Walk This Way

Sometimes it feels like bicycling has ruined me for walking. When Kelly suggested a stroll along the Norwottuck rail trail recently, I kind of grimaced to myself. It's hard to trudge slowly along the same paths we've briskly breezed along so often on the bikes. But, sucking it up (mostly), we (I) made the best of it and even improved upon the idea by deciding to turn the venture into a picnic...

A quick stop at Big Y on the way up for some grinders, drinks and snack food, and we were soon spread out on one of the picnic tables at the Elwell recreation area at the beginning of the Norwottuck proper.



Fueled up, it was time to hit the trail; at sneaker speed. It was also bloggerette's first crossing of the famous train bridge...



...certainly not her last...

The weather was more than cooperative. Sunny with passing clouds, in the 70's with a hint of humidity...



...beau-ta-rific.



Admittedly, there is much to be said about walking versus riding. There's the feeling that there's more time to spend, and the conversations get a little more involved (and/or convoluted)...



By the time we got to West street, where the long and historic Hadley Common is, the bloggerette was beginning to fidget with hunger. We had to stop here so Kelly could take care of business.



The town common proved an ideal resting point with several trees and a bench to rest on, and plenty of passerbyes to people watch. After several minutes, as the bicyclists and rollerbladers zipped by on their wheels, I decided to settle under a nearby tree and experiment with some shots for a time-lapse type slide show of a populace on the move...leisurely.



With bloggerette's fuel tank now full, from here we walked down along the common all the way to the river, where we picked up another trail that runs along the Hadley dike.



This section of trail used to be regularly mowed; but it looks like that has stopped. The wildflowers now run rampant along the water's edge, and there's just a narrow path stamped down between the tall grasses. The lack of maintenance is perhaps to discourage walkers from approaching the section of dike that has been under repair, and which looks very near completion.



I'm guessing these random holes on the exposed edges of the dike construction were made by the bank swallows that were flying low over the nearby river, deftly scooping up bugs on the wing.



We pressed on along the dike, and the wild overgrowth with the bugs buzzing about, and the birds calling and skirting low above and the warm breezes only added to the magical summeriness of the afternoon.



Everything is alive in July.



Thistles, clovers, mustards, daisies, asters.



Cedar waxwings competed with the swallows for the abundant flying insects...



The dog was having a field day, literally. As strong as the sights and scents are for us, it must be tenfold for him. At one point he was locked hard onto some scent we couldn't even perceive...



...and nearly dragged us into a stand-off with a very young, and very defensive, skunk.



The critter's tail shot up, and we hustled ourselves right out of there...

Making the curve back along the Hadley meadows, we began the return leg of the journey; eventually linking back up with the Norwottuck, and then the car, and then home...



Walking turned out to be a good idea; sometimes it's best to take things slow and savor the moments...