Out 'n' About: Cruising with Jim and Jo

Jun 08, 2023

Schmidt

‘There they go,” I said aloud to myself as I spotted one of my favorite couples riding their bikes down Webster Street.

“And there they are again,” as I saw them cruise west on State Street a few days later.

The following week, pedaling east on Eighth Street? Yep. “It’s them again?”

A strange thing about this favorite couple of mine? At the time, I knew nothing about them, even their names. But I was a big fan — probably their No. 1 secret fan. I loved seeing them riding their bikes together all over town. These were my people.

The man was always in the front and usually wore a yellow cover over his helmet while riding a blue bike with black pannier bags in the back.

The woman was often a few bike lengths back on a bicycle with a woven basket in the front and a shallow box on the back rack.

Who were they? Where were they going all the time? And what’s their story?

I finally found out when I met them a few years ago at a Grand Traverse Humanists event, where I led a bicycle tour for the group.

His name is Jim. Hers, Jo. And they were both lovely.

Jim grew up in Grand Rapids and still remembers the day he learned to ride without training wheels.

Jo, a Jefferson City, Missouri, girl, was late to the bike-riding party as she didn’t learn to ride until she was an adult.

Jim and Jo met in 1977. And they’ve been love birds ever since.

Before moving to Traverse City in 2009, when Jim took a job with the Michigan Land Use Institute, they ran a CSA at the Five Springs Farm in Manistee County.

Fun fact: In 2002, Jim and Jo paddled 185 miles on the Manistee River over five days with Allison Batdorff, this newspaper’s talented editor.

Jim and Jo now live near the Oakwood Cemetery. They bought their home there because of how well-connected it is to everyday places.

Everyday places that they ride their bicycles to like the Farmers Market, the Strings By Mail store on Veterans, Traverse City Blinds off Barlow, Oryana, Edson Farms, Creative Kitchens on Woodmere, the marina, their dentist Dr. Morgan on Civic Center Drive and their doctors at Brookside Clinic on Eighth Street.

Going by bike not only offers an opportunity to support their community (which is very important to Jim and Jo) but also allows them to better connect with their community.

Unlike from behind a windshield, there’s something very different about interacting with humans on two wheels. More personal. More intimate. The opportunity for eye contact and a nod, smile, wave, or “hello.”

You see, when you traverse Traverse City by bike as part of ordinary life, something magical happens. You find yourself immersed in the city’s rhythm, and your neighbors become characters in this story that we’re all living together.

And when you start paying attention, start looking, you’ll notice that Traverse City is full of interesting characters on two wheels, like Jim and Jo.

There’s the smiley lady who rides a mountain bike around town with bags usually hanging off both ends of her handlebar.

And the not-so-smiley older gentleman who rides a townie slowly and often wears a Tigers cap.

And the guy with a white beard who rides a fat bike and sometimes wears a reflector vest.

Who are they? Where are they going all the time? And what’s their story?

Positive social interactions with these neighborhood characters don’t occur by accident — they’re made possible by a community designed to make them happen.

“Traverse City is getting better and better,” Jim exclaimed. “The new Eighth Street, for example. We go out of our way to ride it because it’s so nice. Protected bike lanes are a real joy.”

For Jim and Jo, bicycles aren’t just a means of transportation; they are a tangible part of their identity, their story — a powerful thread that weaves them into and through Traverse City.

For me, there’s a comfort in Jim and Jo’s constancy. Seeing them around town is reassuring. Their regular spotting makes me happy. “Oh, good, there they are. They’re still at it, still riding, still healthy,” I said to myself when I saw them crossing Garfield last week.

Keep going, Jim and Jo.

Love, your No. 1 not-so-secret fan.

Born and raised on the Canadian prairies, Ty is now a proud northern Michigander who lives in Traverse City’s Oak Park neighborhood with his wife and two sons. He can be reached at [email protected].

Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.