To the Lake and Back

     I have been off work this week for a "staycation" and today was the first day I managed to go out an a bike ride. I went down the hill and got onto the Trans Canada Trail that follows the Speed River up to Guelph Lake.  The sun was shining brightly, but there was a bit of a cool breeze in the air, so it was a perfect outing.  For the most part, the river valley is untamed, and quiet except for the birds and insects. The picture above is the end of my ride, where the Speed River comes out of the dam at Guelph Lake.  The yellow of the Golden Rods matched the painted part of the dam well, and there's also a bit of blue in the sky and on the front of the parked truck, as well as a bright red sign at the base of the dam.

     At the top of the hill, you can look down into the river valley, where some brave soul was fishing in the malodorous and scummy waters.  Still, from a distance, the lake looks cool and inviting.

     On the way back from the lake, I alternated riding and walking because I wanted to take my time in and amongst the forest and stillness.  There are many cedars which have a very beautiful reddish bark, and the forest floor is covered with the also-red fallen needles. The trees were planted in straight rows, which makes for a dramatic vista, and makes me feel like a fairy-tale character, following some quest/journey.

     One of the more interesting plants I saw on my ride was the spiky cucumber-like vine above.  When I was kid and was walking along the creek bed in a forested area, I came across these unusual seed pods for the first time and imagined that they were some kind of alien life-form and was excited, and a little scared,  about my discovery. It turns out it's just Wild Cucumber (Echinocytis lobata), a native Ontario Wildflower!

     The light at this time of year is quite spectacular and casts lots of interesting and spooky shadows.

     While riding through Riverside Park, I stopped to take some pictures of the pedestrian bridge over the river and caught a seagull mid-flight.