2022 Rides - Week Twenty

Whoopsie... posting this almost a week late. Feels like forever ago...!? 

Monday took the long route to Sobeys at Preston Crossing... 

So Many Goslings 

pile of goslings!? 

Still more goslings

Not sure when this was...? Maybe heading to work Tuesday morning...? 

Rode to Art Drop-In with Keiran in the evening. 

Wednesday I rode over to my folks to help them out with a few things. Hit the library on teh way home. and then went out AGAIN, riding up to Chief Mistawasis Bridge and over through the Northeast Swale.

Park downtown and more goslings 

Not sure if you can make them out, but down by the weir and the train bridge there were HUNDREDS of swallows soaring through the air, dipping and bobbing and hoovering all the mosquitoes out of the air!? 

Looking North from the Chief Mistawasis Bridge. 

Heading east on McOrmond Drive. 

First little wetland just off McOrmand drive - like you could toss a stone from the road and land it in the middle of the pond... SO MANY BIRDS here!? 

LIke, there's the road... 

And there's the water!? 

There were Canvasbacks and Horned Grebes and Canada Geese and American Coots and Mallards and... 

KILLDEER - first I've seem this year. 

Yellow-Headed Blackbird - also the first I'd seem this year 

Further down the road - big Raven on a power line. 

I always feel like this is a statement... like they are guaranteeing there will be wildlife on the road ahead. 

There used to be a sign below it that said "NO STOPPING" and I always thought; "So... you're just supposed to HIT the wildlife on the road!?" 

More wetlands in the Swale

More wetlands in the Swale - across the road. Might have to check those out some time. 

STILL more wetlands in the Swale

I stopped at one of the larger ones. 

it's close to housing, but not SO close to a freeway, I thought there might be more birds here. There were SOME, but not as densely packed in as the previous wetland! 

Saw a few new birds. 

Another Killdeer and some Blue-Winged Teals. 

It rained on Thursday I didn't go anywhere.

Friday I made a quick trip to Broadway for a few groceries. I didn't take any pictures along the way. 

Saturday we went over to bike Universe and picked up some tires and Arkel panniers!? All was 50% off - they are going out of business and closing the following week. Like, TOMORROW, now!? 

Later in teh afternoon I took a ride out to the Chappell Marsh Conservation Area

Heading out of town. 

Dirt roads to the marsh 

Tree Swallows on bird box

Grand Trunk Bridge. 

rode to University bridge on my way back, just to get some extra kilometres in. 

MORE goslings in the park

It's getting a bit ridiculous. 

you get the idea right...? 

Lots of others gathering around and taking pictures. 

Are you sick of goslings yet? 

Or just can't get enough of them!? 

Last one... for Saturday.... 

Sunday  I went out for a ride with Keiran on the tandem.

Pictures of goslings had to be taken. 

And Pelicans at the weir.

and some of those pictures had to be sent to grandma. 

and then we visited grandma. 

Turkey Vultures!? 

Chief Mistawasis Bridge. 

That small wetland right next to McOrmond again.

SO MANY BIRDS EVERYWHERE!? 

That's an Osprey at the top of that pole. It had lunch with it... 

Checking out birbs at the large wetland in the swale. 

Mallards and Teals

More Texting... kids, amirite? 

That's all for now. 

2022 Rides - Week Nineteen

 On Tuesday I went for a ride with my friend Neil. I met Neil over thirty years ago during one of my brief attempts at post-secondary edumacation.  We did a LOT of mounting biking and a bit of mountain climbing and stuff back in the day. Then he moved away. Then he moved back. Then he moved away again and we kind of lost track of each other... Then he was back and I found out through a mutal friend and we reconnected. Then.. Well you get the idea...

Then a year and a half ago I just ran into him along the Meewassin Trail - I was riding to campus with Amanda to get office stuff and he was riding to work in the opposite direction. Amanda was like "oh, didn't I tell you we'd run into each other a few weeks ago?" (she had not). Information was exchanged. a few emails were sent... then things happened. At the beginning of this year I got a phone. texts were exchanged.... then live happened... ANYWAY... We FINALLY got around to meeting up and going for a ride together! 

We rolled out of town to the south, through Chief Whitecap Park. 

I took no pictures. Too busy catching up. 

Wednesday I rode out to Sobey's at Preston Crossing. 

Not the closest Sobey's... but I can get there almost entirely along multiuse trails - AND the route is almost entirely along the river. 

This little crossing by my house - which they'd dug up last fall and didn't finish before it snowed... FINALLY DONE! 

Work being done on the little bridge just north of the old Mendel Art Gallery. wonder what they're doing...? just resurfacing...? or are they actually going to make it wider - it is an old, old bridge and very narrow - compared to the roadways north and south of it - and really not fun to cross as a cyclist as there is ZERO room for cars to pass (Oh, but they will TRY!?) 

Lots of people at the Weir - including a class trip 

presumably to check out the pelicans. 

More work... I guess they expect people to turn around and go back...? or just veer suddenly out onto the road...? 

One day of raid last week and now everything is turning GREEN! 

Made it to Sobey's. So glad to have the salsa up and running. (only needed a few things)

candy cane seems a bit out of season

Thursday, went out for another ride, southeast of town. 

Jets skis back on the river. thought they were going to blast past the kayaker... but they slowed and stopped. 

Looks like a lot of geese nesting on the island under the south bridges. 

heading out of town 

Looks like someone got a baby deer!? Where's the rest of it!? 

Poles

So many poles 

What am I doing here..? 

Field. Clouds. 

Road cyclist blowing past me. I think it was Sarah from the Bike Doctor who sold me the new tires for my Salsa....? 

Road. 

dirt road through a field. 

came back into town through Chief Whitecap park 

Paddler, respectfully keeping distance from the nesting geese. 

Ive seen others walking on these islands...

The new section of the Meewassin Trail 

After my ride, Keiran and I rode back to the new section of the Trail - as it is very smooth and very wise and there aren't a LOT of people there on a weekday evening...

And we went skating for the first time this year. 

unfortunately no grass on the side of the trail to roll off into in an emergency... just dirt or mud.

Zoom.

Keiran showing off mad skillz.

We didn't skate all that long. Keiran tired quickly, using muscles that hadn't been used in months!? 

Almost fell once - which Keiran totally captured in this pic.. 

Totally did NOT fall though... 

calling it a day

Riding home. 

On Saturday I rode with Keiran to dance class. 

Then rode around Montgomery while they were in class. 

Lovely, but weird neighbourhood with lots of trees and no sidewalks. 

Sunday afternoon, rode out of town to the wouthwest to check out Chappell Marsh. 

Long shadows in the late afternoon. 

Spotted Mourning Dove again - in the same place I had the previous week. This one stayed on the line long enough for me to take one quick picture. 

Road to the Marsh. 

Some kind of blackbird...? 

One of the bird boxes was clearly occupied! 

There were two horned grebes on the north side of the road. 

Lighting was not ideal to get a really great pic... 

I took a lot hoping one might turn out.. 

SO MANY Red-Winged Blackbirds

South of the road, things still looking pretty dry. 

There were a few shorebirds that I couldn't quite identify. This big guy. 

Bunch of little guys.. 

That's about it... 

126.5Km this week. 1410.9Km this year. A bit behind where i thought I'd be! Better get doing more long distance rides!