Friday, August 6, 2010

Hello From Toronto – A Bike Tour through the Don Valley to the Toronto Islands | Extended Stay

"In my opinion, Toronto is a wonderful city cycleable, there are about 40 km of cycle paths along the way, about 125 km paved bike paths. What makes Toronto unique is a network of canyons, the city from north to south, most of which have bicycle lanes. Uscycled under the bridge through Leaside Pottery Road and stopped just below the Bloor Viaduct, which connects the original name of the Prince Edward Viaduct System Bloor Street to Danforth Avenue on the west by the Don River valley."

Kayaking St. Lawrence Islands National Park�|�Ontario Adventure

"Located smack dab in the middle of Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, the 1000 Islands encompass the stretch of the St. Lawrence River between Kingston and Brockville, Ontario. With camping gear packed, I made the trip from my home town of Peterborough to Gananoque, the “getaway to the 1000 Islands”, in an easy two and half hours."

Mountsberg Conservation Area

"Mountsberg Conservation Area is a 472-hectare Ontario park located near Campbellville, about an hour's drive southwest of Toronto. It is designated as a Regionally Environmentally Sensitive Area and a Provincially Significant Wetland, and is home to many rescued formerly wild raptors. These birds all have some kind of impediment that prevents them from surviving in the wild so Mountsberg is now their permanent year-round home."

Ontario Ministry of Northern Development, Mines and Forestry

"A network of six integrated area teams (Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Sault Ste. Marie, Timmins, North Bay, and Kenora), with offices in 32 communities across the North, act as the focal point for the delivery of programs and services in the key economic sectors of the North. They work with communities throughout the North to help them identify and facilitate economic development opportunities and develop proposals. The integrated approach allows the ministry to effectively support economic development initiatives in the North by providing a wide range of products and services in a more focused approach to client service delivery. Regional Economic Development staff also meet with Aboriginal communities and groups to promote programs and assist with the preparation of Business Plans for proposed projects."

All aboard for paddling Ontario's glorious Spanish River

"As we paddled, I thought about how the train trip was a throwback to the 1940s and '50s. But people are still using the rail to get to town, carry supplies or as a means to get to their camps and lodges. We saw a group of school kids on a field trip from Sudbury cheerfully getting off at Cartier. Most of them, including the teachers, had never been on a train before.
And how truly Canadian it felt to load our canoe and equipment barrels onto a rail car and be able to get off or get picked up virtually anywhere on the route from Sudbury to White River. Paquette, who has spent 14 years working on the railway, said trains are a popular way for paddlers to access the rivers in the area."

Nipigon OPP Outdoor Safety�|�Ontario News North

"The OPP want to remind outdoor enthusiasts that plan to go hiking or blueberry picking to follow some safety tips to keep you and your family safe.

Always tell someone where you are going. When you are leaving, notify someone of the number of people in your party, direction of travel, and the estimated time of your return. If you are hiking off of a trail system, tell someone the location of where you are accessing the remote area. This is important if your party is overdue and police assistance is required, a starting point for the search can be determined."

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Crash kills ATV driver - Timmins Daily Press - Ontario, CA

"Ontario Provincial Police are wrapping up an investigation into a collision that left one Shillington man dead.

The collision occurred around 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, after the driver of an all-terrain vehicle failed to negotiate a curve in the road, hit the ditch and rolled several times before coming to a stop.

The collision occurred on Hwy. 577 in Stock Township, east of Matheson.
Fifty-year-old Jim Crites, of Stock Township, died as a result of injuries sustained in the collision."

Spectacular fall foliage in Ontario | Easier

"Ontario is arguably the most colourful place in the world in autumn as 70 percent of the province is covered in ancient Boreal Forest. The province also boasts more than 330 provincial parks covering 9 million hectares and a vast network of waterways. With its abundance of pristine nature, Ontario is a popular destination for hiking, canoeing and tree-top canopy walking in autumn."

Gearing Up: News and Tips about Cycling, Gear, Rides and the RONA MS Bike Tours in Ontario: Boost Your Fundraising!

"The RONA MS Bike Tours 2010 are underway, and here is a great opportunity to give your fundraising a boost. Check out Read to End MS, a chance to enjoy your favorite magazines while adding to your fundraising total."

Training Workshops | www.sustainabletrails.com

"Currently we have over 50 hand tools, mechanized trail building equipment, a full compliment of personal protection equipment and a well trained staff that would ensure a very informative and successful training workshop."

The Ontario Trails Council Trailhead Ontario conference say an installment of the Sustainable Trails offered and the OTC is in the process of establishing itself in partnership with the Professional trail Builders Association.

Welcome! | Bruce Trail

"The BTC AGM hosted by the Iroquoia Bruce Trail Club. September 17, 18 and 19 2010 on the Hamilton Harbour Queen adn at the Parish Church of St. Luke, Burlington."

Canoe, speed boat collide - The Lindsay Post - Ontario, CA

"No one was seriously hurt when a speed boat and canoe collided on Balsam Lake near Lightning Point Rd. about 4:45 p.m. Sunday, police said.

Several of the occupants of the boats suffered non-life threatening injuries when the crafts collided in the channel west of Rosedale, City of Kawartha Lakes OPP stated."

Hume: Cycling in Toronto is a joke - thestar.com

"Toronto’s bicycle policy is no policy at all; it’s a series of half-measures that add up to little.

The latest example, the much loathed bike lanes on Jarvis St., finally came to pass this week after years of rancorous debate. The new lanes begin at Charles St. in the north and end, as abruptly as they begin, on Queen St. to the south.

In other words, the new lanes are all but useless to anyone who happens to be travelling anywhere above or below that particular stretch of Jarvis. The new lanes do connect with others that run along Wellesley, Carlton and Gerrard; the failure, of course, is that they don’t connect with either Bloor St. or the waterfront."

The Great Canadian Kayak Challenge - Ontario's Wilderness Region

"Discover the second annual Great Canadian Kayak Challenge, in Timmins Ontario. Part of the Timmins 100 Celebration. Situated at the Participark, in Timmins Ontario will be several divisions of kayak races. Cash prizes available to winners! Whether you want to race or watch, there is entertainment for you. From live musical guests, to a beer garden!"

Couple adds to nature reserve - Owen Sound Sun Times - Ontario, CA

"Petrel Point is a small area on the west coast of the Bruce Peninsula where rare wild orchids bloom and threatened plants, birds and wildflowers prosper.

It is the site of a 24-hectare nature reserve, which protects fen, globally rare coastal meadow marshes and clusters of trees, shrubs and flowers."

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

New bike racks help encourage active living - Simcoe Reformer - Ontario, CA

"The Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit and Norfolk County are making it easier for citizens to make the healthy choice when it comes to transportation.

Over the past few weeks, bike racks have been installed in visible, convenient places at a number of municipal buildings throughout the county.

'We are always encouraging people of all ages to be more active,' said Michele Crowley, physical activity promoter at the Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit, in a media release. 'Cycling to work, school or any other destination is a great way to build activity into your daily routine.'"

The BEST Mountain Bike Trails in Ontario || SINGLETRACKS.COM

"Singletracks members have ranked the best mountain bike trails in Ontario using our unique trail ranking algorithm. The best bike trails are rated by weighing the following ranking factors:
Average trail rating
Number of members who have ridden the MTB trail
Number of members who want to ride the MTB trail
Number of times the trail has been ridden by members (ridelog)"

Timmins ATV Tours - ATV Vacations & ATV Rentals at Timmins, Ontario

"Welcome to Gordon's Guide to Timmins ATV Tours. We have a listing of the finest Timmins atv tours, Timmins atv vacations, and atv rentals at Timmins, Ontario. All of the atv tour operators represented here have atv tours at Timmins that fit all ages and interest levels.
Each Timmins atv tour found here links to a more detailed trip information page in addition to including a link to the supplier's website. Begin your search for Timmins atv vacations by studying the following list of Timmins atv tours, Timmins atv vacations, or atv rentals at Timmins, narrowing your selection to 2 or 3, and contacting the respective atv tour operators for more detailed information."

kawarthaNOW.com ™ | Events On Now in the Kawarthas & Peterborough Ontario | Kawartha Events | Trails Guide - The Kawarthas

"Millbrook Valley Trail
Located behind the arena in the charming village of Millbrook, this 1.5 kilometre loop passes through mainly flat terrain next to Needler's Mill Pond. It is currently being extended to join other local trails. Managed by Cavan Millbrook North Monaghan Township. Information: (705) 932-2929."

Prince Edward County Ontario | Ontario Cyclist

"Prince Edward County – a peninsula jutting into Lake Ontario the county offers a number of excellent routes. One is the circle trip around the Waupoos provides great lake views, a stop at an apple winery and the interesting lake on the mountain before the downhill into Picton."