My first century was about 35 years ago - summer of '71 or '72. The March of Dimes used to put on Bike-a-thons in the Detroit Metro area. My friend and I decided to give it a try - the intended route that year was from Metro Beach to Port Huron and back. Due to rain, the ride organizers decided it was too dangerous to put 100's of bicycles out on the road (times have changed!), and instead we rode 10 mile loops on the road leading into park (Metro Parkway, for those who live in the area). The route really was kind of boring, but for a couple of 13 year olds, the desire to complete 100 miles was enough to keep us going, and really launched us into 7 or 8 years of great cycling together.