Machka 

Another semester of university has begun and I've been doing quite a bit of walking again ... bus to uni ... uni to work ...


How about you ... where did you walk or ride this week?

Machka 

This week ... more walking as part of my commute. Uni ... work ... between my allergist and work. And errands at lunch.

As far as distance goes, I'm keeping pace with where I was last year with my walking.


Does anyone else here walk or cycle?

Roody

I walk a lot--at least 5 hours a week, both for exercise and to get things done. Walking is good. My health is improving, my stamina is much greater, I've lost 85 pounds, and I'm within 10 pounds of my goal. I enjoy walking more than I thought I would, coming out of a strong bicycling background.

I haven't been riding much yet--just around the neighborhood on borrowed bikes so far. So I will get a bike when the signs are propitious--I'm keeping one eye open for a good one.

cooker

Amazing - good job!

Pathfinder2436

I gave up driving over twenty years ago. In that time I've owned two bikes. A Dawes Galaxy and a Surly big dummy I bought two weeks ago. I'll never go back.

Walter S

I'm glad to hear from a fellow cyclist that's not all about N+1.

cooker

It's only been two weeks since he got his second bike...

Roody

What's it like getting used to a new bike after riding the same one for 20 years? It seems like it would be a little hard to adjust, both mentally and physically. Also, how do you like the Big Dummy?

cooker

Today I started a new quest - to bike (and walk) around the city to see the 50 hidden gems around Toronto identified by NOW Magazine. Of course, as a 40 year resident I was aware of and/or have seen quite a few of them - I live near Alexander Muir Park and have biked the West Toronto Railpath and so on. A while back we had a thread by some musicians who made a music video on the railpath using all bicycle-borne equipment.

Still, I will try to hit them all over the next 2-3 weekends. Today I saw the Dawn Redwood. It's a Chinese sequoia planted in the Edwards Botanical Gardens in 1960 by the chief gardener, and he selected a spot he thought would always be sunny on his wife's birthday, June 20. I suppose if I were a romantic I would go there next June 20.

I saw a groundhog too but my cell phone was fogged up from being in the handlebar bag with a bottle with ice in it and didn't clear until the animal walked away, and it never occurred to me that I had my GoPro running and all I had to do was walk the bike towards it to get a good close-up, as it was semi-tame.

It was only an 18 km ride but it had a couple of 50 m elevation climbs and some smaller hills and it was really hot, and I had to walk the bike up and down the short ravine sides in Edwards Gardens a couple of times, as you can't ride in there, and I couldn't find the tree, so I got a bit of a workout. Eventually I asked a gardener to direct me and she laughed - apparently a lot of people read NOW Magazine.

Here's the magazine shot of the tree:
https://nowtoronto.com/downloads/782...336&w=1200&ar=

And then my cellphone shot. The magazine photo might be a bit too dramatic, but my cell photo didn't do the tree justice - it really looks somewhere in between

jade408

Today I met some friends for a birthday brunch downtown. I biked over (it is about 3.5 miles). This was a brush buffet and it lasted longer than I thought.

I cut out a little early, compared to my friends. I had to go to the bike shop to pick up new pedals, and get them installed!

I realized my legs were tired from the ride the day before -- I didn't have the energy to bike to the bike store (6 miles) from brunch. I biked to a concert last night. 5 miles each way. The way to the concert is gradually uphill, for about 4 miles, and the last couple of blocks were the steepest part. I was ready for that. But there was a headwind too, for 2/3 of the ride. I realize I hadn't ever ridden in that direction at time. The wind comes in with the evening clouds and fog!

Anyway, the bike shop was also gradually uphill for the whole 6 miles ride. So it was a no go!

So to save energy, I biked the 1 mile up to the train. From the train it was it was a .75 mile ride. I got my pedals and then rode the 4 miles home! On the way I stopped to grab a few groceries from one of my favorite shops. It is a small but worthwhile detour.

I got home and realized I really should have left earlier. I have some work to do tonight. It is mindless, set it and go, but it looks like it'll continue after my bed time.

cooker

Excellent post. It does illustrate that car-free or car-light living is more practical in areas that also have public transit; but it also illustrates how much you can accomplish simply by combining cycling with other modes of travel, and by combining several goals or errands (brunch, shopping, exercise, fun) into one trip.

jade408

One thing I found, converting trips to cycling, was that it opened up more areas to me. There were some places I loved, but transit was inconvenient and parking was annoying. That would make it more difficult to combine trips. Parking is generally super easy on my bike and I can make multiple stops in multiple neighborhoods easily.*

*it helps I live in a denser urban area that does have transit, and transit allows bikes on board!

Druzis

I riden from my house to my workplace and it's about 20km one way. I had to wake up at 5 in morning because my work starts at 6 in morning so now I fill very exhausted. Sorry for strange units I'm from Europe.

cooker

A few more of the city's hidden gems.

Alexander Muir Park honours a guy who wrote a patriotic Canadian song called The Maple Leaf Forever - it was a candidate to be the National Anthem but was too pro-British. I saw that Sunday after seeing the Sequoia.

The brick wall in the next picture is a remnant of the wall built in the mid 1800s by patients of the Toronto Lunatic Asylum (back when "lunatic" was a clinical term and not an insult). I have another picture where part of that still sturdy 150 year old wall is next to a newer brick wall from maybe the 1980s that is flaking and crumbling, and the old wall is mocking it for being weak. I got this photo yesterday.

I rode by the elephant on the way to work this morning. Forty-six pictures still to come, but I'll never match Machka.

I'll make them smaller as I upload more.

cooker

Today the cork house. It is on one of my usual routes to work and I have biked to my current office for 3 years, so I estimate I have passed this house over 100 times without seeing that the owner has adorned the house and retaining wall with thousands of corks. I guess it is because it is well shielded by trees. I have certainly noticed the car before.

cooker

I hope I'm not boring people but since this is a Machka thread, I think posting a lot of pictures is appropriate

This is the Peter Pan statue from the list of 50 hidden gems in Toronto. Of course it's a copy of one in London. This is from last evening.

cooker

Okay, more boring stuff. I went a couple of miles out of my way to see 3 more of the 50 gems. I know a 10 mile evening commute is pretty trivial to some of you centurions, but it was windy, a bit hilly, stop and go traffic, and I had to carry my bike up and down about 4 flights of stairs to get over the railroad tracks, so I got at least a little extra exercise. I took the West Toronto Railpath (that's the Union-Pearson (downtown-airport) express train crossing Bloor St and a view of the path from above the tracks), and saw the Terracotta house and the "Everything is going up" sign, the last of which didn't seem like anything special to me. The sky got dark at that point so I zipped across what must be the last level crossing in Toronto (why isn't it on the list!) and onto one of my usual routes home. So I'm at what - 9 out of 50?

cooker

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

KristinaW

I walk twice a week to my German courses and back) It's a lovely 30 minutes walk!

cooker

Welcome to the forum - or should I say willkommen? Try not to be put off by the endless arguments about the definition of car-free and car-light or the politics of car-free or car-light living (or jump right in!)

KristinaW

Danke shon!
That's so nice that just a few words can make my day better!

Machka 

University ... again.

This was my long walk day although I'm toying with the idea of doing the same walk tomorrow too. I usually catch a bus for part of it on Wednesdays but the buses have been less than reliable and I might actually be able to walk the distance in time.

Fargo Wolf

Rode up to a water intake facility for the Tranquille lands west of Kamloops. Not much to see for the most part as the facility is pretty much abandoned. Pics to come once I get the battery in my camera charged. The route also goes past an abandoned Scouts Canada camp. Both are now within Lac Du Bois Provincial Park.

fastturtle

Rode 1.5 km to nearest train station. Folded the Bromp, took the train. Took it out and cycled 2.5 km to work.
Worked.
Cycled 2 km to restaurant, lunched, cycled 2 km back.
Worked (or pretended to).
Cycled 2.5 km to station. Took the train. Rode 4 km back home (from main station).

Not so exciting.

cooker

I got distracted from my quest to see the 50 secluded sites around Toronto, by a couple of recent and upcoming trips, so all I have done is bike to and from work most days. I've already seen the ones that are not too far off my commuting route. I'll be in Winnipeg on the weekend so I'll try to get a walk in along the river path near the forks.