From Brar's buffet to Brampton Trails!

After fueling up at Brar’s all-you-can-eat vegetarian buffet—we set out on two wheels for an ambitious ride home to east Toronto. The plan? Tackle the Brampton Etobicoke Creek Trail and see how far we could go. Spoiler alert: the day was full of surprises, scenic beauty, and a classic cyclist detour story.

The Brampton Etobicoke Creek Trail, named after the meandering creek it shadows, winds through a lovely linear park system starting near the Charles F. Watson Family Gardens just north of Steeles Ave. From there, it stretches northward about 14.5 km, taking you through Brampton’s greenbelt past wooded areas, bridges, and wide-open spaces perfect for a spring afternoon.

The weather couldn’t have been better—sunny, mild, with just enough breeze to keep things cool. We were determined to clock in a solid 30 km, and the first half of the ride didn’t disappoint. The trail was in great shape, with plenty of space for cruising and occasional greetings from fellow cyclists and joggers. Nature was out in full force, and the creek was running lively alongside us.

But, as any Toronto-area cyclist knows, spring and summer bring their share of... surprises. Right around Midway Crescent near the airport, we hit the familiar sight of fencing and construction barricades. Like clockwork. As with many riders before us—and a few right alongside—we channeled our inner adventurers, hoisting our bikes over the fences and pressing on. That spirit carried us a little farther, until the trail truly ran out and funneled us out to Kipling Ave.

At that point, we hopped on the train back home, tired but satisfied. A scenic afternoon ride with a perfect spot for watching jets coming in, a bit of spontaneous urban trail-hopping, and a full belly from Brar’s—what more can you ask for on a spring day?

Road Trip to Collingwood and Owen Sound

Remember when you were a kid and there was always that one unplanned trip with your folks that turned out to be the most memorable.  Or the trip that started out the worst you know the large cottage rental that was actually a one room shack and no working stove ending up being the best?

I've experienced a lot of those memories.  It makes you realize that it's not really what you have or where you go, it's who you're with that make these memories stick.

My partner and I went on yet another road trip ..which I planned weeks in advanced, but we ended up not sticking to the plan anyways and we still had a great time.

DAY 1

Started out early on Sunday morning with our car rental and headed northwest to Collingwood to Kiticho Sushi All You Can Eat.  No breakfast for us, we were saving it up for lunch! 

You can find our write up on this website, my clicking on the http://aycetoronto.blogspot.ca/

 Once we finished stuffing our face we booked ourselves into the 2 night motel and got ready to check out the first planned attraction in the Blue Mountains of Collingwood known as "Nordic Caves!"

​Nestled atop the Niagara Escarpment in Collingwood, Ontario, Scenic Caves Nature Adventures offers a captivating blend of natural beauty and outdoor activities. There were several caves and caverns that were formed over 450 million years ago!

Although we were there in July, apparently this place transforms into quite a different look int he winder months where they got their name Nordic which features 27 kilometers of professionally maintained cross-country ski trails suitable for both classic and skate skiing, winding through a serene 200-year-old forest. Snow-shoers can enjoy 8 kilometers of dedicated trails, including routes leading to Southern Ontario's longest suspension footbridge, which offers panoramic views of Georgian Bay.  After all this is in the famous Mountains, right? ​

More than the caves, I was more impressed with he swing bridge to which it seemed at one point, my husband would not come across.  When it looked like I was going on without him and would miss the entire experience he decided to take the walk across the roped romp and we met together at the other end.

DAY 2

The next day would be dedicated to Water falling in Owen Sound which has an abundance of them.  Today we would see Inglis Falls, Indian Falls and Jones Falls all located within minute of each other.

We did a lot of hiking and walking in the morning then, went to the Okinawa Sushi in Owen Sound. You can find our write up on this website, my clicking on the http://aycetoronto.blogspot.ca/

Today we lost a lot of calories, relieved a lot of the stress from work and city living and gained a few more memories.  

You don't have to spend a lot of money, or time lining up for air travel, or going through customs. If you just need a breather you'll find with a little initiative you can explore your own country and find what you're looking for.  

The Thornton-Cookstown Trail: A Journey of Hills, Heat, and Hydration Challenges

Biking has always been a shared passion for my husband and me, so when we decided to tackle the Thornton-Cookstown Trail, we were excited about the adventure ahead. Little did we know, this ride would become one of our most unforgettable experiences—for better or worse!


The Thornton-Cookstown Trail stretches for a picturesque 16 kilometers, starting from Thornton and ending in the quaint village of Cookstown. It's a beautiful route, winding through lush forests, open fields, and charming rural landscapes. Perfect for a summer day, right? Well, sort of...

The day we chose to embark on this journey happened to be the hottest day in June. The sun blazed down on us, and to make matters worse, we had completely forgotten to pack any water. Undeterred, we set off, thinking we'd find a place to hydrate along the way. Big mistake.

As we pedaled through the trail, we encountered hills that seemed to go on forever. Grueling doesn't even begin to describe it (My husband added to my frustration, but keeping positive and not once agreeing with my misery) The combination of steep inclines and scorching heat quickly took its toll. By the time we reached Cookstown, we were exhausted and dehydrated.


The real challenge began after we reached the end of the trail. We needed to find the nearest GO Station to catch a train home, which was in Bradford, Ontario—another 12 kilometers away. With no other option, we mounted our bikes again and set off, hoping to find some respite along the way.

After what felt like an eternity—an hour and a half of pure heat exhaustion—we finally arrived in Bradford. Our first stop was the local community center, praying it would have a water fountain. As luck would have it, the center was closed, and there was no water fountain in sight.


We found an open washroom and did what we had to do: using our hands as water cups, we drank from the tap. It wasn't the most elegant solution, but it was effective. 

Standing there, drenched in sweat and frustration, I let my husband know in no uncertain terms that I would NEVER do this again. A few choice words were exchanged, but I knew I was letting off more steam than was already coming out of my helmet.


Somehow, we made it to the GO Station in time for the next train. As we collapsed into our seats, a strange sense of elation and accomplishment. I had made it through the toughest biking experience I'd had ever personally faced.


This ride on the Thornton-Cookstown Trail is now etched in my memory as the best and worst biking experience ever. It was a day filled with challenges, but also a testament to our resilience and partnership. Would I do it again? Probably not. But am I glad we did it? Absolutely.

Niagara Butterfly Conservatory

On a lovely spring Saturday morning, we decided to take the GO Train to Niagara Falls. First stop was to a buffet breakfast at the Young Garden buffet and BBQ before taking our bikes along the Niagara parkway to head for the Niagara Butterfly Conservatory, located at 2565 Niagara River Pkwy in Niagara Falls, Ontario Canada.


The first thing you will notice is the botanical gardens and outdoor cafes, with winding paths surrounding one of the largest glass-encased butterfly conservatories in North America.


Although their website touts there are over 2,000 different butterfly species, I think I have seen approximately 30-40 of them! My husband describes this place as magical! I don't think I would go that far, although I could appreciate this through the eyes of a child as such. I had a new camera with me, and was fumbling too much to try and get a still shot of the butterflies :) They were quite vivacious both in colour and personality! Some species, especially the pretty blue ones would not stay still for a second. I guessed that is evolution - since butterflies have no defense mechanisms, the bright coloured ones are easily spotted by prey, so they need to keep moving. Though I have seen pictures of them landing on people! Sadly, it was way too crowded when we went for this to occur.
 

I promise you it's like nothing you've experienced nothing like it before. Winding paths of wonderful garden and tropical plants. It's worth two hours of your time, but you may find it rather small and more eager people could probably go through it in an hour. The temperature is very tropical, so you may want to remember a water bottle.


They try to limit the number of people allowed in but could stay as long as I wanted. This is why it becomes very crowded as you would expect it to be for such a popular family experience. Everyone was patient and it was a joy to watch the parents with the young ones teach the kids to be kind and gentle when and if a butterfly landed on them or needed to be picked up to prevent being walked on.


I was fortunate to have a few butterflies land on my hand as did my husband. I also took pictures of different species who landed on others.


I am glad I came. Hope you have a chance to enjoy it too someday!

Happy Trails! 

St. Catherines - Burgoyne Bridge & Merritt Trail

Summer is always a great time in Toronto as our local Speed rail (GO train) can extend over 100 km from the downtown Hub at Union in all directions.

We took the Niagara Falls train to St. Catherine's on Saturday - it was an express train, missing a lot of the less busy stations so it took about 1.5 hrs - which if you know traffic in the 'GTA' that's a great clock time.

A short walk from the St. Catherines GO Train station you will come to the Burgoyne Bridge, originally built in 1915 and praised for its engineering, connected St. Paul Street West to downtown over Twelve Mile Creek Park valley. 

It was replaced by a new bridge in 2016, costing $99 million. The new bridge featured a distinctive arch but had safety concerns due to low railings and a gap between lanes, leading to frequent suicides.

In response, Niagara Region installed 10-foot high, rust-resistant aluminum barriers in 2020 to prevent further incidents. While these improvements enhanced safety, some criticized the demolition of the historic bridge, valuing its heritage significance over the new structure.

If you look down from the bridge you can see the Merritt Trail.  It runs alongside Highway 406, near the Burgoyne Bridge, following the path of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Welland Canals. It honors William Hamilton Merritt, who first proposed the Welland Canal. You'll find remnants of old canal locks and mills along the way.  It's not as peaceful as the Participark Trail due to its proximity to the highway.

The Garden City Skyway is a 40-meter-high section of the QEW between St. Catharines and Niagara-on-the-Lake that often closes during bad weather.

Starting from Bradley Street in south St. Catharines and ending at Martindale Pond Road in West St. Catharines, the Merritt Trail spans 11 kilometers, connecting with the Green Ribbon Trail and the Participark Trail. It's popular for walking, hiking, biking, and motorbiking.

                                                 

Unfortunately, being new to the area and had to time our walk around the train schedule back to Toronto as well as checking out an All You Can Eat restaurant in town (for my AYCEToronto blog of course!), we didn't do the entire trail today. 

Instead we started off 

from Gale Street following the Welland Canal and did a loop south to Richard Pier point and back around again following the creek.

We noticed a lot of litter in parts a long side the park trails in a few places as well as a few vagrants, but the town is pleasant and the people are pleasant.  Times are tough everywhere, especially in the smaller towns where work is in short supply and workers - even less.

We want to come back again once I have a better camera, and I promise I will take more pictures when we do the larger trail.

In the meantime... Happy Trails! :)

Greenwood Conservation Area

Greenwood Conservation Area located in Ajax has several trail points (White Pine walk, BirdWalk, The Orchard, Meadow Walk, Duffin's Lookout, and Oliver's Rest)

The most popular trail is the  Greenwood Conservation Loop.  It was pretty easy even though it spans 14.5 km and typically takes around 3 hours to complete. 

I've blogged Duffin's earlier so we've been here before so I didn't spend a lot of time taking pictures as the sun was setting the air was getting chillier as twilight came.

You will love this trail which is perfect for bird watching, hiking as well as road biking.  You'll most likely meet other enthusiasts along the way!

 The Duffin's trail is a 2.9 km loop trail that starts at he Greenwood Discovery Pavilion and loops around near a Leach Free dog walk area. 

Most of our time was spent on the "Greenwalk" where the high and ominous forests of Jack Pines lined the forest bed as far as the eye could see.

Niagara Falls - Bridal Veil Falls (US side)

Nothing beats going for a walk on a fully developed autumn day!  We spent a better part of the day exploring New York's State park coming from the Canadian side - this was especially exciting seeing never before tourist attractions.  We tried to get through as much as we could before the last train out of Niagara Falls.

As you cross the American Pedestrian bridge, I was overwhelmed by the power and roar of the American rapids underneath my feet!  Once you are on the other side, you can head over to the North shore trails to the Bridle Veil Falls (also known as Luna Falls) where you will immediately be taken in by the closeness you feel to the power of the water.  Although the I think this makes the waterfall experience more exciting that on the Canadian side is how you are able to have  a birds-eye view - and I think the Canada Geese agree with me as they were quite relaxed right in the centre of it all.

The Bridal Veil is the smallest falls among the three waterfalls, that together known as the great Niagara Falls. The Bridal Veil Falls is in the US side located right to the American Falls separated by Luna Island. The Goat Island in the Canadian side separates it from Horseshoe Falls.

The waterfall looks like a 'Bridal Veil' and thus the name Bridal Veil Falls. The Bridal Veil Falls is also known as Luna Falls and Iris Falls. The height of Bridal Veil Falls is 181 ft. Though it is a small waterfall compared to its two counterparts, it has its own specialties.

The Cave of the Winds, a wooden elevator takes visitors across the falls is a popular tourist attraction here. The Cave of the Winds was an old natural cave, which was closed due to rock fall in 1954. Now Cave of the Winds attracts diverse visitors to go close to the base of Bridal Veil Falls. Get to Luna Island or take 'Cave of the Winds' tours to experience the unmatched beauty of nature and the Bridal Veil. 

Nikola Tesla's legend lives on in Niagara Falls for many of his contributions to science and technology.

Nikola Tesla and George Westinghouse established the first hydro-electric power plant at Niagara Falls, marking the beginning of global electrification. 

Today, the remains of the original plant, Adam's Power Station (Power House), may transform into a science museum. This museum would celebrate the significance of the Niagara Falls Power Plant as the world's first hydro-electric facility, a pivotal milestone in electrical history. 

Designated a National Landmark Historical Site, Adam's Station (Power House) attracts about eight million tourists annually on the American side of Niagara Falls, while the Canadian side draws around 20 million visitors and today we were one of them!

Niagara Falls as no doubt you are aware is renowned for its natural beauty, serves as the symbolic birthplace of global electrification. It represents the triumphant implementation of Tesla's Polyphase Alternating Current (AC) Electricity, illuminating the entire world today.

Overall, undeniably it was an amazing day! Happy trails!

Cambridge to Paris Rail Trail

 The Cambridge to Paris Rail Trail is an 18 kilometre train that follows along the Grand River through lush Carolinian forests with spectacular river overlooks.

 

The conditions of the trail is level and finished with fine gravel which provides an easy path for cyclists and hikers alike.

 

It also follows the old roadbed of the lake Erie and Northern Railway.

 

The ruins of German's Woollen Mill are found in Glen Morris, which is located about halfway into the 18-kilometre trail that begins in Cambridge and ends in the town of Paris. 

Built in 1867, the impressive structure originally operated as a yarn and wool mill before later reopening as a hotel. 

 

It has sat abandoned since the 1940s and today all that remains is the shell of was once a masterful piece of architecture. 

If you've had a chance to watch the Netflix series called,"Hand-maidens Tale" you no doubt would recognize the "Wall" which features hanged people in the series who have