August 20, 2014
The Kinsol Trestle
The Lochside Trail/Galloping Goose is a lovely integrated cycle way around the southern tip of the Island. But, when it comes to heading north, things get much more sketchy. Nevertheless there is a nice bit of the Trans Canada Trail, from the south end of Shawnigan Lake to the town of lake Cowichan, then east to Duncan. It's a distance of almost 60 km, which could make a reasonable outing. The jewel in this stretch is the Kinsol trestle. The trestle was built around 1920 and was in fact part of the Galloping Goose line. The last train to pass over it was in 1979, after which it was abandoned. It became unsafe and was about to be torn down before being saved by a preservation campaign. Now people come just to walk on it (over 600 feet long) if not to walk or cycle the rest of the 60 km gravel way. We ourselves have not yet gotten around to cycling even Kinsol to Lake Cowichan, but we have gone back and forth over and near the trestle quite a bit. It's fun not only because of the big wooden structure but also because it spans the Koksilah River and is in a pleasant cedar/fir/alder forest.
So, as we continue to wait for the Avi/Violet trip to launch on Saturday, we dragged Amelia (and the whole rest of the family) down to the trestle to go back and forth with us. It actually amounted to 5 km of back and forthing, and included a good picnic at one end of the trestle.
Today's ride: 5 km (3 miles)
Total: 62 km (39 miles)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 0 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |