Urban Wilderness!

[EVCco]

Animal skull and skin.

Indeed...

Not sure what it was, but I thought it was interesting with the eye-holes still in the skin.
I always shoot a skull when I find one as sort of an homage to one of my first Toronto wilderness shots in 2002, on the West Highland Creek, back when I was still using a film camera...

 

[EVCco]

Adams Creek - east coast, pt. 1

Back out in the wilderness on a damp and dreary Saturday, hoping to get in a couple more locales before a projected noon-time shower makes things even damper and drearier. So let's not waste any time with the usual prefaces and preludes, and get right in at the headwaters of the Adams Creek, just south of where the 401 meets Kingston Road, in the Laura Ellis Natural Area:

The Natural Area soon gives way to some relatively rural residential rears along Brumwell Street:

[This creek is no place for pencil-necked geeks!]

East a block, or so, and into Adams Park:

Through some more backyards between Lawson Road and Kilsyth Drive:

The creek heads under Port Union Road, then reappears a few blocks later, running parallel down East Avenue:

Twisting and turning, now, behind East Willow Gate:

My trusty map makes no mention of the creek's next leg between Baronial Court and Maberley Crescent - but a resilient old sign has something more interesting to say (I wonder how many West Rouge Ravines there were?):

The ravine widens, and deepens, as it approaches Lawrence Avenue:

The final stretch, under Lawrence and the Kingston rail subdivision, then out into the lake where I continue southwest along the shore to my next destination...:

 

[EVCco]

East Point Creek / Greyabbey Ravine - east coast, pt. 2

Ominous skies greet me as I hit the coast, warning time may be of the essence if I wish to hit my next target before the downpour. The quickest route, then, is a scenic stroll along the atmospheric Scarborough shoreline - starting here, on the Chesterton Shores:

[...another skull, of sorts?]

Past the Rouge Hill GO Station and into Port Union:

As I cross the Highland Creek the rain begins to come down - 2 hours ahead of schedule - and I'm forced to consider turning back...:

...but, just as I locate the outfall where the East Point Creek empties into Lake Ontario, the rain begins to let up. I take this as a sign and carry on; wishing only that there were more signs of the creek itself, as it furtively seeps into the marshland of East Point Park:

The creek (such that it is) comes back into form, running to its conclusion through a ditch along the side of Copperfield Road:

A little further west to my final spot, with a few interesting sites along the way:

[...not quite another skull, yet.]

Ending with a bang down the sublime Greyabbey Ravine, with swampy beginnings south of Darlingside Drive...:

...and a dramatic denouement over the bluffs:

 

[EVCco]

Black Creek - bichromial dichotomy, pt. 1

Today (or, rather, yesterday) I decided to revist a portion of my very first (well, technically second) post in this thread: the southern end of Black Creek - specifically, the section between Queen's Drive and Weston Road. It's been bothering me for a while, now, that I was a little less than thorough in covering this stretch initially (though some may feel I've been a little too thorough in covering subsequent waterways). Nevertheless, since I was going to be in the neighbourhood anyway, I felt I might as well take this opportunity to right a wrong and finally put my mind at ease. So I start, then, just under Queen's Drive, heading south into Upwood Park:

The next section, under Lawrence, was covered in the first post - so let's skip ahead, a little further south, to where the creek begins to run along the west side of Black Creek Drive:

The watercourse solidifies as Black Creek threads under Black Creek, to run along its eastern edge:

The first signs of spring are beginning to bud as I enter Westview Park:

What was I saying about "budding" and "spring?" Just as I turn up this small side-stream, a mini-blizzard descends!:

Back on the main trail, and I'm right back in winter, as I continue through Threthewey Park:

Pressing south, past Threthewey Drive:

The weather may be constantly changing, but one thing which has stayed the same is that Coronation Park (aka Keelsedale North Park, aka North Keelesdale Park) remains a desert wasteland. The first picture I took in 2006, and the rest is how it looks today. Actually, I believe the city currently uses this area as a snow disposal site (how fitting!):

[..."desert," but not deserted...]

Back to the creek, to head under Eglinton Ave:

Into South Keelesdale Park, now (aka Keelesdale Park South...aka, just plain Keelesdale Park), where I catch the construction of an entirely new bridge:

Around the bend and it's bridges-a-plenty, as three rail bridges (one of them u/c as well) cross the creek right before Weston Road does the same:

And so ends my Black Creek adventure. As for the rest of it, heading towards the Humber, please consult page 1 of this thread, if you haven't already.
As for me, I'm off to the other part of the day's dichotomy - from black to purple...

 

[EVCco]

Lavender Creek - bichromial dichotomy, pt. 2

Just south of where the previous creek bisects Humber Boulevard, and just west of Hilldale Road, the little Lavender Creek fades to Black. It once came from as far as Dufferin Street, but now flows only a third that far (above-ground, at least), making for a quick second act to my day's trip. Heading south, then, from the Black Creek, towards Rockcliffe Court:

Through the driveways of the Rockcliffe complex...:

...and into Symes Road:

Turning left, where the creek turns right (into Symes), as I continue east, upstream, through Harwood Park:

For such a small and industrial ribbon of wilderness, there was quite a lot of nature to be seen when I was here. Right at this spot a hawk flew only a few feet over my head, and perched briefly in a nearby tree. Just up ahead, I saw a raccoon catch and make-off with what looked to be a small groundhoug, or something. And then, right at my feet, I found this ancient pile of discarded pornography. Ahh...the great outdoors:

[...I'll spare you the more graphic artifacts]

The final few yards of my journey, now. Stopping just short of Weston Road, the Lavender Creek heads into the underworld, and I head on to lunch:

 

[EVCco]

Regarding this sign from the previous week...

...I guess this wasn't the First "West Rouge Ravine", but rather the "First West Rouge" Ravine - "First West Rouge" being a local scouting group in the East Scarborough Area:
http://www.scoutscan.com/links/ont-gtr.html

Or a former group, perhaps, as it doesn't seem to be listed here:
http://www.gtc.scouts.ca/areaNotices.asp?ID=709&page=East Scarborough
which would probably explain why their ravine is mostly part of a subdivision now.

 

[mattelderca]

The Black Creek/ Rockcliffe area, from the end of Black Creek Dr. to Jane St. has a lot of infrastructure history for those interested.
It also has the "community that never was" as I call it. I see you didn't have any pics of the high wall sections, but their is not much wilderness there.
Some quick links,
http://www.vanishingpoint.ca/york-central-and-eastern-trunk-sewer
http://www.vanishingpoint.ca/lavender-creek-and-grand-trunk-railway-drain
http://breakingprojects.com/junctioneer/301-rockcliffe-blvd-build-to-sell-land-for-development/
Thanks for the trip!

 

[EVCco]

Thanks! Interesting link re: the Rockcliffe Site. Looks like its still for sale:
http://www.buildtoronto.ca/node/49
Perhaps a community that still might be?

Also, if by "the high wall sections" you're referring to the part through Humber Boulevard, that was covered in the original post on the first page...unless you mean the high walls near Scarlett Road, in which case - ditto.

 

[Uncle Teddy]

Thank you for this thread. Cool to see something that's there yet rarely seen by most.

 

[EVCco]

It's been my pleasure Uncle Teddy. Thank you!

 

[EVCco]

And now...

 

[EVCco]

Get ready...

 

[EVCco]

For some more...

 

[EVCco]

Rarely seen scenes...

 

[EVCco]

Just as soon...