| Although I love the city the summer always | | | | is the fastest growing community in Canada. |
| makes me itch to get out into the country. So | | | | The population of Milton has grown by more |
| I called up my friend Karel with whom I had | | | | than 70% between 2001 and 2006 and stands |
| helped organize a conference many years ago | | | | about 56,000 people now. Milton dates back to |
| and asked him if he would mind getting | | | | the 1820s when English settlers Jasper Martin |
| together in his neck of the woods near | | | | and his wife Sarah were granted 100 acres of |
| Burlington for a country driving tour of the | | | | land from the Crown. |
| Niagara Escarpment. Since we had not seen | | | | |
| each other for a couple of years it was a | | | | Martin built a grist mill along Sixteen Mile |
| great opportunity to catch up and enjoy a | | | | Creek and also created a pond, Mill Pond, |
| beautiful drive at the same time. | | | | which is still in existence today and has |
| | | | become a popular recreation area for local |
| So we met this morning on a parking lot just | | | | residents with its walking trails and the |
| off Guelph Line in the north end of | | | | gazebo that overlooks the water. |
| Burlington. I parked my car and off we drove | | | | |
| in Karel's convertible. We drove north into | | | | Main Street in downtown Milton still speaks |
| the green countryside and up a slope to get | | | | of its Victorian heritage, old City Hall, the |
| to our first destination: a nature area | | | | Post Office Building and several other |
| called the Mount Nemo Conservation Area. We | | | | churches and secular buildings date back to |
| parked the car and walked about 15 minutes | | | | the mid to late 1800s. Many restaurants and |
| eastwards through a forest until we reached a | | | | cafés have sprung up in the downtown core |
| steep cliff and a lookout point that offered | | | | which beckon visitors to sit down and relax |
| a beautiful 180 degree view over the rolling | | | | on some of their outdoor patios. |
| farm country that was sprawling far below us. | | | | |
| | | | From the quaint town of Milton we headed |
| The Niagara Escarpment is a geological | | | | northwest towards a small village called |
| formation that extends from western New York | | | | Aberfoyle, north of Highway 401. Karel |
| State through Ontario to Michigan, Wisconsin | | | | suggested that we have lunch at the local |
| and Illinois. It originated as a result of | | | | Aberfoyle Mill, an actual mill that was |
| unequal erosion where a top layer of harder | | | | converted into a restaurant in 1966. |
| and more resistant dolomitic limestone | | | | Aberfoyle itself was first settled in the |
| overlays more easily eroded shale. The | | | | 1840s and is famous for its Aberfoyle Spring |
| gradual erosion of the shale leaves behind | | | | Water. |
| cliffs of resistant cap rock. The limestone | | | | |
| itself stems from an ancient tropical sea and | | | | The Aberfoyle Mill itself was built by a |
| contains some of the most astounding fossils | | | | Scottish immigrant by the name of George |
| of the Ordovician-Silurian geological era. | | | | McLean in 1859 and even won a gold medal for |
| | | | its oatmeal at the 1867 World's Fair in |
| In Ontario, the Niagara Escarpment features | | | | Pairs. After stopping operations in the late |
| the Bruce Trail: Canada's oldest and longest | | | | 1920s the mill was purchased by the Owens |
| footpath that extends over 800 km (with side | | | | family in 1960 who then spent six years |
| trails) from Niagara Falls in the South to | | | | renovating it and turning it into one of the |
| Tobermory in the north. The entire area has | | | | most unique country restaurants in Canada. |
| been designated a UNESCO World Biosphere | | | | |
| Reserve due to its unique fauna and flora. | | | | Karel and I sat down at a table on an |
| The Bruce Trail itself is marked by white | | | | elevated platform that overlooked the |
| blazes (white markings about 8 cm high and 3 | | | | restaurant. Various farm implements and even |
| cm wide) and is maintained by the Bruce Trail | | | | an entire sled were suspended from the |
| Association while side trails are marked by | | | | ceiling and the mechanism of the old |
| blue blazes. | | | | gristmill was still visible in a stairway to |
| | | | the basement. I enjoyed a tender trout filet |
| One of the Niagara Escarpments distinguishing | | | | with garden fresh vegetables and rice while |
| features are the many lookout points on the | | | | my friend and tour guide savoured his mixed |
| rocky outcroppings over an otherwise rather | | | | grill. After our meal we walked around the |
| flat area. In addition, the Niagara | | | | entire mill and admired the scenic pond that |
| Escarpment has dozens of waterfalls where | | | | was home to a group of Canada geese. |
| streams and rivers tumble over the limestone | | | | |
| cliffs. The most famous of these waterfalls | | | | Then Karel introduced me to another famous |
| is of course Niagara Falls which is also | | | | destination in Aberfoyle: the Aberfoyle |
| reachable on a side trail from the Bruce | | | | Antique Market, which although closed today, |
| Trail. | | | | holds more than 100 vendors of antiques |
| | | | during market days and has become an |
| The Niagara Escarpment's unique natural | | | | extremely popular weekend destination for |
| environment includes many bird species (some | | | | collectors. |
| of them endangered) such as the Bald Eagle, | | | | |
| the Red-Shouldered Hawk, the Black Tern and | | | | One more nature area remained for us to |
| the Hooded Warbler. Rare reptiles and | | | | explore: the Spencer Gorge Conservation area, |
| amphibians also live in the area, for example | | | | north of the City of Hamilton. We parked our |
| the Eastern Massassauga Rattlesnake and the | | | | car at the entrance, paid the $5 day use fee |
| North Dusky Salamander. 37 species of orchids | | | | by depositing cash in the self-serve box and |
| have been found in the northern parts of the | | | | started walking on the trail that would lead |
| Escarpment, including the Calypso Orchid, the | | | | us to Dundas Peak. Just about 150 m from the |
| Ram's-head Lady Slipper and Alaska Rein | | | | parking lot we stopped to admire Tews Falls, |
| Orchid. Considering that about 7 million | | | | a waterfall with a height of 41 m that is |
| people live within close proximity the | | | | almost as high as Niagara Falls. The water |
| biological diversity in this unique area is | | | | level was pretty low since we have not had |
| astounding. | | | | any significant rain fall in a while, but I |
| | | | could only imagine how picturesque this |
| We started walking on a trail right at the | | | | waterfall must be when the water level is |
| edge of a cliff and Karel informed me that | | | | higher. |
| the Niagara Escarpment is extremely popular | | | | |
| with rock climbers. I wanted to take a good | | | | A serene 20 minute hike with occasional views |
| snapshot of the cliffs and crevices, but my | | | | past the lush green trees into the Gorge took |
| fear of heights and the shear vertical drop | | | | us to Dundas Peak, an elevated cliff with a |
| prevented me from exploring the very edge of | | | | platform of natural stone that provides a |
| the cliff. The many caves are also popular | | | | magnificent view of the Town of Dundas, the |
| with spelunkers. We walked about 20 minutes | | | | City of Hamilton and the Niagara Escarpment |
| northwards and had a beautiful view towards | | | | which encircles the entire area. The rocky |
| Rattlesnake Point, another rocky outcrop | | | | platform is an overhang and with my fear of |
| along the Niagara Escarpment. Then we took a | | | | heights I made sure I stayed about two metres |
| side trail back through the forest to the | | | | away from the edge since the edge of the |
| parking lot and continued our drive. | | | | rocks continues into a sheer vertical drop |
| | | | into the valley. |
| About ten minutes further north we stopped in | | | | |
| the village of Lowville to have a look at | | | | After our hike down we drove just a few |
| Lowville Park. The Sixteen Mile Creek slowly | | | | minutes to Webster's Falls which is also part |
| meanders through the park and nature trails | | | | of the Spencer Gorge Conservation Area. |
| branch off from the parking lot area. Right | | | | Another waterfall was enchanting a group of |
| next to the park is the Lowville Bistro, a | | | | children who were playing at the bottom of |
| recently renovated restaurant that offers | | | | it. Picnic areas and grassy meadows surround |
| upscale casual dining, a licensed outdoor | | | | the river on both sides and a unique stone |
| patio, an ice cream parlour and take-out. The | | | | bridge connects the parking lot with the |
| town itself dates back to the early 1800s and | | | | waterfall. |
| was developed after the Mississauga Land | | | | |
| Purchase. The descendants of some of these | | | | At the end of this 20 minute walk we |
| early settlers still live in the village | | | | continued on towards the Town of Dundas which |
| today. 36 historic buildings and a Pioneer | | | | dates back to 1847. John Graves Simcoe, |
| Cemetery still bear witness to this once | | | | Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada, named |
| thriving rural community. | | | | the town after Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount |
| | | | Melville, a good friend of his and a Scottish |
| Leaving Lowville behind we headed straight | | | | lawyer and politician who never even visited |
| north to another conservation area in the | | | | North America. Dundas still has a nice |
| Halton Region Conservation System: Crawford | | | | historic core that features an old Post |
| Lake features a so-called meromictic lake, a | | | | Office and various other Victorian era |
| deep body of water where different layers of | | | | buildings. |
| water do not intermix. This creates an | | | | |
| oxygen-poor environment that is not conducive | | | | Karel proceeded to show me the remainders of |
| to living organisms. As a result, | | | | the Desjardins Canal, a historic canal that |
| archeologists are able to drill core samples | | | | was completed in 1837 and substantially |
| of soil from the lake bed that date back | | | | promoted the growth of Dundas as a |
| several centuries. One of these drillings led | | | | settlement, but was later overshadowed by the |
| to the discovery of corn pollen and the | | | | opening of the Great Western Railroad in |
| conclusion that there was once an Indian | | | | Hamilton in 1854. Due to the railway's stiff |
| village in the area. Subsequent archeological | | | | competition, the canal fell in disuse and in |
| digs confirmed the presence of a native | | | | 1867 sediment blocked direct access to the |
| settlement. | | | | town, making it unusable. Today, the canal |
| | | | has largely been forgotten, but there are |
| A 15th century pre-contact Iroquoian Village | | | | some walking trails along the canal near |
| has been reconstructed on its original site | | | | Cootes Paradise, a large wetland area at the |
| and features two wooden longhouses that | | | | western end of Hamilton Harbour. |
| contain sleeping quarters, a fire pit and | | | | |
| storage areas for tools, animal hides and | | | | It was now after 5 pm and our driving tour |
| food. Guides provide explanations of the | | | | had come to an end. Karel drove me back to my |
| lifestyle of the Iroquois tribes that | | | | vehicle and I thanked him sincerely for his |
| inhabited this area. This conservation area | | | | time and for sharing his local expertise of |
| is a popular destination for school children | | | | the Burlington, Milton and Dundas areas. We |
| and summer camps and during our visit several | | | | resolved that there were so many interesting |
| groups of young people were enjoying | | | | places that we had not seen and that we would |
| themselves in the grassy areas in front of | | | | do another driving tour in the area in the |
| the long houses. | | | | next few months. |
| | | | |
| The Niagara Escarpment is just full of | | | | I was also a bit tired, but in no mood to get |
| protected nature areas, and just 10 minutes | | | | on the Queen Elizabeth Expressway during rush |
| north of the village of Campbellville is | | | | hour no less. So I drove all the way south to |
| another nature area: the Hilton Falls | | | | Lake Ontario and had a quick peek at the |
| Conservation Area features excellent hiking, | | | | Burlington Waterfront which has been |
| mountain biking and cross-country ski trails | | | | beautifully developed in recent years. Since |
| in the area. More than 30 km of woodland | | | | dark clouds were starting to roll in I |
| trails weave their way around the Hilton | | | | decided to postpone my explorations of |
| Falls Reservoir and a 10 metre high waterfall | | | | Burlington for next time and embarked on a |
| cascades over the Niagara Escarpment. Across | | | | slow relaxing drive back to Toronto next to |
| the road from Hilton Falls is the Kelso / | | | | the Lakeshore. The western waterfront of Lake |
| Glen Eden Conservation Area whose highlights | | | | Ontario is very scenic with multiple public |
| include a sandy beach as well as 22 | | | | parks and stately older mansions with |
| kilometres of trails for mountain bikers and | | | | beautifully manicured gardens. |
| 12 slopes for downhill skiers. | | | | |
| | | | Burlington, Oakville and Mississauga will |
| We continued our drive south to the Town of | | | | also remain to be explored next time. |
| Milton, which according to the 2006 Census, | | | | |