It is important to acknowledge that Sarnia is about 300 km from Toronto but since I caught the train to Toronto and then cycled to my parents house the distance recorded is only 17 km.

After leaving Tim Horton’s donut shop I got to the train station just before 5 a.m. It was open and there was a single passenger there along with the ticket agent. I requested a ticket and a box for my bicycle and he said that the latter was a problem since the train didn’t have a baggage car so bicycles were not allowed! Fortunately, I had called at 1:30 a.m. and been told that I could take the bike and he said that was usually the case, except from Sarnia. However, he promised to talk to the train manager to see if it would be OK so I bought a ticket and removed all my panniers from the bike and tied them together with bungee cords.

He was most helpful and was successful at persuading the train manager to let my bike on board so I put it on and tied it to the side of the luggage area. The only condition was that I not try and come back by train, which I readily agreed to! I then collapsed into a seat and tried to sleep, again, without much success. I had the misfortune to be in front of some very chatty people. I moved to the back but all I did was change the talkers for the snorers: there was a huge black man and his wife asleep and the volume of his snoring drowned out the sounds of the train—and that was through ear plugs!

Through my dozing I saw the beautiful countryside of southern Ontario, and was pleased to see that it was flat as once finished in Toronto I would head back to Sarnia to continue my travels. As we approached Hamilton I began recognising places since I had gone to university nearby. Eventually, we reached Toronto where I disembarked last from the train at Union station.

After reloading my bike I moved it down the stairs to the hallway (there was no lift). The tunnel was long so I hopped on my bike and cycled until a security guard asked me to walk it so I dutifully dismounted. I called my dad and told him that I had caught the train (which he had first suggested) and that I would see them in just over an hour.

I emerged to Front Street and headed east towards the Don River. There is a cycle path next to the river which I had decided I would follow to my parents house. It was a fine day and once I had cleared the maze of construction in downtown Toronto and was on the bike path I was a happy trouper.

Lis and regularly cycle this route when we are visiting Toronto so it was very familiar with me. I passed many people jogging and cycling since it was a lovely day. The route was delightful with the sun shining and the summer flowers in bloom. I passed under the Bloor viaduct (see the photo below) which is an interesting object lesson for engineers.

The bridge was built just after the turn of the century and spans a very wide river valley along the main east-west route in Toronto. About 50 years later they were constructing an underground railway for the city and were presented with the problem of how to span this valley. When they dug up the original plans for the bridge they found that the engineers had considered that such an event was a possibility and built it to have a railway under the main deck! Only minor modifications were required to make it suitable for the underground, and you can see a train on the bridge in the photo above. Was it economic at the time to include such features? Probably not, but had they not the cost would have been huge. Too often we as engineers have too short-term a perspective.

The cycle path took me through wooded areas and parks. That is one of the nice aspects of Toronto: there are so many great places to visit. The photo below gives you an idea of what it is like in places. Toronto is a great city and highly recommended for a visit (in summer).