Angelito Falls

This is our second trip to El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico this year, but this time we actually get a chance for a little hike.

It does not look like a particularly strenuous hike, so even in sandals it's not going to be too difficult.

We don't have a paper map, so it's always a good idea to snap a photo in case it's needed.

This was a really neat bridge overlooking a feeder brook.

In no time at all we're down to the river.  There are lots of rocks to hop over to get closer to the water, and thankfully, there is quite a bit of water flowing.

Everybody's working their way out a little bit.  I have sport sandals so I don't mind if my feet get wet.

Upstream is where all the action is.  If you look carefully you can see swimmers up in a pool near the falls.

There's lots of sunshine and Betsy finds a plant to act as a natural sun shade.

I only turned the tracker on one way, but the stats for that were:  0.42 miles elevation gain 95' in a little under 12 minutes.  Piece of cake!  Now off to the next adventure.

Mount Warner

It's Columbus Day, and I am blessed to have the day off.  That has been rare in my career; I think there was only one other company I worked for that gave us this holiday.  In any event, I'll take it and make a day of it.  Unfortunately, Betsy doesn't have the day off, so I'll hit the road solo.

Today, I plan to check off another Trustees of Reservation property from my list.  The drive isn't too bad:  only a little over an hour to North Hadley (just west of Amherst).  However, using Google Maps to navigate this time was not the best idea.  I wound up on a "direct" dirt road, that as it turns out was not very direct anyway.  I will have to be more judicious in my acceptance of the recommended driving route.

This Trustee property is not particularly large and the trail system allows one to cover most of it.

At some point there was a pretty big wind here.  Multiple trees were blown down, but fortunately some trail maintenance made it easy for travelers to continue to use the trail.

Glacial erratics such as this one are not uncommon
in the forests of New England.

I was able to actually find the top of Mount Warner. 
This USGS marker verifies this.

However, the view from the "top" of the mountain is hardly anything to write home about.
Over the years it has become completely overgrown.

I snapped this photo and puzzled over what this concrete near the top of the mountain could have been.
Later I discovered that it was a footer for the fire tower that formerly stood on this site.

Interpretive signs are actually a rarity at most Trustees hiking trails.  This one was very good explaining about how this entire area is a vernal pool - an area that is often filled with water during the spring season.

On the way back to the car, I noticed these water towers over my right shoulder. 
I suspect they are drinking water supply for the town of Hadley.

A nice morning hike:  2.21 miles, 304' of elevation in 52 minutes.  But there's work to be done - time to help Alex backfill his new driveway :)

AMC Paddle - French River

This is a great early season paddle.  I have done it in the past, I didn't expect any surprises.  Also, I have paddled with the leader, Elaine, many times as well as a couple others on the trip.

This is a shuttle trip.  We put in at the dam, eat lunch along the way, and end up by the railroad tracks.

It's a warm day.  The sun is shining and the water should not be too cold.

Getting ready at the put-in.  We're on a river, so I'll be taking the yellow boat (Pungo 120) today.

Waiting for everyone else to get in the water, you can see the put in.  The dam is made of earth and rocks and the road rides along a bit higher to the top (out of frame).

There were some tricky trees to navigate through.  I even bottomed out a little on a couple of trees across the river.  We haven't had a lot of rain, but we have enough water to paddle.

This actually isn't an obstacle, but a tree thinking about falling into the river.

Lunchtime!  A nice spot with a little bit of shade.

Honestly, I can't remember why I took this picture.  I am not sure if we to go through this mess, but it seems the most likely scenario.

Not much to see after that point. I remember the railroad tracks. Our total time on the water was 3.44, but we took a long lunch break in there and covered a total of 6.22 miles. A good day.

Rail Trail Bike Rides - Concord & Ayer

September 10, 2022 10:00

Although most of my bike rides are with the Worcester or Boston AMC chapters, it's fun to ride with friends when the opportunity presents itself.  Kate ant I have biked together before, back in 2019 for the 45 mile Hub on Wheels in Boston.  Since there was organized ride this year, we opted to get together and ride the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail.  Eventually, this trail will extend further south and connect with the Assabet River Rail Trail.  

I have biked part of this trail before with Troop 11 from Nara Park in Acton up to an ice cream place in Chelmsford center (with Mr. O, there has to be an ice cream place).  Last week, Kate did this whole 30 miles of the trail with another friend and we weren't going to do any less today.  I was uncertain about the bridge over Rt 2 because its official opening isn't until November.  However, Kate assured me that walking around the construction vehicles was a piece of cake.

We met the parking lot just down the road from MCI Concord.  The weather was very nice with a forecast for a high of 82.

I forgot to take any photos, but suffice it to say, our riding statistics were pretty impressive:

Distance:           31.17 miles
Moving Time:   2:27
Elevation:          441'
Avg Speed:        12.7 mph
Max Speed:       33.4 mph
Elapsed Time:   2:41

September 17, 2022 10:15

Since Kate took me on a "new" rail trail last week, it was my turn to take her on "new" rail trail this week.  I consider the Nashua River Rail Trail my "home" bike trail and Kate has never made it out past I-495 to go biking.

I act as the tour guide today and show her all the highlights:  the Buckingham bus company's lot in Groton, the bridge over Rt 225, the ice cream store in Pepperell center, and the New Hampshire state line.

Things have changed since the last time I've been to the end of this trail.  Instead of just ending on a road in Dunstable, the trail has not extended all the way to 94 Gilson Road in Nashua, where there is a small recreation area and parking lot.

  

Kate finds a great rock to rest on overlooking a pristine pond.

Here's the required selfie, to prove to you that I made this ride as well.  

This ride was a little shorter than last week's, but with fewer people to navigate around on the trail, our average speed was actually higher.

Distance:          25.12mi

Moving Time:  1:52

Elevation:         243'

Avg Speed:       13.4mph

Max Speed:       35.9mph

Thanks Kate for a couple great rides.  With the change of seasons, I'm not sure we'll have another chance to get out this year, but you never know.

AMC Paddle - Grand Tour of Hingham Harbor

Sunday Morning Paddle.  I've never paddled out of Hingham before, so this should be fun.

Paddled across the Hull Gut.  Watch the current!

Lots of time on Peddock's Island to explore Ft. Andrews museum.  They still have work to do there, but they have a start.  Saw some overnight campers, too.

Turned out to be a hot day.

• 11.64 mi
  Distance
 
• 3:53:50
  Moving Time
 
• 296 ft
  Elevation
 
• 1202
  Relative Effort

	Avg	Max
Speed	3.0 mi/h	8.5 mi/h
Elapsed Time	5:34:17

AMC Bike Ride - Alewife to Waltham

This was another opportunity for a unique bike ride.  It is another "city" ride, and while we are sometimes on dedicated riverside foot/bike trails, there are a lot of times we are on the the streets dealing with stop lights and motor vehicles.

This is another departure from Alewife "T" station (see my previous ride back on June 2). 

I had no idea where we were going, but some interesting things about this ride were:  

• We crossed the Fitchburg commuter rail line 3 times.  Ironically, the Fitchburg line goes right by Alewife station, but does not stop there.
• Our turn-around point was in Waltham, only 1/2 block from Moody Street.  It brought back memories of when I used to work in Waltham, and we used to go out to lunch occasionally in this area.
• On the way back, we utilized the Charles River Greenway that hugs the Charles River in Watertown.  The bike trail is actually part of a 22 mile path that runs all the way out to Milford, MA.  The river at this point is not that wide and the trail was almost completely under tree canopy.  The biggest challenge was watching out for the pedestrians.
• Heading back toward Alewife Station, we rode alongside Fresh Pond Parkway with Fresh Pond itself directly to our left.  

From there I thought we would just head along the road to get back to our start, but fortunately we avoided the heavy traffic and would our way back to the Fitchburg Cutoff Path (bike trail).

The photo above was an invitation for a friend to join us, but she was unable.  The weather was pretty warm, but we were blessed not be rained on.  

Our stats for the day:  15.59 miles, in 1:25, with elevation gain of 281'.  A nice flat ride.

Honey Paddle - Mystic River

 It is a beautiful day!  It's midsummer and a perfect time for paddling somewhere.  There is not AMC paddling adventure today, so we have some alternatives.  Betsy has the day off and so maybe we an go out together and have paddle adventure.  We talk about going to Mystic, which is always a good destination.  I've paddled the Mystic River a couple of times with Barry and the Connecticut AMC, so I am well prepared to take Betsy out.

 The best put-in spot is on the river road just to the north of the I-95 bridge.  

This was the first time the "pink boat" has been out all season.  
There's plenty of parking and the put-in at the river's edge is sandy, not muddy.

I think this is the one of many buildings of Mystic Seaport Museum. I think.
We paddled right up alongside the flagship of the museum, Charles W. Morgan.

We paddle through downtown Mystic, under the Rt. 1 bridge and past the marinas.
We need a break so we find a building that has a commercial look to it, but just in case, we pull to the far end of the private beach, so as not to intrude.

It turns out the "commercial" looking building was a private residence.  But the owners were wonderful people.  They offered us water and bathroom break and we chatted with them for a good 20 minutes.

We head back up river.  This cormorant is drying out on top of this pier piling.

The weather stayed great all day and we covered 5.44 miles.  Next up, we'll be looking for seafood dinner stop (where we won't have 60-90 minute wait for a table).  Great fun!