It’s hard to explore your city when there are few places to go and few things to do. Throw in some unseasonably weird weather and a broken foot, and there’s not much you really can do.

But all was not lost. My partner and I were able to take a little staycation in early April, and in some ways it felt like going to another country while in truth we were only a handful (or two) of kilometers from home. We got to explore the river valley, walking a route that looked like a two-year-old drew it with crayons, and another walking nearly 14 kilometers just so my partner could say he crossed the LRT bridge. Throw in being around more people than we’ve seen in over a year, and the experience was both exhilarating and disorienting. Accessing new routes for training runs has also been encouraging, and as the city comes out of another period of closures (one in February, then another in May), there will be more things to do and places to go.

I’d be remis if I didn’t at least give a passing mention to the city’s new bus re-design. People seem to either really love it, or really despise it. As soon as the routes were posted, my partner – at the time newly laid up with a dancer’s fracture in his foot – and I google mapped our way through the new transit routes. We really like some – our area’s bus access has greatly expanded – but realize some areas of the city have inconsistent, unreliable, or nonexistent service. We’ve had an opportunity to kick the tires on some of the new routes, but stay tuned this summer for a full low-down.

Watch out, Edmonton; we’ve got more to explore!