Observation:  Someone who follows the ELM Project recently posted on Facebook his own map from doing an “every linear mile” ride in his own neighborhood.  In his post, he commented on how difficult it actually was to cover every street with all the backtracking one needs to do.  It’s funny because I have been doing it so long, I have somewhat gotten numb to it, but in reality, it is really hard.  I’m sure when someone looks at any of my completed maps, it seems simple, but it takes way more time than most people think.  He is going to try and repeat the ride to see if he can shave off time and miles, and I will be curious how that goes, but it’s one of the issues I deal with on each ride.  I know each one could be more efficient, but the time it would take to figure that out for 150-200 rides has just never been worth it to me.  But I would love everyone who reads this blog to go out and do a small “every linear mile” in their own hood just to get a better feel for at least one element of this project…minus the art stops, abandoned building stops, chasing dogs, etc.  🙂

Distance:  14.12 miles

D-Fact:  Due to all the street art, Detroit uses more liters of paint per square mile than any other city in the U.S.