Biking to the Beach

For this August long weekend I decided to get some exercise and enjoy being at the beach. 

Early in the afternoon I headed off from Osborne Village with a full pack of water, towel (don't forget your towel), and snacks. I traveled along Boardway and up Main to Henderson Highway. From there I took one of the side streets to make my way to the trail along Gateway Road. 

The trail along Gateway Road is the Northeast Pioneers Greenway and a beautiful bit of urban trail that is the converted Marconi Spur rail line. This trail continues over Chief Pegasus and terminates at the Perimeter Highway. Unfortunately there is no proper crossing to continue on into East Saint Paul.  

Once in East Saint Paul, I traveled through Silver Springs Park which is a former quarry and is consider a hidden gem (http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/former-quarry-a-hidden-gem-163983336.html). It's was fantastic cycling along with water on both sides of the trail. Care should be taken when cycling in and out of the old quarry as it can be quite steep. 

From the quarry I headed north on the Duff Roblin Parkway Trail (http://www.floodwayauthority.mb.ca/po_recreation.html). The trail was in great condition with little traffic.  Moving along the trail you can see pelicans, other wildlife and great hay bails. This trail connects to Birds Hill Park via a floating bridge that spans the floodway and then crosses highway 59. Following the trails through the park and on to the roadway, I headed to the west beach to cool off after a great bike ride. 

On my return trip I decided to continue further down the Duff Roblin Parkway Trail. There was no traffic along this part of the trail. It was just myself, the birds and the bugs which didn't bother me at all. It was wonderful just bike along such a nice bit of gravel trail. As I went I startled birds that flew along with me as I biked. I even had the pleasure of coming across a hawk or falcon who flew up and then sat on a hay bail to have his picture taken. I continued along this trail until I needed to get off which was at the Highway 1. My only disappointment is that there was no nice way to get off the trail to the road. I had to bike/walk to tall grass then scramble up the bank to the highway to get back to the city. I'm pretty accustomed to highway cycling but it would have been nice to hook up to some trail back to the city rather than bike along the highway with all of the broken pavement and pot holes. 

Link to a map of my route from Downtown to Birds Hill:

http://www.mapmyride.com/workout/675927071

Hike from Old Pinawa Dam

Saturday June 14th 9:30am, I and a group of 11 hikers set out from the Old Pinawa to the Pinawa Golf course. The day was cloudy, the grass was wet from the rain in the early morning and the mosquitoes swarmed around us. Thank goodness for bug spray.

The hike took us through grasses, trees and along the water. It was great to get out of the city to explore nature, Manitoba history and listen to bird songs over the murmur of fellow hikers. We saw rapids and wetlands; deer and ducks. But when the trails turned towards the shared trail with ATVs, I and a few others took a different path, one yet to be made and explored what could be. 

Romeo Bernardin took my friend Sarah and I through 3.5 kilometers of bush to see a potential new route that the Friends of the Pinawa Trail are considering.  It brought us close to the water and to wonderful vistas of the area.  I hope in the future that others will have the opportunity to see them and do not have to bush-wack for 3 kilometers.

As an aside, if you are thinking of heading out this way, please remember to bring bug spray (I used Ben's and only had a relatively 'few' bites) and dress in proper clothing to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes and ticks. When I looked at the backs of other hikers I could see what could have been hundreds of mosquitoes trying to bite through people's jackets. 

But all in all a great Manitoba trail.