Route under Development. The route's cues still still need to be Verified, followed by adding the Custom Route Tags. The first 5 kms are a Griesbach Village Military Legacy Tour. The next 30 kms cover 12 lakes in the area north of 137 Ave, east of St-Alberta Trail, south of Anthony Henday Freeway and west of 97 St. ​ Adapted from: https://www.villageatgriesbach.com/news-detail/78/the-legacy-tour The Village At Griesbach used to be known as the Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Edmonton or Griesbach Barracks prior to its closure in 2000. The rights to the land, which contained 750 permanently married quarters, were transferred to Canada Lands Company to allow them to repurpose and redevelop the military base into a residential neighborhood. Today, the Village At Griesbach contains many newly built homes offering both residents and visitors a glimpse into its historical past. One example is naming the streets in the village after military personnel (eg. Gault Boulevard) and wars (eg. Kapyonge Ave). The other example is there are 3 themed sections dedicated to the Canadian Armed Forces, which is the unified military of Canada, comprising air, land, and sea elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), the Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). Along the tour are monuments, lookouts, a statue, an amphitheatre, a bridge, lakes and many storyboards that pay homage to these sectors as well as a 4th section dedicated to the barracks’ history. 1. Roundel Lake - Royal Canadian Air Force We start this cycling (or walking) tour at the Ad Astra Monument plaza, located on the north side of the RCAF Park (McCrae Ave between Colonel Mewburn Rd and Verterans Way). This portion of the tour focuses on the Royal Canadian Air Force. Ad Astra means “to the stars” and that’s the official motto of the RCAF. The Ad Astra monument is a 10-meter-high stainless-steel structure built in the shape of a star burst, a well-known Canadian Snowbird aerobatic manoeuvre. It sits on the north end of the Roundel Lake on a slight height of land affording it a south view. Roundel lake is named in recognition of the roundel symbol used on the wings and fuselage of Canadian military aircraft since WWI. In heraldry, a roundel is a disc. Today, it serves to identify military aircraft as to the country to which they belong. Every country has its own unique roundel marking and design to identify its aircraft. Around this monument, on the ground, are three flat famous shapes of aircrafts with a symbolic runway connecting them: • Spitfire (single-seat fighter aircraft) • Avro Arrow (delta-winged interceptor aircraft) • C-130 Hercules (used by Edmonton’s 435 Transport Squadron from the early 1960's to 1992) These are laid out using cement/paving stones, all done to scale. Nearby is the bronze display of the poem In Flanders Field by John McCrae. After serving in the Second Battle of Ypres, Canadian John McCrae wrote the poem because of the staggering loss of life he witnessed as a doctor. McCrae threw the poem into a trash can but a nurse stumbled upon it, retrieved it, and eventually sent it to a newspaper, who as fate would have it – published it. And, the rest is as they say history. As an aside, the red poppies we’ve come to know as symbolizing Remembrance Day as Canadians, aren’t universal. Some countries use blue poppies instead. Following the path south, Griffon Plaza showcases the Griffon helicopter used by 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron, the only RCAF unit still based in the Edmonton area. As we arrive at the south end of the lake, Mosquito Plaza is formed in the shape of the famous de Havilland Mosquito fighter-bomber used by 418 Squadron during World War II. 2. Griesbach Hilltop Lookout - Barracks’ History Going NE on Sir Arthur Currie Way and then SE from the traffic circle on Griesbach Rd, will bring us to the NW corner of Griesbach Central Park. Following the paved path south, as we keep the hill to our left, the path will change to gravel. Turning left when the gravel meets the paved trail, will bring us up the top of the 30-meter-high hill where Griesbach Barracks’ history is explained. The view is worth the ascent as it is stunning. We can see Edmonton for kilometers including downtown’s beautiful skyline. In the centre of the plaza is a map on the ground, showing where all the buildings were located at the Griesbach Barracks in 1962. All around the plaza, there are plaques with photos and text describing life on the base, along with showing where these certain sections were located. After descending the hill on the same path, we climbed, but veering left when we can, the community garden of 144 plots, is on our right. At Griesbach’s public garden, anyone can get a plot of land from the City of Edmonton and grow their own produce. 3. Patricia Lake - Canadian Army Following Gault Boulevard brings us to Patricia Lake, dedicated to Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI), which is the Canadian Army portion of this tour. Members of the PPCLI are also known as Pats, Patricias, or Princess Pats. Riding on the sidewalk when the lake comes into view, allows us to take the path going south along the lake. At the SE corner of the lake, we find the Amphitheatre at Patricia Park. In the centre of the plaza, is the round Battle of Frezenberg Memorial, which is a replica of the original monument to the Patricias, located near their heroic stand at Bellewaerde, east of Ypres in NW Belgium. On May 8th, 1915 the Patricia's were attacked by the Germans in the Second Battle of Ypres. The Patricias’ defence of the Bellewaerde Ridge established their reputation as a fighting force, but at terrible cost. By the end of the final German assault, the Patricia’s were reduced from 554 to four officers and 150 men. The 4 trees in the plaza’s north semi-circle represent Canada’s first soldiers who died in Afghanistan in April 2002 when a “friendly fire” incident killed four and wounded eight members of the Patricias. In addition, the trees are also a tribute to the sacrifice and courage of all the soldiers who were killed and injured in Afghanistan. At the base of the amphitheater is a time capsule, which will be opened in August 2064. Names of fallen soldiers lost in active duty over the years, from this infantry, are etched into two walls located along the steps. The steps lead up to the Griesbach Statue, located in the nearby traffic circle. Major-General William Antrobus Griesbach (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Antrobus_Griesbach) was a lawyer, decorated soldier, mayor of Edmonton, and member of the House of Commons of Canada and Senate of Canada. He was the 9th mayor in Edmonton who was elected into office at the age of 29 in 1906. Following the west path brings us to the replica of a Bailey Bridge. This type of bridge aided the Allies in WWII, as no special tools or heavy equipment were needed to assemble it. Bailey bridges are small and light, thus easy to transport between locations. The reason the bridge is a point of interest, is because Bailey bridges were Canadian designed and created. These bridges were one of Canada’s many contributions to WWII. This replica contains original pieces of real Bailey bridges used in WWII, though this bridge is smaller and more permanent than the original ones. The original pieces were shipped from France. Reflect that we are walking on the same platform, on which soldiers marched on, back in WWII. 4. Bedford Basin - Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) Continuing west, then crossing Pegasus Boulevard brings us to Bedford Basin, the final portion of our tour, to a site dedicated to the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). On the south entrance of the basin is a Kisbie Ring, a life buoy, thrown to a person in the water to save them. This monument pays tribute to fallen sailors. Further down the path is a lookout over the lake, which has been cleverly constructed to recreate the bow of the HMCS (Her Majesty's Canadian Ship) Edmonton - 703, a Kingston-class coastal defence vessel. In addition to informative plaques, there is an anchor below the bow which makes the whole scene quite realistic. This ends the military historic tour of the Village at Griesbach. At the end of the ride, due to Beaumaris Lake trails under construction (in 2021), one needs to skirt around the north edge. (cz)