Observation:  This morning’s ride started like most others with me parking and then riding the outside perimeter of the area I wanted to cover before zig-zagging the interior.  Because my day was packed with non-ELM events, I planned on not riding very long, but my mental calculations were obviously way off.  I ended up covering over 50 miles, was out for more than 5 hours, and was definitely exhausted by the end of it.  The ride stretched on because of some shoulder injuries bothering me, some intermittent rain, one cool abandoned school, an abandoned church which must have been gorgeous in its day, lots of good public art and then fun unique finds that you won’t see posted on here.  In the end, all the time and hours were worth it…as usual.

I guess I should mention, without trying to do too much real cross-promotion, that I attempt to keep this blog focused on art (manmade or via Mother Nature’s hands), but a lot of the more unique “only Detroit” items get posted on my Instagram page for those who might be interested – https://www.instagram.com/every_linear_mile/

Distance:  51.67 miles

D-Fact:  Art has always been a major driving influence in Detroit, and while true artists are the real reason for that, some businessmen have been part of the moment as well.  “Paint by number” kits were invented, developed and marketed in 1950 by Max S. Klein, an engineer, and owner of the Palmer Paint Company of Detroit.  At one point in the 1970s, nearly 12 million kits were sold annually.