Did you ever wonder what is directly across the lake from Rochester? If you took off in a boat and headed straight across? Check this out, its Sandbanks Provincial Park in Prince Edward County Canada and we had the opportunity to visit the place this week on a day trip from Kingston. Its less than 50 miles away from Rochester as the crow flies - yet a five hour car ride. Can you believe that? With a fast boat on a calm day, you could get there in an hour easily. Kind of fun to think about. Im a nerd, and I love geography and the natural world and I spend way to much time looking at Google Earth finding treasures like this. Its this same kind of thinking that led me to the Owens Valley in California, but thats another story. According to the website, this is the World’s largest baymouth barrier dune formation with Three expansive sandy beaches that some say are among the best in Canada; its also a Great starting point to explore Prince Edward County known for its bicycle touring, wineries, food and antiques. Im still dreaming about the place. It was so incredible. My body is back in Rochester, but my mind is still there. The Sandbanks area of the road was somewhat considerable pasture for cattle. By the mid-1850s, the area was changing dramatically. Farmers cut down 200+ year-old trees to clear the land. They built buildings and roads; and in an effort to free up the land to grow crops, farmers allowed their cows to graze on the dunes. The removal of the dunes natural vegetation meant that there was no longer plants to keep the dunes/sand from shifting across the landscape, burying everything in its path. By the 1880s, considerable roadwork was necessary. In fact, the West Lake road had to be moved three times in a period of 50 years, as the sand kept on burying it. In 1911 they tried to plant White Willow to stop the sand but that did not work. Currently, the shifting sand is under control. #Roc #LakeOntario #SandbanksProvincialPark #DiscoverOn #ExploreCanada
Posted on: Sun, 24 Aug 2014 01:00:01 +0000