An adventurous senior with ties to Northern Michigan was tragically hit and killed while riding his bike in Bay City.
Robert Blanchard’s death came just days after completing his lifetime goal of traveling 200,000 miles by bike.
His son, Tom, said his dad made the journey from Florida to Houghton Lake, which is where Blanchard was originally from before moving to Florida five years ago.
“1590 miles in 32 days. Made it up here Saturday before Father’s Day. We hung out, did a lot of eating, cooking out, boating. We went golfing, fishing and just watched movies.”
Tom said this was supposed to be a trip to remember, but now it will be for all the wrong reasons. Still, he said he’s grateful for the time they got to spend together – he hadn’t seen his father in about three years.
“He left Wednesday and made it to Bay City,” said Tom. “He must have got, like, 6 or 7 miles into his trip.”
Tom said that’s when his dad was hit and killed by a driver going too fast, even though his dad took all the right precautions.
“Dad was on the correct road, the correct spot on the road, fluorescent clothes, helmet on.”
There’s a lot he doesn’t know yet, including if the driver will be charged for Robert’s death. For now, Tom is focusing on remember his dad.
He said Robert was an avid biker since his retirement, taking several cross country trips just using foot power.
“He has ridden from Jacksonville, Florida to San Diego. He’s driven from New York to Alaska. The previous trips, he used a regular pedal bike. And this trip, he had two new knees put in, so he bought an e-bike.”
Tom said nothing slowed Robert down. One of his endearing qualities was his stubbornness.
“I said, ‘Dad, buy a motorcycle.’ And he says, ‘I like seeing the world at eight miles an hour.’ So he didn’t want to miss anything. He truly enjoyed being out there.”
Robert’s plan was to visit Tom’s sister before heading back down to Florida. Tom wishes he would have driven his dad to his sister’s house like they had discussed, but said his dad wanted to ride.
“He hated the cliché that you pass away doing what you love. Well, he did,” said Tom. “If it wasn’t his way, it was the wrong way. And I love him, and, but that’s dad.”
Tom said in the end, he’s proud of everything his dad accomplished.