The previous section of the trail took me to just across the street from my "home" Tim Horton's here in Byron and that is where Doralyn dropped me off today. Once again, I was combining two sections as they were both relatively short. They basically took me from the west end of London all the way downtown and got me set up for heading into the northern part of the city with my next foray. In the middle of the city, the Thames River branches into two forks---one going north and one south. The trail follows the north branch and this is what I did today.
On top of everything else, this is the Rock the Park weekend. Rock the Park is a 5-day musical festival centered in Harris Park. It's unique as it sets aside different days to showcase different kinds of music---rap, hip hop, country, rock, etc. It's usually crazy loud and busy and the trail runs right beside for about half a kilometer and I wasn't quite sure what to expect, or if the trail would even be accessible. No worries in that area! I did hear some pretty loud stuff before I got there but nothing was going on when I got to the park and I'm not even sure the loud music I heard wasn't coming form Labatt Park---London's baseball gem.
So here's the part where I just do a huge photo dump, just so I can say I walked the walk!
 |
| Just across the street from Tim Horton's, my starting point for today! |
 |
| Pathway beside Boler, headed down to.... |
 |
| ...the pathway under the Boler bridge |
 |
| Into Springbank Park. This is the dam that doesn't work. If it worked, London could have paddleboats, steamer boats and rowing clubs. If it stays broken, the river gets a much healthier eco-system. YOU decide! |
 |
| Stopped and took a pic of the merry-go-round I spent the summer of '72 running. When I mentioned this to the staff working it, he offered me a free ride and said he'd take a pic for me. Stupidly, I passed..... |
 |
| The old pumphouse |
 |
| Bridge across the river---I walked right past it. |
 |
| Where the washrooms are (and probably other stuff) |
 |
| From there to the Terry Fox Parkway. Couldn't be more aptly named! |
 |
| Under the Wonderland bridge. |
 |
| Past the Greenway Pollution Control Plant. Not sure why I took a pic.... |
 |
| The sign commemorating the Victoria Day boat disaster. I was standing there, trying to imagine the banks of the river covered with bodies.... |
 |
| Just some cool graffiti |
 |
| The end of the first section |
 |
| The Greg Curnoe tunnel, under the railway tracks. |
 |
| A plaque all about Greg Curnoe, one of London's and Canada's best and brightest. Taken way too soon. |
 |
| Just following the map at this point |
 |
| The place where Justin Bieber was born, the Bethesda Home for Unwed Mothers (old name---don't quote me on that) |
 |
| Heading down to along the river. |
 |
| Under the Wharncliffe Bridge---pretty awesome graffiti |
 |
| Cool little River Forks Park. |
 |
| A community garden |
 |
| The forks of the Thames. Kind of a postcard moment. |
 |
| Came across the HMCS Prevost. Sort of like a naval base in the middle of a city. I'd heard of it but never really knew where it was. |
 |
| More naval hardware... |
 |
| ...and now we're bringing out the BIG GUNS! |
 |
| The main building |
 |
| Bridge over the south fork of the Thames |
 |
| Headed under the Dundas and Queen Street bridges. |
 |
| I arrive at Harris Park and Rock the Park! |
 |
| Walking past Blackfriar's Bridge. Large historical significance. |
 |
| Shady walkway headed towards... |
 |
| ...the Oxford Street bridge and rail overpass |
 |
| Amazing graffiti under the Oxford Street bridge. |
 |
| The other half of the graffiti |
 |
| Train on the overpass as I was underneath |
 |
| Made it to Gibbons Park and the end of section 2 (for today) |
 |
| How Gibbons Park got its name. And I thought it had something to do with monkeys.... |
No comments:
Post a Comment