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Tag Archives: nature

Walkabout – Crothers Woods

05 Wednesday Mar 2014

Posted by petervisima in Nature, Walkabout

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Beechwood Drive, Bloor Street Viaduct, Cottonwood Flats, Crothers Woods Trail, dogs, East York, Lower Don Parklands, Lower Don River Trail, nature, O'Connor Drive, snow, Todmorden Mills, Toronto Parks

Today, my wife and I decided to get bundled up and go for a walk. The temperature was -6°C and with the wind chill it felt like -13°C. One of our favourite places to walk is the Lower Don River Trail which leads to a trail that loops around Crothers Woods. There are numerous access points to the trail, but we decided to travel to Beechwood Drive which runs north from O’Connor Drive. Beechwood ends at the bottom of the hill and we were surprised at the number of vehicles that were there today. Most of the people who drove brought their dogs, many of which were off-leash but very well-behaved. (Click on any photo to see a larger version.) Screen Shot 2014-03-05 at 05-03-14, 1.30.38 PM

There had been a light dusting of snow overnight, but with the number of people and dogs that had already been out on the trails, the depth of snow did not pose a problem for a nice leisurely walk. Part of the reason for choosing this section of the valley was that it tends to be less windy in the valley and we certainly didn’t need the discomfort of a wind chill in our faces.

It has been a while since we visited this area and we were surprised with the work that was being done to preserve and protect the Cottonwood Flats.Mar_5_WalkaboutCrothers_2_2014-03-05_11-02-27_DSC_1363

Cottonwood Flats with a new protective fence

Cottonwood Flats with a new protective fence

It’s a shame to see graffiti on this beautiful bridge:Mar_5_WalkaboutCrothers_7_2014-03-05_11-03-35_DSC_1368

During our walk it was sunny for a moment, then it became cloudy, then it began to snow lightly and then the sun came out again!Mar_5_WalkaboutCrothers_12_2014-03-05_11-09-49_DSC_1373Mar_5_WalkaboutCrothers_15_2014-03-05_11-20-30_DSC_1376

We came upon two women who were out walking five large dogs, all of which were very friendly. A couple of the dogs were staked out at the bottom of a tree. They were just staring up at a lone squirrel in the tree.Mar_5_WalkaboutCrothers_19_2014-03-05_11-21-25_DSC_1380Mar_5_WalkaboutCrothers_23_2014-03-05_11-22-29_DSC_1384

The ever changing sky and weather

The ever-changing sky and weather

It was surprising to us that the Don River was not frozen over. I guess the speed of the water at this point prevents it from freezing:Mar_5_WalkaboutCrothers_28_2014-03-05_11-25-45_DSC_1389Mar_5_WalkaboutCrothers_33_2014-03-05_11-28-56_DSC_1394Mar_5_WalkaboutCrothers_44_2014-03-05_11-37-52_DSC_1405

I never miss a chance to photograph my favourite railway trestle. This is an active line which has commuter GO trains traveling on it:Mar_5_WalkaboutCrothers_32_2014-03-05_11-28-22_DSC_1393

This part of the path continues on towards Pottery Road and Todmorden Mills, and continues further south to way below the Bloor Street Viaduct and all the way to Lake Shore Boulevard:Mar_5_WalkaboutCrothers_38_2014-03-05_11-30-46_DSC_1399Mar_5_WalkaboutCrothers_47_2014-03-05_11-42-01_DSC_1408Mar_5_WalkaboutCrothers_50_2014-03-05_11-42-13_DSC_1411

We walked for just under an hour and covered 3.5 kilometres, which was enough for today.

43.691056 -79.361564

Jane’s Walk in the Lower Don River

05 Sunday May 2013

Posted by petervisima in Flowers, Jane's Walk, Nature, Photography, Walkabout

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Beechwood, Brickworks, Crothers Woods Trail, Domtar, Don Valley, East York, Garth Armour, Jane's Walk, K-9 unit, Lower Don Recreation Trail, Margaret McRae, Mary Fragedakis, nature, O'Connor, Paula Davies, Pottery Road, Taylor, Todmorden, Toronto Police Services, Walkabout

I attended my first Jane’s Walk on Saturday, May 4. The late Jane Jacobs has been described as a “legendary urban thinker, writer and activist.” Jane’s Walks take place on the first weekend in May and are held in 90 cities in 20 countries.

This link has further information about the history of Jane Jacobs: http://www.janeswalk.net/index.php/about/

The Jane’s Walk that I took part in was the “Lower Don River Ecological Restoration & Heritage Walk.” The event was hosted by Toronto City Councillor Mary Fragedakis and the Urban Forestry Department’s Garth Armour and his co-worker Kim.

Our rendezvous point was at the corner of Beechwood and O’Connor Drives. I know this area quite well since my wife and I lived across the street when we were first married and often walked in the Lower Don.

(Click on any photo to see a larger version)

the corner of Beechwood Drive and O'Connor Drive

the corner of Beechwood Drive and O’Connor Drive

our hosts Ward 29 Councillor Mary Fragedakis and Urban Forestry Department's Garth Amour

our hosts Ward 29 Councillor Mary Fragedakis and Urban Forestry Department’s Garth Armour

We started our walk promptly at 2 p.m. and headed a short distance north on Beechwood Drive, then turned left onto Beechwood Crescent, stopping at number 20.

20 Beechwood Crescent

20 Beechwood Crescent

This is the oldest privately owned house in East York and was built in 1840. The house has remained virtually unchanged, although it once had a porch which spanned the entire front of the house. It was the home of George Taylor whose family by 1855 owned paper mills, sawmills and grist mills in the valley. He started the Don Valley Brickworks in 1889 and supplied most of the brick for East York homes for many, many years.

photograph taken September, 2012 at the Evergreen Brickworks

photograph taken September 2012 at the Evergreen Brickworks

We then traveled down Beechwood Drive, which is very steep. Stopping part-way down the hill, Garth discussed what the valley looked like before the Don Valley Parkway was built and the damage that was caused in this area due to Hurricane Hazel in 1954.May_4_JanesWalk__2013-05-04_14-12-26_DSC_0589May_4_JanesWalk__2013-05-04_14-14-24_DSC_0591

Continuing to the bottom of Beechwood Drive, we stopped at the location of the Toronto Police Services K-9 unit. This was the former location of Domtar Polyresins, which purchased this site in 1961 and remained there until the 1980s.

photograph taken August, 2012

photograph taken August 2012

We then continued to the crossroads of the Lower Don Trail and the former Beechwood Avenue. There is an active railroad line in use here and this railway bridge is one of my favourite things to photograph.

photographed in March, 2013

photographed March 2013

photographed November, 2012

photographed November 2012

photographed August, 2012

photographed August 2012

photographed September, 2012

photographed September 2012

Our next stop was the bridge between Cottonwood Flats and Sun Valley.May_4_JanesWalk__2013-05-04_14-36-46_DSC_0599

After crossing the bridge we walked up the recently completed Crother’s Woods Trail, which has a gravel main path along with many other trails branching away from the main trail.Screen Shot 2013-05-05 at 05-05-13, 1.24.25 PM

The top of the Crother’s Woods Trail provides a great outlook of the entire valley.May_4_JanesWalk__2013-05-04_14-53-10_DSC_0628

There are so many great opportunities for photographs.May_4_JanesWalk__2013-05-04_14-42-45_DSC_0608May_4_JanesWalk__2013-05-04_15-14-11_DSC_0639May_4_JanesWalk__2013-05-04_15-14-35_DSC_0641May_4_JanesWalk__2013-05-04_15-15-05_DSC_0645

At numerous locations Garth continued to tell our group about the history of the valley, the issues of multi-use trails, the massive tree planting efforts and the new hydro trail.

May_4_JanesWalk__2013-05-04_14-42-21_DSC_0605

Garth Armour

May_4_JanesWalk__2013-05-04_15-16-47_DSC_0648May_4_JanesWalk__2013-05-04_15-18-21_DSC_0651May_4_JanesWalk__2013-05-04_15-24-21_DSC_0662May_4_JanesWalk__2013-05-04_15-24-42_DSC_0669

The Beechwood Wetland is being restored and expanded and Garth told us about the crucial role of the Task Force to Bring Back the Don and the importance of advocacy work. May_4_JanesWalk__2013-05-04_15-25-30_DSC_0671May_4_JanesWalk__2013-05-04_15-28-24_DSC_0680

In years gone by, the Don River meandered as any river would, but the river was straightened out in several sections and river weirs were needed to accommodate fish migration.May_4_JanesWalk__2013-05-04_15-41-02_DSC_0684

Our walk continued parallel to the Don Valley Parkway where numerous embankment improvements have been made. We arrived at Pottery Road, where a massive reconstruction project was completed last year. This includes a crossing that was the best compromise for pedestrians and cyclists. The crossing has been criticized by many people and it was suggested that the crossing should have tunneled under Pottery Road. Garth pointed out that this would have cost millions of dollars. Personally, I have no problem with this solution.

photograph taken August, 2012

photograph taken August 2012

photograph taken August, 2012

photograph taken August 2012

Our final destination was Todmorden Mills,which was the site of the first mills on the Don. A sawmill opened in 1795, grist mill in 1796, paper mill in 1826 and a brewery in 1821. Owners and workers lived onsite and two houses remain intact. This property was purchased by the Taylors in 1855 and became their lower mill. The homes on this site were lived in until 1965.May_4_JanesWalk__2013-05-04_15-54-11_DSC_0689May_4_JanesWalk__2013-05-04_15-56-06_DSC_0691

I suggest that if you haven’t visited Todmorden Mills, you should—it is one of East York’s true gems.

After a great two-hour Jane’s Walk, our journey had come to an end. The beginning of our walk saw just over 30 people and by its end I counted 50 since additional folks joined along the way. My thanks go out to Mary Fragedakis, Garth Armour and his co-worker Kim. They were so informative and helped make for a fantastic day.

It is also worth mentioning that we had two other very special people attend our walk. Margaret McRae is the past-president of the East York Historical Society and is currently president of the Toronto Field Naturalists. Also in attendance was Paula Davies of the Todmorden Mills Wildflower Preserve. Paula is also actively involved on the Task Force to Bring Back the Don. Paula graciously invited anyone who was interested for a tour of the wildflower preserve immediately following our walk.

Our two-hour adventure was amazing and I met lots of new people and new fellow East York friends. My thanks again to Mary, Garth, Kim, Margaret and Paula for a spectacular Jane’s Walk on a picture-perfect day.

Fantasy Farm's willow trees, 55 Pottery Road

Fantasy Farm’s willow trees, 55 Pottery Road

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