I may have already been to Callahan to take pictures at least 7 times this year, but when I saw the mist and fog I figured “what better place than an old favorite?” So off I went to some of my favorite spots. Callahan did not disappoint. There isn’t much to say about the trip other than the fact that I had a great time scurrying around in the wet snow and taking pictures of the views, both big and small.
This time I have a collection of a few different things. First up, some photos from another bike ride along a rail trail. We met up with a couple of friends to ride part of the Southern New England Trunkline Trail (or just SNETT). We quickly discovered that this was a very different kind of rail trail than our last trip. The trail was not paved, and in some section was downright rugged. I was happy I brought my mountain bike instead of the single speed road bike I used last time. The up side though was that the trail was relatively quiet, and also quite beautiful.
I also spent a bit of time playing around with a new lens that I picked up for astrophotography. I haven’t had a chance to use it with truly dark skies yet, but this is what I was able to capture at Callahan.
Finally, I have a couple of photos from the first real taste of winter we got with a bit of snow and ice. It didn’t stick around, so there isn’t that much to show yet. Stay tuned on this front.
After the success of our Halloween adventures I decided to check out another destination that came recommended by the locals, Harpswell’s Cliff Trail. It was definitely not as nice out, but I decided to go for it anyways. The trail started off by winding along the side of a little tidal creek through a classic Maine pine forest.
After crossing to the other side of the park, the trails starts to follow Long Reach, a tidal inlet. At times the trail drops right down to the water, showing off the tranquility of this remote stretch of water.
As it climbs up the ridge you start to get views from the Cliffs that give this trail it’s name. The combination of the trees and shrubs which grow out over the edge with the dizzying drop off make it hard to really capture the feeling of being here in a photo. The views were very impressive for such a short hike, and I never would have guessed there were such large cliffs so close to the coast here.
From the cliffs it was a short hike back down to the parking lot. I am certainly happy that I checked this one out, and I’ll have to return another time when there is better weather. I’ll leave you with a final shot of the sunset we got the next evening. It definitely would have been nice to see something like this from the cliffs!
For Halloween this year we decided to mix it up a bit and spend the day up in Maine. It was a very quiet weekend at the point. We spent a lot of time relaxing at the house and enjoying the change of scenery. The night before Halloween we also were treated to a very nice, though cold, sunset.
The next morning we put together a little tour of some conservation land that we had not explored before. The first stop was at the Wharton Point Landing. It was very quiet there in the morning, and I spent a few minutes taking pictures of the canoes peacefully floating on the bay.
After that it was on to the Marquoit Bay Conservation Land. This was a small park with just a single trail, but the view of the bay from the end of the trail was quite nice. We even ran into some relatives out for a walk at the same park while we were there. A surprise for both of us!
Next we moved on to the larger Wolfe’s Neck State Park. This one was definitely the happening place for the day, and the parking lot was nearly full by the time we arrived. We grabbed a spot and then started our little hike. The park turned out to be beautifully maintained, with some very impressive trails along the bluff looking over the ocean. The east side of the park was clearly the most popular part, but we also appreciated the west side as part of our loop around the perimeter of the park.
After a stop in downtown Freeport for a late lunch, it was on to our final park, Hedgehog Mountain. Now to be honest we chose to stop here purely based on the name. We had to find out if there was any resemblance to our pet hedgehog, Pepper.
As it turns out, Hedgehog Mountain doesn’t look much like a hedgehog or a mountain. It turned out to be a nice, but short, walk up to the top of a ridge where we got a view out to the west. Our timing was excellent, as we watched the sun go down from the viewpoint before returning to our car.
As with many people in 2020 we were realizing that we had not spent much time with some of our best friends, so we decided to put together a little outing to visit with them. We ended up riding the full length of the Minuteman Trail into Cambridge and back. It has been a long time since I have been on the trail, so it all felt new to me. There was also a really nice array of fall color on display.
This was another quick walk we went on to make the most of the nice fall weather we had. We spent some time walking around the pond and through the woods on some trails we had not explored before. To be honest, the color was a little sparse here but it was still a very nice day.
I realized as the leaves were turning that I had not been to Purgatory Chasm all year. Given how interesting a spot that is, I figured it would be an interesting place to visit for some fall color.
What I found when I arrived was a different matter though. Instead of the color I saw everywhere else, the trees in the chasm were on a whole different schedule. They had really just started turning. Given this I didn’t come away with too many great shots of the chasm. However, the rest of the park did delivery some pretty sights. Though it was quite dry, I enjoyed exploring the little creek that flows behind the chasm. The combination of calm water and still air really showed off the colors here.
On the way back I stumbled across some more great color and views along the shores of the Hopkinton Reservoir. I caught it right at sunset, with some wispy clouds high above giving a perfect pink glow.
After the sun set I continued taking photos of the water. I particularly appreciated the views of the warm fall color on the other side combined with the cool blue water.
Here are a few photos from a hike along the Mt Tom ridge we did with some family friends. This is a really impressive trail with awesome views the whole way. We had a great time and just barely made it out before the park closed the gates.
Continuing my hunt for good fall color, I wanted to head up to Mt. Wachusett one Sunday for a walk. On the way up we came across the Old Stone Church in West Boylston. I had never been to this one before, but it is quite a pretty building at a really beautiful spot right on the shore of the Wachusett reservoir.
After poking around the park near the church and wandering through the interior, it was on to the mountain. Unfortunately, by the time we got there the line of cars stretched down the street and they had stopped letting people up the road. We decided it would be best to find another spot, and eventually ended up at the Leominster State Forest.
This turned out to be a beautiful spot as well. We walked around the ponds on the western edge of the park for about an hour and enjoyed the glassy water, fall colors, and quiet solitude.
