After 33 years in a high
school classroom, retirement provided time to work towards completion
of tour trail system in Cambridge
as a member of
Cambridge Trails Advisory Committee from
1993 until 2010 when cancer medication side effects
forced me to resign from the committee. Life with chemo side effects is
anything but enjoyable.
On July 7, 2012, I
was both humbled and honoured by the renaming of a trail in my honour: Bob
McMullen Linear Trail
I very much appreciate this trail renaming to recognize my 20 years of
volunteer trail work. It was always a pleasure!
Cathie and I also to travelled in search of
new and distant bike trails
A new website has
been created that presents photos and maps of travelled trails:
www.bobmcmullen.info
A third website is dedicated to local Cambridge municipal issues:
www.bobmcmullen.biz
Much of the content deals with the political
bafflegab related to Smart Growth
and traffic issues.
ps - as of Oct. 2010 I have a slight
medical problem with multiple myeloma that makes cycling a problem - no
stamina or strength.
Oncologist says things are under control and we are in remission.
Velcade has been replaced by Revlimid for chemo.
[2] Started a new chemo regime in Dec. 2011 using REVLIMID ...
thankfully it is a daily pill. First
blood tests indicate that Revlimid has cancer under control. Sept. 14/12Still trying to ride the Townie as a result of weakness caused by
allergic reactions - has been a bad 8 weeks and recovery is slow.
The cancer chemo side effects are bad enough without these other damn
medical problems. (one day at a time as they say)
If it was not for the wonderful effects of the Well Fit
program at the University of Waterloo daily life would be much worse. I
cannot
overstate the positive physical and emotional results of the
personalized fitness program that staff have prepared for me. Thanks!
Feb. 23/13 Spoke too soon. Blood tests showed IgG, Kappa and
M-spike increasing above 'under control" ranges ... cancer
cells being produced.
So, in Dec. 12, the daily Revlimid dose is increased to 15 mg, decadron
to 1.5 gm daily and 400 mg cyclophosphamide per week added. Side effects
have been awful to horrendous. Not only can I not cycle, but walking
around the block is a major task: fatigue, weakness in legs, loss of
appetite, 16 hours of sleep on an average day. Worst of all, I cannot
attend WELL FIT. Like a downhill spiral. On Feb. 23,
cyclophosphamide dose reduced to 200 mg each Saturday to see if it
helps. Recent blood scores show IgG, Kappa and M-spike counts
significantly lower and approaching "under control" levels.
May 2013: After 2 transfusions my hemoglobin scores are above 72 and the
weekly cyclophosphamide dose has been reduced to 100 mg. Strength and
stamina improving. Have had the Townie out several times and now working
on cycle leg strength.
[2] One pre-cancer project involved mapping a cycle route between Elmira and
Port Dover. I cycled all of the route.
All sections of the route, except through the City of Kitchener and
Benjamin Rd in Waterloo, have been constructed and
provide a safe cycling experience.
Details (maps & photos) about this 130 km cycle experience are posted on
www.bobmcmullen.info
Not certain how many times I had to wear a tie during 33 years in a
high school classroom, however, the ugly guy mowing a forest trail is really
a statement of fashion freedom.
After all those years of being confined in
a classroom with adolescents, I found happiness in working out on the trails
and
traveling
to cycle in new locations.
The 'trail guy' name resulted from numerous people
telephoning my home and asking if "the trail guy lived there." So in
retirement, it has become an unofficial name.
Photo below left is from 1998 trail mowing near Blair Road along our Grand Trunk Trail.
centre photo at
Herndon, VA on Old Dominion Trail
right photo
on Virginia Creeper trail at Abingdon, Virginia
Come and visit our wonderful
Cambridge trails and natural heritage. Hike, bike, ski, bird watch, canoe,
fish: the choice is yours. You can trace some of the
earliest history
of Cambridge and Waterloo County as you travel along the trails: Mennonite wagon
routes, dams, mills, historic electric railway lines and vanished water
power mill settlements. Historically, they were here
first!
The City of Cambridge website has an
interactive trail map:
Many
more trail
photos and maps are located at my new photo album website:
www.bobmcmullen.info
Construction of the cycle/pedestrian footbridge over highway
#401 began during the fall of 2005.
In addition to linking Cambridge and Kitchener, this is the Trans Canada
Trail's missing link in southern Ontario. In view of the numerous
pedestrian/cycle bridges in other jurisdictions, it still amazes me that we had
to argue/lobby so hard for this structure.
With all due respect (not much due for sparse vision) to the powers that be and
our Cambridge Councillor Millar who voted against funding the bridge - this is
MY bridge
and Claudette you had no vision.... only built after 6 years of lobbying: pleading,
kicking, screaming, begging = advocacy
Official bridge opening ceremony occurred on
October 21, 2007.
Weather was fantastic and crowd totaled more than 500 for the day
An incredible day for advocates of the bridge .... a seven year effort.