Author: Dennis

Two different versions of “cold” today.  The first cold was the temperature — 47 at 6 am and 59 at 5 pm.  Isn’t it Spring??  Brrrr!  I think tomorrow is the same at the start though, so I’ll quit whining.  The second cold is what Greg caught.  He was miserable.  We forced him to stay… Continue reading Day 3 – Cold!!

We all started stirring around 6:00 am — but a quick look at the 53 degree temp and a light rain, didn’t inspire us to get going. Greg eventually got up and started making breakfast — oatmeal with raisins and cinnamon-raisin English muffins.  This was our 2nd day in a row with this breakfast and… Continue reading Day 2 – Tailwind

We took off from my condo today at 7:15 am.  I can’t believe the day is finally here.   We had clear skies to start and perfect temps in the low 70s. We took some back roads out of Brighton and worked our way South.  Our route was taking us through Ann Arbor, where I… Continue reading Day 1: Finally, It’s Here!

The group gathered at my house yesterday and today we were able to get out for our first ride together.  We went to Island Lake State Park and Kensington Metro Park for a 22 mile ride.  I’ve done this ride so many times, but for Greg and Jason, this was new and exciting.  Their go-to… Continue reading The Pre-Ride

Previously, I wrote in Planning the Route Home – Part 1 about going from New Jersey to Niagara Falls.  This post is about the route through Ontario and back into Michigan.   This will be an interesting segment of the journey.  Unfortunately, the party will be splitting.  My support vehicle and fellow riders aren’t going to be… Continue reading Planning the Route Home – Part 2

Wow!  I was sharing a bit of my family story at work and I was thrilled to hear that one of my co-workers, Dawana Davis, had a story to tell as well.  I told her that if she shared this picture of her family with me, I would put it in the blog. Dawana is… Continue reading One Photo – Six Generations

I was riding last night around Brighton and surrounding areas.  I was on Challis Road; nicely paved with a couple of feet to the right of the white line so I could stay out of the way of the minor traffic.  I had a nice climb from the base of Mt. Brighton ski area and… Continue reading How Rude!!!

Home has a dual meaning for me on this trip.  In an historic sense, the 1st half of this trip was returning home to New Jersey, where my ancestors first settled in America.  I was there once in 2016 after driving to the Michigan vs Rutgers football game. Only one other time in 1983 when… Continue reading Planning the Route Home – Part 1

The title of this post refers to an organization in the header called the Rails-To-Trails Conservancy. You can find their website here: Rails-To-Trails.  I’ve been a member since 2011 — which just means that I donate at least $35 every year.  It’s a small amount and I encourage anyone that’s interested to do the same.  Their… Continue reading Rails-To-Trails

George W. Howell and family circa 1879.  GW would have been 67ish in this photo. (courtesy of Janel Howell)   I had to draw up a portion of the family tree to see how I was related to GW.  According to my thinking, I’m his 2nd cousin, 4 times removed. The green boxes on the… Continue reading George W.’s Story