Sun, Aug 27 2006 - Bike The Humber River! (View Original Event Details)
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How the Rain Gods Smiled Upon Us, OR
La Americana en corte del Rey OR
My Date with Lorie
Either one of those titles would have been fitting for my first event as a coordinator. The forecast was ominous, as the Weather Channel™ called for Thunder Showers to rain down from the Heaven’s on my first outdoor event. With this news, the members, one by one, began to slowly drop off. I had faith though, as I believed that not all TOC’ers where fair weather eventers, and I would have a hardy bunch of four accompanying me on my maiden voyage. Morning came, and the skies did indeed look angry, perhaps enough to disconcert the faint of heart, yet there was something in the air that did not dissuade El Rey. I ventured forth to the meet location to await my group. Patience was needed, as one by one my crew became one less. In the end, it was only the brave Lorie who would accompany me, and with that we were finally off on our date!
As we began, our ride was shrouded in mist, adding a wonderful mystique to the once mighty Humber River. Lorie, having never ridden in this part of Toronto, was amazed by the hidden gem that lies within our city. The beginning of the ride was simple enough, except for one steep hill approaching the Canadian Ukrainian Memorial Park, but we conquered it, and soon our reward was our first stop, the magical James Gardens! We dismounted our bikes and took a stroll through the wonderful gardens and waterfalls throughout. Again the mist hanging in the air made it seem like a far off tropical setting, and a few people were meditating by the waterfalls, telling you how serene and peaceful it was this day. As we returned to our bikes, it would appear as if the rain gods had awoken from their slumber, as a gentle rain began to fall, but just as quickly as it began, it ended (this by the way is an excellent place to bring a date during the summer).
We continued on our ride through the road less taken, the wooded trails. We crossed the river over an old wooden bridge, and continued on the east side of the river. As Lorie and I approached our next destination, the Old Mill, a strange splashing sound in the river caught our curiosity, and indeed we saw something curious, so curious in fact we simply had to stop in amazement. What was before our eyes was indeed strange. A man running through the Humber River!? Not only was he running through the river, he was chasing of all things, a Fish! We chuckled in amazement as he attempted to catch it, and continued onto the Old Mill. Again we took a break from our ride and had a look around the old mill, originally constructed in 1793 to process lumber for the proposed town of York (The Old Mill is now an Inn & Spa, another great place for a date).
We left the historic building, and to our amazement and now disbelief, we saw the same man from the river, only this time, he had his reward, a 25 pound Trout!! A true testament of human will and determination if I ever saw one. We continued on, with renewed spirits, and did we ever need them, as the two toughest climbs on our ride where fast approaching! Once climbed, our path was easy, as the river led us to the mouth of Humber Bay, and ultimately, Lake Ontario.
The Skies where still heavy with fog and the lake was nowhere to be seen, but this did not dampen our spirits one bit. We continued along the waterfront trial, passing various parks along the way. I have never seen the trial so quiet on a Sunday afternoon, but this gave Lorie and me a chance to learn a little more about each other. A Chicago native, I learned that Lorie can actually speak Spanish! Quite a pleasant surprise I must say. We continued on, talking bout places we’ve been and where we would like to go, but in the end, we both felt that Toronto is the place to be, because it allows one to sample the what the world has to offer right on our doorsteps! All this talk of multiculturalism led us to our final stop for the day, the Harbourfront Centre (great date place Number 3), where we parked our bikes for the last time, freshened up after a not so grueling, yet very rewarding 26km ride, and sat down to some wonderful Malaysian Pancakes (really a roti stuffed with chicken, peas, and lentils). After lunch, seeing as how Lorie was steps (quite literally) from home, I walked her to her door and we went our separate ways. Had this been a real date, I would call it a success! I headed back along the trail, content that my first event, while small in number, turned out to be a wonderful day! The final touch was the clearing of the sky, letting the sun shine through!
El ReyHave some photos from this event that you'd like to share in our photo album? Please forward them to Erik Sonstenes at photos@torontooutdoorclub.com. Please note that we prefer to receive the photos in approximately 640x480 or 750x500 pixels - do NOT send original high-res photos. If you have a LOT of photos, please submit up to twenty of your favorites (only) for a day event, or up to forty of your favourites for a multi-day event. Thank you.