Sunday, October 16, 2011

Monument Park





If the Puget Sound shoreline has a start and an end, this would be Mile 0, at least for those of us who think from left to right (and who consider PS to include entire U.S. portion of the Salish Sea).  It is also Mile 0 of the 49th parallel, at least the part of it that forms the boundary between the U.S. and Canada.  It's a straight shot from here east to the Lake of the Woods (Minnesota/Manitoba).


The big trees on the bluff (which are nicely displayed on the trail down to the beach) suggest this bluff isn't eroding terribly fast. The beach to the south had a fairly wide berm (consistent with the slow bluff erosion).


I've noted before that this beach is one where it is possible the net drift direction has changed due to the construction of the ferry terminal and causeway on Roberts Bank, which forms a pretty effective breakwater for storm waves coming down the Strait of Georgia, although it's not clear to me what effect that would have on a straight stretch of beach like this.


I visited this same beach from the north several years ago (49th Parallel:  August 2007).  In both cases, I didn't wander too far across the line.



No comments: