The Great Pyramids… of Rochester?

One of the mysterious Seven Wonders of the World is the Great Pyramid of Giza, which is located in Egypt. Or, is it right here in Rochester?

While the Great Pyramid of Giza is, in fact, in Egypt, I happened to take this picture yesterday while I was biking along the new portion of the Cascade Lake Trail in northwest Rochester.

And, what appeared to be the tops of several pyramids, was actually just several formations in the huge piles of sand that are being mined along the Cascade Creek. So just what is all that sand being mined for? According to this KTTC story, the sand being mined from Cascade Lake is, "'A sand based aggregate,' said Mike Nigbur of the Rochester Park and Recreation Department. 'They use that for concrete. It's a very good quality sand.'"

And while the sand is currently still being mined from Cascade Lake, according to this story in the Post-Bulletin, once the mining process wraps up (which was originally supposed to have ended in 2007 or 2008 but has since been delayed), a pretty cool park is planned for the area around Cascade Lake that now houses mining equipment, trucks, and those huge piles of sand. But, the story says the new park likely won't be completed until 2022.

Earlier this year, crews did pave a new trail around the south side of Cascade Lake, which I love to use when I'm out jogging or on the mountain bike. So I'm looking forward to the park's completion-- even if it's a few years away yet. In the meantime, I'll guess I'll occupy myself while I'm out on the trail by looking at those pyramid-shaped piles of sand!