Seven bikes (8 riders) left Kmart Wednesday for what started out as a very hot ride (upper 90’s) through western Wayne, eastern Washtenaw, and southern Oakland Counties towards CJ Brewery in Commerce Township. As the roads quickly opened up from weekday rush hour traffic into shaded/forested terrain, the cooler air kept us comfortable for a very pleasant evening ride.

The route took us down Ann Arbor Rd., Dixboro Rd., Pontiac Trail (with a bit of Milford Rd.), and Haggerty Rd. As luck would have it, we ended up stuck behind an 18-wheeler on the curviest road of the bunch (Dixboro Rd.). We simply waited him out until he turned off.

A reservation the day prior assured us of getting a table in CJ’s back room, where another FMC’er joined us after we arrived to make 9 people for dinner. CJ’s has great food, cheap pints ($3.50), and relatively quick service, even if the service isn’t quite as sharp as it could be. The establishment later made up for a few food serving errors with free awesome onion rings for the table.

After drinks arrived and food was ordered, yours truly stood up and toasted the honorees in memoriam, Allen Hewitt and Jim Nail. Both were very active and frequent contributors to the FMC, with quick smiles and warm hearts. Cheers to Allen and Jim and their families.

Yesterday’s ride was one of those rare “T-Shirt” rides where you can actually ride home in the late evening wearing only a T-shirt (and pants of course J). No jacket required! A nice evening all around…..