Spring by Kathryn White

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Rails to Trails

The Trans Canada Trail is the world's longest network of trails. When completed, the trail will stretch 22,000 km from the Atlantic to the Pacific to the Arctic Oceans, linking 1,000 communities and 33 million Canadians. The trail is being used for cycling, hiking, horseback riding and in the winter for cross-country skiing and snowmobiling.

Most of the rail trails were abandoned railway lines that have been resurfaced with fine gravel, and converted to trails for recreational use.

Kissing Bridge Trailway
This is the Kissing Bridge in West Montrose, part of the trail system. This scenic covered bridge was built in 1881 by John and Benjamin Bear, and is the last remaining covered bridge in Ontario.
































On the weekend, we loaded up our bikes and headed to the Kissing Bridge Trailway, a section of abandoned rail line or trail that stretches 45 kms from Guelph to Millbank. The weather was, dare I repeat, perfect for biking and the cyclists and walkers were out enjoying the wonderful afternoon! We started in Elmira and continued through to Wallenstein and then on toward Millbank.























As we were cycling, we were greeted by a groundhog wanting to enjoy the Spring-like temperatures.























The common red-winged blackbirds were making their presence known along the pathway.
We also spotted many killdeer, a unique plover known for camouflaging well on gravel pathways and in fields. They are so quick, running in spurts, that I had a difficult time capturing it, so the photo is borrowed.























We passed many walkers and cyclists, enjoying the wonderful weather.























As we were crossing over the road toward Millbank, I had to capture a unique yet common scene in our area: the Mennonite horse and buggy.