Historic scene along Route 12 in Michigan's Irish Hills
The idea behind the Route 12 Roll came about when I had 8 hours to drive from my home in the Miller Beach neighborhood of Gary, Indiana to my Sister's place in Detroit. By interstate, it only takes four hours, so I decided to explore Michigan a bit. I knew the old US Route 12 went into Michigan. Well, as I analyzed the map on my phone I learned that Route 12 ends/begins in downtown Detroit.!!
During that drive, I had the idea for a Charity Road Trip, between the iconic Steel City of Gary and the iconic Motown Motor City, Detroit. The steel is forged in Gary and the Autos are made n Detroit. After being rebuffed by the former Mayor of Gary, and failing to find a partner in this endeavor, the idea fell dormant for a few years.
At first, I saw the Route 12 Roll as simply connecting the two cities of Gary Indiana and Detroit Michigan. However, I eventually realized that the route was much more than that. The western start/finish of the route is a globally significant Vortex, where the world's largest body of freshwater comes closest to the sun at the Southern tip of Lake Michigan,
Lakes Superior, Huron and Michigan contain 80% of the Great Lakes H2O. All of that water, the largest sweetwater on the planet, eventually finds its way to the Detroit River, where it flows around Detroit's beautiful Belle Isle. Think of that as the aorta of North America's H2O. Like Gary, a hydrological Vortex of global significance.
The Roll is whatever you make it. A personal odyssey, a bike trip, a motorcycle trip, a party trip, a fundraiser for a cause dear to your heart. We only ask that upon completion of the Route 12 Roll you make a donation, in a denomination of $12 ($12, $24, $36 etc) to a charity or cause of your choosing. Feel free to use the Roll as a fundraiser as well
One idea that I hope becomes a "tradition" for The Roll is something I borrowed from RAGBRAI, the Great Bike Race Across Iowa, where bicyclists traditionally dip their front bike tire in the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers (start and finish) At the southern tip of Lake Michigan at Miller Beach in Gary, dip your toes/hands in the water.
One idea that I hope becomes a "tradition" for The Roll is something I borrowed from RAGBRAI, the Great Bike Race Across Iowa, where bicyclists traditionally dip their front bike tire in the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers (start and finish) At the southern tip of Lake Michigan at Miller Beach in Gary, dip your toes/hands in the water. And upon completion of the Trip, do the same in the Detroit
At the southern tip of Lake Michigan at Miller Beach in Gary, dip your toes/hands in the water. And upon completion of the Trip, do the same in the Detroit River. Or vice versa if you are doing the Roll from East to West.
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