On the Edge

All photos taken on July 10, 2022, during our 36 km. (22.5 miles) bike ride see son L and daughter A in Edmonton.

Ever since we got the new E-bikes, we had been saying we should ride into Edmonton to see L & A. It appears the last time we got this adventurous was in 2020. Our only hesitancy was that we would have to ride on Township Road 510, a narrow East/West rural road, that while paved, was not in great shape (or even the same width along its length).

We picked Sunday for the expedition, thinking it would be quieter. We were partly right on the inbound ride, but oh, so wrong on the return.

We started out shortly after 10:15 AM. The day was cool and promised increasing West winds as the day went on. That would ease our return trip, but we would feel the chilly breeze as we rode West, not a bad thing.

Exiting Beaumont

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on 510 – you can see our speed on the speed read out sign – the posted limit is 60 or 70 k/h (37 or 43 1/2 m/h), depending where you are on the road. It was our intent to get off this road as possible. You can see there is no shoulder on this part of 510, but further up by Royal Oaks subdivision, the edge of the road is crumbling, making it even narrower. I am sure a few drivers cursed us for impeding their progress.

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Just before hitting the Nisku Spine Road (roughly 101 Street NW in Edmonton), we paused to admire the yellow canola (rapeseed) blooms.

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On the Nisku Spine Road, we had a wide shoulder, almost a road to ourselves, as the traffic whizzed by at 80 k/h (50 m/h).

A new industrial subdivision is being created near 41 Ave SW.

By this point, we were booking it at almost the governed speed limit for the E-bikes. Approaching 41 Ave. SW., Industrial buildings abound, including the 1,000,000 square foot (92,903 square meter) Amazon fulfillment centre in slide 1.

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At 41st Ave SW, we made the transition from street to shared use path, along the North side of the road. Much calmer riding now that we were separated from the cars.

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In the centre of the overpass over the QE II (north/south Highway #2), we stopped to look at the freeway and city. Those high rises from downtown Edmonton were 17 km (10.5 miles) away, as the crow flies. Moisture and smog in the air distorted the image.

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Now on 41 Ave. SW, we rolled past Allard and Desrochers subdivisions – houses to our right and farmland to our left, until we reached 141 Street SW.

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Since our last ride here, the shared use path had been extended and we were able to continue on, separated from traffic. More road and home construction was ongoing.

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We rolled North, past Chapelle Gardens and Jagare Ridge subdivisions, now mostly complete, with shops and schools…..

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….until we arrived at L & A’s and sat down in the back yard. I welcomed this, because quite frankly, my butt and bike seat had become one. Our 17.6 km (11 mile) ride had taken only 50 minutes, including photo and traffic light stops.

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After about an hour, our visit over, we began the homeward portion of the trip…

…down 141 Street…

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…to and along 41 Ave…

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…back to Nisku Spine Road., where we were going to continue East on 41 Ave. SW (Township Road 512). We had a bit of a problem there, negotiating the intersection of these 2 divided roads. No pedestrian traffic was allowed and the turning traffic made it difficult for us to cross to the South and then the East. We finally gave up and tried to be vehicles, but the afternoon traffic flow was much busier.

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On the surface, 512 seemed wider than parts of 510, but the pavement was rough and bumpy and the traffic in both directions was relentless. OK, so we won’t be doing this again.

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At long last, we reached Range Road 243 which meets up with 91 Street SW. The road was better and the traffic a bit lighter. We were rolling through farmland again.

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Just North of 510, we stopped to capture some canola, cloud and crop shots. Behind us, a family had the same idea of taking portraits amidst the blooms. Apparently, the Insta and Facebook crowds have been creating a fair bit of crop destruction, posing for their shots (similar to what happened in the sunflower fields a few years ago).

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Now back on 510, we kept up a pretty steady pace, to get safely back into Beaumont, while cars whizzed past us impatiently.

We both breathed sighs of relief, as we turned East into Beaumont and then made it back to the shared use paths.

Almost home. A good ride and we still had more than 1/2 our battery power left. Coffee time!

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