Sat, Sep 22 2007 - Bike Ride on the Lightfoot Millennium and Uhthoff Trails, from Orillia to Coldwater and Back (56 km) (View Original Event Details)
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What a wonderful day Linda D, Doug, Tony, and I had on the Lightfoot Millennium and Uhthoff Trails on Saturday! None of us had previously been on these trails, and we were most delighted with what we discovered once we got there.
We parked our vehicles off of Jarvis St., which borders the Millennium Trial, and started our ride from there, proceeding in a northerly direction. The starting point was easy to find. For those who intend to do this ride in the future, the town of Orillia has a good website with a downloadable map showing the route of the Millennium Trail and its various access points, as well as the location of parking lots.
The Millennium trail is paved, smooth and lovely. Going northward, it eventually meets up with the Uhthoff Trail, which has a crushed limestone surface, and the Uhthoff Trial, a rail trail, proceeds northwest towards Coldwater. While the Uhthoff Trail appears to be rather under-utilized, especially at the Coldwater end, its surface is very easy to ride upon for all types of bikes (for the most part, even someone with a road bike would be okay, I think). The four of us road all the way to Coldwater, where we cycled through town and stopped at the local fair grounds, at a picnic table, for lunch. On the way back towards Orillia, Linda D and Tony wanted to stop to pick some raspberries, so we arranged for them to do so while Doug and I continued on our way back to Orillia, to explore the southern part of the Milliennium Trail. Unfortunately, Doug's back tire began to lose air once we were back in Orillia, and he had to use his small air pump at least a couple of times before he could continue riding. Due to his tire, he was forced to return to the parking lot, while I, and eventually Linda D and Tony, further explored the southern portion of the paved Millennium Trail, that runs close to the waterfront in Orillia. We all agreed that the southern portion of the Millennium Trail was absolutely gorgeous. There are little beaches along the Trail, as well as park-type areas with picnic tables. We stopped for a time along the edge of the lake next to the trail, to take in the peaceful, beautiful scene. Linda D even dipped her feet into the rather cold but clear lake water. Tony had a brief nap on the top of one of the picnic tables. I sat on a rock, mesmerized and consoled by the rolling waves of water approaching towards the shore.
Linda D, Tony and I then returned to the parking area, where we met up again with Doug, who was relaxing in a park next to the vehicles. We loaded up the bikes and headed back home, knowing that we had had a wonderful day of riding. And did I mention that the weather was perfect? It was sunny and a pleasant temperature for the whole day!
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