Monday was a beautiful day, and the morning was a great time for a bike ride. We decided to load up the bikes and try out the Goderich-to-Guelph (G2G) multi-use trail. This is mostly based on an old rail line running from Goderich to Guelph through southern Ontario countryside.
We drove to a parking area at the north end of Goderich and unloaded the bikes. Soon after starting, the trail crosses the Menesentung Bridge, with great views of the Maitland River and the Goderich salt works.
Today we rode the first 12.5 km of the well-surfaced trail. Even though the morning was cool, the shade was welcome and the trees gave shelter from the sometimes-brisk northwest winds. Some sections opened up to give views of the countryside.
Soon enough, we came the the end of this first trail section, at the abutments remaining from an old rail bridge that crossed the river. The trail continues on the other side, but it's a 7km detour to cross the river without getting wet. One intrepid cyclist had his mountain bike down at the river, intending to ford it through some shallows, but he was still thinking about it when we headed back the way we came.
On the way back we started to see the main bridge again:
A lovely introduction to the G2G trail, we covered 25 km for the round trip, in a leisurely 2.5 hours.
On Sunday our older daughter and family came for a visit, bringing a yummy carrot cake (made by 2 of our grandsons) for a birthday celebration. When we got home from our ride, our treat was our last pieces of carrot cake from the day before. All in all a fine day.
An approximate map of today's ride, in red:
Yes, nice introduction to the trail. Pheebs and I walk that trail from time to between the harbor parking lot and the highway 21 overpass. Nice views. The trail can also be easily accessed from just a few hundred yards west of Tiger Dunlop's tomb at the site of the old CPR train station.
ReplyDeletePerfect day for wonderful Views!,,,,
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