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Was delighted to see the 'shared streets' program being set up in #yeg once more. I was worried that the rumoured upcoming anti-bike lane legislation from the UCP would hamper this program.
I can say that the Saskatchewan Drive and Calgary Trail contra-flow lanes have been set up. At least one more summer for #yegbike and alternate mobility modes!
Took a 4 hour #bikepacking trip to Miquelon Lakes Campground. Section roads that were mostly paved and not too busy, secondary highways the same.
Didn’t expect such luxurious accommodation in the ‘Comfort Camping’ Yurt! Of course we brought enough camping equipment for every season. All we needed to bring was bedding and groceries.
This might be the best and well equipped Yurt we have stayed at in the Americas and Europe - in our anecdotal experience and very small sample size.
Full sized refrigerator, fancy propane BBQ, good kitchen equipment, coffee pod maker with pods.
Yurt has a moon/roof, and this is a dark sky preserve, so I’m looking forward to that.
So far, so great.
#yegbike and environs.
#bikepacking but not that self-sufficient this trip
There will not be regular #yegbike commute reports until June. We will be camping in Miquelon Lake for the week, hopefully catching bird migration season.
Pictured is some of the food we are packing along, one of my favourite aspects of #bikepacking - eating essentially the same foodstuffs, but portable camping versions. Cooking them outside makes them taste even better.
Miquelon Lake offers a Yurt, complete with refrigerator, so this trip we have the luxury of bringing more than dry goods.
#yegbike commute: temperature is +9°C, and it’s still raining, at times heavily. Paths are full of deep puddles, bits of trees and gravel on the paths. But those paths were mostly empty, and the streets quite light of traffic.
Wind is less, that’s something, as are the birds chirping.
#earworm ‘Rivers Of Babylon’
#yegbike commute: even with a temperature of +10°C, it’s a cool, grey and miserable day. Medium gusty wind from the northwest, light but omnipresent rain.
Surfaces damp with puddles, but not too bad on gravel tires. Traffic medium and mostly respectful. Not many people about, a few other bikes.
Could be worse conditions, but not as bad as the last few days. Back to the grind.
#earworm ‘Miracles’, Fleetwood Mac.
The few songbirds out in voice made my morning possible.
There was a #yegbike commute this morning, but there seems to be some tech issues.
Anyway, it was above zero and slight southwest wind. Surfaces on paths and roads mostly dry, some puddles but blessedly still in liquid form (state?).
Traffic medium busy and medium annoying.
Not many people out and about on the paths, but I did have an interesting interaction.
I was at a traffic circle, and so was looking in the distance for oncoming hidden cars. At the crosswalk, a pedestrian darted out in front of me. They were camouflaged and quite short, so I didn’t see them earlier - they were a coyote. I should have yielded right of way, I think, but Inwas caught by surprise. I need to check the bylaw or traffic acts to see if yielding right of way applies only to humans. Offhand, I don’t think it mentions species of pedestrians.
#earworm is ‘Breakdown’ by Tom Perry & The Heartbreakers, but I substitute the lyrics to ‘Ballad Of John & Yoko’ for the words I don’t know.
#yegbike commute: quite comfortable temperature of +8°C with a lighter northwest wind than yesterday. Surfaces good, fair amount of walkers, joggers and other bikes on the paths.
Took the High Level Bridge and then 113th Street up to Kingsway and then Princess Elizabeth Avenue. Nice to have proper separated bike route most of the way, at the expense of 4 extra minutes over the 96th Street route. Not sure if 4 minutes is worth skipping the Grierson Hill climb.
Anyway, songbirds were more present than yesterday, certainly on the old airport site.
Traffic still noticeably light.
Quite ideal riding conditions overall.
Even though it’s quite dry, #earworm is Led Zeppelin ‘Fool In The Rain’
#yegbike commute: good temperature of +7°C but medium gusty northwest wind cools things down, and discombobulates my mind. Nevertheless serenity prevailed. At the expense of some mindfulness. Taking mostly bike paths does that. A few early morning riders on those paths, as well as some pedestrians. Inner city fairly subdued.
Traffic light, that is quite easy to get used to. I hope it’s more than the price of gas. But I’m sure that’s the reason.
Songbirds at medium level, but quite welcome.
#earworm ‘More than This’, Roxy Music
#yegbike commute: perfect temperature of +5°C with light southwest breeze.
Traffic light and well behaved. Few walkers on the paths, bike commuters back on their rides.
Some inner city action on Boyle Street, the campfires are back with questionable fuel sources.
Quite ideal riding conditions.
Songbirds out in full voice- chickadees, robins, starlings, and red-winged blackbirds. Had to dodge geese in the Greisbach pond routes.
#earworm gentle Bossa Nova of Tom Jobim ‘Wave’
https://youtu.be/JGqzKmp_5Bg
#yegbike commute; just below zero 0°C with slight northwest wind makes for a great ride. Surfaces mostly good, bare and dry. Sun coming up on the morning commute is appreciated. Also watching the geese try and swim on a frozen pond quite amusing.
Traffic light, not many people about.
I do hope we get a lovely spring like this lasting more than a few days.
So far, so good.
#earworm is still ‘Breakdown’ by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Although it does morph into the Drifters ‘On Broadway’, then Hit The Road Jack
#yegbike commute: quite comfortable temperature of +11°C with the slightest of easterly winds. Surfaces all good, a fair amount of joggers and dog walkers on the paths. Only a few other bikes, and light traffic which was well behaved.
The songbirds are out in full voice this morning, and in Greisbach the ruby-winged blackbirds were singing, one of my favourites.
Pretty good riding conditions overall, for today at least!
#earworm ‘Don’t Leave Me This Way’, as covered by the Communards.
https://youtu.be/1RHBAd5YUR8
#yegbike commute: good temperature of +10°C, but a medium gusty northwest wind cools things down. Surfaces all good, a fair amount joggers and dog walkers on the paths. Medium amount of other bikes, inner city quiet.
All the bike paths were still there, and I detected no animosity from the light traffic.
Not many songbirds singing, mostly ducks, geese and gulls about.
Not a bad ride.
#earworm ‘Come In From The Cold’, Joni Mitchell.
#yegbike commute: slightly cool at -1°C with slight northeasterly wind. Traffic quite light, Sunday morning of the May Long is so nice. Pedestrians about in the downtown, the other bikes were not commuters.
Quite ideal conditions, no complaints.
Birds were mostly ducks and geese. Not much songbird activity.
The #earworm is one of ours, not recorded.
#yegbike commute: temperature above zero, I don’t know if it got below zero overnight, there was some light frost. Wind was a gentle southwest breeze.
If you ever want to go for a good road bike ride, a holiday morning is the time to do it. Only a few cars about, mostly had the streets to myself. And the few other walkers.
Great ride, if given the opportunity to think about the former British Empire on this Victoria Day.
#earworm Waltzing Matilda, Eric Bogle