Had to step out for a bit...was responding to a post in the last thread that is no longer there. Also, I see a quoted post concerning some Fred guy over on Jones and a farting bird. Funny because Jones Rd is very near my home. At any rate, I assume some posts were deleted for some reason.
There were other posts I would like to respond to, but the thread must have been closing right as I was getting back. I'm working my way through right now, but here's the first:
MotherOcean had said:
OK, so it sounds like the girls did not bike to the end of Lake, turn onto S. Evans and cut through the wooded area to get to the trail either by riding or pushing their bikes. It just doesn't seem possible that the girls could be on Lake between the time that they were seen on the video and the time that TG saw two bikes if those bikes belonged to the girls. They would have had to be on Lake Ave. after TG saw the bikes. What do you think would be the least amount of time it could have taken them to ride their bikes from the end of Lake Ave. to where the bikes were found? What do you think would be the most logical and/or shortest way for them to have gone?
I actually drove past the Collins' on my way home just now, then over to Evans, south all the way to Arbutus, and back up Lake to Gilbert. Saw a home for sale across from Lake on Evans/Arbutus (hard to tell where those two streets join exactly). I saw the green paddleboat that somebody had pointed out earlier, but now it was in the front yard of a home. It might have been right next to the house for sale, maybe a house down or so, but still, obviously that paddleboat, obviously well away from the lake at this point.
To answer your question, I would guess a girl on a bike could get from Lake and Arbutus to the spot where the bikes were found in under 30 seconds easily if they traversed the grassy area. It is slightly downhill, not too rough, would be a quick ride. I bet I could make it on foot in 10 seconds. However, whenever I'm there with
my kids, they like to take Arbutus all the way to where the trail crosses, and race down and around the curve back to the wooded area. On here bike, fast as she could go, my daughter could likely make that trip in a minute. It's the equivalent of riding almost around a block.
As far as preferred or most-logical route, that is tough to say. My family's taken both. Coming from the lake, we almost always follow the trail to Arbutus, because cutting across the grass is slightly uphill and difficult with bikes/stroller vs staying on the asphalt bike trail. Sometimes when its just me and one of the kids, we'll cut across if we are trying to get home. But heading
towards the lake, the only time I've ever cut across the grass is when I was out getting pics for this forum. We always just take Gilbert all the way to the skatepark, then hop on the trail and head south. (Again, you can sort of see why neither of these routes would ever include Lake Ave.)