badlands, you gotta live it everyday

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Caledon Fall Colours
The fall colours were out in force in Caledon over the weekend, as I took a quick drive with a friend north of the city before going on an IKEA run. All the vehicles parked along the road? Drivers checking out the Cheltenham Badlands, an alien-looking area along the Bruce Trail. At least we didn't face Thanksgiving-style crowds, just happy children and pets.

Cheltenham Badlands (4)
From the Ontario Heritage Trust's website:
The Cheltenham Badlands is one of the best examples of badland topography in Ontario, making it an Area of Natural and Scientific Interest (ANSI). Around the turn of the century, land clearing and livestock grazing caused the erosion of the underlying red shale, leaving a hummocky network of exposed trenched gullies on the lower slopes of the Niagara Escarpment. The resulting unique topography has gained considerable public interest, attracting thousands of international and local visitors annually, including numerous high school and university students studying geology and erosion.

Concerns about soil erosion have led to the closure of a trail that passes through the badlands.

Photos taken along Olde Baseline Road, Caledon, September 22, 2007 - JB

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