I moved to my neighbourhood because of it's proximity to the water and for the recreation trail that runs by my house. They've been improving and expanding the trail this summer. The crooked sidewalk along Lakeshore, from Clarkson to Lorne Park, has been ripped up, flattened, widened and is just awaiting paving. Cyclists will be able to completely bypass Rattray Marsh and Jack Darling now - great news because pedestrian congestion makes it treacherous to navigate.

Looking east along Lakeshore from Meadow Wood

The trail is even more important to me since I've been riding my bike to work for the past couple of months. It's not a bad ride. 20 km each way, more than half of which is along the waterfront trail. Once I exit onto Dixie though, things deteriorate quickly. 

Dixie is one of those roads that hasn't been upgraded in decades. Extremely narrow lanes, killer sewer grates, the pavement is buckled, heaved and crumbling all the way up to the QEW. Even the downhills feel like uphills on Dixie. Once you climb up and over the highway, things improve. I'm still on roads but they're either quiet residential streets or the West Mall where they've recently added a beauty bike lane. Still, I'm always checking around for car-free routes that will bypass the Dixie quagmire.

I've always suspected that I could duck under the QEW at the bottom of the West Mall to connect with the Etobicoke Creek Trail to Marie Curtis. Super-appealing since it would mean I'd only have to deal with 1km of traffic and then pure trail, all the way home.
Google Earth shows a substantial dirt trail so last night I gave it a try. The trail picks up just off the Trillium parking lot. It's a dead end road that goes past the Tim Hortons and winds around the back where cops hide in their cruisers and pedestrians hop the gate to take a shortcut across the creek. 

It doesn't look like this route will be a viable alternative. It's hardcore dirt bike territory with lots of switchbacks, rocks, roots and sewer-creeks to cross. Going under the QEW is dark, creepy and messy, which would be fine if you could just breeze through there but it has a gridiron of man-made stalagmites covering the path - possibly the original footings for the hwy.

You have to get off and walk a lot and since I ride a hybrid, the potential for damage is huge. Once through though, you're on a beautiful trail that winds along Etobicoke Creek, under the Lakeshore and straight onto the waterfront trail at Marie Curtis.

Anyway, in the course of researching bike routes and trails in Mississauga and Etobicoke, I found all kinds of info about current and future projects. One of which explains the activity going on under the QEW where it crosses the Credit River. I may even be able to forgive them for ruining the symmetry of that beautiful viaduct. 

Check back in a day or two and I'll have some links and photos for you. 

Hard to believe what I'm watching on the news. 8 people were shot in the Eaton Centre. 1 25 year old male died, 1 13 year old boy in critical, 1 20 year old male critical, 3 men, 2 women in serious condition. Plus a pregnant woman who was trampled in the panic has gone into labour. This has been a week of crazy. Luka Magnotta (aka eric newman from Scarborough) dismembers a Chinese university student and mails his body parts to conservative party office. Zombie face-eater in Florida. Hope things settle down soon.