the morning journey
My day began on the saddle of my bicycle. I’ve been getting out on the bike regularly this year, which is a welcome departure from the last several seasons when my logged time and mileage on the bike had experienced a long (and unfortunate) decline. Riding in Calgary has been fulfilling for two reasons in particular: I have reconnected with a friend, Paul, who shares my passion for riding long distances, and Calgary is still sufficiently unfamiliar to me that I feel like I’m exploring new terrain with nearly every ride. I’m at no loss for motivation.
Despite experiencing a long absence of any serious commitment to my bike over the last few years, I feel like I’m riding strong, but not without some strains and pains. Perhaps oddly, the strain that is giving me the most trouble is in my arms. After a couple of hours on the bike, my arms have reached their limit, exhausted from holding my upper body upright ceaselessly. Although, to give them credit, I do rely on my arms a great deal to position my upper body to leverage momentum from the handlebars and my bike’s stiff frame to assist with my climbing.
I rode today for just over two hours on a long stretch of Calgary’s recreational trail network, a stretch that 
Paul and I discovered earlier in the week. While Paul wasn’t on the ride this morning, I did retrace our path eastward through downtown and historic Inglewood. From there the trail winds its way up and down small rolling hills through a wooded area near to the Bow River Weir. I continued past and followed the trail in a southwest direction along the river and into a clearing where I was struck with the full heat of the day, which emanated from the long stretch of flat asphalt beneath me and from the ribbon of steel on my right that held many idle rail cars. I descended closer to the river and into a more temperate climate under the canopy of trees. I rode over a narrow bridge of wooden planks where the trail wraps around one of the support structures of a railway bridge spanning the width of the river overhead. I crossed the river myself a short distance away.
Paul and I discovered earlier in the week. While Paul wasn’t on the ride this morning, I did retrace our path eastward through downtown and historic Inglewood. From there the trail winds its way up and down small rolling hills through a wooded area near to the Bow River Weir. I continued past and followed the trail in a southwest direction along the river and into a clearing where I was struck with the full heat of the day, which emanated from the long stretch of flat asphalt beneath me and from the ribbon of steel on my right that held many idle rail cars. I descended closer to the river and into a more temperate climate under the canopy of trees. I rode over a narrow bridge of wooden planks where the trail wraps around one of the support structures of a railway bridge spanning the width of the river overhead. I crossed the river myself a short distance away.The south side of the river presents some challenges: steep, long climbs and quick descents that include perilous sharp curves where the river or its creeks flow immediately off of the pathway’s edge. However, the scenery makes the dangerous journey worthwhile. I cruised through deep wooded lands with luxuriant foliage and came upon a large inlet of the river that the trail encircles. I cycled the loop before retracing my path homeward bound.
Near to my ride’s conclusion, I decided to cycle past my apartment building in favour of adding a few more kilometres. I rode westward along the Bow and beside a CP rail line. The trail was often bumpy because of tree roots expanding just underneath the asphalt. I had little tolerance for the bumps since saddlesore had long ago taken me. For those sections of the trail where the bumps were concentrated, I opted to lift myself up off of my saddle while my bike bounced roughly over the protruding roots. Before long, I crossed a bridge over to the north side of the river and proceeded eastward to Kensington before crossing again and arriving home––at last.
musings that reveal
Sunday, July 15, 2007
