S L OW S P O K E S B I C Y C L E C L U B P . O . B O X 7 9 2 S T E R L I N G H E I G H T S , M I 4 8 3 1 1 - 0 7 9 2

December 2014 January 2015

President

Carol Ritchey

Vice President

Tom Graham

Treasurer:

Clara Herndon

Secretary:

Ed Schultz

Newsletter Editor:

Jim Walter

Newsletter Distributor:

Lennie Raines

Membership Chair:

Lennie Raines

Sunshine Liaison:

Rita Zupan-Wilhelm

POAR Chair:

Gabe Halsall

Event Coordinator:

Tom Graham

Webmaster:

Tom Miller

Website:

www.SlowSpokes.org

Mailing Address:

Slow Spokes

P.O. Box 792

Sterling Hts, MI 48311

We have a new club president.

Election of officers took place on Friday, November 7th. Carol Ritchey was elected president replacing Paul Wilhelm, and Tom Graham was elected vice president replacing Carol. All other club officers (secretary Ed Schultz, treasurer Clara Herndon, newsletter editor Jim Walter and Membership chair Lennie Raines) were reelected. Tom Graham will also serve as event coordinator which is an appointed position. He is replacing Chuck Pottenger.

Thank you to all the people who served the club this past year, and those who have volunteered to serve in the coming year. Special thanks to Paul Wilhelm for his 12 years of able leadership as club president.

Holiday Party Date Changed

The Christmas party has been changed to Saturday, December 27, 2014. The venue will be at Bob and Gabe’s house, 61331 Wildwood Ct., Washington, MI. Phone number is 586-781-6784. We hope that the change of date will make it possible for more people to attend. Bob and Gabe are providing the ham. They are asking that everyone bring a dish to pass plus bring your own drinks.

We will have a sign up sheet at the meeting. Appetizers will be available from 5 o'clock and dinner will begin at 6 o'clock PM. RSVP to halsallgabe@Hotmail.com or 586-781-6784. Or sign up at the meeting.

We hope to see you at the party!

Change to meeting time, but not meeting night.

Members present at the November meeting decided to address the question of changing the meeting night. It had been previously reported that this vote would take place in December. Apparently, the newsletter editor got this one wrong!

It was decided to keep the meeting night on Fridays, but to change the time to 7:00 pm. So, starting in December, the new meeting time will be 7:00 pm.

Donation Meeting and Game Night

A meeting will be held on Friday, December 12th at 7:00 pm at Brian and Shelly Mallon’s house, 649 Augusta Dr., Rochester Hills to discuss the apportionment of the club’s 2015 donations. Please bring any ideas you may have.

A game night will follow the meeting. (You do not have to attend meeting for game night.) Bring an appetizer or 24 of your favorite Christmas cookies and a baggie to take some of someone else's home with you.

It's never too late to rsvp. @ shelmln74@gmail.com or call 248/652-1655

Meetings—Unless otherwise noted, meetings are held at 7:00 p.m. on the first Friday of every month at the Warren Woods Baptist Church at 14251 E. 12 Mile Road between Hayes and Schoenherr in Warren. Refreshments are served.

Ride Information—Send information for rides and walks and other exciting events to our event coordinator Tom Graham, email turbotommie@hotmail.com

Newsletter Information—Send articles you’d like published to Jim Walter. Email the information to him at jim.walter@comcast.net. Articles must be received by the 15th of the month for inclusion in the newsletter. Feel free to call Jim at 248-879-2405.

Frequent contributor Bill Appleberry sent us information on this unique bicycle storage system in Japan. You put your bike in aboveground and a robotic arm takes the bike belowground and finds an available storage slot for it. These underground storage systems can hold up to 200 bikes each. When you are ready to retrieve your bike, you feed in your account card and the robotic arm retrieves your bike. Safe, secure storage that doesn’t take up too much surface space (which is at a premium in Japan.)

For more information, the below link will take you to a video and more pictures—it’s mostly in English:

http://www.dannychoo.com/en/post/26963/Japan+Underground+Bicycle+Parking+Systems.html

Japanese Underground Bicycle Storage

Reminder!

December club meeting and all club meetings from now on start at

7:00 pm

January Meeting?

In the last few years, we have not had a regular January meeting because the holiday party was the first weekend in January. This year, the party is Dec. 27th and as Carol says, we have a new sheriff in town. So if it is decided to have a January meeting, it will be announced via the club email as there is no newsletter in January.

DECEMBER WEEKLY EVENTS

Book Club

Next Meeting—Monday December 15, 7:00 pm

Book—Killing Floor

Author—Lee Child

Place—Carol Green’s House

Monday Evening Walks

DISTANCE: 3 - 4 miles DATE: Mondays, December 1,8,22,29

PACE: Leisurely pace - 20 minute miles. TIME: 6:00 P.M.

TERRAIN: Flat

LEADER: Tom Graham (586) 854-7911 Clara Herndon (586) 662-2188

MEETING PLACE: Dodge Park located at Dodge Park and Utica Roads in Sterling Heights. Meet at the recreation center.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Bring Flashlights.

No walk if it is raining.

Stop at McDonalds at Utica and 15 Mile Roads after walk.

No walk on December 15th. Walks will not be held in January.

2014 Miles

As usual, we will post mileage records in the February-March newsletter for those who wish to share their mileage accomplishments with the rest of the club. Please send your 2014 bicycle mileage total to Jim Walter at jim.walter@comcast.net by January 15th for inclusion in the newsletter.

January Snowbird Rides in Florida Cocoa Beach to Melbourne, Florida Ride

DISTANCE: 38 miles DATE: Saturdays, Jan 10 & 24

PACE: 12 - 14 mph TIME: 10:00 A.M.

TERRAIN: Flat

LEADER: Tom Miller (586) 945-2322

MEETING PLACE: Comfort Inn, 3901 N. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach, FL

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Ride to Melbourne along the intercoastal waterway.

Return to Cocoa Beach along the Atlantic coast past Patrick Air Force Base.

Lunch stop in Melbourne.

Cocoa Beach to Port Canaveral, Florida Ride

DISTANCE: 28 miles DATE: Sundays, Jan 11 & 25

PACE: 12 - 14 mph TIME: 10:00 A.M.

TERRAIN: Flat

LEADER: Tom Miller (586) 945-2322

MEETING PLACE: Comfort Inn, 3901 N. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach, FL

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Ride to Port Canaveral along the intercoastal waterway.

Stop at Jetty Park and the Cruise Port.

Lunch stop at Grill’s Seafood Deck and Tiki Bar.

As usual, watch your email for impromptu events.

Road Trip! Labor Day Week 2014 by Carol Ritchey

Cast of Characters: Bob George, Tom Graham, Clara Herndon, Ron Lendon, Jack Logomarsino, Judy Logomarsino, Carol Ritchey, Ed Schultz, Jim Walter, John S. Williams, Don Windhorst, Sue Windhorst.

Act I: Our merry band of Slow Spokes sets out in various vehicles and with various bikes to drive 10 hours north to Ft. Wilkins State Park, in Copper Harbor, the Upper Peninsula. Two of the party are not camping, but, rather, staying "in town", and two others are "camping", but aren't tenting. After hearty breakfasting, they ride to Eagle River via scenic M26--on the windy shore of Lake Superior. The roads here feature smooth asphalt, tree-lined S-curves, and long, long, long inclines. After luncheon at the Eagle River Inn, several intrepid cyclists return to the camp via the Brockway Mountain Drive. Ridiculous steep. Radical up and insane down. Dangerous potholes. Fabulous rush.

Act II: Fearless Leader's plans to ride Mandan Road scuttled--not suitable for road bikes (barely passable for 4WD vehicles, according to various locals). Instead, they ride stoutly down M41 to Bete Gris (Lac La Belle) to lunch "out of the panniers". Sandhill cranes, bald eagles, wild blueberries, thimbleberries all along the road. The ride back to camp is swift and mostly downhill--their reward the home-made chili and cornbread cake and cookies back at Ft. Wilkins.

Act III: The cast and crew move to McClain State Park, set up their various campsites, and it thunders. And rains. Get all "touristy" in Calumet: Calumet Theatre, Visitor Center and Historical Museum, Post Office. When the sun comes out, various "clique rides" break out. The 11 riders collectively ride every mile of every paved road within 25 miles of camp. In the evening, there is guitar music and they sing around a campfire.

Act IV: The morning dawns windy. Way windy. Some of the group opt for a bit of a hike, up nearby Mt. Baldy, in the Helmut & Candace Stern Nature Preserve. A tour of one of the old copper mines, and exploratory bike rides later in the day ensure that everyone gets some UP fun.

Act V: The Banquet. Smoked whitefish with two different kinds of crackers and organic yellow cheese. Wholewheat pasta with spaghetti sauce. Fresh lake trout cooked in foil over the coals. Smoked trout and fruit plate. Well water. Hot tea. Boiled coffee. Captain&Coke.

Act VI: Not as windy, cool, sunshine. 8 chiefs and 3 indians repair one flat rear tire, and off we ride to breakfast in Calumet. Cliff Drive features lovely view of cliffs. Cemeteries capture the group's interest, as do waterfalls, lighthouses, and gift shops. Strong riders ride against the wind and slay the many, many hills. Often, the clicking of the derailleur the only birdsong audible.

Act VII: Tearful good-byes are said, hands clasped in friendship, hugs all around. Promises are made to share photos, facebook highlights, and to generally blog and journal the expedition. A recon mission is planned for 4 of the party--the rest are on the road south. Cats having been more or less successfully herded, Fearless Leader at last breathes a sigh of contentment.

Brockway Mountain Drive

Ridiculous Steep Indeed!

Tom Miller’s Pierogi Pedal by Carol Ritchey

Some people race along, some dawdle, everyone rides. Everyone laughs and talks, and some sing. Some play musical instruments. Some make wild bird calls. Glass! Stopping! Bright Sunshine, red lights, road hazards (hole!), the Macarthur Bridge, tree-lined neighborhood streets (car back!), Outer Drive, the Jos., a hundred and one different kinds of Churches, mansions, liquor stores, vacant lots, not too much Traffic.

Another Wonderful Excursion, led by T. Miller, on Sunday 26 October. A Dirty Dozen Slow Spokes, (enough for a Jury of Your Peers) rolled out of Majestic Plaza at 11AM, down to the newest State Park on the Detroit River. (Belle Isle). A Comfort Stop was enjoyed by several Members at the Terminal at City Airport. Taxi-ing Prop Aircraft were observed. The new Bikeway along Connor Creek (old Fleetwood Assembly Plant) was marred by quite a bit of Broken Glass, which may or may not have contributed to the Flat Tyre on one rider's bike. Luckily, plenty of Expertise and Supervision was available.

After a brisk circuit of the Lovely Island, the Intrepid navigated along the Boulevard to Hamtramck, there to partake of the Exotic Bill of Fare on offer at Polish Village. The Ride back, the miles (8?10?12? Whatever) flew and all were Safely back to their respec-tive Havens by, say, 5PM-ish. Perhaps we did 50 miles--your Mileage May Vary. Not Horrid Fast--Sprints of up to 20MPH were observed, but average speed was Much Reduced due to the Breeze that ensured an Aerobic Workout. No one was Left Behind--We were joined by a Friend of a rider who rode along with us for the first time, and pronounced herself delighted with Our Company.

This Correspondent didn't have any kind of proper photographic equipment along, but maybe someone with one of those fancy phones took pictures to share on the website.

Thank you, Carol, for your interesting descriptions of a couple of events from September and October. And thank you, Tom, for your pictures of the lunch at Polish Village.

The pictures of cyclists walking up Brockway Mountain Drive were taken by the newsletter photographer.

Note: There is no newsletter in January. The next newsletter is February-March.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Festivelo by Jim Walter

Eight Slow Spokes joined a couple hundred other cyclists in Santee, South Carolina for an event called Festivelo. Rides were held from Thursday thru Sunday, November 6th thru 9th. The Slow Spokes participants were Bernie and Carol Sustrich, Paul and Rita Wilhelm, Bob and Gabe Halsall, and Jim and Irene Walter. Each day, we could choose from a 30 mile route, a 60 mile route or a 100 mile route. The Slow Spokes did some combination of the 30 and 60 mile routes. Paul, Rita, Bernie and Carol usually did the 60 and had about 250 miles each. Jim logged 208 miles, and Irene did 162 miles which is more than she usually rides. How she found time to pick cotton, I don’t know.

We stayed in the local motels and each day’s ride went in a different direction. In 3 directions, the terrain was quite flat, but there were some rolling hills going west away from the coastal flatlands.

In the evenings after dinner, they had hot dogs, pop corn, s’mores and entertainment, but you know us Slow Spokes—

we played Social Security (6 nights in a row). In fact, on the way back to Detroit, 6 of us stopped overnight in Ripley, West Virginia and played one game in the Pizza Hut and another game in the McDonalds. For those keeping score, I believe the guys won 6 games and the girls won a half dozen over the weekend.

We got to drive back to Detroit on a balmy day in the sixties, but as soon as we got back, the weather quickly changed to winter. It looks like I’m done riding for 2014.

I can’t believe I picked the whole bale.

After a hard day of picking cotton ... there’s nothing like the buffet at the Lone Star Barbeque & Mercantile.

Irene, Jim, Carol, Bernie and Rita in front of unharvested cotton field.

Slow Spokes Spokin’ Times News Page 5

YOUR FAVORITE BIKE SHOP!!! The following bicycle stores offer a discount on equipment and accessories. Be prepared to show your Slow Spokes membership

card when making a purchase to receive the discount.

Allied Cycle 23101 Gra�ot Eastpointe, MI 48021 586/772-3411

American Cycle & Fitness 29428 Woodward Ave Royal Oak, MI 48072 248/542-7182

American Cycle & Fitness 39900 W. Fourteen Mile Walled Lake, MI 48390 248/960-1371

American Cycle & Fitness 203 N. Perry Street Pon�ac, MI 48342 248/333-7843

American Cycle & Fitness 20343 Mack Avenue Grosse Pointe Woods, MI 48236 313/886-1968

American Cycle & Fitness 18517 Hall Road Macomb Twp. MI 48044 586/416-1000

Anchor Bay Bicycle & Fitness 35214 23 Mile Road New Bal�more, MI 48047 586/725-2878

Bike Tech 18401 E. Warren Detroit, MI 48236 313/884-2453

D & D Bicycles 8383 N. Middlebelt Rd Westland, MI 48185 734/522-9410

D & D Bicycles 121 N. Center Rd. Northville, MI 48167 248/347-1511

D & D Bicycles 9977 E. Grand River Brighton, MI 48116 810/227-5070

D & D Bicycles 4141 W. 12 Mile Road Berkley, MI 48072 248/547-0770

D & D Bicycles 7330 Highland Road Waterford, MI 48327 248/461-6550

East Side Bike Shop 26210 Van Dyke Ave Centerline, MI 48015 586/756-2001

Fraser Bicycle & Fitness 34501 U�ca Road Fraser, MI 48026 586/294-4070

Hamilton Bicycle 69329 Main Street Richmond, MI 48062 586/727-5140

Macomb Bike & Fitness 28411 Schoenherr Warren, MI 48088 586/756-5400

Main Street Bicycles 5987 26 Mile Road Washington, MI 48094 586/677-7755

Main Street Bicycles 622 S Lapeer Lake Orion, MI 48362 248/236-9100

Metro Bike-N-Sport 36649 S. Gra�ot Ave Clinton Twp., MI 48035 586/791-3488

Paul’s Bike Depot 28057 Gra�ot Roseville, MI 48066 586/776-9165

Stoney Creek Bike 58235 Van Dyke Washington, MI 48094 586/781-4451

Club Information

For more information about our club, please see our website at www.slowspokes.org

Most of the information on the website is visible without signing in. If you are a member, you can use your email address as your login ID and create a password. This gives you access to some information that non-members cannot see.

If you wish to join the Slow Spokes, there is a membership application on the website that you can print out and fill out.

You are welcome to come for a meeting or try out a ride before joining the club.

If you want to know of impromptu rides and other information of special interest not found on our website or in the newsletter, please make sure you forward your correct email address to Paul Wilhelm at jpwilhelm@hotmail.com

DO WE HAVE YOUR CORRECT EMAIL ADDRESS?

Notes from the Newsletter Editor:

Every attempt will be made to include all articles as they are submitted, and in their entirety, in the newsletter. However, due to space constraints, this may not always be possible. If you do not want your article edited in any way, shape or form (even if typos and/or grammatical errors are apparent) please make a note of that when the article is sent.

Slow Spokes

P. O. Box 792

Sterling Heights, MI 48311-0792

Slow Spokes are members of the

League of Michigan Bicyclists and

the League of American Bicyclists.

Website: www.SlowSpokes.org

Slow Spokes Spokin’ Times News

BIKE SMART Always Wear Your Helmet!