June 26, 2015. Dundee to Monroe, MI. 24 Miles.

I walked around the school this morning taking photos--the bent wheel happened when a guy thought he was going through a puddle and it turned out to be a massive pothole! His bike was ready to go this morning and he finished the ride with a new front wheel.

I talked to Diane the bike lady, and we exchanged personal information so we can set up a bike maintenance workshop. She lives in Three Rivers but is willing to travel here to do an all day seminar for us. I think I need to know how to adjust and change bike cables and replace a link in a chain... many times we ride far from any bike shop, and Ed really saved our ride when he had a spare cable and knew how to change it on the Natchez Trace ride a couple of years ago.

The PALM organizers like us to all wear our ride shirts on the last day so we accommodated them.

We rode out around 8 AM, and stopped at both water stops. I pointed out the memorial where my 5th great grandfather is buried (along with hundreds of other French settlers). The cemetery was uncovered in the process of building a subdivision here in the 90s, ironically enough it is Frenchmen's Bend subdivision!

We rode past my old high school, St, Mary Academy, and past the George Custer statue and the River Raisin battlefield.

All too soon we were done! Dianne and Malorie dipped their front wheels in Lake Erie, and struck a triumphant pose to commemorate riding all the way across the state of Michigan.

Martha and I did not dip wheels; we celebrated the end of Martha's first bike tour. I bet it won't be her last!

Malorie and Martha had to do a double hand clap--they both rode every mile of their very first bike tour and never complained!

We avoided the hassle of looking for our luggage in the great unsorted rows of bags. It was our pleasure all week to have our own truck and trailer... not only did we not have to search for our bags, we also did not have to unload the trucks!

Alison and the kids were at the park to meet us at the end of the ride. Here we all are: Bill holding Zane, Adam on his bike, Toby, Malorie, Martha, Dianne, Tom, me, and Delia on her bike. Delia and Adam rode with me in the end-of-ride parade on the Sterling State Park bike path and we all had the lunch provided by the tour.

We dropped Martha off at her house with all her gear. She already knows that next time she needs to pack lighter! I guess I should have given her more input before this tour. This pile of stuff does not include the tent and groundpad she borrowed from us. Holy cow Martha, lighten up!

When we got home we unloaded truck and trailer and spread out the tents to dry. Bill cut the front lawn and I put Malorie's stuff in the washing machine, we showered and got in the car to tour Detroit. We went to the Fisher Building to shop at the Pure Detroit store where Malorie bought a T-shirt, drove through town with our very knowledgeable guide (Bill) and ended up at Edison Boat Club for dinner. What a great way to end the week!