“Great ride” was the comment I heard after Thursday’s regularly-scheduled weekday dinner ride to Bullfrogs in Ortonville, a semi-regular, once-a-year stop for the past several years that I usually like to save for a longer summer ride, when daylight extends past 9:00 p.m.
Rain was called for earlier in the week in the forecast for that evening, but as the ride drew closer, the start time of the forecasted rain pushed further back to 11:00 p.m. – midnight, and that’s roughly about the time (midnight) that it actually started raining at my house. I think I can safely say everyone made it home without a drop of rain hitting them, even for one rider who had to run an errand to Dearborn Heights after dinner on the way home.
FMC members were encouraged to bring a family member/friend along for the ride, either as a passenger, or as a rider, and BOTH types showed up (3 passengers and 1 rider)! We had a few last-minute cancellations, but the 4 guests that we did have was definitely a nice addition! The 3 guests below all stayed for dinner and were great company.
Google Maps indicated the 64 mile ride would last an hour and 40 minutes, which was about spot-on. I pulled ahead the GTPC departure time to 6:00 p.m. to ensure an early departure from the restaurant after dinner for the long ride back home (for some). 3 riders didn’t stay for dinner (with the 11 us who did) to get an immediate start on the ride back home. The primary roads traveled were 7 Mile Rd. to Whitmore Lake, then north on some popular club roads (Marshal, Silver Lake, Kensington, Hickory ridge Trail by GM Proving Grounds, Clyde to N. Milford Rd., etc.). No construction to contend with fortunately. Temps cooled down quite a bit by the time we arrived at Bullfrogs.
It appeared the Bullfrog’s deck was closed (too cold), so we ate inside. I confirmed with the group beforehand in Plymouth before we departed that all were OK with doing that if necessary.
We have a couple more (certified) FMC frog leg dinner eaters as of 5/27/2021! They sat across from each other and shared family stories and tips with the group on how to best catch them and eat them. A few of us sampled them as well! Glen was right—it does taste like chicken, with a hint of swamp. A few diners commented on the very attentive Bullfrogs service and great food.
The last 3 riders left the Bullfrogs parking lot for the ride home by 9:30 p.m. All seemed happy to have ridden before this week’s off week (no dinner ride on the FMC calendar this week) despite the nippy temps (in the upper 40’s for the ride home).