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Marjorie Turner Hollman is an author, creator, and observer who loves the outdoors. Link to all Marjorie’s books.
In this post we’re off to Westfield, MA and heading south into Connecticut. Late spring, cooler summer days, and early fall are the times when we take out our adaptive tandem bicycle. Our visit to Westfield was early summer, overcast and comfortable.
My walking distance is limited, but when we climb onto our tandem bicycle we can travel substantially farther (often between 10 and 35 miles round trip) and enjoy varied terrain along the way. On these tandem outings we often cross multiple rivers, streams, and ponds.
We started on the Columbia Greenway Rail Trail in Westfield, continuing into Southwick, MA. Our plan was to head south from Westfield to the Farmington Rail trail. It is designated as the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail and Farmington River Trail, the boundaries of which reach from the Massachusetts/Connecticut line south to New Haven, Connecticut.
In the area where we pedaled, we spotted a few small sections of what was once the Farmington Canal, which was begun in the 1820s (from the Massachusetts state line south to New Haven, Connecticut) and operated through the 1840s. As a transportation option, the canal was never a financial success. For the most part, few signs of the canal structures are still intact. We spotted a stretch of water with exceedingly straight banks, most probably a small portion of the erstwhile canal. Water flowed through a small stream underneath a bridge along the trail, and then continued on to the man-made waterway.
In Simsbury, the next town south of Granby, the trail took a detour around the Monrovia Nursery Company and Imperial Nurseries. There is a dedicated path for trail users but it requires crossing at a busy light. The paved section at the back side of the nursery is quite narrow. Take care. An overzealous rider coming from the opposite direction chose to speed up to squeeze between us and another bike that was approaching us. With inches to spare we all got past each other. This is a down side of sharing a path with others.
Lake Basile in Simsbury, Connecticut was where we turned around. Before heading back north we found a bench overlooking the lake and pulled out our lunch.
Ripe wild strawberries added to our meal (but be careful of the poison ivy!) The sandy shoreline next to the water was pock-marked with remnants of turtle nests that had been dug up. The curled up remains of turtle eggs surrounded each excavated hole. A raccoon or skunk must have had a feast.
Much of the area we passed through is cultivated farmland. We saw corn crops, the young plants just poking up out of the ground. Other fields were planted with vegetables. Road crossings in these rural areas were, for the most part, easily gotten past. A few heavily trafficked streets had crosswalk lights that helped us to safely get to the other side of the trail.
As with many rail trails, the path itself is relatively level, yet seemied to slope down in each direction we traveled. We were reminded of the stories of past generations when children walked uphill both ways in the snow on their way to school. In our case, however, it felt as though we mostly rolled downhill both ways. Happy trails!
Marjorie
Marjorie Turner Hollman 