Bleasdell Boulder Conservation Area
Bleasdell Boulder Conservation Area
Bleasdell Boulder Conservation Area
When we are about to go on a trip, I rarely, if ever, tell Charlene where we are going. I will tell her just enough to know what to pack and wear for the day. The reason for this is that arriving at a spot is a surprise and each stop is unexpected and fun. I have to agree with her. Very rarely am I surprised by a stop on our travels; I have done so much research and seen pictures others have posted and I already know what to expect. In that aspect, I am jealous that I do not get to experience the same level of thrill and excitement that she has.
As we are driving to our next destination for the day, I discovered on this trip that my wife is very literate and is able to read road signs.
"You're taking me to see a rock?"
(Let me try that again.)
"You're taking me to see a rock?"
(There must be something wrong with this keyboard – I will try again.)
“You're taking me to see a rock?"
(Sorry, about this, dear reader. I cannot get the tone of her voice right. Let me try again.)
"You're taking me to see a rock?"
(Hmm. I just cannot get it right.)
Well, I have failed at getting the tone of her voice right. If you know Charlene, you would know the sound of her voice and add the disdain and dismay and maybe even disgust at the knowledge of reading the road sign announcing we were headed in the direction of a boulder.
Unfortunately for me, the sign still stated that we were several kilometers away and there was time, a lot of time, to travel. I admitted to Charlene that, yes, we were about to see a rock but it is a cool rock. Rocks can be cool, you know!
She was unconvinced and I could tell she was not wanting to go to this stop. It was the first time in all of our trips that I actually thought she would not partake in a destination. With reassurance that what we are looking for was a small walk in the woods, she resigned to going to see a rock.
We parked and with great relief, there is no swarm of bugs to dissuade her from getting out of the car. There is a large map at the entrance of the trail and I show Charlene that it is only a kilometer round trip. Charlene leads the way with a briskness that I do not usually see; I am thinking she is hoping the sooner we get there, the sooner we can leave.
The trail is nice; wide and easy to walk. Many people have used this trail system before and is well packed and well-maintained. It is a small conservation area but that is all that is needed for the main feature of this place.
We come across the large boulder. For me, this is the coolest thing I have seen in a while. One of the largest glacial erratics in North America and it is sitting here in front of us. So cool, that the original owners of the land donated it to become a conservation area so others can see this cool feature. Cool enough even for a reluctant wife. She looked at the 2.3-billion-year-old rock and all the interesting features of this rock and would admit that it was indeed cool.
I did gloat a bit with a "I told you so".
We take pictures and where I was standing was a rather nasty looking spider. Thankfully, no snakes.
By visiting this glacial erratic, we learned that we have seen many others before on our trips and when we would travel to other locations, we would be able to spot an erratic from a rock that simply fell to that location. By visiting what at first seems to be a boring site, it turns out to be enlightening and informative. Charlene has never questioned a site location after this one. I have to say it one more time:
I told you so!
Located just north of Trenton, Ontario. Google Map search Bleasdell Boulder Conservation Area.
