Had a nice chat with Mr Thomas Paul today about one of our favorite subjects, Pine Valley . Specifically on the trees .
When we built Twisted Dune , we went to considerable lengths to clear over 250 acres , ostensibly to prepare it for,the removal of millions of tons of dirt . We had at our disposal all kinds of machinery more befitting a gravel pit . We took down thousands of scrub pine and stumps , roots,, etc, etc on a fairly easy site for same . This being said , it was a huge undertaking, even in 2000.
Crump had elevation to deal with , swamps to drain , and thousands of trees to remove . I'm in awe thinking of how he did it. The old pictures clearly show vast acres of sand , in an area where sandy soils beget the growth of pine trees galore. Crump clearly had a vision of space , without the intrusion of conifers .
Tom spoke to me of his need to "see the corridors" where the fairways would be ,and his lack of fondness for using maps to do the designing. However , the clearing sticks in my mind , and the obvious desire of Crump to build wide expanses and expose the sand . I'm hard pressed to believe that is wasn't conscious, and having lived here in the land of the Jersey Devil for many years , I can assure you that he didn't inherit a property without dense vegetation.
The ocean once covered this part of South Jersey , and the loamy soil left after its recess is very fertile in this spot. He had to work very hard to clear it, which I continue to dwell on here. I know there are issues with stability that come into play , but I can only dream of exposing all that beautiful sand once again !