On the road again! But we had an easy ride today, only going as far as Hamilton, about 45 miles. My original plan was to make for St Catharines, a little further around the lake, but Jerry has decided to stay with me as far as Albany, so we added a day in and will overnight in Niagara Falls, ON before moving back into the U.S. and taking on the Erie Canal.
The ride out of Toronto going west is MUCH better than the ride coming in from the east. We had breakfast near City Hall (old and new) and then followed Richmond Street west to recover our route. This kept us off the busy north-south streets in downtown Toronto proper.
We ate breakfast at Eggspectation, near the "new" City Hall. The "old" City Hall looks so much better . . .
Once we were on the course, it was like being in a cyclist's heaven. Wide trails, an easy view of the waterfront and lake, no cross streets, and no industry! Oh, and artwork too!
So the first nine miles were a breeze. Then we had one mile on Lake Shore Boulevard that had a well-protected bike lane and bike signals at all intersections.
At several locations you are forced to use Lake Shore Boulevard, the main parallel road, for short distances, but the bike lanes are well-protected and have their own signals. At other locations, you can use a dedicated path.
Along the way I met Elisea and Kim. I stopped to talk to them because, of all the cyclists who had passed me that day, they were the only ones to verbally signal "On your left," so I wanted to know if this was standard practice in Canada. "Yes!" was the answer.
The Rattray Marsh Conservation Area was a real pleasure to bike through . . . oops. Well, I'm not sure what you're supposed to do here, as it's signed as part of the Waterfront Trail, but you're not supposed to bike it. I did, but Jerry did not after he met another cyclist who had been told (lectured?) to not ride his bike along the trail, much of which is on elevated, narrow boardwalk. In fact, they both exited the area and rerouted themselves on adjacent streets.
What a shame. If they are going to prohibit cycling, which makes some sense, then they should at least provide a signed alternative route! Anyway, I rode the whole way through and enjoyed it immensely, and no one said a word to me.
I have to say, the highlight of the day was Rattray Marsh Conservation Area. Although it is signed as part of the Waterfront Trail, there are also signs that indicate no bicycles! I rode through, but Jerry walked his bike and/or used a detour.
Shortly after leaving the marsh area, it was strictly road riding all the way to Burlington, where you recover a waterfront trail over the Burlington Canal to Hamilton. This stretch of road is a mixed bag of bike lanes, sharrows, partial lane sharrows, some trail and/or sidewalk (it's hard to tell the intent), and shoulder riding. I decided to take a break in Oakville and enjoy the plaza in front of the public library.
My bike and I take a break in Oakville at the public library.
Just as an aside, this stretch of road is lined on both sides by well-to-do homes, with the older ones being lakeside, hence no waterfront access. The newer ones are landside and are closer to the roadway, with, sometimes, half the front yard paved and five or six cars sitting around. You would think they could provide better infrastructure for the Waterfront Trail than is evident!
But all that gave way in Burlington and the return to the waterfront!
The trail did not resume until the Burlington waterfront, ten miles from Oakville.
One has two options for approaching the crossing of the Burlington Canal: a paved and an unpaved path. I chose the unpaved, as the paved looked to be just a bike lane on the local highway (not the QEW, though). And the crossing was not the big bridge I originally saw but a low-level lift span. Nice!
The trail actually crosses on this lift span, which had just finished closing as I approached it (although I never saw the ship).
Rain had been threatening for the last several hours, and I had felt a few drops. But I arrived at the hotel as dry as I could be after biking 45 miles. Unfortunately, Jerry was caught four times in short, localized outbursts. Such is the weather around these parts!
Today's ride: 46 miles (74 km) Total: 724 miles (1,165 km)
