New England - Highpoints & More

In late August, I used a site visit to one of our malls in Massachusetts as a springboard for broader exploration of New England including a visit with my good Friend in Boston and stops at three state highpoints in the region: Jerimoth Hill (RI), Mount Greylock (MA), & Mount Frissell (CT).

I started early one Thursday morning driving northeast to Dartmouth Mall, along the way I stopped to stretch my legs at Bluff State Park along the north North of Long Island Sound and to 'summit' Jerimoth Hill, at 812 feet the highest point in Rhode Island. After my site visit, I drove to Canton, MA to see Andy Lanoix, my old college friend from UM.

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I spent all day Friday on Cape Cod, which will the subject of my next post. Saturday, Andy & I visited two sites on the outer-fringes of the Boston Metro Area, Walden Pond of Henry Thoreau Fame and Lowell NHP, which recounts the history of some of the earliest large scale textile mills in the America. Before leaving Lowell, we paid a visit to the grave of Jack Kerouac, author of on the Road. From Lowell, we drove to the Boston, Cambridge to be exact. I met Andy's fiance and got a peek at wedding sites, I'll see again when I attend their wedding next spring.

With two days to return to Philadelphia, I took the extreme long route (700 miles) back. My first stop along the way was Plymouth Notch, Vermont, the birthplace of Calvin Coolidge. I next stopped at two forts along the shores of Lake Champlain, one built by the French, Fort Ticonderoga, and the other by the Colonials, Fort Independence. The next day I visited two mountains. I drove up Mount Greylock and took a summit hike with grand views of western Massachusetts. I hiked up Mount Frissell with similar vistas of eastern Connecticut into New York state.

Jerimoth Hill - Highest Point in Rhode Island

Cape Cod from the top of Pilgrim's Monument in Provincetown

Reconstruction of Thoreau's Cabin on Walden Pond

Boott Mill part of Lowell National Historical Park

Plymouth Notch. Birthplace of Calvin Coolidge

Fort Ticonderoga

War Memorial atop Mount Greylock, Massachusetts highst point.

Scenic Vista along the trail to Mount Frissell

A Ride in the Park

I slipped out for a short ride this afternoon. The weather was too perfect not enjoy in some manner. This weekend was my first spent in Philadelphia in nearly a month and I was anxious to get back on my bike. I stayed mostly in the confines of Fairmount Park, starting with a five mile ride out MLK drive on the west bank of the Schuylkill before doubling back and climbing through west park. I crossed the river on Strawberry Mansion Bridge and rode back in to the Center City along Kelly Drive. The total ride of about sixteen miles took just under an hour-and-a-half.

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My Bike is really starting to show signs wear and tear. I've ridden it nearly 4,500 miles since purchasing it back in July 2006. At the start of my ride the symptoms were limited to some creaks and wobbles, but after the ride I noticed one of the front spokes had torn from the wheel. At the start of the year, I hoped to get one more season on out of it. Still, I don't relish the thought of replacing it. Not only is it an expensive item, but after so many miles, I've have developed a bit of an irrational emotional attachment to it.