A fine day for a cycle

Got my summer rims spinning perfectly so I set sights to cycle the Beechville Timberlea Lakeside (BLT) Trail … I still think of it as the Bayers Lake Trail (BLT) which is connected to the Chain of Lakes Trails. One day I’ll sort it all out, but let’s just settle on BLT for today.

Journey to Cranberry Lake via the BLT

From Bayers Lake Park (BLP), I started on the BLT from Horseshoe Lake Drive heading West to Timberlea. This section of the BLT connects Horseshoe Lake Drive to the Coca Cola plant on Lakeside Park Drive and is 1.2km on newly paved asphalt.

Shortly after the car wash on Horseshoe Lake Drive, we can see significant development for new retail/light industrial business. There is also a subdivision being built further west from these pictures. This development will be serviced by a new road called Hobson Lake Drive connected to Chain Lake Drive.

Too many damned lakes.

If you are using your vehicle to ferry your cycle to the BLT trail, there is a small parking lot and rest station at the Coca Cola plant on Lakeside Park Drive. I neglected to take pictures here as I just cycled on through to Governor Lake.

This section of the trail is a well maintained path covered in crusher dust. I don’t know if I want this section to be paved as I enjoy spinning through the gravel.

Trail grade has a slight decline for 2.6km to the waterfall. This is a very pleasant section to enjoy as you are beside the lake; flies were out today though so I had to keep my mouth closed.

I was disconcerted to see 2 or 3 different ATVs booting around during my travels down the trail. Evidently, motorized vehicles on nature trails do not require any form of vehicular lighting.

Cranberry Lake

Having had my break at the water fall, I cycled for 7.5km to Cranberry Lake heading West past Timberlea. These photos were taken at the rest stop.

Be advised that the trail to Cranberry Lake from Glengarry Estates climbs about 35m so you’ll have to generate a bit of sweat to maintain speed.

As you all know first prize is a Cadillac El Dorado. Anyone wanna see second prize? Second prize is a set of steak knives. Third prize is you’re fired. Get the picture? [Glengarry Glen Ross]

I turned around at the lake, just to enjoy the downhill sprint back to Timberlea as I am ultimately a lazy man. Once I get my legs back in shape, I’ll report back on the trail from Timberlea to Upper Tantallon … another 20km there and back from Cranberry Lake.

Cycling is dry and dusty work

So maybe I did forget my water bottle on purpose, but I knew there was a trusty watering hole near my planned route; namely, T.A. Verns or the Timberlea Beverage Room (TBR). Back in the day, I dimly recall playing with a couple of bands here.

BLT to Joseph Howe Drive

After my pit stop at the TBR, I engaged after burners and cycled back to Lakeside Park Drive and met up with the BLT back to BLP. I carried on through Chain Lake Drive and headed down the hill going underneath Northwest Arm Drive (Dunbrack) towards Joseph Howe Drive.

This gave me the opportunity to take a few pictures from Ashburn Avenue of the Bayers Road overpass.

Garmin Forerunner 305

I use the Garmin watch and heart rate monitor for some of my rides; I did not wear the heart rate monitor today.

Slides shown display the Garmin Training Center output for this particular track today. It is also possible to export the map data to Google Earth which I then labeled with some of the spots discussed above.