Hamilton the... busy city!

As I mentioned in my previous post, I've been spending my weekdays (and some weekends) up north near Barrie working as a Reservist. Fortunately this past weekend, on top of getting home to see family and friends, I was lucky enough to take part in some great local events I had been looking forward to for months. I didn't have the chance to see everything I wanted, but I am happy I was able to experience what I did, and felt so fortunate to have so much going on in my hometown, which is certainly a phenomenal problem to have!


Truthfully, near the top of my list was Because Beer. I have been a little obsessed with beer over the past few years, and have begun the foray into brewing my own, and as such was excited to see it showcased at home. This festival was amazing in so many ways. Putting Pier 4 on display for those who may not regularly make it down to that end of the city acted as a gorgeous backdrop, and was conveniently accessible via bus or bike (admittedly we drove, with a full car of people though!). The beer samples struck me as generous for the cost, and the variety of brewers present was surprising. I was able to meet many new brewers that I hadn't met before, like Garden Brewers, and some classic favourites... who I would feel bad naming as it's so hard to pick favourites! The food trucks were also fantastic with staples like Gorilla Cheese, and relatively new options like Meatwagon. The only thing that out-shadowed the food and drink was the atmosphere of the event. More so than at some festivals, every brewery seemed to be very welcoming, and the food trucks as well. I don't remember being at a single event and getting so many opportunities for personal discussions with owners, brewers, cooks and enthusiasts. The crowd itself was fantastic; I had some random encounters with strangers, in which I was able to pair a family up with something for each of them from Wellington (which they were all happy with! Woot!), met some friends I hadn't seen in a while such as Jeni (formerly of the Stowaway), Adam Clermont and Kevin Huynh, and a handful of others, and I even had the opportunity to meet some people I had only met online, such as Kate Goodwin. The weather was perfect, the beers were fresh, the company was great and the food was satisfying. I can't stop saying how excited I am for next year.


Aside from Because Beer, I was able to check out Art Crawl on Friday night and Open Streets on Sunday on James St N briefly before heading back to work Sunday. Both events showcased that same, vibrant spirit I feel in our city. I picked up a book for myself at Art Crawl (more Orwell... mOrwell?), and eyed some potential gifts for family members. At Open Streets, Sarah and I had a relaxing walk down the road taking in the sights and it wound up with me picking up another book, some Hemingway for something different. Our Sunday morning had started at Auntie Boom's on Ottawa Street, which was the best breakfast I have had in a long while, and I will happily recommend it.

As I mentioned, it was bittersweet to be in such a busy city this weekend. I was not able to meet up with friends at the World Music Festival at Gage Park, nor at Seven Sundays. I was hoping to make it to World Music Festival to connect with Matthew Green who I haven't had a chance to talk to in person in some time, however I wasn't able to work it into my days. I'm sure I'll meet up with him at the gym once I'm home in the fall. I was quite broken-hearted to miss Seven Sundays, which I will miss in its entirety this year. They were a highlight of last summer, and did a great job of putting Gage Park in the light it deserves. I hope many of my family and friends take advantage of what they have almost literally in their backyards.

Well it is getting late, and I have rambled at length.

Thanks for reading,
~Ken

Back in the saddle... sort of.

I managed to let myself trail off of updating this blog after I stopped riding from my knee injury, and am planning to remedy that now. A lot has happened in the past six months, including opportunities to volunteer with Bike for Mike, New Hope Bike Co-op and Yes We Cannon at the Mike's Bikefest at Queen Mary School. I've met a number of friendly, passionate people including Kate Whalen, Kate Goodwin, Justin Jones and Mike and Debbie Chamberlain through these adventures volunteering, and am excited to continue when I return home in September (instead of just visiting home on weekends).

Once my knee felt better, I was determined to continue bicycling to work. I picked up a new part-time job at the Beer Store's Distribution Center on Dewitt Rd near the QEW, and felt this was a challenge I was up to after successfully commuting to McMaster for a brief period. Cycling in the heat has (as expected) been quite a different challenge. The trip is about 12km each way, slightly downhill on the way there and slightly uphill on the way home. I am fortunate enough to be able to take Lawrence and King Streets for most of the route, and am on bike lanes to Battlefield Park in Stoney Creek, minus the patch over the Redhill Expressway which is often a bit of an adventure. Sadly Stoney Creek's roads are not nearly as bicycle friendly as the East End's are, and this makes for a difficult commute through downtown Stoney Creek, but I've learned to adapt and make pretty good time through. I occasionally bike from work to work, and take Barton for the duration from Dewitt to James St N (or vice versa) and find it to be an enjoyable ride. Fortunately at work I again have a locker, or else I would be lugging steel-toed boots with me and the trip would be considerably less enjoyable. 

Through doing this commute 4-5 times a week over about two months, I've found my strength and cardio have benefited more than I had expected. My ankle having been in bad shape since October (which was an original impetus to biking as it is low impact), I was concerned that I had lost the progress I had made in running the previous summer/autumn. Cycling apparently helped, however, when I started running again and recently bested my previous record for 5km (now sitting at 23:42), and have picked up on distances in the 10km range which is where I was when I stopped running. The fringe benefits of cycling never cease to amaze me.

Volunteering for Bike for Mike in April, which I was connected to through Kate Whalen and the McMaster Sustainability office, was an excellent experience. My friend Drew and I were able to be part of an event in which ~450 bicycles were given to students and their families at Queen Mary School in the East End. The recipients were also given helmets, locks, and lessons on the proper use of each. We also advertised the Mike's Bike Fest happening the following week at the school, and showed students the bicycle school bus route we would be following to help ensure they made it in to school safely on a good route through their neighbourhood. I would like to talk more about these events, and so will likely do so in their own post. 

Right now I am in Borden, as I said, without a bicycle. Either the last weekend of July or first weekend of August I am planning to bike here from Hamilton, a distance of about 160km. My goal is to succeed in doing this in one day, however I will have two to do it. I currently just need to bring my bike into New Hope, replace my wheels and tires and perhaps buy some additional parts such as panniers to ensure success on my ride. My friends and family have been supportive so far and I am excited to push my comfort zone and see where it takes me.

This seems like a good stopping point for now. I have a lot I want to talk about so hopefully that will help me build better habits for updating this blog, and therefore bring me back on track with my original goals of writing more and discussing the things that make me happy, such as this city of ours and the great things you can do here.

Stay positive,

~Ken