# Desert of Maine: Real or Hoax? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 23, 2010, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desert-of-maine-real-or-hoax/530065 "2010-02-23T02:09:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desert-of-maine-real-or-hoax/530065/21 "2010-02-24T18:05:38Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > The average adult’s walking speed is [3mph](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walking). It’ll take them 10x as long as your proposing to walk half a mile. Yeah, but 3 mph = 264 feet per minute. About 1 minute to walk across it seems correct to me. ---
**Author:** ![Roland\_Orzabal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@Roland\_Orzabal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roland_Orzabal)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desert-of-maine-real-or-hoax/530065/22 "2010-02-24T18:34:08Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > Yes, and ten minutes is 10x as long as the single minute **lazybratsch** said should suffice, right? The single minute was for the 300-foot distance across the shorter dimension. His next sentence was “maybe a whopping 20 minutes to meander the entire length and back,” which jibes with your posted average walking speed. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desert-of-maine-real-or-hoax/530065/23 "2010-02-24T18:56:31Z")
I find it curious that on their webpage they say “Maine’s Famous Natural Phenomenon for an Unforgettable Journey”. From the Wiki link: _It originated when the Tuttle family farmed the site from 1797. Failure to rotate crops, combined with land clearance and overgrazing, led to soil erosion, exposing a dune of sand-like glacial silt. The initial exposed small patch of sand gradually spread and overtook the entire farm._ While the lithology and stratigraphy were emplaced naturally, I’d hardly characterize the fact it now resembles a desert as a natural phenomenon. ---
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desert-of-maine-real-or-hoax/530065/24 "2010-02-24T19:18:40Z")
> [@lazybratsche](#): > > It looks like it’s about half a mile long by 300 feet wide. A minute should be \plenty\ to cross that. Maybe a whopping 20 minutes to meander the entire length and back. To cross 300 feet in one minute requires walking about 3.5mph. 3.5mph is not an impossible walking pace, but it is a very good clip for a walk. ---
**Author:** ![Surly\_Chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Surly\_Chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surly_Chick)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desert-of-maine-real-or-hoax/530065/25 "2010-02-24T19:51:44Z")
> [@lieu](#): > > From the Wiki link: _It originated when the Tuttle family farmed the site from 1797. Failure to rotate crops, combined with land clearance and overgrazing, led to soil erosion, exposing a dune of sand-like glacial silt. The initial exposed small patch of sand gradually spread and overtook the entire farm._ Huh. The family that built my house in 1750 (in Maine) was named Tuttle. I wonder if they’re any relation. My house is not in a desert. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desert-of-maine-real-or-hoax/530065/26 "2010-02-24T20:19:15Z")
I went to their website…borring! This looks like an “attraction” that is good for 15 minutes (maximum). Hope they don’t charge much for admission-those fake camels are cool, though…maybe they could hire some arabs to hang around and act as tourguides?😃 ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2010, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desert-of-maine-real-or-hoax/530065/27 "2010-02-24T20:25:22Z")
> [@crazyjoe](#): > > To cross 300 feet in one minute requires walking about 3.5mph. 3.5mph is not an impossible walking pace, but it is a very good clip for a walk. If you are walking in sand, you have to factor that in as well; it isn’t like walking on a nice paved street. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/desert-of-maine-real-or-hoax/530065.md?page=1)