Tag Archives: avoid crowds

Quinebaug Rail Trail, Dudley MA, redux

Marjorie Turner Hollman supports nonfiction authors to self-publish their books. She is also a disability advocate, sharing information about Easy Walks (not too many roots or rocks, relatively level with firm footing, and something of interest along the way) in open space. Let’s get in touch.

I knew I’d seen this dam before….

Have you ever been some place and thought, “I might have been here before, but something isn’t quite right”? That’s how I felt when we stopped at a rail trail in an area we were exploring. I felt sure I’d seen the dam across the way. The sign said Dudley, (MA) Quinebaug Rail Trail. The pond looked kind of familiar. But the trail … looked different.

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Salisbury, Massachusetts in the fall

Fall colors along the paved Marsh Trail, Salisbury, MA

Marjorie Turner Hollman helps authors self-publish their nonfiction books. She is also a disability advocate, sharing information about Easy Walks (not too many roots or rocks, relatively level with firm footing, and something of interest along the way) in open space. Learn more.

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Salisbury, Massachusetts offers a wonderful rail trail network that provides marsh views, woodland paths and an overlook of the Merrimack River. Our visit was on a perfect fall day, with little if any wind. Bright autumn colors glowed in the sunshine. We saw few other people using the trail, which surprised us, since we were there on a weekend.

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Echo Bridge, Newton and Needham, MA

Echo Bridge in early fall

Marjorie Turner Hollman helps authors self-publish their nonfiction books. She is also a disability advocate, sharing information about Easy Walks (not too many roots or rocks, relatively level with firm footing, and something of interest along the way) in open space. Learn more.

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Sign for Echo Bridge

We were looking for a nearby spot to take an Easy Walk when we were in Newton, Massachusetts. A place that offered something of interest for family members needing a break was our goal. While heading in one direction, we spotted a sign for Echo Bridge and Hemlock Gorge, along the Charles River at the Needham, Newton Upper Falls, Massachusetts line

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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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Powers Farm, Randolph MA

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

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Returning to where we have been before says a lot about our enjoyment level. Some are, for me, one and done. But I look forward to returning to others, like Powers Farm, Randolph, MA, when the opportunity presents itself.

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Been there, done that? Cape Cod Canal Bikeway

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

Book cover photo, taken along the north side of the Cape Cod Canal looking east

It had been a while since we visited the Cape Cod Canal bikeway. Easy to get to, no need to cross either canal bridge if you stay on the north side, and so scenic. A place that is easy to access can be taken for granted. However, like other places we may feel tempted to dismiss as “boring,” the canal offers great variety when you look a little closer for what can change between visits.

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Pierpont Meadow, Dudley, MA

New fallen snow at Pierpont Meadow, Dudley, MA

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

Ice can be a huge barrier to getting out in winter. For those of us with mobility challenges (and others) it can keep us inside, missing out on the beauty that is found in colder weather. In general, newly fallen snow is pleasant to walk through. With little snow so far this winter in New England (at least southern New England) we have been able to get out fairly often without the concern of ice. A beautiful spot we revisited recently after a light snow is a Mass Audubon property, Pierpont Meadow in Dudley, MA.

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Warwick, RI-history along the shore

View from the fishing pier of a portion of Rocky Point State Park, Warwick, RI

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

Rocky Point amusement park was a “go-to” destination for summer visitors in Rhode Island for many years. First arriving by boat, later by trolley and finally by car, people found open fields, a restaurant and carnival type rides, which drew huge crowds through the years.

The nation’s 200th anniversary celebration of 1976 was an occasion when hundreds of thousands arrived at the park for a shore dinner. By the early 1990s the privately-owned park closed and remained that way till 2014 when it reopened as a state park.

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Nashua River Rail trail adventures

Along the Nashua River Rail Trail

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

You never know what will happen when you get outdoors. This trip started at Ayer, MA and took us all the way to Nashua, NH on the Nashua River Rail Trail. We brought along our mascot, Stormy, (aka Smoky.) He’s now Stormy, having donated his previous name to our new kitten. Our tandem bike, Shermy, did great after his international travels to Canada, including two ferry rides. And we almost encountered a black bear on the trail. The bear was quick, crossing the path before we could get a photo, but it was definitely a bear.

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Doane’s Falls Royalston MA

Just one of the three spectacular falls here

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

Third time is a charm…. Our first attempt to visit Doane’s Falls in Royalston, MA was a complete failure. The February weather had turned to the path to ice alongside the trail to the three waterfalls of this beautiful Trustees of Reservations property. Our second try was in the early days of the pandemic, and the parking area at the corner of Athol Road and Doane Hill Road in Royalston was stuffed full of cars. Visitors seeking the safety of the outdoors had squeezed themselves into the relatively narrow corridor next to the river. Too crowded for us! But a recent trip to Royalston provided all the conditions we were hoping for. A cool but not cold day, lots of shade (until the leaves fall), very few other visitors, and no ice!

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