What's in a name?

One thing about bicycle commuting is that you have a lot of time to think. I try to keep my thoughts positive, but sometimes stuff happens to make that difficult.

For example, I'm riding along, minding my own business, when I see a garbage truck making a left turn. Pretty normal behaviour, right? Except that this garbage truck is closing in on an elderly lady who is crossing the street on the walk light. Rather than coming to a complete stop and waiting for the woman to clear the intersection, the driver chooses to maintain only light pressure on the brake, so that the truck eases its way towards her, making it clear that she is taking too long to cross, and that it is only because the driver doesn't want a black mark on his record that he is allowing her to proceed. I feel indignant. And then I notice the irony. The name of the garbage company is Green for Life. My quick-thinking mind thinks of a more fitting moniker: Green for Death.

This is the beginning of a new trend. During the next few weeks as I ride in the protected bike lanes downtown, I happen to notice that not once, not twice, but three times, either I or a fellow cyclist has a close call with a DynaLife driver. You guessed it -- that company's name is now DynaDeath.

Then one winter day, weary of jiggling my way over the packed snow and ice covering the marked on-street bike route through Glenora, I decide to try the sidewalk on Stony Plain Road. Maybe, just maybe the home and business owners along that stretch have cleared the walk and it will be a better ride. I know, of course, that it is not strictly kosher to ride a bike on the sidewalk, but when the city refuses to clear the roads on the bike routes, it can be mighty tempting. And so I give in to temptation. Ah joy, most of the sidewalk is indeed cleared of ice and snow, and it is a pretty good ride. Until I reach the walk in front of Young Life. Or should I say, Young Death? I'm not exactly young, but as I rode on their sidewalk, I felt the hand of death.

This is fun. I entertain family and friends by telling them about my renaming spree.

Then summer rolls around. Construction abounds, most of it necessary, but truly mystifying is the creation of benches and planters on the path connecting the 121 Street bike lane with the 105 Avenue bike lane -- a short path behind the Brewery District plaza. It was a nice clear route, but for some reason the powers that be decided to festoon the path with planters and benches. What was previously a direct, hazard-free ride has become an obstacle course. A glance at the vests of the workers and I have the chance to re-christen yet another company. Wilco -- classic shorthand for "will comply" -- becomes Wilinco (stress on the second syllable: "will-IN-co") -- short for "will inconvenience". And they live up to their new name in days to come, running a large hose across the path one day, and parking one of their vehicles on the path another day.

Anyone want to join in the fun?

Five reasons you should try winter cycling -- this winter!

When I was growing up, bicycle riding was strictly a fair-weather activity. As soon as the weather turned cool and the snow began to fall, the bikes were stored in the garage, appearing again only after the snow had disappeared in the spring. In southern Saskatchewan, where winter began in late October and continued well into April, this meant bike riding season lasted only six or seven months.

Fast forward a number of years: I started working in downtown Edmonton. Parking was free at my workplace, so like most commuters, I drove downtown every day. And every day, I saw people on bikes. I was envious – they seemed to be having such a good time and were getting some good exercise, while I sat behind the wheel, feeling the middle-age spread gaining ground.

That winter was unusually mild, so after a few weeks of wistfully watching other bicycle commuters, I decided to give it a try. I didn’t buy any special clothing; I already had some water resistant running pants and a warm jacket. At this point in my life I didn’t even own a bike; the plan was to buy one in the spring. But in the backyard there was an old knobby-tired mountain bike that the boys had rejected, so I pulled that out, adjusted the saddle to a comfortable height, attached a couple of lights and a front basket, pumped up the tires and hopped on.

Since that first winter commute in  February, 2012, I haven’t looked back. I began by riding only on the “nice days.” But my definition of a nice day has changed. Minus 30 now means I cover my face with a balaclava, add another layer or two under my coat, and and stick some hand warmers in the mittens.

Contrary to what you might think, I am not some super-athlete or bad-ass biker girl type.  I’m just an ordinary person who has discovered what I believe is the best way to get to work – all year round.

If you already commute to work by bike during the warmer months -- or even if you don’t -- I heartily recommend you try winter bicycle commuting. Here’s why:

1)   It is cheaper than driving or taking transit

This is especially true if you live close (5 km or less) to your destination. Starting your car and driving such a short distance is possibly crazier than riding a bike during the winter. Add in the cost of parking, and it can become outrageous. Even taking transit is not cheap. And you have to stand around at bus stops, feeling the biting wind and nippy air.  

If you already own a bike and mittens, a hat, boots and a coat, cycling to work is free. Depending on your parking situation, you might have to buy a good-quality lock. But you should have one anyway, unless you want to ensure that you won’t have a bike the next time you want to ride.

2)  It is more fun than driving

Figuring out the best route to take. Learning how to navigate a sketchy patch of road. Sailing along a cleared shared-use pathway. Watching winter-white hares cross your path. Taking in the Christmas lights on the houses as you ride by. The challenges, thrills and quiet pleasures are yours for the taking.

 3)  You will feel good about yourself (and your work)

 An article in Harvard Business Review reports that minor successes can help workers feel good about their tasks, to the point that their performance improves. 

You can’t help but be encouraged and uplifted after your successful ride to work. And there is nothing like doing something that many people consider daring or extreme to make you feel brave and accomplished as well.

Even on the coldest days, or days when the riding conditions are not ideal, the fact that you persevered and made it will give you a boost. You will start the work day feeling successful, strong and capable of anything.

And after work, instead of a ride on a dreary bus or sitting in the car, creeping along, you can repeat the adventure.  

4)   It’s good for your mental health

The seemingly sunless days closing in on us can make us feel dark and down at times. It’s no secret that many of us hate winter and simply try to survive it, looking forward to the beach vacation and then spring. But recent research by University of Vermont psychology professor, Kelly Rohan, reveals that a more effective and desirable way to combat the winter blues is to find winter activities that you can enjoy and commit to doing them regularly.

Why not combine this with your need to get to work, riding your bike, instead of sitting in the car or on the bus, killing two birds with one stone? It has worked for me!   

5) It’s good for your physical health

It's no news that exercise is always good for you, but it seems that exercising outdoors in winter is even better. According to Dr. Dean Kreillaars, University of Manitoba professor and exercise physiologist, “winter’s varied surfaces, extra clothing and temperature all play a role in challenging people’s bodies in ways unique to the season.” The result is that we expend more energy in winter than we would in warmer weather to do the same work.

Incidentally, Kreillaars echoes Rohan’s discovery about the mental health benefits, saying, “When people get outside we know their mood tends to be better.”

Cycling is obviously not the only way to get outdoor exercise in the winter, or even the first thing that comes to mind when we consider winter activities. But you have to go to work, or to school, or wherever you go every day anyway, right? Why not do it on your bike and add that bit of extra, ramped-up winter exercise to your daily routine?

Of course, I know winter cycling might not be for everybody. 

But almost everyone enjoys riding a bike. 

Almost everyone has to go somewhere, at some time. Even in the winter.

In the words of the old adage, 

“Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.” 

I have a feeling that once you’ve tried it, you won’t knock it!

Copenhagen Cyclists in the Spring

How Lorne Gunter gets to be a columnist for a major Edmonton newspaper is beyond me. I can only hope it's because he is willing to work for food. Oh wait, maybe it's his ability to overlook the obvious: He claims that on his recent visit to Copenhagen, he didn't see any cyclists in the bike lanes. 

To put it quite simply: I don't believe him. But wait, maybe that is a tad uncharitable. Maybe he is telling the truth. It's possible that he didn't go outside, since he thought the weather was so formidable. (We're talking 8 degrees Celsius -- that's PLUS 8, not minus 8.) Or maybe he just didn't look around him as he walked along with his jacket's hood obstructing his vision.  

In stating his claim, he is trying to prove a point, summarized in the last line of his op-ed: Spending millions on bicycle infrastructure cannot create a bike culture where Mother Nature rules against it.

Why do I think I know better than an esteemed columnist? I have visited Copenhagen not once, but twice.

The first time was in early March and the first thing I noticed was all the cyclists. I rented a bike and rode along with them, all over the city. It wasn't exactly warm -- about 3 to 5 degrees Celsius during my 3-day visit -- but the cyclists were definitely out there.

This statue of King Christian X was one of the sights I rode past. I also rode to the harbour to visit the Little Mermaid.

The second time I visited Copenhagen was in late April. Again, Mother Nature was doing her best to discourage outdoor activity. It was about 8 degrees, and it was windy and raining rather enthusiastically, which made it feel even colder. But the local cyclists were undaunted. During the morning and afternoon rush hours, the bike lanes were busy, and even in between they were well used.

Not only were there plenty of cyclists out and about, I was struck by the way they were dressed. Some of the women had bare legs or just thin nylons. Some of the riders had bare hands, although most wore what I would consider thin and inadequate gloves. Many had nothing on their heads. Of course, most of them were probably just riding a short distance to work, not spending the whole day riding around, as I was, but still...

So, a word of warning -- just because you read it in the Sun, you shouldn't necessarily believe it. 

Above photo: My rental bike from the Wakeup Hotel in Copenhagen. At first, I was nervous about parking my bike because I thought I might lose it among all the other bikes (hundreds) that were parked nearby. Fortunately, this bike has some identifying marks -- a bright green "wakeup" stamped on the frame, a green "503" on the back fender, and bright orange front forks.

The photos below were all taken on my trips to Copenhagen.

March 5, 2015 - 5 degrees Celsius. You just can't keep those Copenhagen cyclists off the streets!

Oh yes, one more thing... Gunther also discusses Amsterdam. I've been there, too, three or four times, and yes, the first time I inadvertently stepped into a bike lane and received hard stares from passing cyclists. But guess what? That happened to me in Vancouver's Stanley Park, too. As Dr. Suess might say: In cars or on bikes; in the rain, in the snow; people are people wherever you go. A bike lane is for bikes, after all. 

Back to work

It was with a sinking heart that I looked at the forecast for Monday, January 9th -- the first day of our winter session. 

Minus 30 windchill. Three to seven centimeters of snow. 

I considered taking the bus instead of my usual park and ride (my bike) commute, but the bus from Spruce Grove to Edmonton isn't exactly a dream come true either, so I chose the bike.

I parked in Crestwood and rode to work without a great deal of difficulty. I must admit, I did use sidewalks in places. If the city ever decides to do proper snow removal, sidewalk riding in winter will not be necessary, but until then I will just have to squash down those feelings of shame and ride with confidence on the sidewalks. I have a speech all ready to go in case I get stopped by a cop with nothing better to do than bother people riding bikes on the sidewalk.

As I said, the morning ride was not bad. I wore gore-tex mitts that I "borrowed" from my third son, along with wool gloves, and I didn't even need hand warmers. 

102 Avenue Multi-use Trail a.k.a. "bike path"

The ride back to the car after work was another story. Normally it takes me less than half an hour, but this time it took almost an hour. I had to walk my bike a good part of the way, through ankle-deep loose snow. (see photo on left)







I was just thankful I had parked in Crestwood and not Glenwood, where I park when the weather is good.

This bridge is troubled waters, so to speak, for cyclists and pedestrians

Tuesday I took the bus, figuring the streets and shared pathways would probably not be cleared yet. 

Wednesday, I rode again. And again, the ride to work was pretty decent. I tried 102 Avenue, and except for the piles of loose snow here and there along the way, that was okay. And a tailwind of 30-50 km/hour is always nice. It was also quite a bit warmer than the previous two days. Ah, but on the way home, that same lovely tailwind was a headwind. And by that time, there was drifted snow in places, making that ride colder and a little less pleasant.

As always, though, I arrived at the car feeling good about the ride.

Thursday, we were back to minus 30 -- or more. Some of the reports said minus 35 to 40. I parked in Glenora, near the ravine this time, feeling uncertain about the cold and the drifted snow. This was a good decision. I used handwarmers inside the mittens, but by the time I got to work, my thumbs were feeling it. I wore my balaclava and my big warm scarf, so my face was OK, but I don't know how it would have been to ride much farther. This time the wind was from the east, so I had the headwind riding to work and a bit of a tailwind most of the way back to the car. And thus ends another week on the bike. 

With warmer days in the forecast and increasing hours of daylight, I'm anticipating some good rides ahead. Now, if only the city would decide to maintain the roads... Maybe someday.

so far this winter

I haven't been blogging much this year, but now that winter has hit in full force, I have a few photos and thoughts.

This first photo, of Ravine Drive, was taken towards the end of November, the morning after our first real snowfall. It's a bit hard to see, but there were more bike tire tracks than car tire tracks in the fresh snow. 



And on the 100th Avenue shared pathway, the bike tracks mixed with the foot prints show that lots of people were getting to their destination without the aid of cars.

I took these photos when the temperatures were still mild -- in the single digits or low teens. 

Since then, things have changed. Every day last week the temperature was around minus 20 C, with wind chills of -26 to -30 C. 

I continued to ride, although I did park closer in -- in Crestwood instead of Glenwood, which cuts about 2 km off my ride.

With several layers on my body and legs, a balaclava, my lined winter helmet and a warm scarf on top, and two layers of wool socks in my bulky winter boots, I was warm enough, and as always, so happy to be riding instead of driving.  I haven't stopped for photos, but maybe this week I'll try to do that.



We have moved our ESL school to a new location, a little farther away than before, so I've been taking a different route -- along 102 Avenue. Once again I am astonished at the number of stop signs and the long red light on this designated bike route. Is it a deliberate plot to discourage people from cycling? Who knows?

I have noticed that this year there seem to be more winter cyclists than ever. Maybe the mild start to winter made people more interested in continuing to ride? Whatever the reason, it is noteworthy, and we can only hope that the city will notice and respond by maintaining bike routes properly and creating more bike infrastructure.

Bike Lane Junior

I didn't know about this Edmonton bike lane until recently. During the winter, it is often too icy/slushy/snowy/unpredictable for my liking in the River Valley, so I ride on the city streets. Of course even on the streets there is plenty of ice, snow, slush and unpredictability, but I figure that if I have a serious crash, at least I am close to help.

Bike Lane Junior

Anyway, so that is how I became acquainted with Bike Lane Junior. Until this year, when I rode from the west end to downtown I used 102 Avenue, which is marked as a bike route. I have never been fond of this route, however, as it has an overabundance of stop signs and, at 116 Street, one of the longest red lights in the city.

One day this winter, I followed another cyclist who took 103 Avenue instead. 

I (and obviously many others) find this a much better route for cycling -- less traffic, fewer stop signs, and no traffic light. In fact at 116 Street, there is a push-button cross walk. No more waiting in the cold for that light to change.

Also on 103 Avenue is this bike lane. Initially I was going to call it Baby Bike Lane, but then I realized that the term "baby" implies that growth is going to occur. I don't think so. Hence, the new improved moniker: Bike Lane Junior. 

The first time I encountered it, I wasn't sure what to think. After riding several blocks along a road with no reference to bicycles, suddenly before me was a sign indicating that a bike lane was beginning. Wow, great, I thought -- a bike lane the rest of the way.  But, um, no. 

The bike lane begins about 15 meters from the corner and ends at the corner. That's right, the entire bike lane is about 15 meters long. 

I know it's a bike lane, though. Not only is there a sign telling me this, but the pavement is just like the normal Edmonton bike lane -- pitted, cracked, sporting potholes. During the winter a large patch of ice covers most of the surface. And now in spring, the coating of gravel on this stretch of road is further confirmation that this is our fine city's idea of a lane just for bikes.

a hare-owing experience

It has been a while since I last posted. The winter just ended was so mild and the riding was so (relatively) easy that there was not a lot to brag or complain about! Thus ends my 5th year of winter bicycle commuting.

And now... it is spring! The grass is greener every day, and every morning on my way to work I see at least one jack rabbit?... snowshoe hare?  I have been told authoritatively by various people that they are one or the other, so I'm not sure which, but to merge accuracy and simplicity, I will henceforth refer to the creatures as "hares."

I love seeing these animals! It thrills me to know that a not particularly intelligent wild animal has figured out how to co-exist with people in a big city. I have actually seen a hare stop and look both ways before crossing a busy street!

At this time of year, these bunnies are not exactly Easter-card perfect in appearance. Their pristine white winter coats have given way to a patchwork of greyish-brown and a sort of dirty yellowish-white. Even so, they are as cheerful and adventurous and delightful as ever.

But on Thursday morning I had a less than pleasant encounter with a hare.  I was riding along the shared pathway on 100th Avenue when I spooked a hare that had been lurking in the bushes. It jumped out onto the pathway, panicked when it saw my bike (even though I slowed down dramatically to allow it to get out of the way) and ran into the road, where it immediately got hit by a car. 

It was horrible and much more disturbing than I could have imagined. I went through the day knowing I had been an unwitting accessory to murder.

light in the darkness

I'm sure the people who put lights on their evergreen trees are not thinking about winter bicycle commuters, but they definitely make our ride a little more enjoyable!

Today I stopped to snap photos of some of the bright spots along my route.

 

Monday morning blues -- problem solved

Normally I like Mondays. I've never really understood people who don't. 

To me, Monday is the start of a new week, a day full of possibilities.

But I have to confess that I felt a little different this Monday. Fresh snow (maybe 3-5 cm) and a temperature well below zero made me wonder what riding conditions would be like. Never mind driving conditions. And sure enough, the drive into the west end was     s-l-o-w, thanks to a crash on the Yellowhead, which meant that traffic was diverted to 16A. 

Running a bit late and fearing that the shared pathway on 100 Avenue would not be cleared, I decided to park in Crestwood.

The bridge leading to Stony Plain Road was cleared right down to the boards -- a good start to my ride -- but it pretty much went downhill after that. A few sidewalks had been cleared, but the streets and any sidewalks under the city's purview were in rough shape. 

So I decided to cheer myself up by snapping photos of my bike at the bright spots along the way -- like these three trees on 132 Street:

and one of the tall, tall trees (there are two) at the High Street shopping centre:

I ended my commute by doing something I almost never (well, really absolutely never) do: riding on the sidewalk, on the wrong side of the street. This sidewalk was so beautifully clear of snow that I simply couldn't resist and I have to confess that I didn't even feel one bit guilty.  

My commute today was a little slow and a little frustrating -- and the ride back to the car after work was slightly worse, thanks to warmer temperatures -- but still I end my day thankful for the exercise, glad I can ride instead of driving all the way, and warmed by the thought of those cheerfully-lit trees that brighten my path!

December 12 -- the week on the bike

Now that the dust -- or should I say snow -- has settled, riding is not so bad. I still wish the city would do a better job of snow removal, especially on bike routes and main street sidewalks, but on the whole it was a pleasant week of riding. It has been between -5 and +4 everyday, so not too cold, but also not warm enough to create any serious slush.

After work on Tuesday I met Gillian, a thirty-something first-winter rider. We stopped for a chat in the little park that forms part of the bike route and the bridge detour north of 102 Avenue. We both agreed that so far this has been a great winter for cycling, but also that the city really should clear that route; the park is bladed nicely but the adjacent streets are so snow-covered and mushy that riding is virtually impossible, causing cyclists to hop onto the sidewalks.  The bike route signs on this stretch seem like a sick joke at times like these!

Every morning I see at least two or three other cycle commuters and I often see a few on my way home as well. This is the perfect winter for people to try it out, and it looks like that's what's happening.

One disappointment: the city has chosen to close the shared sidewalk on 100 Avenue across from Safeway. There is some construction that has been going on for months, and all of a sudden in the middle of winter, they decide they need to close the sidewalk? Go figure.

November 25 - another snowy ride

November 25 -- not much better!

Again I left home at about ten to seven. Surely today will be better, I thought. WRONG! Apparently there was a crash on the Yellowhead, so 16A was also affected. I felt lucky when I was able to go 30 km/hour for the first half of my drive into Edmonton.

I finally hit the westernmost end of the city at about 8:00. Again the question arose -- where should I park? I knew I didn't have time to ride all the way from Glenwood, but what about Crestwood? Hmmm, I wasn't sure. So I decided to drive into Glenora and park there. I am not sure that was a good decision; maybe Crestwood would have been better, but once I drove past 149 Street I was committed. 

Between the packed roads and cleared or snow-packed sidewalks, riding my chubby-tired bike, I made pretty good time and arrived at the corner of 109 Street and 100 Avenue at about 8:45. 

As I stood waiting for the light to change, I noticed a young guy looking at me and my bike with an unfathomable expression on his face. Finally he spoke: "I saw you riding on Stony Plain Road," he said. "I recognize your bike. I was in my car, and you got here before me." 

Let's hear it for commuting by bike!! 

Winter ride: November 24 - 24 centimeters of snow

Actually they said on the radio that it was 25 centimeters, 

but the 24 - 24 is catchier!

It was quite a day of riding.

MORNING:
First, I had to drive into the city from Spruce Grove. That did not go so well. It normally takes me 20-25 minutes to drive to my parking spot in Glenwood. Because of the heavy snow today, I had decided to park a little closer to work, in Crestwood, another five minutes east on 100 Avenue.

I left home at about 6:50 a.m., and I reached the parking spot at about 8:00. 

Oh well, I thought, even if I get to work at 8:45, it will be OK. I got my bike set up and seeing that the ravine trail was deep with snow, I rode across the pedestrian bridge to Stony Plain Road. The sidewalk was covered in ankle-deep snow, so I started out by pushing my bike along, thinking I'd hop on and ride as soon as I reached a cleared section. But it didn't take long before I realized that a cleared section was not going to happen. 

Enter Plan B -- the bus. This has always been my contingency plan: I know that all the city buses have bike racks on the front, so I have always figured that if I got a flat or otherwise had a problem with my bike, I could catch a bus. I carry a supply of toonies, loonies, quarters and nickels specifically for that purpose. 

There was a bus stop a few steps away, and the bus came almost at once, so I thought I was lucky. I smiled at the bus driver, a sweet-looking blonde woman, and indicated that I was going to put my bike on the rack. She replied by heaving a sigh and rolling her eyes. Nice. Oh well, I wasn't going to let her make me feel bad. It was that kind of day. 

But when I went to put my bike on the rack, I realized that I didn't know how. Yes, there were some cryptic instructions written on the rack -- something about pulling and pushing, but no matter what I did, nothing happened. The rack wouldn't budge. So I looked at the driver and asked for help. Again with the eye roll. She snarled something at me, presumably some sort of instructions, so I tried again. Still nothing. I gave her my best big-eyed pleading look, and she rolled her eyes yet again, snarled, "Oh my God," and got out of her seat. She tried to get the rack to work and finally said with satisfaction, "It doesn't work. You'll have to wait for the next bus."

Whew. That was a narrow escape. I might have had to ride on the same bus as that witch. Talk about bad karma!

The next bus came only a few minutes later, so I was pleased about that. Now, I know it's hard to believe that there could possibly be a section in the bus drivers' manual called, "How to be nasty to people who want to put their bikes on the bike rack" but after today, I am convinced that section exists. 

This bus driver was a bald 55-ish man, but he had almost the same reaction when he saw me and my bike. Fortunately, this bike rack had very clear directions and everything worked just fine, so I got the bike in place with no trouble. When I entered the bus, I asked the driver whether I'd done it properly and he snarled, "That's all you can do." 

Thanks for the reassurance, man.

I dropped my $3.20 in the box and watched with trepidation as the bus began to roll. The bike held on and seemed perfectly content in its spot up front, so I breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed somewhat.

Along the way, I saw a few other intrepid cyclists pushing their bikes, so I felt a bit lazy, but told myself that they probably had a shorter ride than I did.

At 127 Street and Stony Plain Road, I disembarked and proceeded to ride/walk the rest of the way to work. There were quite a few shoveled sidewalks and a couple of streets with packed snow, so I would guess that about half the way was rideable. The rest of the time, I pushed the bike along, giving myself a good upper-body workout.

I got to work at about 8:50 and managed to be in front of the class ready to start by 9:00. Although it had not been a particularly easy or pleasant commute, I did feel good that at least I had spent some of that time being active instead of just sitting behind the wheel.

AFTER WORK:
During the day the temperature had fallen -- it was minus 10 with wind chill of -17 C. So I bundled up and set out, knowing that at least part of the time I'd be pushing the bike instead of riding. And yes, that is what happened for more than half the time. Needless to say, I was glad I'd chosen to park closer to work today.

Most of my walk/ride/walk/ride was not too bad. Until I came to the bridge across MacKinnon Ravine. The sidewalk here had not been cleared at all, which meant calf-deep snow, partially packed down by pedestrians, but not packed enough to form a firm path. I dragged my bike along, struggling to find a good place to put my feet and a good place for the bike wheels. I actually considered picking the bike up and carrying it, but maybe that would have been even harder. 

After I finally made it across, feeling disheartened and worn out, I was getting ready to climb back on my bike and ride the remaining kilometer or so to my van when I noticed that a guy in a stopped car was trying to get my attention. I looked his way and he asked me how much farther I had to go. 

"I normally ride my bike, too," he said, adding that today he had decided not to. (He very kindly didn't say that he was smarter than I am!) 

I assured him that I didn't have much farther and that I was OK from here on, and we went our separate ways, but it was amazing how much better I felt after that bit of thoughtfulness.

I rode on the mostly cleared sidewalks until I came to a good stretch of road, and before I knew it, I was at the car and then on my way back to Spruce Grove and a hot cup of tea!

Winter has arrived!

Last night right before I hit the sack, I saw that there was a snowfall warning -- for Spruce Grove and other places, but not for the City of Edmonton. 

Thinking that the weather warning would make good real-life reading practice for my students, I projected it onto the wall first thing this morning and we read the words of the warning and looked at the map. Sure enough, at 9:15 a.m., the lines on the map extended across the whole northern/central section of Alberta, but carefully excluded Edmonton. We all agreed that this was kind of strange, but of course we were not going to complain if the heavy snowfall missed the city!

However, when I refreshed the map at break time (10:30) things had changed. The city was now smack-dab in the middle of the snowfall warning area! And sure enough, by about 1:30, the snow had started to fall. By the time I left work at 3:15, it was just a nice layer -- maybe 3-4 cm -- and still easy to ride through. And this roundabout that I ride through along the way looked so pretty that I had to stop and snap a pic.

First ride of winter - November 2015

It's been a while. I have written about my travels in Europe -- and my cycling adventures there -- on my other blog, but for some reason I haven't written about my local riding.

Since I wanted this to be a record of not only my cycling routine, but also of weather and other conditions, when we had our first snowfall last week, I decided it's time to start again.

This begins my fifth winter of year-round bicycle commuting. I wish I could remember exactly when I started, but I do know it was during the 2011-2012 exceptionally mild winter.

Thursday, November 19, was our first real snow this fall. We got about 2-3 cm, but it was enough to make driving a little crazy, so I was happy to park my car at the west end and cycle the rest of the way.
As can be seen from the tracks on this Stony Plain Road bridge, quite a lot of other people had the same idea.What a thrill to see the tracks of 4 or 5 other cyclists, plus many pedestrians.

I decided to take the bike lane on 121 Street. Again, there were lots of bike tracks. There was also a truck parked in the bike lane. Thank you, City of Edmonton. Since there are parking spots across the street, I kindly pointed them out to the guy driving the truck. Unfortunately, I am not convinced he understood. Maybe he couldn't hear me very well over the sound of the motorized blower his co-worker was using.

Even with minor inconveniences like this,cycling is definitely the way to go when it comes to commuting. I arrived at work cold but refreshed and happy. It always feels so good to know that I am not letting winter get me down.

A few days ago I heard a researcher from Vermont speaking on the radio. Her research is related to SAD - seasonal affective disorder -- and she actually mentioned winter cycling as an effective way of combating this condition. It has been true for me. I can`t believe how my attitude towards winter has changed since I started my year-round bicycle commuting. I can't say I exactly look forward to the cold and snow, but at least I know I can enjoy it more than I would if I had to drive all the way to work every day.