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Rail trail explore in Rockland, MA

End of the line in Hanover, MA (for now)

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

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We never know what we will find when visiting a new (to us) rail trail. The Hanover Branch, or Rockland Rail trail, mostly in Rockland, MA, is a work in progress. It is already a community resource, primarily for walkers, since it is relatively short for right now, (3+ miles end to end).

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Endean Recreation area, Norwood, MA

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

Former swimming hole now a scenic pond at Endean Recreation Area, Norwood

The new trail guide, Easy Walks South of Boston, uses the same template as the other trail guides, with information about Easy Walks (not too many roots or rocks, relatively level with firm footing and something of interest along the way) in towns that are contiguous to each other.

Recently I had the chance to visit several of the trails that will be in the book. Here’s what I found at Endean Recreation area in Norwood:

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Bridges, Bicycles, and Rail Trails, oh my!

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

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Walkers, bicyclists and other non-motorized travelers can now go from Acton to Concord, MA on the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail. The trail stretches from Lowell, MA in the north to Framingham inthe south. Progress on developing the Sudbury/Framingham sections is ongoing. An impressive bridge connecting the two sections now stretches across Rt. 2 in Acton, near the Concord rotary, and continues south into Concord.

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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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Pedaling through history along the C&O Canal

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

C&O Canal and towpath, Williamsport, Maryland

The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical park (C&O Canal) runs alongside the Potomac River valley from the tidal basin in Washington, D.C. to Western Maryland. What was once the tow path for the canal is now a broad, level footpath that is great for walking or bicycling. The Potomac River is within view for much of the section north of Williamsport, Maryland, where we traveled. The trail surface is in good shape, covered with packed stone dust for most of the section we traveled, with a few muddy spots along the way.

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Choate Park Medway in Springtime

Light green and red lacy buds decorate the tops of trees in spring at Choate Pond, Medway

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

Spring is a great time to get outside, but like the fall, visible signs of spring and the changes that happen in this season are compressed into a few short weeks. Summer and winter last for months on end. If you miss the window of opportunity to catch these quick changes, you will have to wait till next year to witness, and possibly capture in photos the wonders of new life springing forth all around us. At least, this is what I reasoned after realizing I have very few good photos of spring in my files.

Thus I welcomed the opportunity to get outside on a windy spring afternoon in April at Choate Park in Medway, MA. I met up with Marilyn and Dave Doré, collaborators with me for our now published book, titled Easy Walks in Massachusetts South of Boston. We were excited to get started on this trail guide, a companion to the other Easy Walks in Massachusetts books already available. We published the book in September, 2023 and it is now available in paperback and ebook formats.

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Spring at the Marginal Way, Ogunquit, Maine

Benches, path, and rocky cliffs along the shoreline in Ogunquit

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

We visited the Marginal Way in Ogunquit on an overcast spring weekend. It was given this name because it brings visitors to the “margin” between land and sea.

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Birchwold Farm in Spring

Open fields offer lots of sunshine on a blue-sky day
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Marjorie Turner Hollman is a writer who loves the outdoors. Link to all Marjorie’s books.

Warmer days offer a great excuse to get outdoors (as though we need an excuse). Grass is poking up through the soil. Maple trees are setting out buds that trim the woods’ edges with a reddish hue. My spring favorite, skunk cabbage, unfurls its shiny, rubbery looking shoots on the edge of, and sometimes in the middle of woodland streams and wetlands.

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Rails and trails along the Narragansett Bay

Old rails along the East Bay Bike Path remind visitors of days gone by

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

You probably know what someone means when they say they are headed over to the local rail trail. These paved or stone dust developed paths, rail trails, have become a generally recognized part of modern life. The transformation of abandoned rail beds into walkable or bikeable paths has created a growing network of trails intended for recreational walking, bicycling, and other non-motorized uses.

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Mistaken Point, Newfoundland

Unique fossils that make Mistaken Point a UNESCO World Heritage Site

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

This was our first visit to the eastern shore of Newfoundland. No matter how much research we do, we always find more that surprises us. This is the joy and challenge of traveling to new places.

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