Rural Growth

It's one of my favourite routes on which to cycle.

I leave my neighbourhood, in Barrhaven, and head south, on Longfields Drive, until I reach the neighbourhood of Stonebridge. A quick jaunt on Cambrian, until I reach the Minto Recreation Complex, and then I continue south, on Greenbank, until I reach its end, Prince of Wales Drive.

Suburbia fades to farm fields, but only for a bit.

The most-treacherous stretch of my ride comes along Prince of Wales, where I use the uneven but paved shoulder until the right-turn lane for Bankfield Road begins, and I move into the left-most part of this lane, where cars tend to travel at 80 kph or faster.

Where the left-turn lane begins, I make a shoulder check before I take the lane. I make sure that I have plenty of room to cross over into the left-turn lane, but that still won't help me if, once I'm in that lane, a distracted driver doesn't see me. I can't continue to look behind me as I approach the intersection.

I relax once I've successfully turned left, onto Bankfield. The road slopes downward and I put my bike into top gear, pedalling hard. It's one of the fastest parts of my ride but doesn't last long: about 250 metres ahead, I turn right, onto one of my favourite roads of this route, First Line. I will ride the road for more than eight kilometres.

I like this road because for the most part, it's straight. I can see cars approaching well ahead or me. There are gentle dips and climbs, and there's a good mix of houses and farm fields.

Because I've been cycling this road since May, I've become quite familiar with it. And over the spring and summer, I've watched farm fields change from barren earth to plowed rows, from first growth to pre-harvest.

One of the farms that I pass is on my left-hand side, as First Line rises and just before it bends slightly to the right. The field that I see before the barns and silos is rolling, with plantings of corn. But over the past few weeks, the structures have seemingly been sinking in the rows upon rows of cornstalks. Where I once could see the entire structures of the barns, only the rooves are now visible. The silos have shrunken in height.

I've told myself on numerous rides that I should photograph this field before the weight of the corn bends the stalks downward. I've wanted to photograph this spot for a while, now, but once I'm moving on my bike, it's hard for me to stop unless I have a strong enough reason.

On yesterday's ride, my reason became, "it's now or never."

I made a quick stop, just shy of the top of the hill, and pulled into the gravel, just before the road falls away. I unclipped my smartphone from my handlebars, took two shots, returned the phone to its holder, and continued my ride.

A four-way stop at Roger Stevens Drive, on the outer boundary of Kars, ensures that I can safely negotiate this left turn. There's a bit of a climb, for about a half-kilometre or so, and I have to do another shoulder check before I cross over into another left-turn lane, and cross onto Rideau Valley Drive, which itself has a further climb.

Just past the top of this hill is the halfway point of my ride. I'll follow this road for nearly 12 kilometres, passing through Manotick and ending at Prince of Wales Drive. Crossing over, I'm back on Longfields Drive and the steepest climb in my ride. I gear right down and if I maintain momentum, I don't have to stand up from my seat.

Back to suburbia.

I negotiate various streets, prolonging the ride to ensure that when I pull in my driveway, I have at least 40K under my belt.

I love this ride, from the suburbs of Barrhaven to the farm fields on the way to Kars. There is growth in both communities, as Barrhaven continues to develop and grow. But it's the growth in the rural areas that impresses me the most.

Happy Friday!