Norris Reservation

Posted on July 26, 2013July 26, 2013 by Dusty Roads

I love learning about little hidden gems of protected areas. Green spaces in the heart of urban Massachusetts, always a surprise, always a treasure.

I guess it’s true that you can take the girl out of the country but you can’t take the country out of the girl. I grew up in the Adirondacks exploring the woods and fields and then I became “urbanized” , exploring the concrete jungle, museums, aquariums, zoos. As I’ve grown older I’ve been increasingly draw back toward my roots. I’ve tired of traffic and gas fumes and crowds. I look for quiet places, woods and steams. I thrill to the sight of a hawk or osprey, a great blue heron or an egret; the flick of a white tail’s flag , a parade of baby geese.

I follow the news of great white sharks off Cape Cod or the rescue of a baby harbor seal.

So I was thrilled to learn of a little place called Norris Reservation in Norwell, MA.

The day I was introduced to this little island of green was one of the hottest, most humid days we have had in this summer of hot, humid days. But even with the uncomfortable conditions I met plenty of other walkers.

Norris Reservation is small, only about 2 miles of easy trails, but it wasn’t crowded. There are board walks and well groomed trails covered in pine needles.

Lovely stone benches along the way let you pause and contemplate the quiet beauty of the natural surroundings.

I only explored about 1/2 of the trails on this, my first visit. I didn’t get to the tidal marsh or the bend in the North River.

The literature speaks of a boat house and picnic areas that I still need to discover.

My direction took me over a little bridge to a boardwalk around a pond. I heard something splashing in the water but I couldn’t see what it was. I sat on a bench and watched the fish rise and dragon flies zoom from flower to flower.

In the distance I could hear children laughing and splashing…maybe a back yard pool?

All in all not a bad way to spend a hot , summer afternoon.

Mount Roberts Tram

Posted on June 6, 2013June 6, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Back on the Island Princess, we settled in on our balcony to watch the trams run up and down Mount Roberts.

The antics of the bald eagles were entertaining as well. The sun had come out and the summit of the mountain was clear. I asked Sandy is she wanted to ride the tram to the top. She gave it some consideration and then said no. I agreed. Our adventures from the morning had been plenty.

I’m sure I’ll be sorry we didn’t make the effort because the view is supposed to be spectacular and who knows when or if we’ll ever get back, but right at that moment there was no place I wanted to be except where I was, sitting on our balcony watching the trams go by.

In Alaska the tree line is between 2 and 3 thousand feet above sea level. Road access to this level is minimal so in most cases you have to hike. Mount Roberts Tramway gives your hike a boost by riding the tram.

This will gain you 1,750 ft. in 10 minutes. At the summit a network of trails leads out across alpine meadows. A half-mile round trip route will take you to some key viewpoints and great views is of the Gastineau Channel.

As we sat on the balcony enjoying the Alaska Sun there was an old structure on the side of the mountain.

I haven’t found out what this is but I can’t help wondering if it’s the remains of something from the old Gold Rush days.

This is truly relaxing!

The Flume Gorge, A Tale of Misadventure

Posted on April 13, 2013April 13, 2013 by Dusty Roads

Bad weather and bureaucracy have stolen my blogging time this week. I thought I’d Share one of my most popular posts from the past . This was once “Freshly Pressed” I hope you enjoy the repeat.

Homeward Bound

Posted on October 8, 2012October 8, 2012 by Dusty Roads

After the 100 balloon morning

and a lazy Sunday afternoon, I was rejuvenated and ready for the drive back to Massachusetts. In fact I was so rejuvenated that I decided to take the loooong way home. Instead of going south to Albany and east on the Masspike (home in 3 hours) I decided I wanted to take ride back in time and return home through Vermont. I used to drive back and forth that way all of the time when I first moved to Massachusetts. Of course back then I lived north of Boston so it made sense. Now living south of Boston this is several hours out-of-the-way. Glad it’s a beautiful day.

Sandy did not want me going north on 87 and cutting over on RT 149. She said that road has too many accidents so I put Woodstock Vt. in my GPS and took off from her house. That put me on Rt 4 right away but it wasn’t long before Rt 4 merged with RT 149 so I was on the road she wanted me to avoid anyway.

As I drove through the little villages I reminded myself that I had to come back for a photo trip. Sometimes it seemed that time really had stood still. Silos and barns dotted the landscape while black and white cows grazed peacefully in the rolling pastures. I resisted the urge to stop at every bucolic scene that was unfolding around me and kept on to my goal.

Right over the state line in Vermont I spotted a large farm stand filled with apples.

I picked up a few Cortland apples to munch on. This stand was interesting because each kind of apple had a sign with its lineage. I never knew that my favorite apple for eating was a cross (hybrid) with the MacIntosh. I like MacIntosh for cooking but they are too tart for my taste for eating. Cortland apples are sweet with a firm but not hard flesh. Red Delicious apples are too hard. I’ve broken teeth on them so I stick with the Cortland. And these were excellent. Makes the ones you get in the grocery stores pale by comparison. If it weren’t so far away I’d be driving back for more right now!

Soon I was passing through Rutland then Woodstock and finally there was the goal up ahead…Queechee Gorge.

This was always a must stop back when I was driving this route. I love the gorge no matter what time of year. Tour busses stop here and let the passengers cross the bridge where they stop and take pictures looking down into the gorge.

I bet there are thousands of identical pictures on hundred of cameras..including mine.

Another popular photo-op but not as common as the shot from the bridge is the shot of the bridge from the gorge.

As you walk the trail down to the bottom of the gorge there are signs that warn of rapidly rising waters because of the Dam upriver.

I took my chances along with a handful of other adventurous souls and picked my way over the rocks out to the center of the gorge to capture the bridge upstream.

Satisfied with my excursion I returned to the top of the gorge where there is a gift shop, public restrooms and a snack bar. I sat at a picnic table to enjoy my lunch then it was back on the road again.

No more stops today.

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From this point on it’s all highway and I was getting homesick for Smokey and the Editor-in Chief (Rocky) . I knew they’d be waiting for me and I still had more than 3 hours left to drive from here. Time to get serious about heading home.

The Bubble Rock Adventure

Posted on July 20, 2012July 20, 2012 by Dusty Roads

My sister will identify with this. Back when we went to Oahu, Hawaii we hiked a trail that was mentioned on the travel channel as being and easy 5 minute hike. It wasn’t even close to that and the locals we mentioned it to had a good laugh over our misinformation.

Well the Bubble Rock Trail in Acadia wasn’t rated but it didn’t look too bad on the map. I think it was only supposed to be about .5 miles. At the trail head it looked well-marked with only a slight incline. Like the Hawaii adventure we were dealing with very hot temperatures, if not in the 90’s then close to it and very humid.

Even so JR and I set off with curious optimism. While we were getting our cameras we met one young woman who had just come back down the trail. She said it “wasn’t too bad” Adding that there’s just one tricky section.

So off we went. The cool relief of the shade didn’t last long as the exertion of an uphill walk soon offset any cooling benefit of the trees, plus the bugs began to find us. The bug spary was still in the car!

As we passed the first .1 mile marker, JR. asked if I wanted to keep going. I said yes as we only had .4 more miles to go.

The trail got a bit steeper and more rocky. My monopod came into service as a walking stick.

At the halfway mark we came to a series of steps. They weren’t rock or concrete but rather different levels of rock and dirt packed between logs. The going was very uneven and I began to be concerned. A twisted ankle here would be a disaster.

There were logs to sit on so I plunked down for a break and to think over the wisdom of going on. While we waited we saw a woodpecker and both JR and I worked on trying to get a picture. Finally we had to make a decision.

We started up the “steps”. At the first turn or “landing” we heard some crashing in the woods to our left. Two women came tumbling down the side of the mountain finally coming to a halt near us. They said they had made it to Bubble Rock and that it was not worth the effort. When they tried to come back down they couldn’t find the trail entrance so took off down the mountain on their own which is where we ran into them.

They told us that from where we were the trail only got steeper and harder to climb as the rocks making up the steps got looser and had a tendency to roll under foot. They wished us luck and headed on down the trail.

I looked at JR and he looked at me. We could almost read each other’s minds…was it worth the risk to keep going? As much as I hate to give up when I start something, I finally said I didn’t want to go on. Instead of JR picking on me, he readily agreed and we turned around to follow the trail back to the parking area.

Going back down was trickier than going up and took all of our concentration to get off the loose rock steps.

From talking with other “successful” hikers, Bubble Rock is a large boulder that sits on a spring or brook or some other water source. If you push on the rock is will shift and the water bubbles around the base of the rock when you do that. I’m ok with skipping that.

Back in the car we cranked up the AC to cool off and drank the last of our water. Time to try to find the summit of Cadillac Mountain. It was past time for lunch and the map said there was a snack bar at the Visitor Center.