On this particularly nice day, a Saturday, which Sabine and I in fact spent in the Waterloo region we have planned to visit the Farmers Market in St. Jacobs by bike and go on for a bit of sightseeing afterwards. We take along our snowshoes, cause you never know.....;-))

We start on the Trans Canada Trail, which runs throughout the whole country on over 30,000 km. Along gravel roads, field trails and side roads we reach Farmers Market. Here we buy a lot of good stuff such as hot and smoked sausages and Greyzer (very good, Swiss) cheese.

Afterwards we get started again, heading north to Elmira. Here we stop at a donut shop where we spent the following two hours ;-))

Really warmed up and fit we go on northwards a turn to the west onto a side road, away from the highway. On our route we encounter some of the horse buggies of the Mennonites from around Elmira.

Many of those we meet on the street wave at us, biker are spread rarely only, especially in winter.

Our destination is a small lake near Floradale. As we approach the lake we get onto a trial that runs around it and is open for snowmobiles as well. We leave our bikes behind and go for a walk with our snowshoes. We hike parallel to the trail, first in order not to get run over by a snowmobile, second to walk where one really needs snowshoes to walk on. That way we hike for some kilometers, talk a lot and stop every now and then having a break.

At the north western tip of the lake we have to cross a small creek. With a jump I just manage to get onto the other side, one of my feet is almost drowned. Sabine wants to find a better spot and so we walk along the creek.

As I get to a point where the creek seems to be very narrow a approach the bank, but I am standing on a drift of snow which collapses in that very moment. The next second I am standing a meter lower and fortunately still on solid ground. The collapsing snow make it really easy to cross at that spot and finally we can hike on.

We pass Floradale and keep walking along the lake shore. On the western part the trail is significantly narrow and although a snowmobile trail not busy at all. Still, everything is prepared for many people, however, a outhouse appears in the middle of nowhere ;-))

The trail is dipped into the afternoon sunlight and it is wonderful to walk here.

At one point the trail passes a field where two old VW Vans are resting in a meter of snow. Wow, not that I already know about a dealer where you can still get those cars from the 70s, but one of these is built 1969 or earlier ;-))

However, the route stretches a bit, seven kilometers to be correct. It is already getting dark when we get back to our bikes. For the trip home we only take side roads, about 25 km to go. After sun has set temperatures drop rapidly. During the day it was about zero degrees, now it's at maximum minus 10 degrees plus wind chill.

7pm we get back to the CLTs, we have made about 50 km plus 7 km on snowshoes. A hot shower wakes us up and we have a good dinner afterwards. A day ends that we enjoyed a lot and that made us feel good.