Observation:  Regrets about ELM?  Well, I do have a few, and one of them I don’t think I could have resolved without a lot of work is all the “diamonds in the rough”.  Often I will be riding through abandoned, burnt out or just a rough neighborhood with block after block of dilapidated houses when suddenly I’ll come upon this amazing structure in the middle of a street.  In many neighborhoods, these houses wouldn’t even be noticed, but in this setting, it’s very different.  Sometimes it just a house kept in great shape with a manicured lawn or sometimes it’s some house that has 300 flowerbeds or some perfect paint job, and it just stands out to you.  But when I look at the pictures of them later, they just never tell the story.  Even when I’ve tried to capture the houses around them, the feeling still doesn’t come through.  I feel it’s something you just have to experience.  But I do applaud those people for making a difference in their own way, and sure neighbors who drive by more often appreciate it even more than I do.  It’s funny to think that when they will be successful, is when you no longer notice them.

Distance:  42.70 miles

D-Fact: The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) collection is regarded as among the top six museums in the United States with a collection of art is valued around $8.1 billion according to a 2014 appraisal.