Bike Ride

This afternoon I went out bike riding for a bit. The heat was on in the city, but I took the easy way out -- I rode through a trail is sheltered in green. It's a good stretch of wild that has been allowed to survive in Toronto. I started out at Leslie and Steeles, riding through the East Don Park, heading south. The trail runs along the Don River -- and if you follow it, you can make it all the way down to the lake. Last year, I cheated a bit by starting at Sunnybrook Park, and almost made it to the lake. I'm starting to get ready for that trek -- although I may just take the ride from home, instead of cheating. (I'm not sure how I'll come back home yet.)

Today I didn't go too far. I went as far as Leslie and Sheppard, then turned around and came back home. The entire trip, including stops for a drink and a bit of a break at Sheppard, took me 1 hour. By the end of it, my thighs felt like they were going to burst. I'm still a little wobbly after running up the stairs. Guess I should be exercising more to get my stamina back up.

Anyway, the ride -- click on the map to see the larger version -- or go to Google Maps to see the trail. You can't miss it. It's that dark band of green that winds its way north to south. When I got back home, a little movement caught my eye as I was about to head down to the basement parking to stow my bike. I went over to investigate with my camera. It's amazing that in the city, you can still find a little bunny -- in the wild. This one can't be that old. It must have been born this spring or later. Amazing that it's alive, appears to be healthy, and is carrying on as if things are as they should be.

There's probably going to be more and more wildlife coming back to the city. I know I've seen a wolf or coyote a couple of times crossing the road at night. (It had looked scared and confused.) With the movement to green Toronto, things can only get better -- for the wildlife and for us. I've already seen the efforts of the city in many new trees being planted along roads. Toronto is already known for being a very green city -- and we're getting greener. With the increasing temperatures we've been having -- thanks to global warming -- and the smog that make hot days worse -- greening the city couldn't come any sooner.