Westside Ride

Memorial Day Weekend -- one of the bookends to the summer season. Randy suggested we do our park visits by bike as the weather was FANTASTIC! So Randy, being the cartographer, planned a ride in the near northwest section of the city. He gathered the helmets and filled the water bottles, and made sure we had enough air in our bike tires, and I made sure we would have money for a treat at end -- though more about that later as I am getting ahead of myself.

On our way through downtown we stopped at the Liquor Store on Main and Miller -- not for booze but because Randy had a sudden urge for a piece of fruit. No fruit in there other than lemons, but a very well-stocked and busy place. No wonder it boasts of being the number 1 rated liquor store (In town? Anywhere? Not sure). Still on a fruit quest, and getting more desperate, we stopped at the bakery a few blocks west on Miller -- and the young man behind the counter patiently directed us to Knights across the street, where we purchased two large and juicy peaches. No parks yet but three establishments we'll be certain to visit again --though next time we'll know what each of their specialties are.

We crossed the street to West Park and found a double fence with two large signs -- one about our tax dollars at work and the other detailing the who, what, when of the work being done at the park. We knew it was under construction but we didn't realize the entire park would be closed until the work is fiinished. We traveled around the perimeter of the park by bike to view all the heavy equipment and large drainage pipes. Closed until October; looking forward to seeing the completed and updated park then.

Next we pedaled slowly through lovely neighborhoods with very well-tended gardens and ended up at our next "park" -- Mack Pool. Unfortuntely the grounds were not very well maintained. Perhaps we just happened by on the last day of the city's 30-day mowing cycle....

Headed north on Miner and then Fountain -- which I'd definitely recommend due to its many outstanding flower gardens and lovely homes -- and arrived at the cute and lovely Belize Park. A little corner park, it's cut out in a way that places it below street level. It has a bright blue water fountain that accommodate everyone -- adults and children as well as our four-legged friends.

If felt terrific on this warm but breezy afternoon to be up so high, elevated above much of the city and gazing at its downtown and U-M Hospitals skylines from the wide-open Hunt Park. It's also got a small playground area and a fairly large Community Garden. A stroll through the garden found well-tilled and composted soil planted with lettuce, onion, basil, tomatoes, brussels sprouts, and a few other plants I couldn't readily identify.

Randy also noted that the restrooms at West Park are very clean and well-kept (and he's a public restroom expert).

Heading west from Hunt we found ourselves in an old leafy neighborhood with lots of tidy ranches, and kids running through sprinklers and jumping in yard pools. The laughter and giggles lightened the air. Mixtwood Pomona Park is tucked away in a lovely neighborhood. While there we found another set of miniature size heavy duty trucks and bulldozers. We have seen this type of equipment at many other neighborhood parks. Are they supplied by the city or by the neighbors?

It was a great journey through neighborhoods we've known -- though not all that well. A few turns here and there, heading mostly south and east toward home, and before we knew it we were at the doorstep of Washtenaw Dairy. Kids of all ages lined up on the benches balancing and licking their cones, the ice cream dripping over faster than they could attack them. I've never really been all that big on ice cream but lately I've been craving it. I ordered a child-sized cone but the portions here are so large that 20 minutes later I was still at it. It was thick and creamy and delicious. A cool ending to a wonderful adventure.