Tag Archives: Native American

Turner Falls, Flowers and Pot holes

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When my friend Nancy , her kids and I went to Magic Wings in Deerfield we came back to RT 2 this way and had seen the falls at Turner Falls. That day they were really flowing. Today I had to make my way over a bridge that was under construction and couldn’t see the falls at all.

When I reached the other side I saw a building marked Great Falls  Discovery Center .

 I found the parking area and headed down in hopes that they could tell me what happened to the falls. On the way I smelled lilacs! At first I didn’t see any lilac bushes so I wondered if it was my imagination. I slowed down as I approached the building and got a whiff again. That’s when I spotted the small white lilac bush. I love lilacs so of course I had to take a picture. I wish I could bottle that fragrance too!

“Time to smell the flowers” over I entered the Great Falls Discovery Center. I was impressed. It was huge and the displays were both educational and entertaining. The Center is run by the National Fish and Wildlife refuge. I was only there  for a few minutes but I wish I would have had more time to explore. The ranger explained that the flow of water over the falls is controlled. If some of the flow is being directed to the hydroelectric plant then the falls themselves will be smaller. When the plant opens the spillway, the flow increases. She told me I could follow the path around the building and across a little bridge  and I would be able to see the falls.

 There is also a canal that runs alongside the river.

 Before I left she also mentioned that they have a fish ladder exhibit that was opening on Sunday. It sounded interesting but since I would be in Arizona I explained that I wouldn’t be able to see it then. I would try to return at a later date.

I followed the path and crossed a foot  bridge over the canal. The path then wound down a little hill. I spotted a tree that a beaver had felled and then I heard the falls.

A young man was standing on  some rocks fishing. He pointed out where the falls were and explained that the water was low right now. He said if we heard a siren we needed to head for high ground in a hurry. The siren means the hydro-electric plant is about to open the spillway.

I watched the falls for a few more minutes and headed back up the path. After all, I still had more stops to make.

Back at the car I realized that the directions to get back to RT 2 that I picked up weren’t correct. I found myself driving around a bit before I got myself back on track. Once back on RT 2 westbound I started looking for the Bridge of Flowers. This was a must see stop for me this trip.

It has been years since I first went to the Bridge of Flowers. I thought it was in North Adams but I was wrong. It’s actually in Shelburn Falls. The Bridge of Flowers is the only one of its kind in the world. Originally built as a trolley bridge around 1908. The bridge crosses the Deerfield River between the towns of Shelburn and Buckland. Around 1928 the trolley was abandoned.

The bridge is a 400 foot, 5 arch concrete span. In 1929 Antoinette & Walter Burnham suggested converting the old trolley bridge into a giant flower bridge. It took about a year before it became a reality. The bridge is planted with over 500 varieties  of flowers, all planted and tended by volunteers. The flowers are chosen to assure that there will be blooms all growing season. The first blooms begin to flower in early spring and last all through late fall.

While I was in Shelburn Falls I figured I might as well take a look at Salmon Falls and the Glacial Pot holes.

 These are natural pot holes that formed over several hundred million years. It was getting late in the afternoon and I sill had the rest of the Mohawk Trail to finish before 6pm arrived so I didn’t have much time to explore. In the “old days” I can remember going right down to the rocks and exploring up close but today I didn’t see any place to safely get down to the pot holes. Still the falls were beautiful and the pot holes clearly visible from a wooden deck.

It was time to move on. The Mohawk Trail winds down as it enters New York and I mean that quite literally. The last bit of the Western section is a series of hairpin  turns and switch back curves.

 The drive is extremely picturesque. From the Elk on the trail 

to The Indian Trading Post

 there was still a lot to do but it was time to wrap up this journey for one day. I made it to my sister’s just in time at 6pm!

Tomorrow is another day and another adventure awaits!

And I’m Off!

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Friday dawned clear and bright, a warm spring day…finally! Clearly this was going to be one of the best days we’d seen this spring even if it was Friday the 13th. I just knew it was going to be a good day! The packing was done, the car was loaded, just one more chore and I would be on my way.

I turned the car northward on RT 140 to pick up RT 495. I hadn’t gone far when I spied a vintage auto on the side of the road. It wasn’t as pristine as the one I saw in New Bedford but not everything (or everyone for that matter) ages well. The car had a For Sale sign on the window. What a great opportunity for someone with a hobby of restoring antique cars.

After grabbing a couple of snapshots I moved on marveling at what a beautiful day it was after a week of gray clouds and rain. It really lifted my spirits. I think sunshine can do that to you and spotting that car, well, I just felt it was an omen for more wonderful discoveries to come.

It wasn’t long before I saw the on ramp for RT 495, a typical “super highway”. Now I’m not saying super highways can’t be beautiful  but I was anxious to get beyond this leg of my journey because today my destination was the Mohawk Trail.

The Mohawk Trail started life as a Native American Trade route connecting the tribes of Massachusetts with those of upstate New York and beyond. The Trail followed the Millers River and the Deerfield River as it  crossed the Hoosac range. Today the Mohawk Trail is part of Massachusetts RT 2 which was created as one of the United States first Scenic Highways. It follows much of the original trail from Orange, MA (known for its jump school for parachutists) to Williamstown, Ma (home to Williams College and Clark Art Institute). That’s about 65 miles of scenic highway through the Berkshire Mountains. Around the western portion of the roads you pass through Mohawk Trail State Forest which is known for Bobcat and Black Bear sightings.

Years ago when I first moved from New York to Massachusetts I would often take this route home as a change of pace from the Super Highway…US 90 otherwise  known as the “Mass Pike”. It might be a little longer but there were no tolls and it was far more fun.

I was anxious to see what changes if any had been made to the area in the ensuing years.

My exit for Rt 2 came up quicker than I expected. I was picking it up in the middle of the state so I had the choice of RT 2 east or West. To the east is Walden Pond, home of Henry David Thoreau  and the towns of Lexington and Concord, renowned for their part in the Revolutionary War. But my destination was to the west. I was on my way to visit my sister in New York and a pleasant, scenic drive was the way I wanted to travel. So now that I’ve made it this far, let’s get this adventure on the road!

Roger Williams National Memorial, Providence RI

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As the quest for the National Parks Stamps continues, I may not have succeeded in getting the Adams National Historical Park but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t successful. I took a quick trip into Providence, RI. Providence is only about 30 minutes from my home so when I say a “quick trip”, I mean it.

I was heading into Providence to see the Roger Williams National Memorial. This time I went to the web page www.nps.gov/rowi to download the directions. Then I backed it up with Map quest. I’m sure you’ve heard the expression “Garbage in – Garbage out”? Well I did it again. I entered the wrong address! The Memorial is on North Main st, I entered South Main St.

I found my way to S. Main St. with no problem. The directions were “spot – on” but I couldn’t find anything that looked like a memorial. I parked at a meter and fed about $1.50 in quarters into it’s maw and began to search on foot. According to Map quest (which I still didn’t realize was the wrong address) it should be on my left. There was nothing. Confused I returned to the car and pulled the little Passport book out and that’s when I realized my error. Rather than back track I decided to see if S. Main would turn into N. Main . So back in the car I continued on down South Main and sure enough. With no fan fare or street sign change, there was the National Parks Sign.

As I stopped at the light I realized I was right next to the visitor center. I made a left to go around the block and at the next light I saw a little parking lot designated for Roger Williams Park. I had arrived.

The park is a very attractive little park. I didn’t see any big statue to Providence’s founder but there were a lot of trees and picnic tables and benches. I bet it would be a great place to have your lunch in the summer or just to sit and “commune with nature”. (Sorry that’s my inner flower child coming out.)

After snapping a couple of pictures I made my way to the Visitor Center to collect my stamp. The Center was manned by a really nice ranger who was friendly and informative.

There was a short movie about Roger Williams that was very interesting. It was only about 5 minutes long but that 5 minutes was crammed with information.

Most people learn in school that Roger Williams left the persecution of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in search of religious freedom. I remember when I learned about him in school he wasn’t much more than a foot-note to the Puritans and there was sort of a bad-boy image. It was “ see what happens when you question authority? You get sent away.” Although there is some truth to this image, I think it may have been a bit slanted as there was so much more to this man.

Roger Williams was trained as an Anglican Clergyman but while he was still in England he became more and more sympathetic to the Puritans. Some Puritans sailed to the New World in 1630 to escape the severe restrictions, persecutions and penalties they faced in England and founded the Massachusetts Bay Colony. A year later Williams and his wife Mary followed with another group.

Williams soon clashed with Governor Winthrop. Williams became a “separatist” pushing for a clean break from the Anglican Church. The colony wasn’t ready for so radical a step. Williams also clashed with the Puritans on jurisdiction over what were know as “Matters of Conscience”. These were the first of the Ten Commandments. In Williams opinion, there was no place for civil jurisdiction over such matters.

He disagreed with the colonists where the Native Americans were concerned as well, arguing that Native Americans had as much right to property as the English Settlers. He went on to denounce taking civil oaths in God’s name and paying church ministers from civil taxes.

At some point he crossed a line and the colony refused to tolerate him anymore sentencing him to deportation. To avoid arrest he fled the colony. He spent that winter with the Narragansett cementing a life long friendship. Eventually the Narragansett deeded Williams the land at the headwaters of Narragansett Bay for a colony that he named Providence.

Williams was always a friend to the Natives of the area and although still exiled from Massachusetts Bay Colony, Governor Winthrop had no qualms about calling on Williams to intervene and negotiate on the colony’s behalf whenever relations with the Natives became strained.

I didn’t realize that Rhode Island was the last colony to ratify the Constitution but Williams pushed hard for the First Amendment and Rhode Island did not ratify until that amendment was included. Hence, we are guaranteed freedom of religion thanks to Roger Williams.

All that from a man that was considered a troublemaker and banished to avoid arrest. Sadly, Williams died destitute, only the year of his death being known.

Quite a different take than I got in history class. But to borrow a famous radio phrase: Now you know the rest of the story!

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Classic Car update/ Sedona Trip Update

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Classic Car update

My sister sent my car picture on to a friend of hers who told her the car is a Buick…late 30’s early 40’s. My, my but I hope I look that good in another 10- 15 years!

Sedona trip update:

I got an email from the Native American Journey’s group. They are available to take us to the Bottom of the Grand Canyon on Tuesday. I’m calling them today to finalize the reservations and get the details.

That works out good because we’ll do the Grand Canyon Railroad and Rim tour on Monday and then go back for the Bottom of the Canyon tour on Tuesday.

That’s all I have time for today…I’m running late. I’ll get back to my New Bedford story tomorrow!

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Sedona Trip Update

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Good morning.

Yesterday I told you my sister and I would conference call for plane tickets. We did it! We got our tickets and the  flights aren’t too bad but I will tell you that it was one of the most challenging bookings I’ve ever done. I had both my desk top and lap top going to check the different sites. Twice we went to book a fare only to be told the price had changed. The fares were jumping up right in front of me!

I have Kayak.com set to send fare alerts for the trip and I didn’t get one until today and that one is still over $100.00 more than the flight we booked.  All I can say is I’m glad that’s done. We are flying Southwest. I haven’t been on Southwest in years but their  “got to getaway” online price was better than anything else I could find besides, “Bags Fly Free” on Southwest 🙂

While I had Sandy on the phone I reserved the rental car. We were in for a shock there. The base cost of the rental was reasonable but then the taxes and miscellaneous charges kicked in almost doubling the cost of the rental! I’ve rented many times before and don’t remember this. I’m not sure if Arizona has extra fees or if I just never noticed it before. This may bear looking into for future reference.

After that call I got back on the phone and booked the Grand Canyon Railroad. I tried booking online but it never asked if there were seniors  in my party and it didn’t let me add the Rim Tour so I called. I got a wonderful agent who applied the appropriate discounts, Senior and AAA and waived the National Park fee of $16.00 because I have a  National Parks Pass.

That done I moved on to the Verde Canyon railroad and the Blazin’M.

We lucked out with that call because they said they were running a special on first class on the train when you combine  it with the Blazin’M. The cost for first class and dinner was only a couple of  dollars more than the coach cost so of course we’ll go first class.

2  more tours to book.

I moved on to the Bottom of the Canyon Tour. I pulled up the reservation page on the Native American journey’s web page and filled it out. I haven’t heard back or paid anything. It seemed to me it was kind of  “up in the air”. I will give it a couple of days to get a response and it if no luck  I will call them. Since I don’t know if we got the day I requested I held off booking the trail ride.

It’s coming together.

I’m going to sign off for now. We have snow on the way and I want to run down to New Bedford to the Whaling Museum. I still need to collect my stamp from my last visit and it’s in the New England National Park Challenge so I can get my first stamp in the challenge. I’ll let you know how I make out in my post tomorrow.