I know it has been a long while since my last post, but that's what happens when I don't get out and participate in activities for weeks, and that fact my blog is about a specific subject.
As the snow has finally arrived in my area of Southwestern Ontario I am looking forward to attempting riding the trails in Waterloo this winter. It is a sport I have been researching extensively online to find as much information I can. So far the only thing I have found is, it's very expensive. As it is winter the temperature is the main factor deciding on when and for how long you should be outside riding and working up a sweat. One good thing is I have some of the clothing already, and this week I will be purchasing a few more items that should keep me warm enough, but still allow my body to breathe properly and not sweat too much. I suppose after the first ride I will know what areas I need to improve on, and what does not need to be changed.
I want to try winter biking because who says it is only a summer sport? It will also give me a different experience of the trails and nature. I am looking forward to this, and I have the choice of never going it again if I don't enjoy it.
Happy trails,
Craig
13 December, 2010
16 October, 2010
Leaves
While raking leaves from the front lawn Friday morning I realized I love Autumn. As many people complain about leaves, I to enjoy them. They bring joy in replenishing the earth with vital nutrients(by decomposing) that it gives to humans and animals, through oxygen. The colours that leaves display in autumn are an amazing feat that scientists cannot explain yet, and raking with a significant other can be fun. When raking them you can pile them in something that you can run and jump into, or you can throw at each other, and turn to a competition to stuff down each others clothes. Who has never had this joy, and if you haven't than I feel you are missing out on human interaction. I not only love leaves themselves, but what is associated with them. I love the colours, the smells, the temperature, all bring the start of something new. That is what I love. I could say the same for Winter, but I hope that will be its own blog.
10 October, 2010
The Ultimate Outdoor List
Over the summer months while biking to and from work, I had plenty of time to talk to myself and think of creative activities to do in the future. I am wanting Emma and I do most of these together, I know there will be a few she won't be interested in. I have compiled a list and here it is, in no particular order.
Mountain Bike trails in;
-British Columbia
-New Mexico
-Chile/Peru(Machu Picchu)
-Wales
-Hawaii
Hike and/or bike on every continent
Hike the entire length of the Bruce Trail in Ontario, from the South cairn in Niagara to the North cairn in Tobermory
Hike or bike from Lands End, England to John O' Groats, Scotland, the furthest distance you can travel in Britain, from South to North
Visit the Yucatan Peninsula as that is the area that is believed to be where the meteor struck that wiped dinosaurs from the planet
Hike the Great Wall in China
Climb the highest point(s) in Ontario and England
Sea kayak between the mainland and Vancouver Island
I am also thinking there should be some spelunking/caving, but I am not sure where to do that yet. I know seeing the Bats in the Southern US and Mexico would be great, and possibly some massive pothole style caves in South America
I know these are ambitious goals, but I feel they are possible to accomplish in our lifetime, and would like to do them before we no longer have the opportunity.
Mountain Bike trails in;
-British Columbia
-New Mexico
-Chile/Peru(Machu Picchu)
-Wales
-Hawaii
Hike and/or bike on every continent
Hike the entire length of the Bruce Trail in Ontario, from the South cairn in Niagara to the North cairn in Tobermory
Hike or bike from Lands End, England to John O' Groats, Scotland, the furthest distance you can travel in Britain, from South to North
Visit the Yucatan Peninsula as that is the area that is believed to be where the meteor struck that wiped dinosaurs from the planet
Hike the Great Wall in China
Climb the highest point(s) in Ontario and England
Sea kayak between the mainland and Vancouver Island
I am also thinking there should be some spelunking/caving, but I am not sure where to do that yet. I know seeing the Bats in the Southern US and Mexico would be great, and possibly some massive pothole style caves in South America
I know these are ambitious goals, but I feel they are possible to accomplish in our lifetime, and would like to do them before we no longer have the opportunity.
28 September, 2010
Two Thousand Five Hundred
March 24th 2010 until September 27th 2010 I have ridden 2500km. A visual representation of this would be riding England North to South three times. Majority of my riding was commuting to work 34km a day, however 250km of my total distance was the Waterloo Cycling Club Trails, also known as, The Hydrocut, and the Brant Tract outside of Paisley. I was hoping to ride other trails in Southern Ontario, however did not find time to do so, luckily there is always next year. I am also hoping to attempt winter riding on the local trails as I have heard it is a different experience.
I know I am a terrible blogger, but I have not had the motivation or inspiration to write anything, even though there is plenty I can write about. I will work on a few new posts over the next couple weeks.
I know I am a terrible blogger, but I have not had the motivation or inspiration to write anything, even though there is plenty I can write about. I will work on a few new posts over the next couple weeks.
30 July, 2010
Floating Bike
Years after floating a river with my family on inner tubes I have had the desire to have a go with it again. That is what this long weekend is for. I shall be floating the Saugeen River with a co-worker and a few of his friends. This is something I have wanted to do for a while as my parents have a trailer along the river, and it is near the exit point.
I also have plans to bike the Brant Tract again, this reminds me that I need to write a blog about my first ride in there, but I have yet to be inspired. Perhaps I will avoid writing about that first experience, and leave it for the next blog regarding this weekend.
To all, have a good weekend, I shall see you soon.
Craig
I also have plans to bike the Brant Tract again, this reminds me that I need to write a blog about my first ride in there, but I have yet to be inspired. Perhaps I will avoid writing about that first experience, and leave it for the next blog regarding this weekend.
To all, have a good weekend, I shall see you soon.
Craig
13 June, 2010
Leisure Saturday
I decided in the week that I would bike around the pedestrian paths of Waterloo to gain a different perspective of the city, and document my adventure with photos. Unfortunately the weather forecast was rain, however I was determined to go ahead with my intentions.
I parked the truck at Carla and Tony's house and started my ride around Noon with a gloomy sky. From their house I traveled on the road for a few hundred meters until I found the pedestrian path I was looking for, however it didn't turn out to venture where I thought it would. It did give me a different view of peoples homes as it toured behind them, and it gave me the opportunity to see how people maintain their properties, or don't. As the path ended at a major roadway I decided I would ride to the local trails and give the bike and my body a bit of a workout. I decided I didn't want to ride what I usually do as it was not my intentions for the day, but I still rode Kaitlyn's Switchback, Andy's BBQ Run, The Bypass, The Double Bypass and Rockin' Ronnie(which I happened to have an accident on, turned to sharply and braked with too much pressure and went straight over the handlebars), then headed back to the road to continue on with my original plan.
Once I was back on the road riding towards another pedestrian path that I knew would take me where I was headed it decided to start raining. Fortunately for me the rain was quite refreshing and didn't last long, although I was quite wet when it stopped. Its amazing the people who will stare at you and wonder what you are doing outside when it is raining, I know I have been on that side of the thought. If you think about it though, it's only water, afterall we shower and swim, so what is a bit of rain. I know what you're thinking, it could have been worse and not stopped for the rest of my ride. After riding in the rain for roughly ten minutes I found the next path I was after and rode it past the local Universities and into Waterloo Park. As I rolled slowly through Waterloo Park I noticed quite a few groups of people wandering the grounds not minding the weather and having a wonderful time. If the weather had been better I'm sure more people would have been out.
Now that I have left Waterloo Park and was back onto the roads I wanted to have a look at some of the businesses that I drive past quite quickly, so I could admire the architecture and find out if there are any events happening this summer. I do know The Brick Brewery summer hours of operation now, and that Uptown Waterloo is alive with activity, even when the weather is unfavourable. By this time I should have stopped for lunch somewhere, even though I had food in my pack, but I remembered that I had left my bike lock in the truck, so had to continue on biking.
I headed back towards Waterloo Park. This time I was in search of an off-trail path that I recall riding several years ago. To no avail could I find it, but I did find others, although once I was on them I had to turn around and head back to the main pedestrian path as they were far too overgrown and incredibly wet. As I rode the path I notice a cricket match being played on the pitch, so I stopped and watched it for a while. I will never remember the rules of cricket or know the scoring system but it is still amusing to watch. A few minutes later I found there was an arts festival happening at the outdoor theatre and had a look at peoples stands there. I saw one persons stand with some amazing photography so I had a chat with him for a while, and he gave me a few pointers on how to compose a decent photo. At the end I asked him for his website and told him I would be interested in purchasing a print when I found one that I really liked. His website is http://foxjump.deviantart.com/, you should definitely check it out.
When I found my way out of Waterloo Park I rode past the Universities again along the pedestrian path and out to the Laurel Creek path that winds along the roadway back to Carla and Tony's house and my rapid means of transit.
The day turned out to be moderately successful, as far as finding trails, although I was unable to take any photos of Waterloo and document my ride in that respect I still had a good day. There are plenty of weekends remainig, and the weather should be better so I can do this again and publish a photo blog.
Waterloo I look forward to doing this again,
Craig
I parked the truck at Carla and Tony's house and started my ride around Noon with a gloomy sky. From their house I traveled on the road for a few hundred meters until I found the pedestrian path I was looking for, however it didn't turn out to venture where I thought it would. It did give me a different view of peoples homes as it toured behind them, and it gave me the opportunity to see how people maintain their properties, or don't. As the path ended at a major roadway I decided I would ride to the local trails and give the bike and my body a bit of a workout. I decided I didn't want to ride what I usually do as it was not my intentions for the day, but I still rode Kaitlyn's Switchback, Andy's BBQ Run, The Bypass, The Double Bypass and Rockin' Ronnie(which I happened to have an accident on, turned to sharply and braked with too much pressure and went straight over the handlebars), then headed back to the road to continue on with my original plan.
Once I was back on the road riding towards another pedestrian path that I knew would take me where I was headed it decided to start raining. Fortunately for me the rain was quite refreshing and didn't last long, although I was quite wet when it stopped. Its amazing the people who will stare at you and wonder what you are doing outside when it is raining, I know I have been on that side of the thought. If you think about it though, it's only water, afterall we shower and swim, so what is a bit of rain. I know what you're thinking, it could have been worse and not stopped for the rest of my ride. After riding in the rain for roughly ten minutes I found the next path I was after and rode it past the local Universities and into Waterloo Park. As I rolled slowly through Waterloo Park I noticed quite a few groups of people wandering the grounds not minding the weather and having a wonderful time. If the weather had been better I'm sure more people would have been out.
Now that I have left Waterloo Park and was back onto the roads I wanted to have a look at some of the businesses that I drive past quite quickly, so I could admire the architecture and find out if there are any events happening this summer. I do know The Brick Brewery summer hours of operation now, and that Uptown Waterloo is alive with activity, even when the weather is unfavourable. By this time I should have stopped for lunch somewhere, even though I had food in my pack, but I remembered that I had left my bike lock in the truck, so had to continue on biking.
I headed back towards Waterloo Park. This time I was in search of an off-trail path that I recall riding several years ago. To no avail could I find it, but I did find others, although once I was on them I had to turn around and head back to the main pedestrian path as they were far too overgrown and incredibly wet. As I rode the path I notice a cricket match being played on the pitch, so I stopped and watched it for a while. I will never remember the rules of cricket or know the scoring system but it is still amusing to watch. A few minutes later I found there was an arts festival happening at the outdoor theatre and had a look at peoples stands there. I saw one persons stand with some amazing photography so I had a chat with him for a while, and he gave me a few pointers on how to compose a decent photo. At the end I asked him for his website and told him I would be interested in purchasing a print when I found one that I really liked. His website is http://foxjump.deviantart.com/, you should definitely check it out.
When I found my way out of Waterloo Park I rode past the Universities again along the pedestrian path and out to the Laurel Creek path that winds along the roadway back to Carla and Tony's house and my rapid means of transit.
The day turned out to be moderately successful, as far as finding trails, although I was unable to take any photos of Waterloo and document my ride in that respect I still had a good day. There are plenty of weekends remainig, and the weather should be better so I can do this again and publish a photo blog.
Waterloo I look forward to doing this again,
Craig
24 May, 2010
May Long Weekend
Having traveled through a few countries over the last five years I have realized how much I appreciate the Kitchener-Waterloo area. However saying that I started to dislike living here due to the fact that I have noticed flaws in how the councilors run the region, as well as not having a car it makes it difficult for me to travel far from home for any longer than a day. This is what the May Long Weekend is for. I was invited to a friend's cottage in Hope Bay, north of Wiarton for drinking, card playing, enjoying a campfire and socializing. Recently I have started mountain biking again after 13 years of having not done any, and I must say I am rather enjoying myself. Waterloo has some good trails, but with my personality I know I will become bored of them before the end of the season, so my mission has been to find other areas to ride, and before the trip in the car to said cottage I browsed the internet for trails to ride in the area of the cottage. With some deep searching I was finally able to find a trail within a 15 minute drive of the cottage, although the website said that it is closed for maintenance, how disappointing is that. Even though I would not be able to travel on those trails I decided I would still take my bike with me and find somewhere to ride. Unfortunately there are not many trails close by for me to test my skills in a new area, so I only road on the road and took a bit of a tour of the area where other cottagers have a place, so I am still happy to have been able to get a ride in.
After the second day of being at the cottage and two nights/days of drinking, cards and socializing I needed to get out and do more than a 20 minute bike ride. Luckily while I was on my bike I noticed a trail entrance for a section of the Bruce Trail, and decided I would go for a hike for an undetermined amount of time and invite anyone who wanted to go, the only person who said they would was Carla, my sister. Well we headed out with a mission to do the 3.6km loop the sign stated, but that turned out to be misleading as when we thought we had reached the 3.6km mark the trail had not come back to its entrance. Fortunately for us we managed to find our way back once we came to another trails end and found a road leading back to where we started, and once back we read the sign again and realized it was not a loop but a section of the main trail, if only the signs had detailed the trail more clearly and posted signs along the way. Even though we didn't understand the sign fully, the hike was still great. It was good to go with Carla, we had a good conversation along the route and saw some beautiful scenery of the Bruce Peninsula and I hope to return to the area in the future to show others what Ontario has to offer.
When the weekend was over and time to travel back to Waterloo Region I have revitalized my appreciation for the area I was born and raised, because I now realize how close I am to such a beautiful area as Grey County and the Bruce Peninsula.
Thank you May 2-4 2010
After the second day of being at the cottage and two nights/days of drinking, cards and socializing I needed to get out and do more than a 20 minute bike ride. Luckily while I was on my bike I noticed a trail entrance for a section of the Bruce Trail, and decided I would go for a hike for an undetermined amount of time and invite anyone who wanted to go, the only person who said they would was Carla, my sister. Well we headed out with a mission to do the 3.6km loop the sign stated, but that turned out to be misleading as when we thought we had reached the 3.6km mark the trail had not come back to its entrance. Fortunately for us we managed to find our way back once we came to another trails end and found a road leading back to where we started, and once back we read the sign again and realized it was not a loop but a section of the main trail, if only the signs had detailed the trail more clearly and posted signs along the way. Even though we didn't understand the sign fully, the hike was still great. It was good to go with Carla, we had a good conversation along the route and saw some beautiful scenery of the Bruce Peninsula and I hope to return to the area in the future to show others what Ontario has to offer.
When the weekend was over and time to travel back to Waterloo Region I have revitalized my appreciation for the area I was born and raised, because I now realize how close I am to such a beautiful area as Grey County and the Bruce Peninsula.
Thank you May 2-4 2010
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