There are about 800 kilometres of bike pathways in Calgary .
There will be an additional 138 K of paths once the Greenway is completed. For
those who don’t know, the Greenway follows the ring road around Calgary .
Not all of these are just for bikes; often we bikers have to share the paths
with pedestrians, skate boarders, in-line skaters and sometimes babies in
strollers. Most of the paths are very pleasant for a leisurely ride on a warm,
sunny day, but aren’t very good if you are a destination oriented person.
The people who are in charge of the pathways don’t seem to
view bikes as a viable method of transportation. They say they do, but if you
want to bike somewhere in the fastest possible way, you will have to ride on
the streets. The pathway system meanders like an old river and often in places
large cracks erupt from hidden tree roots. Just because you are riding a bike
to get from A to B it doesn’t mean that your time is any less valuable than
some guy in a Hummer.
I have very strong opinions on this subject and tonight
isn’t the night for them.
Tonight I want to talk about leisurely rides that Louise and
I have been taking on the completed portion of the Greenway by our home. There
is very little traffic and enough up and down to make it interesting. You will
ride by wetlands that are home to aquatic birds, frogs, insects and quite
possibly alligators. Okay, I made up the alligator bit up, but I suppose it
could happen. There are quite literally thousands and thousands of ground
squirrels that are digging holes everywhere there is dirt and some places that
I swear they have to bring in the dirt.
Louise took a tumble in one of these hidden holes today when
she was turning the bike around. Thankfully, she was going very slowly and it
was mostly her pride that was hurt. Mostly… Whenever we meet someone on the
path we will either say hello or just give a tip of the helmet to acknowledge their presence on the planet. They
generally will smile or even wave back at us. The odd person looks at us like
we are something that needs to be scraped off the bottom of a shoe. Personally,
I think those people should be scraped off of the planet, but that is just me.
A couple of days ago we passed by a young woman that didn’t
even look up when we approached. She looked as if she had the weight of the
world on her shoulders and just couldn’t hold it up any longer. Her face was
red and blotchy and I suspect that she had been and was still crying. Of course
I will never know what it is that is bothering her, but I hope that someone
that loves her or cares for her well being will give her a helping hand. She
could have just lost a job or a significant other; there might be some personal
tragedy that is weighing heavily on her shoulders.
I know that there are times when money problems can bring
you to tears. There was a time in my life that a broken car, needed tires,
faulty washer or dryer or a furnace that died in the middle of winter brought
me to tears. I made it through and generally when you stop feeling bad for
yourself, a solution often will present itself. Not always though. Some
problems just can’t be solved with a positive mental attitude. Sometimes
nothing can help.
I hope that young woman can get over whatever is bothering
her. We saw her today and she seemed to be just as sad, but Louise thought she
was marginally better. I don’t know, but then again I have never been very good
at dealing with other peoples emotional problems. Well, at least there is a
beautiful place for her to walk.
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