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In the last couple of years I've only been utility cycling (e.g. to commute, buy groceries, go to the mall and so on) and haven't really done any recreational cycling. That's a shame because Ottawa has an extensive network of bicycle paths. The NCC even closes off the Parkway on Sunday mornings for cyclists.
I decided to take a short trip around a nearby multi-use path and start riding again just for fun. Multi-use means that the path is shared between users of all kinds, such as joggers, cyclists, cross-country skiers, and so on.
Here is the entrance.
Hmmm... No dogs allowed during the winter. I wonder why?
The trail surface varies depending on where you are on it. For the most part it is hard-packed earth with a thin gravel overlay like this:
Sometimes the gravel has been worn away and only earth remains. Depending on the time of year, there can be a thick or thin layer of pine needles carpeting the trail as well. These can hide ruts and roots to trip you up, so you have to keep a loose grip on the handlebars and hold yourself out of the saddle a little for comfort.
In other parts, there was no wide, gravel path made, so the trail is mostly compacted earth through grass:
Then, the trail branches off. There is a choice between a path through marshy area or a drier path through a pine tree farm. The wet, marshy path is longer so I chose it instead of the dry path.
There were lots of grasshoppers and dragonflies on this fork, but unfortunately, many mosquitoes as well. I ended up with about four mosquito bites, each the size of a two dollar coin. I'll spare you the photos :)
Since the path crosses some small streams and goes through wet earth, there are raised sections on platforms like this:
The platforms aren't any trouble for hikers or joggers, but they are a pain in the ass for cyclists like me who have atrophied off-roading skills. Descending from a raised platform is usually no trouble, but popping a wheel onto one is tricky if you aren't used to hopping curbs or going over logs and similar bumps. Especially since if you fall over, there is a big chance that you will end up in the water!
For people on foot, there are occasional exercise stations having balance beams, pullup bars, pushup bars, and so on. I think this is a situp station.
One thing I find funny is that people aren't the only ones who use this trail to keep fit. Even dogs need to jog and lift weights; in this case, both at once! That's a big log to carry around for two or three kilometres...
And here we are done. From this point onwards, we are back to asphalt bicycle trails and regular streets. After riding on gravel and dirt for a while, it feels like you can fly on regular roads because there is so little rolling resistance (well, until you are hit by a headwind or reach a long hill).
