Haha! I can see it now!By the horizontal bar underneath the saddle which supports the bike and which appears to be hidden by Przemek.
What a beautiful day to be out and about and so nice to see it on full display in your trip report.Todays ride was mostly paths and roads again, as the formerly packed snow is now getting very soft. The weather today was beautiful and the forecast for the week is such that I should consider taking the Ice Spikers off - but this is Southern Alberta and March is usually the month with the most snow...
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When I left the house, it was at least 4 or 5C and was a really nice day. I was really only planning to ride maybe an hour and a half, but it was so nice out I kept going.
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Here's a satellite view if you are interested.
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Pathways were mainly bare and dry, but some patches of ice and lots of standing water from snow melt. For the first time, maybe a rear fender would have been appropriate, but it wasn't too bad.
Most of these photos are from the top left of the route, and is part of what is considered Symon's Valley. When I moved to Calgary in 1992, most of that area was farms and ranches.
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In the area on the right side of the map, just below the "C" in "Nose Creek Park". I had a short 19% climb, but the snow was soft and I lost traction and had to walk the last 3 meters up the slope back to the main pathway.
I sat down on a bench for some hydration and had a visit with 3 Romanians who'd migrated to Canada a couple of years ago. We had a nice visit and they were amazed that I'd been to there capital city and we'd eaten in one of the same seafood restaurants! Here's a shot from the bench I was sitting on, followed by the top of the path I spun out on.
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It was a good day out and on the way home I took an extra ride to the west to visit a friend (@ X) where I helped him reduce the volume in one of his Whisky bottles - some Macallan I believe.
It was reasonably nice out so we could sit out on his deck (with coats on) and discuss some common things that are currently affecting us and our families.
As per the title I gave my ride, I finished my audiobook. Peter May's "The Man With No Face".
It's one of his earlier publications and I enjoyed it. It was written in 1981, and so the technology we take for granted now, wasn't there. No cell phones, no internet etc...
It's going to be a busy week, including a meeting about a contract proposal that without Covid, I wouldn't entertain. The bum shoulder heading into golf season is a factor too - I think I'll be able to play a bit, but not everyday.
But if the terms (both $$$ and) are what I want, I might consider taking on some contract work again. I know what it entails and it would whet my appetite for a while. They sought me out - I wasn't looking for work and had in fact told some friends the other day that I was done. Going back to work does entail some algebra though... I think the equation is N+1 or something like that.
Cheers
Can’t say that I blame you for extending your ride. By the time Calgary hits double digit temps there won’t be any snow left up on Nose Hill. Ok, I shouldn’t speak so soon as we’re barely into March.
Finding our way around this thread …
David has been able to create the largest, most viewed and popular thread in this Forum. Kudos to him! This thread also plays significant social role here. I'm glad David asked other Forum members to join his threads, and defined the contents: Words, photos (and videos), maps and ride metrics. It makes us travel around the world!
It was a little cold today with a light easterly wind but it wasn't too bad for the time of year! I thoroughly enjoyed myself and that's what its all about, I want to keep cycling forever Not many photos today as it was overcast and misty!
Wow. Ebiking where even the skiers fear to tread. I feel like I'm getting whiplash flipping from Australian sun to Canadian snow in just a few posts.The Riverbend Ring
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I spent part of last Sunday morning, once again, at Riverbend. This time my ride included a section that I couldn't have possibly undertaken on a standard bike due to the complexity of the terrain. I didn't get around to editing the video until well into the evening which is the reason for the late submission plus, I still had more compiled footage in the pipe from Monday’s ride which I was also working on.
I have no trip stats to submit as my Garmin decided to bail on me right from the get go and was chirping incessantly in the background during the ride. It was so irritating that I decided to replace the original audio track with music for the entire length of the video. My apology to all. The Trailforks link below provides some data about the ring trail.
The temperature was -6C when I left the house and -3C by the time I returned home. It was a very pleasant day with mainly sunny skies.
The southern leg of the Ring is dotted with a mix of climbs, wide sweeping turns and downhill runs making it an ultimate e-biker’s winter ride. I didn’t have time to explore any of the other trails along the way but I was fairly certain that they all led back to the trailhead. There are several loops that the XC skiers use for training purposes and also for local race events. The Ring can be ridden in either direction starting from the bridge but I found the overall approach on the southern half a bit steeper when rounding it in a clockwise direction.
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My usual point of entry and starting point is at the footbridge. The northern half of the trail is relatively easy and relaxing and is most popular with casual hikers and recreational bikers. The southern half, from my perspective, is used primarily by the most fit and experienced XC skiers and involves some fairly steep climbs as evidenced by the many skate marks clearly visible in the snow. This day I only encountered one skier on the trail which was a bit of a surprise considering that it was a weekend.
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I guess Albertans are no strangers to winters and they make the optimal use of their time which includes outdoor pursuits such as XC skiing. It's likely why this southern section of the trail was created by devotees of the sport. The municipality owns the land and leases it to the golf course. The City of Red Deer also works with the local Nordic ski club and the Riverbend Rec Assoc to maintain the ski trails and pathways over the course of the winter season. It's a team effort that makes this area such a great place to enjoy over the long winter months.Hey PD, Your community sure has some nice public amenities. I've seldom seen as nice or extensive. What is the source of the obvious wealth that could provide such? Just curious.
At about the 6 minute mark, you took a right hand turn and headed downhill. In my head I am yelling Yippee !The Riverbend Ring
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I spent part of last Sunday morning, once again, at Riverbend. This time my ride included a section that I couldn't have possibly undertaken on a standard bike due to the complexity of the terrain. I didn't get around to editing the video until well into the evening which is the reason for the late submission plus, I still had more compiled footage in the pipe from Monday’s ride which I was also working on.
I have no trip stats to submit as my Garmin decided to bail on me right from the get go and was chirping incessantly in the background during the ride. It was so irritating that I decided to replace the original audio track with music for the entire length of the video. My apology to all. The Trailforks link below provides some data about the ring trail.
The temperature was -6C when I left the house and -3C by the time I returned home. It was a very pleasant day with mainly sunny skies.
The southern leg of the Ring is dotted with a mix of climbs, wide sweeping turns and downhill runs making it an ultimate e-biker’s winter ride. I didn’t have time to explore any of the other trails along the way but I was fairly certain that they all led back to the trailhead. There are several loops that the XC skiers use for training purposes and also for local race events. The Ring can be ridden in either direction starting from the bridge but I found the overall approach on the southern half a bit steeper when rounding it in a clockwise direction.
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My usual point of entry and starting point is at the footbridge. The northern half of the trail is relatively easy and relaxing and is most popular with casual hikers and recreational bikers. The southern half, from my perspective, is used primarily by the most fit and experienced XC skiers and involves some fairly steep climbs as evidenced by the many skate marks clearly visible in the snow. This day I only encountered one skier on the trail which was a bit of a surprise considering that it was a weekend.
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I think he is talking about the one thing you two really have most in common....OIL that is ....Texas tea ,black gold etc... " Next thing you know old Jeds' a millionare ...so his kin folks said Jed move away from there!"I guess Albertans are no strangers to winters and they make the optimal use of their time which includes outdoor pursuits such as XC skiing. It's likely why this southern section of the trail was created by devotees of the sport. The municipality owns the land and leases it to the golf course. The City of Red Deer also works with the local Nordic ski club and the Riverbend Rec Assoc to maintain the ski trails and pathways over the course of the winter season. It's a team effort that makes this area such a great place to enjoy over the long winter months.
As an avid golfer who has visited our area in the past, I wasn’t sure if you were familiar with Riverbend or not. It’s also a popular spot during the summer months when Discovery Canyon is open to the public.
Yesterday was an epic time to be out as we rode The Ring in the opposite direction and also took on some challenging single track at Heritage Ranch and The Pines. I’ll be sure to follow up with more video footage of yesterday’s ride.
So true. Alberta has for decades placed itself in an enviable situation as the oil capital of Canada and it’s paid handsome dividends. That is no longer the case and we now find ourselves as a ‘Have Not’ province struggling with a record deficit and the absence of a sales tax. So much for the Alberta Advantage.
Stuck redoing kitchen and back stairs flooring and all the other associated stuff. Plus contract discussion with my old firm at 1230. He will think that he's interviewing me, but he would be wrong as it's the other way around.As an avid golfer who has visited our area in the past, I wasn’t sure if you were familiar with Riverbend or not. It’s also a popular spot during the summer months when Discovery Canyon is open to the public.
Better come up soon as the snow won’t stick around much longer.
True Art, but there are so many places in the world that would welcome our "problems". Anything further I could add to top up would be political so I won't, as it has no business in here with our ebikes.So true. Alberta has for decades placed itself in an enviable situation as the oil capital of Canada and it’s paid handsome dividends. That is no longer the case and we now find ourselves as a ‘Have Not’ province struggling with a record deficit and the absence of a sales tax. So much for the Alberta Advantage.
