The Trail Guy
(also known as
Bob McMullen)
Aug 15/09
just home from wonderful new 18 km trail ride! on part of the Eire Canal
trail .. paved from Buffalo to Tonawanda.
will post photos and maps on
www.bobmcmullen.info pages
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 since 1993 . Cathie and I also to travel in search of new and distant bike trails
Because the allowed size of this website is small, a new website has been created that presents photos and maps of travelled trails: www.bobmcmullen.info
But retirement also allows the opportunity to volunteer in other community activities: Moving Forward Together and Bob the poster guy
A third website is dedicated to local Cambridge municipal issues: www.bobmcmullen.ca
Much of the content deals with the political bafflegab related to Smart Growth and traffic issues.
One current project involves outlining a cycle route between Elmira and Port Dover. I have now cycled the entire route .... all that can be cycled.
Details about this 130 km cycle experience is 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 find happiness in working out on the trails or 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.
Herndon, VA on Old Dominion Trail Virginia Creeper trail at Abingdon, VA
Come and visit our wonderful trails and natural heritage. Hike, bike, ski, bird watch, canoe, fish: the choice is yours.
BUT, no motorized vehicles on Cambridge Trails. Specifically, ATV use on trails and parks is illegal and will be fined.
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 powered mill settlements. Historically, they were here first!
The Osprey's have returned for 2009 to their nest on Fountain Street, on the east side of the Grand River bridge.
For additional information about the Osprey, follow this link to excellent the Cambridge, Maryland osprey website.
The Maryland chicks have fledged, this link with take you to a video of Osprey flight and landing practices.
A free map of the Cambridge trail system along with specific trail guides are yours free for the asking.
Newly created City of Cambridge interactive trail map! We are going GREEN! The trail package material is being put online.
Call the City of Cambridge 519-740-4681 x4229 to request your package.
I have also compiled a trail list of trails that are within a day's drive of Cambridge. In many cases I have cycled the trails and probably have photos and maps in case you are interested. If you want a .jpg of any map, just let me know. Now also have gps files for Garmin ... .gpx format Many more trail photos and maps are found at my new photo album website: www.bobmcmullen.info
bobmcmu@sympatico.ca [updated July 18, 2009]
Yes, the
cycling geezer is myself on the new pavement just east of the Grand River bridge on
Fountain Street. A windy day, but we celebrated with a ride around the city: - two rivers, 4 historic dams, 4 bridges
and 4 historic settlements.
Cambridge now has a link in the
trail system. The Region of Waterloo has constructed a paved trailway adjacent to
Fountain Street. It provides a safe route between the west side Grand Trunk Trail and the Preston area. You can now
hike or cycle virtually off road between the Hespeler, Preston and Galt areas and the Trans Canada Trail Pavilion A safe Fountain Street trail link had been our #1 priority for several years.
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.
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.
Oct. 5 photo
gps location: N43 23.521 W80 23.814 or find our TCT pavilion on Fountain St at Blair road, then go .8 km north on Morningside Drive.
On a trip through North Dakota several years ago we spotted many pedestrian/cycle bridges. And remember that North Dakota has a population of only 640,000, compared to our 450,000 in Waterloo County. The link also has photos of other pedestrian/cycle bridges.