Cross Country Day 56: Ann Arbor to Detroit

Today I saw sadness

With the big push yesterday to Ann Arbor we were set up for a relatively simple downhill tailwinds ride to Detroit and thankfully that's more or less what I got. The highway between Ann Arbor and Detroit wasn't overly busy and there was a decent shoulder to ride on. There were several bikers going both directions so I felt pretty safe

A major highlight was Hines Park. For some reason the road that runs along the park was closed. Well closed to vehicles that is. This gave us over 10 miles of car free roads. We weren't the only ones as lots of bikers and runners were enjoying the absence of vehicles too. The park was scenic and I made sure to get down to the lake for some pics.

Once we got into central Detroit things started getting a little rougher. I never felt overly in danger but you could tell that Detroit has been though major struggles over the last few decades. They've dealt with population collapse, poverty and more. There were entire blocks of boarded up apartment buildings and blocks where house after house had been demolished. Trash was all around and things just seemed sad. Almost ghost town like. But even in this I saw moments of joy. I saw a large football camp full of youth and excitement. We rolled by churches where music spilled out into the streets and pastors waved to their congregations. I was so very happy to see these moments too.

Into downtown we went. I think today has been one of the smokiest of the trip so far. It was hard to see the buildings at times. We grabbed some snacks at batch brewing and found some excellent Gelato before meeting up with my good friend Jen. She had brought Detroit style pizza for the whole gang! Soooo goood. It was awesome to hear of the adventures she's been having over these past few years and the chance to meet the kids as well was delightful.

Tomorrow we get a rest day! My legs are definitely tired. It's almost like I rode across an entire state in 4 days or something.

'til next time

-Matt