I didn’t purchase a car until the year that I was married, so riding a bike was my primary mode of transportation. Of course, my dad frequently let me borrow one of the family cars — for big events or longer trips. But most days I rode my bike to school.
As your might have learned from reading a few of my other stories, I started attending Edsel Ford High School (in 10th grade) in the fall of 1974. One cold October day, I loaded my backpack, jumped on my bike and started peddling to school. The weather had gotten suddenly colder, and that morning it was biting cold — and I was not dressed appropriately.
A Bad Bike Riding Accident
On a normal day, it would take 10 or 12 minutes to ride to school. My hands were getting cold. The bitter-cold wind was blowing down my neck, underneath my shirt and jacket. I hunched over the handlebars of my 10-speed bike to go faster, and put my face down to shield my chest from the frigid temps. I should have been wearing warmer clothes to protect my neck and chest from freezing. Instead, I tucked my head down and peddled faster — glancing up every few seconds to see if anything was in my path.
I continued on Snow Road, approaching the section near Snow Woods by Culver Ave. Normally, cars were never parked near the woods. The only cars would have been near the homes in Snow Court. I tucked my head down, and peddled even faster.
Suddenly, I slammed my face into the rear window of a parked station wagon. Baamm! Blood was soon dripping from my nose and lips. I turned around and headed back. When I got home and walked in the back door, my mom said: “What happened to you?” My lips were already swollen, so I said: “I smaffed my fafe on a window.” I was dripping blood from my lips and nose. My face was more bruised and bloody that morning from my self-inflicted wounds — than the day I was mugged in Detroit and an ice-cream man saved my life.
My mother placed a bag of frozen peas on my face to stop the swelling, and told me to rest awhile. That’s all I remember from that day.
A Bike Ride to Ann Arbor
Sometime around the fall of 1975 (or maybe the spring of 1976), Joe Van Andel rode our 10-speed bikes to a campground near Ann Arbor. Joe was couple years older than me, and an experienced rider. We were riding to a youth retreat, organized by our church youth group. Joe’s family lived on Audette Street near the Dearborn Christian Reformed Church, which is located on Donaldson Street. (The church was renamed to Dearborn Christian Fellowship a while ago.)
As I recall, we rode up Outer Drive to the Edward Hines Parkway and then headed west on Ann Arbor Trail. The ride was over 35 miles, and probably took about 3 or 4 hours. We had a good time at camp. Sang songs, and slept in tents. After the youth camp, I loaded my bike in Sue White’s station wagon and took the easy way home.
Was Jane the Only Girl In the Edsel Ford Bike Club?
Jane was a member of the Edsel Ford bike club. It appears from the photo that she was the only girl in the club. Although I was an avid bike rider, I never joined this club. However, I was very fortunate to meet Jane, and we have been married for over 45 years. It made me chuckle to think about that.
Published on 13-Oct-2025