Training Log Archive: Bash

On a sunny Easter Sunday, 'Bent and I rode the Georgian Trail from Thornbury to Meaford and back. We've ridden the trail between Thornbury and Collingwood many times but this was our first ride west of Thornbury.



It was fun to see some different views and we were surprised by how high the trail climbed above Georgian Bay. We caught glimpses of several farm markets on Hwy 26, so we'll have to do a driving tour some day.

Meaford Harbour is pretty and looks similar to Thornbury Harbour.





On the return trip, we turned off to see Christie Beach Conservation Area. It's a great beach - probably very crowded with limited parking when the weather is warm. We saw some kayakers loading their boats. Then we rode through Lora Bay and climbed back to the Georgian Trail.





Others in our household were not impressed that we went for a ride.



I bought the same Lindt chocolate bunny that Mom and Dad used to give me. Traditions must continue.

Nice paddle on the Beaver River with Goose and Coach LD. We got caught up on their Yellowknife adventures and their new grandson, Ahfré. We saw our bald eagle and trumpeter swan friends again, along with other beautiful birds including sandhill cranes. No muskrats this time. The water was at least a foot lower so we couldn't paddle through the forest anymore. Once again, we had the river to ourselves.



We found two rubber rafts and each took one home for the garbage.



We went to the new location of the Blackbird Pie Company and bought buttertarts to eat on the deck with coffee.

Dog hike around our Kolapore property and a short walk on the Bruce Trail and the connector trail we built.



The Bruce was too muddy in places so we'll avoid it for a while longer. The Kolapore Trails Association doesn't want anyone on the ski trail network yet so we bushwhacked over to see what the northernmost trail looked like. As expected, people have been using it and trashing it, just like in Palgrave Forest. Some of the damage done every spring is permanent or requires considerable work from trail maintenance crews.

We have wild leeks everywhere!



I counted this for my Easter Egg badge, which means I had to eat chocolate afterward. :)

Tomorrow Ontario starts another shutdown. It changes almost nothing for ‘Bent and me in Peel Region although the maximum outdoor gathering size of 5 people may come into play when planning hikes, etc.

Bruce Arthur of The Star, who has written extensively about the pandemic, published a very bleak column about the frightening situation in our province. Text in the comments.

I did a Spring Scavenger Hunt challenge where I had to roll dice and use the answer in some way to plan a run or hike. I decided to roll two dice and go that distance in kilometres. I rolled snake eyes so that was easy - and convenient because I'd actually wanted to do a strength workout so this was a perfect warm-up.



I stopped at Thinker's Hill to check out the view.



I saw something shiny on the ground and burst out laughing when I recognized it. In the Winter Scavenger Hunt, we got points for finding a fork in the trail and for finding a spoon in the trail. Some of us carried a spoon to make that happen. Apparently I stuck it in the snow, took a photo and completely forgot about it. :)

Adventure Basement workout - rowing, weights and planks.

First bike ride of the season! The rail trail is nice and dry but I had to ride around on roads to get there because the forest trails are still too soft for riding. The north part of Duffy's Lane is still closed for winter, which made that nicer. The south wind was Super gusty; I had to fight to keep my balance a couple of times. Nice to be pedalling again!

I landed a last-minute cancelled appointment and got Pfizer vaccine dose #1. Very, very (very, very) grateful. In the short time I was away, a tree fell across our road. Glad it missed me - oh, the irony of being crushed like a bug right after getting an expensive, potentially life-saving vaccine. I was feeling so invincible and full of community spirit that I stopped and did my best to clear a lane on the road - even directed a schoolbus to safe passage. A young man saw me struggling with the main tree trunk and came out with an axe to finish the job.