Tag Archives: families

A Winter Walk Along The Blackstone River Bikeway

By Marjorie Turner Hollman  (courtesy of Bellingham Bulletin)

Winter weather should be no barrier to enjoying the outside; the right clothing (lots of layers, well-fitted boots, extra changes of clothes) and caution about icy conditions will take you a long way toward having a good time regardless of the weather.

We ventured out recently on a sunny, albeit brisk winter afternoon to visit the Blackstone River Bikeway, which presently reaches from Woonsocket to Valley Falls, RI. The fourteen miles of bike trail along the Blackstone River are almost completely uninterrupted by road crossings.The Bikeway, part of the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor, ties in to River’s Edge Recreation Complex in Woonsocket, with parking adjacent to the Hamlet Street Bridge. Continue reading

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A Visit To The West Hill Dam

100_5379West HillCrystal palace

By Marjorie Turner Hollman (courtesy of Bellingham Bulletin)

On a cold, bright, sunny day in February, snowshoes in hand, we ventured forth. I had many ideas of places to walk, but they were all under three feet of snow. However, West Hill Dam, in Uxbridge, is run by the Army Corps of Engineers, and I felt that if any trail was going to be accessible, it would be an Army Corps site. Thankfully, we arrived to a well-cleared parking lot. Continue reading

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A Visit To Joe’s Rock & Birchwold Farms

Reprinted courtesy of the Bellingham Bulletin

(note: This was written as one in a series of articles, under the title “Naturally New England” in the Bellingham (MA) Bulletin. So many people have searched for “Where’s Joe’s Rock?” and found this article that I finally realized there was a hunger for this kind of information. Several years later, people still find my website looking for “Where’s Joe’s Rock?” )

View from top of Joe's Rock

View from top of Joe’s Rock

Southern New England is not known for its spectacular views, but there are a few special places in this area that provide nice overlooks, and Joe’s Rock in Wrentham, MA is one of them. Four hundred ninety feet in elevation, Joe’s Rock provides an unrestricted sightline northeast toward Boston and southwest over the Rhode Island countryside. Directly below Joe’s Rock lies a small pond. On a recent visit we saw in the water over thirty ring-necked ducks and a lone bufflehead. A flock of wild turkeys scurried through the woods. A nearby wetland sheltered countless wood frogs that filled the air with their duck-like calls. Continue reading

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Enjoying The Wonders Of The Blackstone Gorge

 

Marjorie Turner Hollman (courtesy of Bellingham Bulletin)

There are wild places in New England, and settled areas, but rare are the locations where the two are as closely nestled together as at the Blackstone Gorge in Blackstone, MA. One must drive through a densely settled neighborhood before reaching the large, well-marked parking lot next to the spillway at the Gorge. The contrast of civilization next to apparent wilderness never ceases to surprise me. Continue reading

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Walkers Can Enjoy Stall Brook Trail

By Marjorie Turner Hollman  (courtesy of Bellingham Bulletin)

The Stall Brook Trail head is located directly behind Stall Brook Elementary School, in the north end of Bellingham, MA, just north of Maple Street on Rt. 126. The broad, somewhat level trail is accessible to families with children of all ages. Continue reading

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Home-Grown Fruit And Reminiscences From Bellingham Couple

(Courtesy of The Bellingham Bulletin) The sign on the street announcing “Raspberries” got my husband’s attention. He turned our car into the driveway. The sign on the garage instructed, “Knock at the door.” I wasn’t so sure, but my husband really loves raspberries and he figured that, if the sign was there, these folks must have meant for people to stop by. He was right. Continue reading

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