No pictures today. I biked a 62 km loop to see the farthest item on the list of 50 hidden gems around Toronto, and ironically I didn't see it, but I'm not that bummed as my true objective was to have a long ride on a mix of trails and streets.
I was going to see the Dunlap observatory in Richmond Hill north of Toronto. Apparently it is recognizable to fans of Hannibal (the TV show?). The satellite map shows it in a well-treed. park-like area with an access road from the North. When I got to that site the gate was closed and chained, with warnings that the site was private property patrolled by security personnel. So I didn't go in. The trees were thick and tall and completely obscured the view. Looking at the maps again later, I see the park extends to another street to the south, where no paths or park roads are shown, but there is a parking lot, so I guess that must be where the normal public access is, but I didn't check it out at the time, as it was already a long, hot ride and it would have been a long way round as the property is huge.
Anyway I explored some lovely trails and suburban neighbourhoods in Toronto and north of the city. I had to twice cross a major highway (407) on busy suburban arteries, and going north on Bathurst there was construction in the right lanes so I used the sidewalk on the left, but I was a bit embarrassed to see a roadie cruising nonchalantly through on the street. Going south on Leslie the pavement was wide and fresh and inviting and the road sloped downhill, so I sailed through on the street.
Here's a satellite view of the observatory. I tried to access from Hillsview Drive and I guess I should have used 16th Av.
https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Dav...!4d-79.4229877