I was quite proud of myself. Not only did I remember to pack my camera, but I remembered to charge the battery and actually place the charged battery back in the camera!

My mom, brother, and I headed to MSU Bikes in East Lansing to take part in yesterday’s Ride of Silence. It was the first time my brother and mom participated in one of these rides. I did two in Houghton in previous years, but they were a little less formal than this one. Sure we rode in silence, but the end of the ride was the end of the ride. Not so with the East Lansing group who held a remembrance as all gathered on the steps of the State Capitol Building.

Michigan’s State Capitol Building was the final destination for Lansing Area Ride of Silence participants.

Of course, I had to be rebellious and headed down the steps to get some pictures of the group rather than be a part of the group. My excuse is that I was hidden behind some taller people when others were taking pictures (no lie!). With that said, it really didn’t matter that I chose to take some artistic license with the event.

The problem is that, even though I managed to get all of my bike gear and my family members to Michigan State, I left my camera in the car. Duh, Di. Fortunately, I had the famed iPhone to capture some shots. Unfortunately, it doesn’t focus very well and I apparently have issues with taking a level shot, so I had to make some corrections.

I couldn’t resist taking a picture of the Capitol building.

One of the issues I have with the Ride of Silence is that I have a hard time being silent when I am amidst a crowd of people with a common interest – or love for cycling. I did manage to shut up, but it was painful because I really wanted to socialize with all of the Mid-Michigan cyclists.

What I particularly appreciated were the bicycling public safety officers. Police from Michigan State, East Lansing, and Lansing escorted the quite large group of cyclists around the MSU campus, through East Lansing, and onward to the Capitol building. To sound like a total geek, it was neat.

Public safety officers did a great job safely guiding the Ride of Silence through East Lansing and Lansing.

After destination Capitol, the family and I headed back to MSU via the Lansing River Trail. This really is a great trail that is a fun and safe [from traffic] passage from MSU to Lansing. We were pretty hungry after our little ride, so we headed to Outback Steakhouse. Note: Outback has good food, but the beer selection sucks and the good margaritas are quite overpriced. We would have done Reno’s East, but they were PACKED.

Outback Steakhouse’s Queensland Salad is truly yummy. Notice the boomerangs on the plate.

All in all, it was a good day. As one of the event volunteers said, the Ride of Silence is held every May on the third Wednesday of the month. Mark your calendars. It really is a great experience.