Jan 5 – A Great Day for Bicycling!

I was able to get away for a late lunch from work, and met Ian at the Glenfield parking lot with my bike. Personally, I like the scenery of the west side of the park, but we’d been curious how far east the pathway gets cleared so that’s the way we headed. Unfortunately, cleared path ended at the Higgins Bridge, we couldn’t climb the hill to Diamond Cove (where we hoped we could make it to the newly opened path into south Southland Park), nor could we cross the Higgins Bridge into Douglasdale. Guessing the path clearing stopped where provincial responsibility ends and city responsibility starts, it would sure be nice if they had the same policies.

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At one point, we were stopped under some trees and started being pelted with bits of bark. Searching the trees, we found one of several woodpeckers.

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Trip Summary

  • Riding time: 2:25 (~3:00pm – 5:30pm)
  • Distance: 22.1 km
  • Temperature: ~-9 deg C

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New Years Day, Jan 1, 2009

I made it out on the bike Jan 1, 2008, so now it’s an annual event. I even doubled the number of people this year (my friend Ian came with me). Starting at the Glenfield area off of Macleod Trail, we rode our trusty steeds west to the end of the park and back. We encountered a number of walkers, cyclists and cross country skiers. Thanks go to our Provincial Government for sweeping the paths clean. We love you!

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Fire and First Snow

I’m always on the lookout for an opportunity to bike commute. I often drive to a C-Train station with my bike on board, and leaving the van head off by bike. My daughter is commuting downtown by transit, so she picks up the van on her way home, and then has the van for errands. Today, I parked at Chinook Station and headed north to Mount Royal College for a course I’m taking.

Later that night, the ride home in the softly drifting first-snow-of-the-season was magical…..

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Riding the Ridge at Sunset

This fall the bicycle gods have been smiling. First, Calgary is experiencing the longest fall I can remember ever! This is the first time it hasn’t snowed before Halloween in my memory. Second, my daughter now drives but has been commuting to downtown by c-Train, which means I can leave the family van at a train station for her, but with my bike on board to ride the rest of the way home – with a suitable detour of course ;-).

Last week, my friend Ian led the way along an incredible ridge trail in the sunset. Entering into Fish Creek Provincial Park (aka FCPP) from the north east along the c-Train line, we first headed west, climbed to the ridge, then south in a loop back east, and finally coming out of the park into Shawnessey before heading home (and explaining to my wonderful wife Elizabeth why a 30 minute ride took 2 hours).

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Here are Ian’s photo’s for proof we were actually there!

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What a sunset!

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