Good on you for riding, its way more fun than driving to work and you will be in great shape in no time if you stick with it! You can ride every day of the year also, you would be surprised how easy it is down to -20... below that, not so easy but still doable.
Now that I am living in oklahoma city, with little or no safe bike routes, I sure do miss the bow river path. And like you said, you will always know of a few fishy spots and river conditions.
Cheers,
Jon