The Quest in the Bois-des-Esprit

After the thunderstorm last night the air was much cooler. I decided to ride to the Bois-des-Esprit in the Royalwood area of Winnipeg in an attempt to find the three-metre tall "Mhtik" (wood spirit) who protects the woodst.

I started on the Niakwa trail and then across Fermor at Archibald and through Willowdale Park to Bishop Grandin.
After crossing Bishop Grandin at Lakewood, I rode again down the Bishop Grandin Greenway and turned south down Shorehill Drive.
Royalwood is a fairly new development; construction is rampant and bicycles and pedestrians are thin on the ground.

I found a trailhead off of East Oak Drive and decided to try the right fork first.

It was lovely and cool in the trees, but after riding around for about 45 minutes, I still had found no trace of the carving.


I asked directions of a fellow who was out for a stroll. He said to look for a dirt path eight feet wide and the spirit would be a way in. Suspecting that the width of the path and the distance to the figure would be subjective, I turned down the first dirt trail I came to.

Eselin was slightly out of her element with the twisty paths and muddy patches, but she soldiered on gallantly.

I found the foot prints of people on mountain bikes at the point where I dismounted because of very soft ground. That made me feel better, especially since other people on mountain bikes behind us had turned around.


The path meandered around the equally meandering Seine River.


A doe, well conditioned by the people on the paths, hardly moved as I rode by. She was so still, in fact, that I initially thought she was a statue.

It was as I was zipping through this dip, avoiding the tree, and noting the bench and the fire pit, that I missed my objective and had to come back.This is Woody, a three meter tall wood spirit. Walter Mirosh and Robert Leclair, members of Les Gens de Bois Woodcarving club, are the men who carved him. The tree from which Woody emerged from was scheduled to be cut down due to Dutch Elm disease.

Our mission accomplished, Eselin and I continued west along Bishop Grandin to River Road, and then home.

Eseiln even managed to bring a souvenir of her journey.


The only downside of this lovely little trip? I had such a sore derriere that the last hour in the saddle were ...tricky.
The Geek is in Calgary right now. Maybe I'll ask her to see if anyone there sells Brooks saddles. I have heard so many good things about them, the price would be worth it.

One Worn-out Back Wheel

The Geek is rather pleased that she has used her bicycle so much the the rear wheel shows signs of metal fatigue.
The rim has cracks and related deformation in two places.

Of course this means she will have to buy a new rim, but she thinks it is worth it.

A Very Colourful Bike

This morning we saw this bike in the weight room at Winnipeg Rowing Club.

I don't know which one of the fellows there rides this bike, (and I say fellow since, as far as I could tell, Semantique, The Geek and I were the only women there, and it is quite a big bike) but he must be very confident since most men in this city would not ride a bike that colour.

One Day on My Stay-cation

I have been thoroughly enjoying my time away from work. Eselin and I did some errants today that got us out on one of the warmest days we've had yet this summer.

This morning we went to water the flowers for some friends who are visiting family in Europe.

Then this afternoon, I went to mail a package to our Dutch friends but found the closest post office to our house had been closed. So I continued down St. Anne's Road to Sobeys, the next available outlet.

After I mailed the letter I travelled for the first time in about three years down the Bishop Grandin Greenway to Dakota so I could connect with St. Mary's Road. I was pleasantly surprised to find a community garden as well as

some art work along this section of the trail. I may have to ride the whole length to see what else is new.
After a few more errands along St Mary's, I stopped by the BDI where Eselin chatted with some cruisers while I picked up my ice cream.
I then enjoyed a leisurely ride home admiring the pretty gardens.



I love summer.

A Load of Potential

This week Garbage Eve netted The Geek this very neglected Supercycle. It is now sitting in the yard with one of two bikes from a previous trip.
And when I came back from the farm yesterday, I brought with me these two bikes.
This is a Venture Caprice that I bought second hand in 1985. I rode it all over that year and it travelled with me to Flin Flon. Now we will have to see what further adventures it will have.
And this well used Supercycle bike is destined to be a road bike for N1 in his future triathlon endeavours.

And, of note. As of this moment, there are on the property 12 bicycles of various sizes and stages of usability, one bicycle frame, eight assorted wheels, parts, and one unicycle.

Fare Thee Well, Specialized!

I sold the Specialized to a sweet young thing from St. James who was so enthusiastic about buying it. She couldn't believe I was selling it and that no one had snapped it up earlier, considering I had posted it on Kijiji on July 25.

Because she is a good three inches shorter than I am, she is much more upright on the Specialized than I was. I offered to let her try Eselin so she could compare the two, but she said she wasn't 'old enough' to want to consider a bike like the Batavus.

I just smiled. How can you possibly explain the appeal of a Dutch bike to someone who thinks they are just for 'older' people?

Back in the Saddle

Last Friday I brought Eselin home again. The good people at Natural Cycle could not find anything mechanically wrong with her, so I guess what I feel is just a quirk.

On Tuesday I went to the Western Canada Aviation Museum to see one of the last two flying Lancaster bombers.

I had considered cycling there, as it is only about 11 kilometers from home. I am however, glad I didn't.
The lack of bicycle parking could have been managed, but there were so many drivers who were not paying attention that I had to do some fancy footwork on my six block walk to avoid being hit. I would not have managed such nimbleness on my bike.

I did however learn a great deal and my respect for war veterans only continues to increase.