Canal riders

Near the end of our time in Mesa it was necessary to drop our pickup off at the dealer. They installed overload springs on one of the days, and an anti-sway bar on the other.

We needed something fun to do for those two days while the work was being done. I had read about the canals in the Phoenix area, and it appeared that it might be fun to explore them. From what I read there were walkways along some of them, and people could ride their bikes on those walkways.

So we headed off in the general direction of where I thought we could pick up one of the canals. We rode on sidewalks instead of in the streets, though, because I wasn't confident about whether drivers in this city see enough bike riders that they would routinely watch out for them. We saw very few riders while we were here, even though many of the streets have great bike lanes. Perhaps the weather isn't conducive for a bike riding culture.

Having said that, though, we found the drivers to very considerate when they did come across us.

We finally located one of the canals and had a nice ride along a paved surface for about 5 miles. Then it turned weird. The surface became dirt, and went to an industrial area that had a homeless person living nearby in a makeshift structure. There was also no water in the canal.

Continuing in a differen direction at this point meant navigating some strange bridges:

And then we hit a place that was impassable--the Mesa Country Club, where they had conveniently erected a huge fence to prevent canal riders from crossing their golf course. Sheesh.

We appreciated the fact that some government entity had provided the paved parts. However, even at their best, they could not be useful because they crossed very busy streets. They would not be very usable by families, the elderly, or the handicapped.

Perhaps we are spoiled by the Burke-Gilman trail in Seattle which winds it's way through cites and countryside for 40 miles or more, with safe crossings and consistently well maintained trails.

It was a fun two days, though, and now we can officially say that we are canal riders. Can you say that?