Today was a beautiful fall day for hiking, so that was what we did. Our first stop was at Bassett Pond in New Salem, where the trailhead to get to it is at the junction of Petersham Road and Blackinton Road heading south. The path to the pond is pretty straightforward, the pond being right at the next cross junction of paths. We spotted a really small garter snake along the way,
and turned back to our car after seeing the beautiful view of the pond.
Next, on our way to the
Wendell State Forest in Wendell, we passed through the town of Erving,
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Erving Town Hall,
12 East Main Street
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| Memorials outside Town Hall |
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Water Tower,
Arch Street and Crescent Street
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and the Iron Bridge at the end of Farley Road in Wendell.
At Wendell State Forest, the path we took this time is shown below in pink.
The view of Ruggles Pond was beautiful as always.
We passed by Lyon's Falls
and took a detour to Lynn's Falls, which was just a trickle this time of year.
There weren't any views to be had from the top of Jerusalem Hill though, but the 2 lookouts we went to were something else, although the sun from the west was in our face by the time we got there.
On the way back down, we spotted a bobcat and her cub.
Strangely, the mother ran away as we approached, leaving the cub behind to snarl at us warily.
Finally, we were back at our car, and headed for dinner at
Deja Brew, a really small bar restaurant in town. For food, we got the Wasabi Potato Stuffed Portabella (balsamic roasted portabella mushroom stuffed with wasbi mashed potatoes, served with fresh vegetables and side salad)
and the Gourmet Pesto Pizza (with anchovies, avocado, tomatoes, roasted garlic).
Not a bad meal really, and a good end to a nice day of hiking.
