I started out today in the northeastern central Massachusetts town of Petersham,
checking out the
Most Holy Trinity Monastery,
Next, it was on to the town of Athol,
 |
Old Lyman Ward School,
2175 Main Street |
 |
Old Second Advent Christian Church,
1282 Main Street |
going on a hike at
Lawton State Forest, where the path I took to explore various parts of it is shown below in pink.
I first tried to get to the Meadow Vista from the shorter end of the ridge section, but it was so overgrown that I gave up, although I realized later that I was actually really close to my goal at that point. I decided to try from the other end of the trail. The going was a little better, but not much, the red blazes on the trees just barely keeping me from getting lost, all the way until I reached the supposed vista, which literally meant a view of the meadow.
What a waste of time. Next, I went to find the water bodies here, which were just alright.
The
Skyfields Arboretum area yielded nothing either. A disappointing hike overall.
Next, it was on Richmond NH,
to hike the
Metacomet Monadnock Trail in Richmond NH, where the path I took is shown below in black.
Nothing much to see here unless you are into rocks,
including a stone bridge just across the state line back in Massachusetts.
After finally returning to my car, it was on to the town of Swanzey NH for my final hike of the day, at
Carroll's Hill, where the path I took is shown below in pink.
I was somewhat exhausted after my long hikes today, and would have got lost if not for my spotting the arrows appropriately placed at the major turns, although I missed one as you can see. I was just glad that the view at the end was worth the trip, even with the rain.
Heading back was even more of an adventure, the rain falling so hard that people were stopping by the side of the road to wait the rain out, and there was even a car stuck in the water, the tow truck having to come to pull it out while the police blocked traffic. I decided to stop for a bite at the
Colonial Hotel in Gardner. Pretty nice hotel in the middle of nowhere.
With respect to the
Colonial Grille located within the hotel,
I got the New England Meatloaf (New England Style meatloaf covered with a savory gravy & topped with crispy onion strings. Served with garlic mashed potatoes & vegetable du jour),
which unfortunately was a tad salty.
Dinner was at
Jimmy's Tavern in Shrewsbury,
where we got the Salmon Oscar (salmon topped with bearnaise sauce, shrimp and fresh asparagus) and Jimmy's Special Rice Pilaf this time around.
Excellent meal to cap an otherwise rained out day after my last hike.
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