I'll Be Keeping Watch

The "For Sale" signs are up.

The transformation nearly complete . . .

It has changed quite a bit since I first started watching it . . .

 To take a ride down memory lane click here

While the property at the corner of Lafayette and Compton is getting a new chance, this property still looks much the same . . .

I did meet the guy who rents the property next door . . .

I asked him about the property. I found out the person he rents from doesn't own the building that is falling down. It seems the City had taken over the property and was going to tear the building down when the new budget year began. If so, then I suspect there will be some action soon. Then I asked him why he continued to live there. Was it because he had a lease? Nope. The reason turned out to be very simple. He just really likes his landlord. And, since the City inspectors have told him that the townhouse he lives in is still sound, he and his family are staying put.

And, I'll be keeping watch as I ride to and from work each day

I Will Be Content, If Not Satisfied

St. Louis, Michigan is the town I grew up in. My Dad and Sister still live there. St. Louis, Missouri is the town in which I now live. When I first bought my Symba I had in the back of my mind riding the Symba from St. Louis, Missouri to St. Louis, Michigan and back. I have no doubt the Symba could do it. Not all that long after I got my Symba I learned of Binh Cheung and his ride from San Jose to Alaska . I'd, also, hoped to learn to do much of the maintenance on the bike myself. Alas, I found the increased level of anxiety and lack of patience that have been ongoing challenges post head injury become especially evident when I work with things mechanical.

Now, I'm following the blog of a couple of travelers as they travel around the world on two  Symbas. They have made it from Portland, OR to Columbia, MO  once again proving the Symba can go and go and go given the right support. The key phrase there is: Given the right support. I would not be able to do the mechanical things, at least at this time, to take on a trip to Michigan and back let alone a journey of such epic proportions.

Still, I figured it was high time I added a state to the states I have ridden in. So, this past weekend I made it across the Mississippi River and into Illinois.

Proof that Billie made it to Illinois.

Most of the Bridges across the Mississippi aren't friendly to wee machines like my Symba. But there are a couple that are. I crossed over one of these -- the McKinley Bridge.

I walked back along the bike trail to get this photo. It shows two of the three spans. On a cooler day I hope to go back and hike a bit further up the trail and get some better photos of the Bridge.

There is a small park on the Illinois side of the Bridge. It the background is what appears to be an old power plant that is being torn down.

Once in Illinois I continued up Hwy 3 for a while and then turned around and headed for home. Hopefully, the next time I venture this way I'll go farther. Yes, next time I plan to make it all the way to another bridge and make some photos for a certain  Pennsylvania blogger I know.

So, while others traverse continents I will be content, if not satisfied, with having two states on my riding resume. And, I will continue to merrily go on my way constantly on the lookout for a flamingo or two.

They are everywhere you know.