Badlands in Spring

Winter is fighting Spring and for the time being it looks like Spring is going to be Winter's bitch. I drove to the Badlands of Caledon hidden away in Cheltenham. The wet weather complements the badlands, makes them even badder. I wanted to go there since I missed the scary midway movie set for Silent Hill that was at Cherry Beach. The fog and the rain and the bare trees were almost as scary as how long the wet clay clung to my boots, ooooohhh.

Photo Vault - Badlands

Now that you don't have to be good for Santa (for a little while yet) you can be bad - if fact you can be so bad that you have to stay in the badlands.

Fallorama

Saturday brought some rain and clouds but I thought I would check out the Fall colours anyways. I headed north and my first stop - the Cheltenham Badlands. The Badlands, with their rolling orange hills and white stripes, surrounded by a forest of colours is a perfect way to start the adventure.

With an early start and the possibility of rain we did not have to battle the crowds on the hills. As Fall continues it's steady progress Caledon and it's natural attractions will fill up with thousands of people.

We continued our journey north towards Collingwood, stopping along the way when we found some nice views of the red, orange and yellow leaves filling the deciduous trees.

In Collingwood, which is located on Georgian Bay, the adjacent Niagara Escarpment is made for hiking (and for marriage ceremonies). So we journey upwards and explore the Bruce Trail and the top of the Blue Mountain Resort and Ski Hill. Blue Mountain has a lot of bike trails and they have a ski lift running. For $7 you can ride the ski lift which has been converted to a pedestrian lift with special bike racks and so down the hill we went. You can ride down for free and then buy the ticket to get back to the top.

It is incredible what they have done to Blue Mountain. The resort is full of condos, stores, restaurants and bars. There is a pond where you can rent pedal boats and relax on Muskoka chairs. The place was humming with action and a wedding party played a giant chess set in a friendly battle of the sexes.

Badlands after a downpour

We have had no shortage of rain in southern Ontario, it keeps coming down by the buckets and that didn't change when I decided to check out the Cheltenham Badlands. Located a short distance northwest of Toronto (follow Hwy 10 north and turn left/west on Old Base Line Road). As I was heading up Highway 10 the heavy rain and thunderstorm hit, cars were stoping along the road waiting for the worst of the storm to pass.

I hoped that by the time I got to the Badlands the thunderstorm would pass, which of course they didn't, so I waited the storm out and finally the sun broke out of the storm as the lightning passed to the southwest. Luckily the crowds were light right after the rain and I walked onto the badlands expecting to sink into the wet clay. But the red clay was remarkably firm, even after the rain, and dried fast in the hot sun.

While the best time to visit the badlands would be in the fall it can be beneficial to visit in the summer as the crowds and traffic make it easier to see this amazing site.

February BLAHS are almost over

Usually you don't see this much crack in Toronto unless there is a thong involved.

As we kiss February goodbye we are getting ready to slide into spring. Actually February wasn't that bad - we had a nice warm spell in the middle, a bit of January thaw that happened a little late, and the sunshine has been coming out to play more and more.

Still, it is hard to get enthusiastic for winter weather unless you can get out sledding, boarding, skiing or hiking. I decide to visit the Badlands and see what it looks like in winter. Much of the snow cover has melted and you can see the barren landscape as the rolls of clay are exposed and eroded along the side of the hill. You can see more of my pictures of the badlands here.




I thought I ran into Paris Hilton at the Eaton Centre because someone had the cutest little puppy, dressed in a nice yellow sweater, sitting on a leather bench watching the people go by.



And outside the shopping mall the City has placed large, red planters in Yonge-Dundas Square. These are the type that I remember seeing in Quebec City and I think they look great here as well.