As a cyclist, I am much more comfortable riding around the streets of Montreal where the drivers are fast, but good. I would be more reticent to ride around the streets of Toronto, not only because of the dearth of bike lanes and paths, but also because the drivers are not as reliable or predictable.
Now, there is another reason to avoid the streets of the Queen City. The mayor of Toronto, Rob Ford, was photographed recently reading a document while driving his vehicle. His response when questioned about his risky behaviour was to dismiss the question with the retort, "I'm a busy man."
I'm sure such a role model will be held in high esteem by all texting teens and cell phone addicts who are equally as busy as the mayor.
There is a saying that mariners often use in this age of technology; "Nothing replaces looking out the f-ing window!"
The Canadian and US Coast Guards work together on the Great Lakes since the border passes through 4 of the 5 lakes. However, Canadian CG vessels rarely go into Lake Michigan. This past month my ship was invited to attend the Coast Guard Festival in Grand Haven, Michigan, which is located on the eastern shore of the lake at the mouth of the Grand River.
Grand Haven was named Coast Guard City, USA by Bill Clinton when he was president and the citizens take the title very seriously.
We were invited, along with two USCG vessels, to the festival in order to open the ship for tours to the many visitors who come to Grand Haven to enjoy the beaches, carnival, parade and especially the fireworks.
Grand Haven actually has a number of bike paths although some of them that pass along the waterfront such as the picture above tend to be just another sidewalk when there are alot of pedestrians around. But at six in the morning, there are not many people competing for space on the paths.
This picture was taken from a path in a park area near the generating station (why do so many green lands tend to be near power plants or sewage treatment plants?) accessed from the Third Avenue bridge. There are thousands of pleasure craft moored in marinas throughout the Grand River.
Another morning took me exploring through the town. There was something about this place that screamed USA; I had to take a picture.
It was an interesting and intense trip with ten thousand people visiting the ship over the week, but I was happy to leave the harbour and head back to Canadian waters even if they were a bit rough.
During a stop in Sarnia, Ontario I got a chance for another morning ride. The best place to ride is around the Bluewater bridge where you can pick up a bike path that takes you out to the Bluewater trails, an old rail line.
Like a lot of places, Sarnia tries to show an extensive cycling network on their map, but the yellow routes are the only actual paths. Once you do get on the trail, though, it is quite pleasant.
The path is somewhat narrow and you will sometimes need to duck under the overhanging trees, but the ride out to Bright's Grove passes between homes and beside a golf course and farms selling local produce.
There are some historic displays along the route as well as some improvised art installations.
Or perhaps it is a political or philosophical statement?
On the way back to the ship, I stopped to admire the Port Huron lighthouse on the shore and the quiet waters of southern Lake Huron. There is something about these moments that causes me to reflect on the days, usually in the late fall, when the waters are very stormy and the contrast between the two.
Amherstburg is a small community south of Windsor, Ontario on the shores of the Detroit River at the western entrance to Lake Erie. There is a small Coast Guard base located here so we often stop on our travels through the Great Lakes. It is also a strategic location during the winter when the ship is on icebreaking standby.
There is not much in the way of cycling infrastructure in Amherstburg, but early morning rides are free of much traffic. I did come across a bike lane on a country round that began and ended between two intersections with no connections to any other bike lanes.
Still, I did like the way the lane was created on one side of the road rather than a bit of extra shoulder on each side as most shared road lanes tend to be. Also, it was a nice feature to cut the mini-bumps on the edge as a safety feature against sleepy motorists.
On my way back to the ship, there was that lovely rose coloured sky over the Amherstburg channel; probably the best part of riding at this time of day.
Amherstburg had a part to play in the war of 1812 and, like many places around the Great Lakes, has a bit of history on display.
All is forgiven, though, and Americans are our best friends 200 years later.
Having grown up around Toronto and now residing in Montreal, I carry a large grudge against the Queen City. There are just so many things to hate about it, trashing Toronto has become a cliche.
However, before I went back to work on my ship, I had call to stopover in Toronto last month and I was astounded by the new subway car I rode on.
Spacious, air conditioned, lots of hand holds, extra wide doors and open from one end to the other! Makes one cringe at the thought of entering the steamy depths of the Montreal Metro system.
The subway map even lit up to show the next station.
Not enough to ever make me want to move back to TO, but Montreal could take a few pointers from Toronto when purchasing their new fleet of Metro cars.
