Winter Not Yet!

 G. T. Bishop flies into the Ma Bicyclette Café ten minutes late under the judging gaze of Louis Rubenstein though A. T. Lane and Karl Kron seemed more understanding. In his rush to get down to the meetup point, G. T. thought he had forgotten his wallet and beseeched his fellow members for a loan to see him to a coffee. A. T. Lane and Karl Kron were quick to pass over some funds while Louis, perhaps remembering the fact that Trenholme Printing Company ultimately went into receivership, moved aside a few cobwebs and produced a single, tarnished loonie. 

Fortunately, G. T. located his wallet in a back pocket and was able to return the offered sums back to the members. Over the warm drinks, A. T. discussed the upcoming AGM as well as his idea to embark on an MBC cinematic venture for the club.

Finally, the members prepared to set off on a late fall bridge crossing fixture.

Louis was proudly wearing his favourtite World Cup team colours as the members headed south towards the Champlain bridge.

The route followed the 'secret', circuitous Point St Charles route known, apparently, only to G. T. at the special request of Louis.

A. T. had to bid adieu at the Canadian Tire as he was late for a mission of Mercy so the three members continued on towards Nun's Island.

The relatively warm weather meant the bike path leading to the bridge was almost completely clear of snow and ice, and the members quickly made their way up the incline as Karl Kron recounted his recent trip to India and Nepal.

Descending smartly down the far side of the bridge, the members stopped briefly to admire the work going into dismantling the old Champlain bridge, the remnants of which were standing like the columns of an ancient Roman temple.

Following the bike path downriver, G. T. was pleased and surprised to note that the bike path on the south shore was clear and there were poles installed along each side of the path to indicate that the municipality would be clearing the paths during the winter. Perhaps it has something to do with the partial closure of the tunnel and encouraging commuters to use other means than cars and trucks during rush hour.

The members continued downriver to the Longueil marina before passing over the 20 on the bike bridge. The nice, spiral ramp was one of the few spots that had any amount of ice and it was theorized that the green painted surface did not warm up as much as black tarmac. Perhaps some day it would be heated!

Shortly after, the members picked up the path leading through town to the Jacques Cartier bridge.

There was a brief stop at the Ile Ste Helene exit to allow Karl and Louis to catch up with Louis receiving a special welcoming party.

Passing down onto Ile Ste Helene, the members enjoyed the views of downtown and the installations on the island.

Finally, it was time to start heading homeward over the De la Concorde bridge and past Habitat 67.

Note to members, the bike ramp to exit Ile Ste Helene to the Concorde bridge is closed for, surprise, construction so a detour onto Ile Notre Dame is required to access the bridge.

Back at the Lachine Canal, G. T. bid adieu to Karl and Louis as he headed east towards the Old Port and home. Karl and Louis waved good-bye as they proceeded west along the Lachine Canal.

Total distance for the day about 45K.

G. T. Bishop