test run

I've been thinking that this summer I'd like to ride all the way in to work at least a few times. From home to work is about 32 km -- definitely a manageable distance. It is pretty much a straight line. I have to ride about 22 km on the highway -- 16A -- and then through a rather sketchy section with narrower lanes and heavy traffic. That part is only about 3-4 kilometers, and after that I can take the shared pathway and the river valley path almost all the way. The highway is okay for riding, with nice wide shoulders, but there is a lot of traffic and a fair bit of gravel and debris littering the way.

Yesterday I tested it out, riding the Vita I purchased off Kijiji. Instead of going straight, I took the Henday to 87th Avenue and rode east to 159 Street, heading north and turning at 95th Avenue onto the bike lane. This took me exactly 1 hour and 28 minutes. There were a lot of red lights, and this is also a longer route than if I simply rode in a straight line onto 100 Avenue.

The northeast wind was also fairly strong -- I had a stiff crosswind and a bit of a headwind all the way. I was quite surprised when I turned onto the Henday and began riding south and realized that it was actually kind of hot. Up until that point, the constant breeze had kept me nice and cool.

While I was riding on 87th and 156th, I thought to myself, "I'm never going to do this; This is stupid: What a lousy ride..." etc. But when I arrived downtown, I thought, "Maybe that wasn't so bad after all!"

So, I think I'll try it. If I leave home at 6:30 -- just half an hour earlier than usual -- I should be able to make it to work by 8:00.

After reaching the Railtown Trail downtown just half a block from work, I rode south to Southgate Mall, where I met up with Hubby. I was happy to see that the High Level Bridge trail has finally been swept. I'd heard a lot of complaints about the gravel on the trail.

We were scheduled to meet one of my students and his wife, along with two former students (husband and wife), for dinner at a Korean restaurant in Bonnie Doon. A delicious meal and a fun time.

Temperature: 18C ~ Wind: NNE: 15-20 km/hr