Laserman

This is a self-supported dis-organized slower casual ride with no SAG.

The plan is:

Meet at the beginning of the Lower Rouge Park MUP on US-12/Michigan Ave. in Dearborn.
Ride the MUP to connect with Hines Drive.
Ride Hines Drive to the Plymouth/Northville area, have lunch.
Return by the same route. Estimated distance is 40 to 45 miles.

Edit: The estimated distance may be long because I based it on my own rides which include an extra 5 miles on each end. Actual distance may be 30 - 35 mi.

Hines Drive is closed to motor vehicle traffic on Saturdays from 9 AM - 3 PM between Outer Drive and Ann Arbor trail.

Here is a satellite view of the meeting point for those not familiar with it.
The meeting point will be the parking lot east of Andiamos Restaurant on US 12/Michigan Ave. in Dearborn. (Highlited in green on the map.)
This lot is public parking and can get full on Saturdays.
The parking lot on the west side is valet parking for Andiamos and not available. (Highlited in red.)
Just west of Andiamos is a Quality Inn that is closed for renovation, extra parking is available there. (Highlited in blue.)
AndiamoDearborn..jpg

Andiamos
21400 Michigan Avenue
DEARBORN, MI 48124

Google Map

Saturday August 7th 2010 at 9:00am

Everyone Welcome!

MIH-Dave

Count me in! I might even bring "mini-me" in his Burley for the ride.

Peter_C

I am planning to show up~! Will be there by 9AM to have some fun...

So, since some of the OHIO Herd is coming, this is now a multi-state ride, right?

Laserman

Absolutely correct Peter. I thought of that while trying to come up with a good title for the thread but 'multi-state ride' seemed to imply crossing one or more state borders which was misleading.
Then I also thought that since we are just across the Detroit River from Windsor, Ontario that some of our Canadian friends might be inclined to join us and that would make it an 'international ride', that seemed not only misleading but a bit pretentious as well.
Then there is the 'Clydes' part, that implies that it's a ride only for big guys and not for gals and smaller folks too. By the time I had constructed a title that said it all it was too big to fit.
In the end it was all too much for my tiny simian brain to process and I went with BigPolishJimmy's original theme of a Michigan centric Clyde ride with the 'All Welcome' part to indicate inclusivity.

Peter_C

Never knew starting a post could be so tough huh?

<grin>

markm109

I'm going to try to make it.

MIH-Dave

Scratch bring "mini-me"! I took him on a 25 miler this weekend and thought I was going to die!
My last decision to make for this ride... Which bike? The nice comfy Schwinn Sierra or my faster Raleigh?

MIH-Dave

I noticed a sign yesterday announcing the "Dearborn Homecoming" for the same weekend as the ride. It's a decent sized city festival and I'm not sure if the lot would be accessible. Any thoughts from other Dearborn area riders?

Rob_U

I don't know if I would be able to make it, and I'm technically not a Clyde anymore (I still lurk around here though), but what about the Henry Ford Community College parking lot? I moved to Warren a few years ago, and didn't even know they had built this path, but from Google it appears to pass right next to the HFCC lot. I went to HFCC many, many years ago, and back then they never seemed to have a problem with hikers parking near the woods.

There is also a large U of M Dearborn lot on the other side, that definitely has an access point. It seems they would allow path parking with such an obvious apron for the path.

Jfish

Double post...awesome.

Jfish

New guy...working on getting my 92 Miyata up and running, but I'm thinking I would be up for this! Since I’m newer you guys will have to go easy on me...lol Oh and isn't this the area that they run the Martian? I ran that this year, fun race except for all the 10k walkers that got in the way.

Laserman

The HFCC lot is right on the route though it is partially closed for construction. As far as I can tell the construction is just putting new trees and shrubbery in the medians. Since this is the down season there should still be plenty of parking in the lot.
There is also plenty of parking along Garrison, one block north of Michigan, from Brady street to Oakwood and beyond.
Most of the homecoming events are scheduled in the afternoon and evening so it probably will not be too busy in the morning.

Laserman

I doubt that this ride will attract many speedsters, as it is I will probably be the slowest one in the group.
I have a couple of pics somewhere of a guy on a utility bike picking up the "Martian" route markers from the last race. Yep, this is the place.

ziggydcat

Sounds like fun. I hope to make it. I used to live in Redford and made my home in Hines Park. Look forward to meeting you guys.

petflunky

I should be there. I asked for the day off from work, now I just need to wait for approval.

MIH-Dave

HFCC sounds like a good idea to me, but DON'T park on Garrison. Metered parking and it'll most likely be closed during Homecoming (b/c the festival is in that area).

Jfish

Arg...I no longer have a bike. If you know anyone selling one let me know.

Laserman

Right, I was thinking that the metering was off for the weekend but it is only off on Sundays and holidays. Another possibility is the UMD student parking lot at the corner of Fair Land Drive and Richard Drive, permit only Mon - Fri but open on the weekends.
I also made up a flyer and posted it at the trailhead. Hope we have good weather and a good turnout.

MIH-Dave

HFCC (Henry Ford Community College), UofM - Dearborn, and The Henry Ford Estate are all great places to park, but what I think really needs to be decided is an actual meeting location. If we meet at the trail head, anybody who has parked in these locations will have to double back (is the .25 mile really that big of a deal?).

Laserman

The meeting point should be the trailhead in the parking lot east of Andiamo's. If some folks need to park in one of the other places they can either decide to ride the short bit to the meeting point or wait for others along the path.
Of course if only 2 or 3 show up you might not be able to tell that they are the group you have been waiting for.

BigPolishJimmy

If I can make it, what is the best place for me to go and park. I'm unfamiliar with the area and coming from Kalamazoo on 94 to where-ever. I need the easy button for driving there. Does Henry Ford Community College require parking stickers or fees?

jfish, what happened to your Miyata?

Laserman

IMO the best way is to take 94 to M39 / Southfield Freeway.
North on Southfield to US12 / Michigan Ave.
West on Michigan.
As you pass Evergreen Rd. you will see lots of trees and greenery on your right, the first driveway you come to will be the one at the trailhead, shown in the photo in the original post.
If that lot is full there should be some of the locals there to direct you to other parking areas. I plan on being there early to check out the parking situation.
I really do not expect that lot or the Quality Inn parking lot 2 driveways down to be full that morning but I have been wrong before.
The parking lot at U of M Dearborn does not require stickers on weekends. I will try and check the HFCC lot before the ride to be sure.

MIH-Dave

Normally, parking is a non-issue at the trail head. My concern is due to the "Dearborn Homecoming" that weekend. It should be okay at that time on a Saturday morning, I just wanted to raise the yellow flag so nobody is caught off guard. I'm willing to share my contact info with anybody coming from out of town for directional help (just PM me).

Laserman

The current long-range weather forecast for Saturday is sunny, high of 82 F and 0% chance of precipitation. Potentially an excellent day for a ride.
I hope we have a good turnout, I've never done a group ride before.

Laserman

Weather forecast still looking good for Saturday.
Discovered from another thread that Peter_C will not be joining us, he recently had rotator cuff surgery and needs to rehab. Too bad, I was looking forward to meeting Peter.
Any ideas for lunch? I haven't been to Plymouth in a while, perhaps we should give this some thought before setting out.