Observation:  Couple of very fun and interesting events riding this morning.  First, while I had heard stories of them being around, I was still shocked to see both my first vulture in Detroit AND my first bald eagle.  I believe vultures are fairly rare in the city and while bald eagles do nest on the Detroit River, seeing them both in the middle of town about 30 minutes apart was just some strange thrill to start my day off.  Then later in the morning, I stepped into a completed burned out home trying to get some good pics of the sun coming through the blackened wood studs.  Now I need to be clear, this home was completely burnt; almost no walls left, just frame and charred wood.  So it definitely threw me off when I suddenly heard a noise all too annoyingly familiar…the chirp of a smoke detector calling for a new battery.  I searched for it, but it must have been buried deep in the rubble, and all I could think was talk about ‘taking a licking and keep on ticking’.

Distance:  18.89 miles

D-Fact:  From 1976 to 1980 Mark Fidrych pitched for the Detroit Times, and in that short timeframe he was a 2-time All-Star pitcher and won the 1976 American League Rookie of the Year Award after leading the MLB in ERA.  His tall stature, lanky frame, and humorous persona (he often talked to his baseballs) earned him the nickname of “The Bird,” after the “Sesame Street” character, Big Bird.