Hiking the Alay Mountains of Kyrgyzstan (Part 1)

During our trip to Kyrgyzstan, our focus was the eight-day Best of Alay Mountains Trek hosted by Visit Alay from July 19 to 26. They offer several trekking, horse, and cultural tours within Kyrgyzstan, as well as tours along the Pamir Highway in Tajikistan and within Uzbekistan. Our group had six trekkers including Zoe and Braden from Australia, Danilo from Italy, and Leila from Canada; as well as two guides Simon and Daniel. Our trip started and ended at the Visit Alay office in Osh, while most of our evenings were spent at yurt camps. Given the amount of content, I will split this post in two.

West Toronto Railpath 2026 Update

Last week, the City of Toronto confirmed the West Toronto Railpath had finally reopened to the public; a closure which has happened for the past four years as part of improvements to Bloor GO station. I also found out from the Urban Toronto forums that a new multi-use path is currently under construction along the Barrie GO line which would connect with the West Toronto Railpath Extension. This afternoon, I checked it out as well as some other infrastructure in the area.

A Brief Recap About Kyrgyzstan

Two years ago, Helen and I visited Central Asia for the first time including Uzbekistan and Almaty, Kazakhstan; plus a few days in Istanbul. We enjoyed Uzbekistan’s rich history and cuisine including plov – their national dish of rice, meat, and vegetables – and shashlik meat skewers; while Shymbulak Peak in Almaty was a decent day hike. Since we wanted to further explore that part of the world and get some serious hiking in, we visited Kyrgyzstan this year including an eight-day trek in the Alay Mountains. I will do a separate post about that trek and will use this post to briefly recap Kyrgyzstan.

Calling Out Excessive Pedestrian Street Policing

All right, folks! We need to talk about the excessive policing in this city! Especially when it comes to pedestrian streets, open streets, and other street events.

Back in late June, the Toronto Star and other media outlets published reports stating that the Church Street Pedestrianization Pilot costs more than tripled to $500,000; about $300,000 of which was used for policing and security costs. If that didn’t sound bad enough, the Toronto Police Service originally requested $3 million for a 24/7 police presence there!

Marking One Year Since Cycle Toronto’s Court Victory

This evening, Cycle Toronto marked one year since their court victory against the bike lane removal provisions of Bill 212 with a rally and ride from Ramsden Park to the courthouse at University and Armoury. Having just returned from Kyrgyzstan last night – more on that soon – I joined the almost 40 people who showed up despite the jet lag.

July 2026 Lower Don Meanderings

One trail closure which has long frustrated cyclists in Toronto is that of the Lower Don Trail south of Pottery Road. It was originally supposed to reopen in Summer 2024, but after several missed deadlines, the City updated the project website in June stating they would pave and reopen the trail as soon as possible. The Riverdale Park ramp was deferred due to “unsuitable soil conditions” for building the foundation. This afternoon, I decided to check out the progress, as well as check some new developments at Biidaasige Park and along Lake Shore Boulevard.

Nine Creeks Trail and Jim Tovey Conservation Area

Earlier this year, I got a tip from Terry Walsh that a new active transportation bridge was built across the Credit River in Mississauga as part of the Nine Creeks Trail. There was also the Jim Tovey Conservation Area which opened on May 30 and was under construction when biking to Niagara Falls last October. With today being nice out, I took the opportunity to check it out. An idea Jun N also had per his blog post. 😉