes right at the trail head.

There does not appear to be a lot of traffic on the fat bike trails and I have only seen a few people out there so far this winter. The trails are a bit challenging, but I am new to fat biking and have not had any real problems in riding all of them. I have had a few get offs, but not any real falls. Color coded ribbons on the trees mark each of the trails and there are directional markers to keep a rider on track and avoid going off into the wild as a few of the Dakar Rally riders have done in South America this month. Numerical markers are spaced out along the routes so a GPS is not necessary for a rider to determine his or her location.

The setting is beautiful. The camp is surrounded by farmland and residential areas, but it is big enough that there is a feeling of solitude. I did not see many animal tracks and I thought it may be because the area farm fields provide more food sources. The trail rises, falls, and turns gently, so while you have to pay attention to your riding you can still enjoy the feeling of being outside in the winter.

That was the whole point of getting the Trek Farley 5 and so far it has been a ray of winter sunshine for me. The fact that Mother Nature has provided some timely snowfalls cannot be overlooked and I am hopeful that it will continue. 

Fat Biking: A New Winter Pastime

The calendar shows that winter begins on December 21st, but it begins for me at varying times each year. In my mind, the sure sign that winter has arrived is the end of my two wheel riding. First, the Harley Lowrider gets put to bed, usually in October. Sometime in November, when the temperatures barely creep into the 40's or the first snow flurries appear, I winterize the BMW GSA and officially put and end to the motorcycling season.

In past years this has also meant an end to bicycling for the year. I live near the Fox River Trail and ride over 1000 miles each year, most of it on the trail. Riding a Trek road bike or a Trek hybrid, I spend many hours enjoying the riverside trail.

But once the cold weather comes I seldom visit trail until spring.

A couple of months ago I started thinking about the upcoming winter and what plans I had to make the most of it. Being retired for three winters now and not snow birding in Florida or another warmer clime, I knew that I needed to have something to keep me active. In past years I had done some cross country skiing. It was good exercise, but it meant loading up the equipment and driving to someplace to ski. The weather did not always cooperate, so in some years the skiing was not very good.

Over the summer I had seen more and more people riding what are called fat bikes. The bikes have 4.5 or 5 inch wide knobby tires and they are made to be ridden in soft sand or snow. Most of them are fitted with hydraulic disc brakes and one small front sprocket with ten or eleven gears on the rear wheel. Whenever I visited the local bike shops I would take a look at them. They appear to be tremendously heavy, but can be made fairly light with the right materials. I started thinking about the possibility of riding through the winter on one of these bikes.

One advantage of biking rather than skiing was that I could ride a bicycle on the trail I used all summer. The local municipalities had agreed to plow the trail, so I knew that as long as it did not ice up I would have a place to ride. One November night while downtown for dinner I visited a bike shop. As I was not dressed to ride it outside, the sales guy let me ride it around the shop. That pretty much set the hook for me and a couple of weeks later I was test riding one outside at a different shop.

This shop sells Trek bikes and their entry level fat bike is the Farley 5. It has a carbon fork and the other features mentioned earlier. The day after my test ride I called and told the salesman I wanted to pick up the bike later that day.

He said he would have it ready by mid afternoon and my wife gave me a ride to the shop so I could ride it home. After a quick rundown on the operation of the controls, a seat adjustment and a few maintenance tips, I was on my way.

The route home included a stretch along a county road without much of a shoulder. I was glad I had brought along my front and rear LED lights as the cars whizzed past me. The big tires on the bike allowed me to ride in the snow-covered gravel shoulder in a comfortable fashion. The air pressure in each tire was probably about 5 psi, and the big knobbies seemed to float over the track.

Once over the East River I turned north on the East River Bike Trail. It still had snow on it from the couple of inches that had fallen three days earlier, but it was a good chance to begin to get comfortable on the Farley.

I found myself looking for shortcuts through the woods when I reached Greene Isle Park. From there to my house it was mostly pavement except for a half mile or so on the Fox River Trail.

Later that evening I took my Schwinn Typhoon off the hooks in the garage and moved it to the basement. My intention was to hang the new Farley in its place, but those big fat wheels were not going to fit in those hooks. But after a quick stop at the local home improvement store I had bigger hooks and the fat bike had a new home. I have to put a tarp over the hood of my Toyota Tacoma now when the Farley is put away wet, but it is a small price to pay for the fun this new bike promises.

A Day Ride to the Kettle Moraine State Forest

Once the calendar gets to within a couple of weeks of Halloween, the riding season in northeast Wisconsin is nearing its end. Fortunately, the motorcycle gods smiled on us with 70 degree temperatures and bright sunshine last week.While this time of year means a lot of yard work, and family responsibilities continue year round, I did manage to get out for some beautiful fall riding.

My work as a part time employee at Road America was complete in August and I was last at the track for the Sports Car Vintage Racing Association weekend in September. But recently I noticed on someone's Twitter account that the track owners were making some improvements, so a ride down there was in order. The track is located near the Kettle Moraine State Forest and that is always a great area in which to ride.

When I work at Road America I normally ride down the back roads, so on this day I chose Highway 57. There was a bit more truck and farm vehicle traffic than I expected, but it was still an enjoyable ride. The small towns of Hilbert, Chilton, New Holstein and Kiel don't change much, but there is a big addition to the Sargento Cheese Company being built in Hilbert.

Just beyond New Holstein I turned south on County Road A. It winds through some hilly farm country and past a picturesque white church. I have been on quite a few of Wisconsin's Rustic Roads this summer and found myself wondering why this one had not received that designation.

Entering the resort and racing town of Elkhart Lake, I cruised past the newly opened Throttle Stop. Billed as a "car and cycle concierge", they are capable of hot rodding or restyling your car or bike in addition to offering consignment sales, storage, and detailing. The Throttle Stop, along with the recently built Motorsports Villas on the south end of town, have made Elkhart Lake even more of a mecca for the well-heeled car owner and racing fan.

As I entered the Road America facility it was apparent that it was a quiet day. Often there are car clubs or driving schools using the track, but today there were only the sounds of construction equipment and riding lawn mowers. After a brief conversation with the gate guard and showing him my employee identification card, I was waved through. At present the road from the tunnel up to the paddock area is being repaved and the motorplex track was resurfaced earlier this fall. I stopped for a snack and a picture in the Carousel before continuing south on 67.

The trail leading to the inside of Canada Corner is a popular viewing area.

About six miles south of Elkhart Lake is Plymouth. This is the home of Sargento Cheese and a nicely kept downtown area. Highway 67 leads into the Kettle Moraine State Forest. The name is drawn from the kettles and moraines formed by the receding glaciers. It makes for some great riding and spectacular views.

The view from Parnell fire tower in Sheboygan County

A little south of Plymouth the highway was closed due to bridge construction. By chance, the detour led past the Parnell Fire Tower. I had not heard of it, but took the opportunity to climb it. It was a clear day and the fall colors were almost in full swing.

The weather had warmed more than I had expected, and I felt it after my hike up the tower. I took the liner out of my Olympia AST jacket and stowed it in the pannier of my GSA. After an apple (a real apple) break I was on my way again.

The detour led me back to Highway 67 and I continued south to Highway 45. There I turned back north toward Fond du Lac. Lunch was at the McDonald's on Highway 23 and then I rode Interstate 41 back up to Green Bay. I was thankful for the great weather and for having the time to enjoy it.

Riding the Lake Michigan Shoreline

The end of the riding season in Wisconsin is near and I thought a ride up to the tip of Door County was in order. The weather on Sunday was forecast to be sunny and in the mid-70's, so I made plans to spend the afternoon on the peninsula. Those plans changed on Saturday morning when my wife met a friend at the local farmer's market who said she was going to some sort of pumpkin fest in Egg Harbor on Sunday.

Not wishing to compete for highway space with a multitude of minivans, crossovers and sport utility vehicles, I decide to ride only as far north as Sturgeon Bay. As I cruised north of Green Bay on Highway 57 I noticed the sign for Wequiock Falls County Park. I had not stopped there for years and wanted to take a look. The falls are just as I remembered and the county has moved the Jean Nicolet statue to the park. He is said to be the first European to set foot in northeast Wisconsin.

Jean Nicolet 

The traffic was not too heavy on the four lane heading up into the Door Peninsula. I was thankful for the fairing on my Lowrider S as the air temperature dropped nearer to Lake Michigan. Highways 42 and 57 meet just south of Sturgeon Bay and that's where I turned back to the south. Highway 42 follows the Lake Michigan shoreline pretty closely and there are many great views.

My next stop was the Ahnapee River dam at Forestville. There is a small park and boat landing there. There were no boat trailers there on Sunday but there was a family fishing off of the dock. Below the dam were quite a few people fly fishing for trout and salmon. I had brought along a snack and enjoyed it before mounting the big Harley Davidson and  continuing south.

Ahnapee River in Kewaunee County

The wind was out of the south and I was glad I had dressed warmly. The shoreline in Kewaunee County is marked by two cities that are about ten miles apart. Algoma is the northernmost and is known for, among other things, the Von Stiehl Winery. Von Stiehl has been in Algoma since 1967 and advertises itself as "Wisconsin's Oldest Licensed Winery". Bearcat's fresh fish is also pretty well known and hearkens back to the days when Algoma was a commercial fishing community. There is still a fishing industrty in the town, but it is now mostly sport fishing charters. There is a picturesque wayside south of Algoma and I stopped there to enjoy the lake view.

Lake Michigan south of Algoma

Back on the bike I was soon riding past the recently shuttered nuclear plant. The plant's owners could not justify keeping it open and it was an economic blow to the county when they announced the closing several years ago. There is still a skeleton crew employed maintaining the facility and doing what is necessary to safeguard the nuclear materials left there. The place does not have a welcoming appearance, but I stopped to take a couple of pictures.

The small town of Kewaunee is also a fishing community. The big pier is known for salmon and trout fishing in season and there are also charters available. The little community has a pretty good restaurant named Uncorked. I was there for dinner a few weeks ago. The prices are higher than I expected, but the menu is one you won't find anywhere else in the area.

The highway south of Kewaunee veers away from the Lake as it goes toward Two Rivers and Manitowoc. A detour led me a little farther west before taking me back into "Trivers", as it is called by the locals. Fortunately for me there was a Kwik Trip right on my route and I filled up the tank. The triple chocolate doughnut was calling me, but I was planning on a McDonald's stop soon.

Boats for sale in Two Rivers

I cruised through Two Rivers and down into the city of Manitowoc. It was time to start for home, so I followed the signs for Interstate 43. Once on the slab I set the cruise control at 70 and rode north. There is a McDonald's restaurant at the Denmark exit, so I stopped there for a late lunch.

Not knowing if this would be my last ride for the season or not, I enjoyed the last few miles home. It is a long winter here so I tried to capture the sights, smells and sounds that make motorcycling such an enjoyable experience.

As it turned out, I got out for one more ride before I decided to put the bike away for the winter. Yesterday I put the Sta Bil in the tank, attached the Battery Tender and put the cover on the bike.