Late Season Lobster Roll

 A beautiful Saturday morning   in October.  We're thinking   it's  a great day to get out of   town but where to go?

 Betsy just finished reading a   story in Yankee Magazine's   Summer 2020 issue about a   great place to get a lobster
 roll on the Connecticut   shoreline (see photo left or in Yankee Magazine).

 

On this excursion today, we extended an invitation my parents so they could get out of the house for a while.  When I told them the plan - lobster roll and maybe a nature hike - they happily joined us.

The magazine photo was so inspiring that we had to make sure to take the same picture with us in it (see photo below).

This place was great.  Only 4 entrees on the menu,
but the warmed lobster was available with a gluten free bun.  

Better make sure you fuel up now.  This is only our first stop.

Stop #2 is Hammonasett Beach State Park, just a short drive away.  
Let's get out the trekking poles for our nature walk.

A short gravel path leads out to through the salt marsh to an overlook platform on the East Beach.

It's one step at a time under a clear azure sky..

When the walking is done, it's time for stop #3.  Let head out to the sandy part of the beach.  
No chairs?  No problem.

Well, somebody had to test the water.  It wasn't cold, but that wave actually soaked my pants.

The response from the onlookers? -  "No thanks - we'll skip the water play."

It's almost 2 hours back home, so we make one more stop (#4).  
This time for ice cream in nearby Madison.

It was after sunset when we arrived home, as the sun is now setting before 6pm.  Although driving to the Connecticut coast for a lobster roll sounds crazy, we all agreed it was well worth the trip.

Columbus Day Hiking

We did sort of a figure 8: first the upper loop, the the lower. 

It feels so good to get outside these days, doesn't it?  To that end, Betsy & I decide that it's time to venture out for a little hike.  Or two.  I have the day off for Columbus day, and with the gray skies it's not much of a beach day, so we decide to head off into the woods instead.  But not too far away.

Once again I opt to peruse though the Trustees Special Places book to find some properties we haven't yet visited..

Our first stop is Elliot Laurel in Phillipston, just west of Templeton and Gardner.  The property is pretty small, but there is promise of some nice wooded trails.

Dressed for the weather... and ready to hit the trails.

These trees look a little like they came out of a fantasy.  
Maybe we're on the edge of the Fire Swamp?

Here's a close up of the view that's behind me.
Even with gray skies, the colors are vibrant.

The forest floor here is covered in ferns that have faded to autumn yellow.
We covered .92mi  and 183ft of elevation here, but we're ready for more.

Heading west, we have our choice of another couple of Trustees properties.  We decide on Brooks Woodland Preserve in Petersham. This property has a much more extensive trail network, but again, no big hills or mountains to climb.

Once again, we have this place to ourselves.  We park on the side of the road and head off the "red" trail to the north.

It's a good thing Betsy's navigating.
Now wait, are we supposed to be on the white trail
or the red trail?

This trail skirts a swampy area.  Across the pond there's a big beaver dam.

Ohhh, no wonder we're confused.  It's white to left and red to the right!

Betsy enjoys the nice wide trail on a carpet of leaves.

On this part of our hike we walked 1.63mi with 195ft of elevation.  The light sprinkles didn't bother us in the least and we still have time for more afternoon adventures.

Chesterfield Gorge and More

We hike .7 miles each way in
the Chesterfield Gorge & on the East Branch Trail

For several years now, I have been a member of the Trustees of Reservations, a conservation and historical organization here in Massachusetts.  We primarily use this membership for visiting Crane Beach in the summer season, but the Trustees have properties all over the state including Doyle Community Park right here in Leominster.  I figured it was high time we explore  some of the many other properties they have to offer.

On this particular Sunday, we head off out west to find Chesterfield Gorge.  The hook was to "Hike the half-mile trail along the cliff tops and take in wonderful views of the gorge, the river, and the surrounding forest" according to the website.  

The property entrance was on a little backroad.  Don't blink or you'll miss the entrance.  

It will be a "nature walk" today.  The short tail leads away behind us.

The wire fence behind us keeps us away
 from the very steep walls of the gorge. 

Here's a glimpse of the gorge with the
Westfield River below.

Once we leave the "gorge" part of the property, we proceed down the East Branch Trail, which it turns out is actually a jeep road along the river.  The trail has some dips and puddles and can be used by mountain bikers in addition to hikers.  After 8 miles it connects to the Knightsville Dam, passing through the Chester State Wildlife Management Area.  We're not going that far today.

This trail sign has grown right into the tree.

Once we get down the trail a ways, I'm able to jump the rocks out to the middle of the river. 

Betsy is taking my picture from the river bank.

It's a leisurely walk back up the hill to the parking lot.  From there, we walk to the farthest end of the trail to explore other views of the river and gorge.

Looking up river, we can see this old stone wall which appears to be an abutment for a bridge which spanned the gorge at one time.  It has long since washed away, but behind us on the west side of the river there is still evidence of an old cart road depressed onto the landscape.

Next it's on to explore more nature in this part of the state.  Betsy turns on trusty Google Maps which leads us back up the steep hills to what appears to be Chesterfield Common.  I suggest to go north to head back towards Rt 2 (instead of east through Northampton & Amherst), and we are directed via the most direct route - which happens to be a dirt road.  Good thing we're in the Rav4 today.

Emerging from the forest we are heading north on a good road and decide to visit DAR State Forest on our way.  I have actually heard about this place.  It is known for it's beautiful lakeshore and comfortable campground.

It's still early October, so the colors are beautiful, but there's lots more to come.

We take the road back further into the park and find a trail up the fire tower.  While I'm busy scanning the QR code for the trail map, Betsy points 60 meters uphill and says "There it is!".

We left the park after a little while at the fire tower looking for a place go grab a bite, but it's still pretty hard to find places with all the pandemic restrictions.  Maybe we'll have better luck next time.