Category Archives: Blog posts–Easy Walks

Southern New England Ocean Views

Marjorie Turner Hollman is a writer who loves the outdoors. Link to all Marjorie’s books.

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Off season at Gooseberry Island, Westport, MA

In southern New England we are lucky to have a number of sections of coastline that are open to the public and easily accessible. My family heads to the coast for day trips, including Rhode Island and Connecticut since we are so close to the borders of both these states, mostly in the swing seasons (spring and fall). We choose coastal winter walks when other areas are likely to have ice-filled paths. Visiting in the swing seasons and even the dead of winter helps us avoid heat, bugs, traffic, and crowds that make summer coastal visits not so much fun for us.

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Hiding in plain sight—New England ruins

Marjorie Turner Hollman is a writer who loves the outdoors. Link to all Marjorie’s books.

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Triad bridge cement abutment, Blackstone, Massachusetts

I was asked to review a new book that will be published April 2, 2024, Hiking Ruins in Southern New England. It was gratifying to see that the authors, both archeologists, not only provided information about archeological remains along trails, but also included helpful maps and information about how to reach the various locations they pinpointed in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Color photos convey a lot about what they categorize as ruins. In addition, they offered information about trail surfaces, a real gift to those of us with mobility challenges. This book made me want to get out and start checking these destinations off my list. Reading through the guide brought to mind multiple locations I have visited that feature similar ruins.

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The River Meets the Sound—Milford, CT

Marjorie Turner Hollman is a writer who loves the outdoors. Link to all Marjorie’s books.

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Boardwalk onto the beach at the Coastal Center

We had an errand in the Milford, CT area and since it was a substantial drive for us from south central MA we made time to stop at a local Audubon shoreline sanctuary that we discovered not far from our destination.

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Beaver Pond Franklin, MA in winter

Marjorie Turner Hollman is a writer who loves the outdoors. Link to all Marjorie’s books.

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Beaver Pond area in winter

Beaver Pond is quite close to downtown Franklin, MA, but feels a world away from the bustle of Dean College, churches, businesses, the town common, and the well-used commuter rail station. Rt. 495 skirts this conservation area, so quiet is not at the top of the list of attractions here. Despite the noise, the views are lovely, both from the beach area overlooking the water, and amidst the tree-lined path that skirts the edge of the pond.

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Strenuous travel-EJ Phillips and me

Marjorie Turner Hollman is a writer who loves the outdoors. Link to all Marjorie’s books.

E.J. Phillips, actress, devoted mother and grandmother

Ambivalent—that’s how I feel about travel, especially when the likelihood is high of it being strenuous. I have the heart of a world traveler but the body of a day-tripper. A yearning for travel is in my very bones, yet the effort involved in leaving home can freeze me in my tracks.

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Bicycle craze

Marjorie Turner Hollman is a writer who loves the outdoors. Link to all Marjorie’s books.

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Out on our tandem during the Covid pandemic (Acadia National Park)

We humans are prone to “enthusiasms.” Even though we want to distinguish ourselves from others, being attracted to what “everyone else” is doing seems to be in our makeup. I saw this most recently during the Covid Pandemic that began in 2020. Suddenly deprived of indoor entertainment and ways of gathering safely, crowds headed outdoors and soon parks and trails were jammed with visitors. It became so bad that those overseeing these outdoor spaces felt forced to close them because of concern for contagion. We ourselves continued to ride our tandem bicycle, but shifted our habit of riding on rail trails, instead turning to quiet country roads to spend time outdoors away from crowds.

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From train trips to rail trails

Marjorie Turner Hollman is a writer who loves the outdoors. Link to all Marjorie’s books.

Excursion train taking passengers through the Royal Gorge, near Canon City, Colorado

On a cross country trip in 2021, one of my family’s stops was the Royal Gorge near Canõn City, Colorado. What I did not realize until we started sharing photos of our trip with family was that my great-great grandmother, E.J. Phillips, had traveled through this very same area in 1886.

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Exploring Paths in Norton, MA

Marjorie Turner Hollman is a writer who loves the outdoors. Link to all Marjorie’s books.

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Canoe River, Norton, next to Norton town forest

Easy Walks South of Boston features six different destinations to visit when you are in the town of Norton. On a beautiful day in autumn I stopped by four of these open space properties to get some pictures of fall color. It was also an opportunity to see what my collaborators, Marilyn and Dave Doré, had discovered during their fieldwork for the book.

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The Guest River Gorge trail, SW Virginia

Marjorie Turner Hollman is a writer who loves the outdoors. Link to all Marjorie’s books.

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The Guest River in Jefferson National Forest

On our travels from New England to Tennessee to see family we stopped for a day at the Guest River Gorge, a rail trail in Jefferson National Forest in Southwest Virginia. The Guest River rail trail is a great example of a true rail trail. That is, a former path built for a railroad line, now abandoned and transformed into a recreational space dedicated to walking and biking. The packed, crushed stone surface of the trail makes for very Easy Walking.

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Stoughton MA trails

Marjorie Turner Hollman is a writer who loves the outdoors. Link to all Marjorie’s books.

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Remnants of one of the quarries found at the Bird St. conservation area

One of the first things I learned about the trails at Bird St. Park in Stoughton, MA was that the best parking is not on Bird St. It’s on West St. OK, got it. Now to get there and head out on the trail.

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