Time to Let Go

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Remember when you were here (either as the child or the parent)? This brings so many memories to mind: the sense of freedom that comes with that first successful solo journey as a child, or the satisfaction as a parent at seeing your child begin to master the joy of cycling. This wonderful sculpture is located on the shores of Grand Traverse Bay in Traverse City, MI, one of my favorite places on earth. I biked here a few years ago on a trip around the upper part of Lake Michigan, and then visited a few years later while staying on the Leelenau Peninsula, home of wineries, cherry orchards and a big time bike race (Tour de Leelenau). The city is home to Horizon Books, a well established, traditional bookstore that is also a gathering space for people and groups functioning as a "great good place" for this community. The main street has loaner bicycles scattered about so that if you drove to Horizon Books, but wanted to pay a visit to the Cherry Republic store, you could grab a bike and go, leaving your car where you parked it and taking one of those short trips (under 2 miles) that account for 40% of all trips that we Americans make every day. The reality of all these people on bikes clearly explains why Traverse City is designated as a Bicycle Friendly Community. And did I tell you about the nearby trail? It is called the Traverse Area Rail Trail (TART, just like the cherries that are grown there). It looks like this (notice that railroad alongside? It is active and carries about 6 to 12 freights per day):

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