This was a busy week for me and Wednesday was really busy. I had all my usual work, laundry to do, dinner to make, groceries to pick up (fortunately it was curbside pickup so no actual shopping to do) and then after all that, I had to get some extra work done for work after hours. I was simultaneously stressed and pleased with myself that I seemed to be managing it.
But the fallout for my Wednesday was that I didn’t have time for my usual 20-50 km bike ride. Instead I just hitched the trailer up to the bike to get groceries and then took a 5 km detour to a location I knew I would find a mystery to share with you. And here it is:
There is something unusual about this house, sitting in a neighbourhood surrounded by million dollar homes. What is it?
And now, to prevent spoilers while you think about it, here are some photos from last night’s ride. I was really grumpy when I started because it was raining – cold rain (12C / 54F) but I’ve committed to going outside for some exercise every day – and it’s been 181 days straight. Sage predicted that it would take me 20 minutes before I was so glad to be outside. And she was totally correct to the minute. The loop took me through our biggest cemetery, Mount Pleasant and then out through a tiny gate at the southern edge leading to a path in the ravine next to a small creek.
Just outside the cemetery 
The path is more suitable for people walking but I managed 
There were a few stairs I had to carry my bike up 
Soon I got to a wider path – even a path this wide doesn’t allow cars. So peaceful 
The switchbacks on the left lead to a park I visited before, but turning toward the right leads me back toward home…
Totally worth the trip. I returned home after only an hour, covered in mud and grit, soaked to the skin but really happy.
OK – do you give up on the challenge? Maybe this clue will help you.
I haven’t seen these outside of Ontario – or if I did, I guess they were well hidden. This one sure was. I have passed by it dozens of times and it wasn’t until I actually looked up where to find examples of this type of building that I found this specific one.
OK – here’s the answer. Stop reading if you’re still thinking:
They’re commonly called “Hydro Houses” (electricity is commonly called “hydro” in Ontario – likely due to the fact that we get much of our electricity from hydroelectric power. Or at least we did when it first started being common after the Niagara hydroelectric dam went online.
Electrical infrastructure can look really ugly but it’s necessary even in wealthy neighbourhoods. So inside this house were you to go inside is a small substation. (The clue is the “High Voltage” sign on the sturdy door. This is what substations tend to look like:
So how’d you do? Did you guess correctly? Have you seen one of these where you live?
Go Outside Today 
The path you took was quite inviting for one who loves walking in the woods. Here the substations are at end of the residential area and quite big. No hiding đŸ™‚
Lovely ride. We have a very large substation near us designed to resemble a red brick government building. It took me quite a while to realize that it wasn’t an actual office.
The trail is so beautiful