Biking the O&Q (6): West Gate Road to Kilometre 80 via Kaladar

Tues. 31 May:  Biking the O&Q (6):  West Gate Road to Kilometre 80 via Kaladar

The first leg of this dusty trail
from Kaladar to West Gate Road
seemed to be downhill all the way,
but it was just an illusion

It all seemed downhill. 

At least, the first section did, from Kaladar eastwards to West Gate Road.  I completed the 11.3 km in just 45 minutes on my mountain bike, racing along with hardly a stop.  There was no safe parking at West Gate Road, where my previous trip had ended, so instead I had driven to Kaladar and biked east before turning westwards again.  On my return to Kaladar, I continued westwards, reaching the 80 km marker, before returning to the car.  The entire trip today was 31.5 kilometres.

Kaladar is little more than a junction of two busy roads: Highway 7 being the Trans-Canada Highway, and Highway 41 linking the Lake Ontario corridor with the north country.  The village boomed with the building of the railway in the 1880’s and then with the construction of the highways in the 1930’s, but has since declined.  There was a railway station, whose foundations were visible in the grass, but now it is used as a place to dump old cars and tires.

There were no engineered structures along this stretch, even one small bridge.  The line passed through the trees, along the edge of a small valley, across a wide plain, through fields and short rock cuts.  No signs of habitation.  It was a pleasant ride, the breeze in my face and the morning sun climbing in the sky.  And there were no puddles today.

There was plenty to see:  a large turtle on the side of the trail, trying to hide its face in the grass; several smaller turtles sitting on logs in the swamps, quickly jumping into the water as I passed.  I was heralded by a vanguard of darting dragonflies, making sure that I would not have to worry about mosquitoes.  A harmless rat snake slithered hurriedly across the path, while a tiny garter snake just lay there, knowing I would not deliberately squash him.  I saw a turkey, and several red-winged blackbirds, and even a black and white cat racing ahead of me. 

Highway 7 was always close at hand, but only rarely visible.  West of Kaladar, the highway finally swung northwards, while the railway continued in a southwesterly direction into the wilderness, heading towards the village of Tweed.  This will be my next journey, and I can’t wait!  

Note: click on pictures for full size view.

At the eastern end of today's section

Bright morning sun cast long shadows

Above a small valley

Crossing a wide open landscape

Highway 7 rarely glimpsed but it was never far away

Large turtle trying to hide

The line ran right through the middle of this field

A  lonely barn - no houses along this stretch

Turtle basking on a log

One of two spikes just lying there waiting to be found

Approaching the site of  Kaladar station - no sign of it

Kaladar:  at the busy junction of Hwys 7 and 41.

Good cellphone coverage along the route

Here Highway 7 curves away from the railway line for the final time.
The trail now heads into remote countryside

Pond art

Today's end point, 80 km from Glen Tay