Love for Biking - Kay Gardner Beltline Trail

I loved cycling from the time I was a kid. I remember the joyful rush when I first saw 'lady bird' as a gift from my dad and two decades fast forward.. I now own my second bike Specialized (Ariel). 
It was quite some time since we had bought our bikes and we wanted to go out. We were eagerly waiting for summer so that we could explore the different Discovery trails of Toronto. I never thought I would develop so much love for cycling. I must agree to the fact how cycling boosts my happiness.
 
Honestly, this was not a planned venture. It was a lazy Sunday morning and we decided to go for cycling for a short distance nearby our apartment to kill some time. We cycled for a while and were sitting in the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery enjoying the sunlight. A lady approached us and asked us the way to 'Evergreen Brickworks'. We guided her with the approximate directions we knew and then thought for a moment: 'Why not go there biking?'
We blindly followed Google Maps on Kay Gardner Beltline trail. We thought it was a straight stretch of road through the park and we would reach there in no time. But the trail turned out to be so interesting and beautiful. We crossed the regular motorable roads and entered the woods. We realized we were in Beltline trail, which had turned out to be a unique part of Toronto with ravines and parks away from the city. As we passed on the loose gravel, the pleasant sound of river flowing nearby and birds chirping stopped us for a moment. We had to pinch ourselves to get back to reality. It was like living a dream. We never thought we would end up somewhere like this! It was such a beautiful place right in the Toronto city. 
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This is a bit of history about the Kay Gardner Beltline trail. The Beltline trail goes back to 1982 when the commuter railway was built to serve the then new neighbourhood. It was closed after 28 months due to competitive market. This trail is now one of the most popular leisure trails in Toronto. Basically Toronto Beltline trail runs through north east part of the city connecting numerous small places. This trail is built on the former railbed and has 3 sections
York Beltline trail - West of Allen Road
Kay Gardner Beltline Park - Allen to Mt Pleasant
Ravine Beltline Trail - South of Mt Pleasant
 
We parked our bikes and gazed at the huge trees which had made a bed of green in the sky above us. The water flowing through the old ravines in the hidden green spaces added to the soothing feeling. We then mounted on our bikes and rode further. We passed through several bridges but the one that caught our eye was the bridge over Mud Creek. It is 386 ft long and 80 ft high. There were many small ponds which had given birth to the aquatic life in this area. The whole place was like a huge park with ponds where people could bike around, walk and enjoy viewing the aquatic life like turtles, variety of fishes and other aquatic life that had made itself a home here. 
Evergreen Brick WorksBeltline trail Toronto
We then saw the Evergreen Brickworks. Evergreen Brickworks is an industrial site which is located at Don River valley in Toronto. They supplied bricks for 100 years which was used to build many well known landmarks of Toronto. It was a place which was found when a man was digging holes to make fence and realized how good the quality of the clay was. It is also told that the mud creek was diverted towards the brick factory because the production of bricks needed a lot of water. The demand reduced during world war II and later the fire destroyed 3 out of 4 chimneys of the factory. Eventually the clay was exhausted and the place was shut down. The quarry here at Brickworks was atleast 50mts in depth which was later filled out using unusable construction materials and a rubble. This brings back the land to the elevation we see now.
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Now the Brickworks is taken up by Evergreen which is a non profit organization. It has renovated many existing buildings and built some new ones. The place is now open to public after renovation and has regular shuttle services from Broadview and  Davisville Subway stations.
There are so many events that happen at this place now. The place is filled with variety of food stalls, shopping outlets, a nursery and a children's play area.
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