Iron Horse Gets Bent At July Mass

The July 29 Critical Mass saw us there on our r'bent cruisers and Greg showed up on his Rat Fink with his friend on his chopper. We were alone on bents this month. There was a guy on a homemade tall bike but I don't know if he was a Freak or not. The ride left Spadina & Bloor at 6:30pm and headed east to protest the Jarvis bike lane erasures coming up. We were joined at Bay street by a pickup truck and loudspeakers playing music, leading us down Jarvis street. When we reached Queen, it was a quick U-turn and riders going down Jarvis got to glad-hand the riders going up Jarvis to Wellesley and then over to Yonge and south on Yonge to Richmond and west to University and north to College where the mass turned west and we cut out. I don't know where they were headed, but we were going to the Dub (A&W)for supper!
2 hours & 8km.

Toronto Islands Ramble & Naked Lunch Sunday July 17

We arrived on Hanlan's Point just ahead of Noon and met the next ferry as it arrived with 4 riders on it. A call was received saying that the main bunch of riders had missed the Hanlan's Point ferry and had taken the Ward's Island ferry, instead of waiting in the heat for the next ferry, and would be waiting for us at the changing rooms on Centre Island. The six of us left the Hanlans dock about 1pm and quickly rode to Centre Island where a show-and-tell was in progress with the thirteen members of the other group.
After baking in the hot sun a while and partaking of refreshing drinks, we headed east on the paved Cibola Ave to Chipppewa Ave where I led the group onto the wooden boardwalk along the breakwater and rode east to Withrow Street on Ward's Island and then south to Bayview Ave and then West on it to the Ojibway Ave wooden bridge over the canal on Algonquin Island where we stopped for drinks, lunch. scoping out each other's rides and chit chat.

We got a call that the high wheeler group had gotten lost on Ward's Island and they were directed to meet up with us at the waterfront. We then finished touring Algonquin Island, back across the bridge onto Cibola then west to Centre Island again. Then it was west on Lakeshore Ave to check out the clothing optional beach. I commented did you see all the boats anchored just off shore? The reply was "there were boats there??"

Then off to the Hanlan's Point dock and a finish up rest under the shady trees to wait for a ferry to take us abck to the mainland.

Taking Queens Quay east I rode over to Sugar Beach and then took Parliament north to the TIm Hortons pit stop before heading home! A great ride with a great bunch of people, and everyone had a great time as the pics can attest. We are planning another ride of the Islands, for sometime in August. 13km.

Waterfront Trail To Long Branch

Sunday July 10, 2011
What a great day for a ramble ride to Marie Curtis Park in Long Branch. Other than the on-street (Lakeshore Blvd) part from Louisa Street to 1st Street the Waterfront Trail was all off-road multi-use trail and not much of it being used. A word of warning to anyone riding along the Trail going through the Etobicoke Yacht Club, there is a small sign about two feet by three feet just before you enter the condo area. I was not looking anywhere near it as I rode by, instead was looking at all the expensive yachts in the bay there. It is planted in the garden between a fork in the trail. To the right you go up a bit on a hill and out between buildings onto Lakeshore Blvd; to the left you go through the condos driveway and four security guards who tell you that you are trespassing and that you have to turn around and go back; and if you argue with them they might let you through but you have to walk your bike. The reason given was that too many of the condo residents have been hit and run down by cyclists speeding through the 6 inch high speed bumps on the driveway. Come to think of it you know who would be going through there full tilt? Yeah, spandex wearing racers! Just be careful, thats all!
Also if you are tempted to ride on the sidewalk along Lakeshore, thats a no-no too as they have bylaw signs every block stating that. In Toronto we can legally ride on the sidewalk if our wheels are 24inch (60 cm) or smaller, but not in Etobicoke (even though Etobicoke is now a part of Toronto!
Other than that, the trip was uneventfull and a nice ride. On the return trip we decided to take Lakeshore from Marie Curtis Park and I was surprised to see a bike lane painted out on Lakeshore starting at 40th Street and running east. Caution should be used when riding in this lane, as all the vehicles parking at the side of the road drive into the parking spaces, meaning that they have to back out and may have trouble seeing you riding in the lane! 30km.

My Birthday Ride To Cliffside

Sunday July 3, saw us cruising from Sugar Beach to Cliffside and Bluffer's Park as a way to celebrate my birthday and miss the hull-a-ba-loo of the Pride festivites downtown. We waited at the foot of Sherbourne Street beside the new water park till 12:30pm for anyone wishing to join us, before heading east on the MGT for the Beaches. After taking a rest at Balmy Beach we joined up with the Waterfront Trail and cruised and mountain-climbed our way up to Kingston Road and Birchmount. I say mountain climbed because after riding on a few residential streets the Waterfront Trail enters into a paved park trail that rises at about a 60 degree angle upwards through woodlands along side what turns out to be Rosetta McLain Gardens. What a blast to come down that trail on a mountain bike but we were on r'bent cruisers and had to push them up the grade! At Fallingbrook & Kingston I spotted a red sign on a post "Monolithic Sidewalk Begins" and a bit further on "Monolithic Sidewalk Ends". We have never seen these signs before and thought, what the heck is a monolithic sidewalk. Now we know, looking it up on Wiki. Continuing on we got to Brimley Road and Kingston Road and had to stop for the stoplight. While waiting, there was a continuous stream of cars coming through the light and turning right at the light going down the Brimley Road hill to Bluffer's Park. The exhaust fumes just hung in the air as they came to a standstill, definately not a place for cyclists to go, so we continued on to Harewood Ave (just past St. Clair) and stopped at Pizza Pizza for a slice (spicy chicken). After soaking up the free air conditioning for a while we went west on St. Clair to Birchmount and down to hookup with Danforth Road then Danforth Ave to Woodbine and southwest on Gerrard to The Tulip at Coxwell & Queen (mostly great donwhills) Since we were not hungry after the downhill cruising from St. Clair, we continued onto the MGT and after a rest stop on the dock at The Docks, we headed for home. A great way to celebrate my birthday, cruising around the city; for sure! 8 hrs, 28km.