Saturday, May 3, 2014

bicycle commuting in spring

... is a wonderful thing! Riding through the river valley and the ravine is so much better than taking the dusty, noisy, crowded city streets. And having a hill climb as part of my daily commute is the icing on the cake. This week I rode up the Victoria Park hill. I'd like to start using Fortway Drive again, but last week it was still covered with sand and gravel. The forecast for the coming week includes rain and snow flurries, so maybe I'll wait till next session starts, on the 20th. I have been riding down Fortway on my way back to the car, but the uphill climb is a bit of work and made more difficult when there are patches of loose gravel.

This week I saw a woman I had been wondering about. I used to see her every morning last summer and fall, but then in the winter she disappeared. Maybe she didn't ride through the winter; maybe she changed her route or her schedule; who knows? But it was good to see her again. We always say good morning, and I always feel sort of bad, because as I am sailing downhill into the valley, she is engaged in the uphill battle. Of course, I have a climb at the end of my morning ride, and then again at the end of the day, but she sees me only on the easy part. I'm sure there's a metaphor in there somewhere, if only I can find it.

On Thursday I rode home on Stony Plain Road. I wanted to check out that route because once work starts on the 102 Avenue bridge, that will be my alternative to the river valley trail. It is a little longer than taking 102 Avenue, but not much -- maybe another kilometer -- and seemed quite a bit busier. Or maybe it's just because it was new to me. 

And I've been using the 95th Avenue bike lanes, which are fantastic. I've seen a few other cyclists using the lanes and also saw a lot of bicycle tire tracks in the dust -- a good sign. Here's hoping they don't decide to remove the lanes!

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