I’m on holiday this week, which means that while I would normally be stuck at home glued to my inbox, I’m now stuck at home and able to spend the day taking care of odd jobs. Today’s to-do list included installing two dimmer switches and painting a powder room ceiling. By late afternoon, I was eager to get out and check off another branch on the list.
I have an online map of all of the branches and the distances to each, based on the most direct driving route (did I mention that I used to be a GIS librarian?). It was nearing supper time, so I chose a branch that was close-ish to home and along a route I’d never cycled. Onward to Greenboro!
There’s a big construction project underway to rehabilitate both the Hog’s Back Dam and fixed bridge, so I walked my bike up a temporary wooden ramp and bridge over the canal. Riders are also asked to keep walking their bikes along the sidewalk detour over the river. This was pretty easy and gave me a good excuse to slow down and enjoy the view over the falls.
After passing the construction, I hopped back on the bike at Mooney’s Bay and continued along to Brookfield Road. At the roundabout just past Brookfield High School, it’s possible to hop onto a short path that passes under the Airport Parkway to the Sawmill Creek pathway.
The Sawmill Creek Pathway meanders south between the Airport Parkway and Transitway. Along the way, I passed Heron Station (very quiet, even at “rush hour”, thanks to COVID-19) and then biked under the much-beleaguered Juno Beach Memorial Bridge before turning toward South Keys. There’s a lot of construction happening at South Keys for the Trillium Line Extension, but it was easy enough to walk my bike through the bus station and out into the parking lot beside Walmart.
From the South Keys plaza, I proceeded east along Dazé Street, then crossed Bank Street to continue along Cahill Drive. Greenboro is a largely residential area, and I had plenty of space to ride my bike through the neighbourhood before joining the pathway through Greenboro Park. After that, it was a quick left turn to arrive at the library, which is co-located with a community centre. Success!
Greenboro is one of the six OPL branches that will be opening for curbside pickup later this month. I didn’t go in, but this was apparently the first day that items could be returned since libraries closed in mid-March. After snapping some pictures, I turned around and retraced my route back through the park, and up the Sawmill Creek Pathway to Brookfield.
For variety’s sake, I chose to bike north on Riverside Drive (busy, but there was enough space in the median to feel relatively safe). When I arrived at Heron Road, I took a left turn and cycled in the bus/bike lanes past Vincent Massey Park. Once I passed Prince of Wales Drive, I was back to my old nemesis, Baseline Road, which is absolutely terrifying to cycle. There are no bike lanes, no medians, no entrances to the farm, and no sidewalks on the north side of the road. I white-knuckled it to Fisher Ave, then turned onto McCooey Lane to head back home through the Central Experimental Farm.
Two branches down, 31 to go.
