New Detroit

We spent a couple more nights in Canada - once in St. Thomas and again in Rondeau State Park. We crossed on our sixth day and final day in Canada to the opposite side of the St. Clair River in Algonac, US. We camped in Algonac State Park for pretty cheap after planning out what would be a fun-filled weekend in Detroit and Ann Arbor. We woke up the next morning and got out of camp nice and early - I cooked breakfast and we had a neat combination of oatmeal and cup of noodle mix, which I would recommend to anybody now that I have had it.

We stopped along the way at CVS so I could stock the toiletries and we were on our way. I pulled us over for some fresh produce at one of the market stands - mushrooms, cucumbers, strawberries, and tomatoes - yummm. As we entered Detroit, things started to get rough. The traffic was heavy, the road needed some work, and I was getting some heat for failing to heed the traffic behind us. At first, I wasn't responding real well, but eventually, I figured out the city driving a little bit and gave some space for cars to pass when I could. At the same time, Lee and Stef learned to stay in the traffic lane so to be more predictable to cars on the side of the street who might be pulling out, or at least that's what Lenny told me. Glad to have someone on the trip who gets this whole biking thing.

We arrived around 5 or 6 to our hosts place. His name is Eric Chodoroff and he is a talented musician who happened to be practicing with his band The Lost Boys as we entered. He was ever so gracious a host - he showed us around and offered his bathroom and kitchen to us. We also talked to his brother Ben who had been heavily involved with a bike shop named the Hub, which we knew we had to check out. Now a bustling place filled with people working on their bikes, the hub started out a free cooperative service to help everyone in Detroit put together their own bikes in the early 2000s. However, with lines wrapping around the street corner, they eventually adjusted their service to focus on children who wanted to make their bikes from scratch. Their complex grew along with their indefinite supply of parts and patrons.They began offering weekly classes to adults and a generally store front where they could come to have volunteers and staff work on their bikes or do their own work. Now, it's the number one place in Midtown Detroit for citizens to go with their bikes.

With Lee's loose headset and Stef's laundry list of issues with his bike, we headed over. Lee fixed his headset, Stef got a new wheel and a front basket, and I worked on tightening my rear brake, which I still don't seem to have quite down. At the Hub, we ended up meeting some cool cats named Angela, Daryn, and Shane. They were real helpful and even invited us to go out with them that night. We headed back to Eric's apartment and took a much needed rest while cooking up some eggplant and lentils.
We stopped by a house on Hamilton and sat down and shared our stories with new friends. We even got to try some strawberry rhubarb pie and ice cream while we sat and sipped our brews on the porch. I went further and had my second meal from the leftovers of the potluck they had finished earlier.

After that, we were on our bikes. Without all the weight and in the company of our biking enthusiast new friends Daryn and his girlfriend Caitlin, we flew into the belly of Detroit. On the way, we stopped to watch the night time demolition of one of the oldest schools in downtown. It turned out to be the school Caitlin had attended in high school. She told us how she had watched in sadness the first day they came. Although the whole school had been given a day when it would be time to leave, in some ways, they went right on as if nothing was going to happened to their home. On the day of departure, they locked the doors with clay sculptures still sitting in the art rooms, as one of Daryn's friends who had explored the place had divulged. We looked on in awe, seeing what was happening to old Detroit.

We ended our route at Cafe du Mangos where we all met up again and chatted. I was drawn especially to Audrey. She would adjust her face and tone in just the right way to convey a point, some piece of irony. I remember her smiling and laughing most of the night. Maybe it was just a reflection of my experience. I also heard some very funny stories from Daryn and Caitlin about their touring experiences. Talking to the two of them was like talking to one person - such love and connection.

From left to right : Daryn, Caitlin, Audrey (sorry guys in the back, I forgot your names :/)

The night ended and we still had a ton of ideas about what we wanted to do in Detroit. Audrey and I talked about going to do some yoga or see some art. We rode home with Eric and his girlfriend Perry and split up between the two apartments they rented. I slept in Eric's room with Stef, who had since headed in from working on his bike. The night was slightly disturbed though as big bad Frankie and his big bad girlfriend had a bit of an altercation in the unit beside us. Apparently, as Eric and Perry admitted, this was not an uncommon occurence. Kind of like the Detroit you might expect to experience, at least a little bit.

In the morning the next day, we knew we wanted to eat and to show our appreciation to our hosts, so we offered to cook breakfast for them. They told us about the farmer's market that was happening that Saturday right outside their house. They mentioned it would be big, and they were right. It was like the Ithaca farmer's market x 3 (three pavilions of food!). We picked up some eggs, cheese, and bread and cooked all morning as well as made plans for the day. We agreed to see some art and the urban farm and leave for Ann Arbor at three o'clock.

Eric Chodoroff in all his splendor as we feed him.

After enjoying some breakfast, we learned that Eric needed to be somewhere at one for more band practice. We moved our home base to his girlfriend's place. Stef stayed behind again to work on his bike while we went and saw Heidelberg street and the urban farm, where we got to plant a couple row of squash for showing up.

Some fantastic pictures of the Heidelberg Project

When we got back though, our plan to leave didn't seem like it was going to pan out. Stef was still having problems with his back wheel. The drop out was bent and the wheel kept coming loose. Lenny worked something out, but about three or four blocks into our journey, the bike broke down. We fixed it up enough to get it to the Hub, but couldn't put his panniers and gear back on else break it again, so Lee and I stayed and watched his stuff on a street corner while Lenny and Stef went to work on the bike.

That morning, Lee had been really wanting to get to Ann Arbor and I had really wanted to stay in Detroit. We compromised though and I had to swallow hard knowing I wouldn't see all that I wanted to see in Detroit. With Stef's bike breaking down, the tables had turned and now it was Lee who had to accept that we would be staying in Detroit. I saw him soften that afternoon in a way that I've never seen another man soften. It's obvious how much we are learning on this trip.

I napped and went over to the Wigley's Meat Market on Russell street. I told the cashier about our trip. She hooted a whole bunch about how cool it was. I told her about the site and raising money and she said she'd donate what I came to buy. I left there with a free bag of bread and a can of kale. Lee was still reading his book when I got back.

We got to talking about the trip and Lee was surprisingly chatty, in spite of the change of plans. I started talking about acceptance and Lee kept up with his own version, and I realized we were saying the same thing.

"Well, we would be having fun in Ann Arbor. But we're also having fun being here. We're having fun no matter what," Lee said.

Lenny riding on a tall bike at the Hub. Apparently, they weren't just working on Stef's bike when they were over there.

We called up some friends to catch up and before we knew it, Stef and Lenny came back with the back wheel fixed and in place. We all celebrated with another meal of peanut butter bread before heading back to Perry's to spend another night in the grand city of Detroit.

When we arrived, Perry had still not gone for her run, so we all suggested going together. Lenny and Lee ended up going, but I had another idea in mind, which Stef was also very much about. Dumpster diving.

I was pointed in the direction of Grosse Pointe, a nicer area of Detroit with a Trader Joe's and Krugers. It would be a half hour ride. I accepted and Stef was excited to try out his working bicycle. We rode with a rough head wind on busy streets. We stopped at an Aldi's dumpster to find some good produce. The night was already a success. Visiting the trader joe's  in Grosse Pointe, we were disappointed to find a trash compactor.
Across the street, Krujer also had a trash compactor, but they were still open so we went in and bought groceries. I was ready to leave when Stef asked one of the workers what they do with all the leftover food at the end of the night. That's when we hit the motherload. While I was outside packing up what we had bought, Stef came out with an enormous plastic bag filled with rotisserie chicken, grapes, cookies, and donuts. I was amazed - it was his first time dumpstering and he had pulled a better move than I had ever mustered.

"Let's feast," he said.

We must have ate two chickens between us and still had a bunch more. We strapped the rest of the plastic bag to my rear rack with the straps that Stef had wisely brought along and I carried about 30 lbs of food back to the apartment.

The riding was rougher heading home in the dark and plenty of traffic still. Stef led the way with the brighter light and I tried my best to avoid the bumps. We were doing good and I suggested a different route home, which Stef was down for. We got mildly lost, but easily found our way back after a couple of turns.

We had our second feast at the apartment with Lenny and Lee along with a bottle of wine which I had bought. Perry and Eric had gone out to a show that Eric was playing in, so they didn't get to enjoy with us. While everyone else had gotten stuffed and was ready for sleep,

I went out at 1 AM to catch the tail end of the party and hang out with Eric and Perry. I missed Eric's band, but we all had plenty of fun nonetheless.

In fact, I ended up running into Yael, someone who I will be working with this fall at Adamah in Connecticut. What a coincidence. And then, I ran into an Adamah alumni that night as well, who happened to be dating Ben Chodoroff. Double coincidence.

I rode back with Perry and Eric and felt like I really got to know them on the ride. We raced a bit and talked about Detroit. Eric introduced the idea of taking us to a Coney Island hot dog place the next day, an apparently famous and ubiquitous food stop in Detroit. Hot dogs dripping with chili for a buck eighty-five - I was down.

I slept on a nice arm chair to couch put together and awoke the next morning feeling like a million bucks. We ate a breakfast of yogurt and granola before heading out to DIA - the Detroit Institute of the Arts. Stef stayed behind again to put the front sack on his bike.

Riding to DIA again was a fun time to talk with Perry and Eric again. Once we arrived, we got in for free courtesy of Eric's membership and saw a lot of fantastic things. Most fantastic for me was seeing the mural of industrial Detroit. Done back in the 1930s, it was supposed to celebrate industry. Instead, the characters in the mural and many of the many symbols depicted a large criticism. So interesting, since industry has created a lot of the problems we see today. Guess he might say "I told you so."

I also enjoyed seeing the African section, especially since I might be serving their as a Peace Corps volunteer (cross your fingers everyone).

Kachina Dolls (native american)

Mask of the forest spirit.

 

Alaskan Masks

Andy Warhol

Mural

Anxiety

The ideal female figure in African tradition

Jackal masks

Africa

We went back and were ready to ride, except Stef was over at the Hub still taking care of his basket. We made one last stop, the third of our trip, but not after trying some Coney dogs. Delicious. Thanks Perry and Eric for picking up the tab as well.

After another afternoon at the Hub and more chicken at Perry's, we were on the road again. Lee led this time and it was a bit messy again with all the traffic lights as well as a street carnival on Warren. After about an hour, we were out of the thick of it and riding like lightning along the Ann Arbor Trail stopping only to eat some Cliff bars and check on Stef's bike, which was doing just fine.

We arrived in Ann Arbor fairly late. We got Stef some advil at the CVS before riding up Green Rd, looking at the beautiful trees as we went. Our hosts for the night, Kelsey and Tyler, lived in a nice apartment community named Whisperwood, like the ones my brother has been living in since college. When we arrived, they helped us lock up our bikes and bring in our gear. They made us some sausages, showed us to the showers, and helped us into our beds for the evening while talking about their lives as chemist PHD students.

I took to the couch while the guys slept in the guest room. I would have to watch out for the cats, but otherwise, the night was peaceful.

Michael