Ann Arbor, Michigan – My trip has begun on a damp, foggy Saturday morning but the weather doesn’t have any effect on my excitement for what lies ahead.
There is a charming Jewish tradition of escorting a traveler out of town in keeping with the practice of “loving your fellow as yourself”. Back in March, Brian Walker asked me if he could have the honour of “riding me out” on the first day of my ride, and after my eyes cleared a little, I immediately accepted.
Our plan was to ride together for the first day and go our separate ways on the second, with Brian returning home and me continuing on.
I headed out to Brian’s place in Brampton around 6:00 a.m. to hook up with him and say goodbye to his wife, Eleanor.
Before we rolled away, Brian and Eleanor introduced me to another tradition based in biker folklore known as the Guardian Bell.
It is well known that there are all kinds of gremlins which can plague a rider, ranging from failing lights to flat tires. Collectively, they are caused by the Evil Road Spirits.
The Evil Road Spirits are collected in the hollow of the bell, and because of their super-sensitive hearing and the close proximity of the bell, the constant ringing drives them insane and causes them to lose their grip as they drop onto the road surface.
Eleanor kneeled to find a spot under my bike where the bell could be suspended. It is critical that the bell faces the road surface to allow the Spirits an unimpeded passage off the bike.
It is also said that the magic will work well for folks who obtain a Bell for themselves, but its power is doubled when it is given to you by a good friend.
Needless to say, I was very touched by Brian and Eleanor’s kindness.
However, I guess Brian must have bought his Guardian Bell himself because it let him down on Saturday morning. He discovered an electrical problem on his bike, which resulted in his battery being dead. With jumper cables, he got a boost from Eleanor’s car and had the bike running when I arrived.
With everything in place, we rolled off into the foggy mist.
Our meandering route would take us in a northwesterly direction as we cruised towards the shores of Lake Huron; we’d eventually head back south towards Lake Erie as we aimed for the border and crossed into the state of Michigan.
We stopped a couple of times for fuel and a bite. On both occasions, Brian’s electrical system was still acting up, and we had to pop the clutch to get him going. No worries with that as it started smoothly each time.
Brian was reluctant to get it looked at because it wasn’t clear what the problem was, and he was very sensitive about causing me any delays. I was OK with it too since it wasn’t causing us any real problems, though I was starting to wonder about his trip home tomorrow when he’d be riding alone.
As the day progressed, the fog was replaced by intermittent sunshine, and as we crossed the Ambassador Bridge into Michigan, there wasn’t a cloud to be seen.
Around 5:00 p.m., I decided it was time to think about calling it a day, and since we were approaching Ann Arbor, we ended our ride for the day soon after.
Ann Arbor is one of my favourite places in Michigan. I started coming here when I was associated with Team Penske in the IndyCar series back in the ’80’s and the Michigan International Speedway was a stop on the circuit.
It’s a beautiful city that is home to the University of Michigan and “The Big House”–the largest football stadium in the U.S. (seating 108,000) and second largest in the world.
Ann Arbor has given me many happy memories that I’ve cherished over the years. In fact, the last time I was here was with Lori back in 1996 when we attended the U.S. 500 at the Speedway. She was a little overwhelmed by everything at the race, but adjusted nicely when I showed her around the city. We said we’d like to come back and spend more time in the area, but it hasn’t happened yet.
I gave Brian a short tour of the downtown core before we checked into a hotel and grabbed dinner at a nearby sports bar.
Total Distance Covered Today: 554 km. (344 mi.).
Big Bike Mike 