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
Filed under Blog posts--Easy Walks
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
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
Filed under Blog posts--Easy Walks
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
Filed under Blog posts--Easy Walks
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
Filed under Blog posts--Easy Walks
(Article Courtesy of The Christian Science Monitor)
I have the heart of a world traveler, but the body and temperament of a day-tripper. While I love to hear of others’ travels, I have thrived by staying closer to home. By studying one place as it has changed with the seasons and the years, I have learned much about where I live and about myself as well.
Henry David Thoreau noted wryly, “I have traveled a great deal in Concord.” Over the years I have echoed his sentiments as I have “traveled a great deal” around Silver Lake, my home of these past 30 years. This small lake community, south of Boston, has helped me not only to understand but to welcome, or at least to make peace with, the relentless change in my world.
Read article on The Christian Science Monitor
Marjorie Turner Hollman is a writer who loves the outdoors, and is the author of Easy Walks in Massachusetts, 2nd edition, More Easy Walks in Massachusetts, 2nd edition, Easy Walks and Paddles in the Ten Mile River Watershed, and Finding Easy Walks Wherever You Are. Her memoir, the backstory of Easy Walks, is My Liturgy of Easy Walks: Reclaiming hope in a world turned upside down.
Marjorie Turner Hollman 