Sunday, March 7, 2010

They paved paradise, and put up a parking lot.

As you well know, the dogs and I walk our trails daily (and for those of you who've been paying attention for the last couple of months, YES I'm back walking the trails - no more pictures of sleeping cats for while!).   


Look - another picture of our dogs on the trail!

A good chunk of what we walk is part of the Trans Canada Trail.  The TCT is the world's largest network of trails and when it's completed it will be over 22,000 kilometers long. 



This portion of trail also happens to be the last remaining intact section of the Athabasca Landing Trail which in it's heyday was Canada's busiest northern route. 

 

And that's your local history lesson for the day! At any rate, it gives you an idea as to why those of us who live next to the trail are quite attached to it. 

A couple of days ago I walked the dogs down to the south end of the trail, where it opens out into a nice quiet dead end country lane.  

Things have changed. I guess it's called "progress".




 I guess the upside is, I can watch the dogs run away for a mile or so (they're in the shot).

 

There's new play ground equipment for the kids,



 and some people pay a lot of money for a mud pack spa treatment.

 

Another picture in case you couldn't tell how freaking wide this little country lane is now. 

I happened to talk to the county workers the other day when I discovered their work. Nice guys, just out doing their job. They mentioned the plan to "improve" the trail as well.  There's to be room at the trail head for parking, the trail is to be widened, and gravel put down.  That doesn't sound like "improvement" at all.  

Thankfully, no one who owns the land that the trail passes through is interested in improving it at all - it's just fine the way it is, so hopefully things will remain the way they are. 

 
This is a trail...



and THIS is a highway.

3 comments:

An English Shepherd said...

Thats a very wide trail !

Wizz ;-0

D.K. Wall said...

Even WE would fit side by side on that trail. (Our dad prefers the ones where we have to go single file).

Anonymous said...

what a blessing to have such wide open spaces around! we've just got pink hotels, boutiques, and swingin' hot spots. I was just thinking about an hour ago how I wish I had space where we could just all explore together and then poop out snuggling on the couch! Enjoy it for us too!!