I woke up at the North Bridge Park for the second time in Concord, Massachusetts. The same woman was walking along the path below me. It was 5:30 a.m. and time to go. So, I packed up and hit the road, intending to get some coffee along the way rather than go back to Dunkin Donuts in town.
I took a bunch of pictures in Concord, but my camera suddenly said the SD card was unformatted. It was a leftover problem from the time before I got my new cord in Nashua, New Hampshire. Needless to say, those shots will not appear in this post. Thankfully all of the other pictures and videos I took on this day were preserved. This will be practically all images, not a lot of substantive commentary. But I think you'll like just how many things I was able to do on this day. Now, let's get to it!
The following few photos were taken on the way out of Concord on Lexington Road, Route 2A...
I didn't even know this was here. The Home of Little Women.
Amazing to think that this town was settled over 380 years ago!
This caught my eye before I even knew what it was.
The Wayside, home of Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Here is the actual house where the Concord Grape was first grown and developed.
There are still vines here!
Want to buy a house on this historic road?
Name of this flower?
The Nathan Meriam House at Meriam's Corner (download the 590 page PDF).
Views of the interior through the old glass windows.
Made the pictures look old.
Only two windows on the north side.
More interior shots.
There was also a modern restroom attached I was quite pleased to find. If you're ever in need and on this road, stop in here. Very clean and private. I had the feeling no one besides the locals really knew about it...
There were many turtle casualties along the way.
It would be an excellent and very historic family outing. Get out the backpacks, pack a big lunch to eat at one of the many places to rest along the way. The trails are appropriate for bikes or hiking. The greatest thing of all is the history lesson both kids and adults will enjoy. The park is very significant to the history of our nation, as it represents one of the most important days--April 19, 1775, the very start of the American Revolution. You can actually hike or ride through the places where each conflict or battle took place on this day. I found it fascinating. You can start in Concord and actually make it all the way to Boston by following the main trail. It is about 16 miles in total length...
This is a map of the park section.
The head of the 15 mile trail running through this park starts here in Concord
and runs all the way to Boston Harbor.
An abandoned roadside stand.
I thought it would make a nice simple cabin design.
I'd seen on one of the maps, that Walden Pond was very nearby, about three miles away, down Route 2, on the southeastern border of Concord and Lincoln. So I decided the opportunity to see it was too much to resist. This ended up being a great decision, because (unknown to me at the time) it would allow me visit the amazing deCordova Sculpture Garden and Art Museum. I turned onto the road that led to Route 2, which briefly passed through...
I stopped for coffee at a Mobil station before walking onto Route 2. Then I walked that turnpike down to Route 126 where Walden Pond was...
This sign above is sad and ironic to an animal lover like myself. The directional lanes of Route 2 are separated by a tall series of Jersey barriers. No turtle would ever be able to cross it. If they were to attempt to get to the other side of Route 2, it would end in death every time. And, on this day, I saw just how many attempts have been made and the inevitable resulting carnage. I didn't photograph the results. Just multiply the picture shown near the top of this post by about 600.
The other disturbing thing about this road is the careless recklessness and aggression being displayed by these Massachusetts drivers. They are simply THE worst. They are always in a hurry, take too many chances and drive far too fast for a two lane (in each direction) road. Even though the route was convenient for me, even I might agree that walkers should not be allow to use it. On this Friday morning, I was narrowly missed several times, honked at, and treated like a piece of trash blowing down the highway. Drivers in this state should be ashamed of themselves for the disregard for the safety of pedestrians and each other. I don't even know if cellphone use or texting was involved. I was just trying my best to survive the experience. Frankly? (cover your children's eyes): these fucking assholes were driving death traps, drunk with indifference. (Even as I write this post in safety of Starbucks in Lexington, horns are angrily beeping outside.)
Finally, the turnoff to Route 126 appeared and I'd never been so happy to exit a road in my life. I walked another half mile to...
Henry David Thoreau's cabin was much like I thought it might be, except that it wasn't the original cabin, and didn't have the original items in it. I was a bit disappointed, but it was still a cool exhibit and stood on the original location...
A chair much like what would have been in the cabin.
This might have been the original stove, nothing says either way?
This was interesting. The sum is obscured in the photo above, but I looked up the total.
In 1845 it cost him $28.12. Adjusted for inflation that would be just under $900 today.
Not bad for simple living. Just buy the land and build the cabin. There are even plans
online to build your own "replica as a tiny house."
The new visitor center was being built. You can hear them hammering in the video above...
This building will be zero net energy (no power lines, nor fossil fuel heating system).
Now it was time to check out Walden Pond itself...
Honestly? It was a bit of a disappointment. I thought it would be woodsy and rough around the shores. It was more like a modern swimming hole (although, the season had not yet begun), with its sandy beaches and lifeguard stations.
I spent some time sitting and trying to get into the "transcendentalist" mindset of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Thoreau, but, ahhhh... Just wasn't kickin' in.
I studied transcendentalism in high school and college; reading a great deal of Emerson's writing, and also some of Thoreau's--particularly anything related to Civil Disobedience (Resistance to Civil Government). Of course, those who know about that philosophy and read this blog will see the obvious parallels and similarities. It influenced my thinking at an early age. But, I have lost much of my memory about these two interesting thinkers and will seek to re-examine their work.
I climbed up the steep hill and crossed back over to the cabin side of the road, then sat, pulled out the laptop and examined the screenshot I'd made of the area. I noticed that I had a Wi-Fi signal, and took a closer look at the route I'd need to get out of there and make my way to Lexington. It was complicated now, and I drew out a map...
Every Modern Nomad should be able to do this.
What the visitor center will look like, above, and its current state of development, below.
Lord! Why do I feel this might be missing the point? Ha!
It was time to leave for Lexington. It would be a wonderful, if exhausting, walk...
Better chances for our shelled friends here.
One of many gorgeous vegetable fields along the way down Route 126.
Lettuce and beets.
Here is this flower again. Any ideas?
Many yards are graced with these delicate plants.
The Gropius House. Never heard of this before.
But in researching today, it seems to be quite a forward-thinking
Fifteen dollar admission for adults though--whew!
I named this the BAR (for big-ass rock).
This is a school for kids with dyslexia and other learning disabilities.
And, from what I saw, probably rich kids.
A macabre image. This looked like a painting.
This guy wanted to join me, but couldn't figure out how to jump the fence.
Then I saw this sign and thought, "Ah, what the hell?" and walked up the steep driveway...
The deCordova Museum was beyond excellent. I would encourage anyone interested in high cultural art to visit this wonderful place. I had no idea whether it cost money (turns out admission was $14!). It goes to show another incredible benefit of walking and not driving--only those who drove here (and everyone drives, of course) paid at the gatehouse. I, on the other hand, simply walked in and started my own little tour. The following is what I saw, in the order in which I saw it...
This reminded me of the steampunk style (love that stuff!).
I have no idea why, but this was called, "Little Red Riding Hood and Other Stories."
Huh?
More steampunky stuff.
Ah! My second favorite sculpture: "Beacon," by Stephanie Cardon.
For me, it was a photographer's dream.
As I walked along the lower path I caught a glimpse of the museum above me and had no idea whether I could get in...
This vaguely reminded me of the face on Edvard Munch's "The Scream."
Now I can't really see it, but anyway...
Dufuss that I am, I thought this was a sculpture.
It is, in fact, just a pile marble for renovations on the museum. Ha!
I went up to the door and simply walked in. Wow! I knew I wasn't allowed to take pictures, but I managed a few. You really have to go there yourself to see just how cool this place is. It is interesting to note that most of the art was by women--and it was utterly fantastic; unique, one of a kind stuff, imaginative and creative.
The first thing I saw was a photograph taken 1/10 millionth of a second after the explosion of Trinity--the first atomic bomb test. It showed a ball of plasma 100 feet wide. It was astounding to imagine how fast a camera shutter would have to be to capture that image. To give some perspective, in the next 100 thousandth of a second the large steel tower holding the device was vaporized, and the ground below was turned into a green field of fused irradiated glass, called "trinitite." My grandfather Wall worked on that project (the Manhattan Project), and it had always interested me. The sign describing all of the art in this first room was this...
Then, I walked into another room and saw this, my favorite painting here...
This is large, perhaps 5 feet by 8 feet.
I tried in vain to remember the artist's name. If I find it, I will update.
The children's section contained this cool sculpture.
Each child is encouraged to add some yarn. I watched a little girl carefully make a contribution.
I viewed several other rooms. One had fine pencil and ink work, another was themed around "Overgrowth" (check out the green guy), and there was an excellent exhibit about industrial and urban structure and decay. I walked downstairs...
...thanked the receptionist who did a double take when seeing my backpack, but wished me a nice day, and then headed out to the front yard...
See the video below for the bizarre aspects of this sculpture.
Refreshments and visitor center.
Now for my very favorite of all the pieces (and shown briefly in the video above). The photographs of this prismatic sculpture are some of my all time favorites...
I had worn the 50 pound pack for the entire two hours I was here. And, I needed a break. So, I took one on the front lawn while continuing to walk around photographing the grand, rare trees and other art.
Unfortunately, even with this break, the weight of the pack as I stood around the museum had taken a toll on my feet, toes and knees, something I'd really feel later on this day...
Thanks to a reader's comment, I found out that this is a beech tree?
The leaves are so dark red that they appear black.
The leaves are so dark red that they appear black.
Circle made by the stones of a former brownstone apartment building.
On this - one of the longest days of the year - it was after noon but the sun wasn't even at its zenith. I continued on my walk...
Panorama of a lush field on Route 126.
Lincoln center reminded me of a fine jewel. It was extraordinarily well-kept and very beautiful, but it wasn't overly useful to me. I really needed something to eat. I didn't have enough for both a dinner on this day AND a coffee on the next morning (my morning ticket to work somewhere). This part of Lincoln was surprisingly empty of stores. (It ended up that I wouldn't eat anything all day.) So, I continued, turning onto Lexington Road...
Pine cones on a cemetery wall.
Grape vines.
Example of a very old plow!
Just before reaching Route 2 again, although farther down than the morning, I came upon a different kind of housing development from the McMansions of two days earlier...
This was not appealing to me--the offset-doubling of the roof on the facade--nah...
Now, this was the extreme high end of subdivision development.
Four lots of customized homes.
And for once, they were very well designed, in my opinion.
Tons of windows and thicker moldings.
I estimate each of these homes as being in the $1-2 million range.
Gotta love the names of developments!
There are no apples, it is not a meadow, nor a farm.
I reached Route 2 and saw what I'd dreaded. The Jersey barriers were here too. I needed to cross this road, with its insane drivers, to get to Lincoln Street on the other side. Apparently, this deer (just killed) lost her struggle to cross...
And, just as I started toward the road, another deer rushed out in front of car coming down the same street I'd just walked. The car barely missed the animal, who continued on and into the woods.
I didn't know what to do. The barrier was too high (about 4 feet) to pull myself over. So, I walked down the edge of the highway until just before I-95 crossed. The barriers there were a foot shorter. I knew I could cross them. Using the fact there was construction ahead, I waited for a lull on my side, then ran to the middle, just behind a construction lighting trailer. This deflected traffic while I waited for the other direction to ease up. When it did, I crossed over the barrier on my stomach and ran to the other side. Phew!
Now I had to walk all the way back up to Lincoln Road. I did, to find a narrow street with a pond on either side. A nice tackle box sat on the edge of the shoulder. I opened it up and saw it filled with expensive lures. Strange. Upon closing it again, a small garter snake wiggled out from under it and down the bank. I walked about 20 more feet and saw the owner of the box, fishing. I was glad he didn't catch me poking around in it...
A species of purple wort.
It seemed like this was taking forever. Two hours had gone by since leaving the museum. When I reached the neighborhood that I thought I was most likely to get lost or turned around in, I passed under I-95, which was being worked on, for - as this picture shows - obvious reasons...
Middle of the bridge is crumbling.
As soon as I went up a hill and around a curve I was surprised to see this...
What the?!!
I was officially in Lexington, near the downtown. I stopped at the empty field with a gondola and rested on a bench, drying off the sweat from my back and Saggy. I briefly shivered a bit. The temperature had gone way down from the day before and the humidity was very low.
My feet were aching--pulsing with pain. The toes on my right foot had a sharp stinging feeling and my left knee was sore. I massaged the knee for a while and then hauled Saggy back over my shoulder onto my back. I wanted to get downtown to Starbucks and get the post from the day before published. I was on Mass Avenue...
Interesting addition to a doorway.
Tourists in The Common, doing touristy things.
I worked at Starbucks on Mass Avenue, publishing my post, and then headed to the place (back toward Concord) I'd seen on Google Earth, at the edge of the Minute Man Park.
There was tons of poison ivy everywhere. I was getting quite worried. I tried one place that looked like a field , but to my horror realized it was populated by very small poison ivy plants. I just kept walking toward Concord. I even considered walking all the way back to the sleep spot there--ridiculous as that seems now.
Then I saw a rocky cliff about 10 feet high to my right. Crossing the road, I pulled out the flashlight (which is crapping out lately and I need to hit to keep it working), and shined it at the shoulder. I was all pine needles, and free of poison ivy. Carefully I climbed the cliff to the top, tapping the flashlight to keep it on and looking all around me.
At the top was a large field. All around were thousands of fireflies. I scrutinized the ground for poison ivy. I saw only baby oak trees (and some poison oak) coming up through a thick moss. Couldn't believe my fortune at locating this spot. I set up the tent and simply stood there resting and processing all I'd seen on this day.
It was phenomenal how much could be done and seen on only one day! This post is a testament to that. I took the following picture and made a little video trying to show you the fireflies. In the picture (taken with a long exposure) a fly is at the very center. At the end of the video in the middle and top right quadrant a few can also be seen...
I didn't want to go to bed, though completely out of energy. I guess I just didn't want the day to end. But, inevitably, I just needed to. I had no idea if hikers were going to cross the field in the morning, so I had to be up at 5:30 again to keep an eye out. I fell asleep immediately and had some very strange and colorful dreams.
The red/black trees are Beech trees. Some great ones in Concord.
ReplyDeleteThank you! I'll update! :-)
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