Welcome to Purgatory…

We had a wonderful day in Purgatory Chasm climbing among the rocks and trees. Purgatory is a State Rec Area in southern Massachusetts. It is a quarter mile long cut through some cool rocks, thought to be a remnant of the last Ice Age. The trail is a mass of boulders, rocks, and trees to climb over. It is a really neat place.

 

 

 

We had a lot of fun seeing all the different rock formations and trees trying to grow on them. We were a little worried about how Magnus and Ruth would be making it through Purgatory, but both did quite well. Magnus got very good at scrabbling over the rocks and even offered to help us in some tough spots.

Dana found this cute little guy hiding under a log:

Dana and Magnus had a chance to visit the Devil’s Coffin:

This trail sign shows the kind of place this is. Doesn’t it make you want to visit?

Fat Man’s Misery is a very large rock that has been split. The crevasse was a tight fit for Dana, but Magnus could walk around comfortably. Ruth did not attempt to fit.

Magnus also had fun playing peek-a-boo in the Devil’s Corn Crib

On the way home we stopped by Jerimoth Hill in Rhode Island, the state’s high point. To get to it you park on the side of the road and walk a short distance down a trail and stand on this rock. The top of the rock is 812 ft. above sea level, awesome.

Back Roads New England: My Tri-State Adventure

Saturday, I, Dana, went out to do some exploring. I headed to the SW corner of Massachusetts to see Bash Bish Falls, the tallest falls in the state. It was early in the morning, so the crowds hadn’t shown up yet. I liked this sign near the falls, because you could park in either state to get to it.

Bash Bish is really pretty and about 80 ft. tall, though I think that giant boulder that splits it up makes it look much smaller.

This is a view of the Bash Bish Canyon with New York in the distance.

My next hike winded back and forth across the Connecticut and Massachusetts border, going up a large hill in each state.

The trail passed the highest elevation in CT (2379 ft.) on the south slope of Mt. Frissell , which summits in MA. This makes it the only state high point that is not the summit of a hill or mountain.

 

The view on top of Connecticut:  

The trail soon comes to the point where NY, MA, and CT all meet.

This hike also let me see lots of emerging autumn colors.

After the hike, I drove into western CT to see Naromiyocknowhusunkatankshunk Brook. I found a picture of the name of this brook a few years ago on Panoramio, and have wanted to see it for myself. I spent enough time there to step in its waters and collect some bugs.

I ended my day in Kent Falls SP in CT. It features a series of smaller waterfalls called Kent Falls that drop 250 ft. Here are some of the falls I liked best, including the biggest drop.

Again, the autumn colors made for some pretty photos.

I really had a good time while in western New England. As a bonus, in one of the towns I passed through they were having and antique car show, so all day I was seeing some very old cars driving the small back roads of MA, CT, and NY. It was pretty awesome.

New England, so far…

We made it to Rhode Island with no big incidents. Magnus loved the airplane, especially looking out the window. He did the first flight in his airplane pajamas, which got him (and Dana) into the cockpit to meet the pilots and see the controls -- so cool.

It was great to smell the ocean air and walk on Ruth’s beach again. Magnus liked throwing rocks in the water.

We drove by this old stone wall with pumpkins sitting on it. And Dana bought some lobsters and a crab at the little famer’s market.

Friday, Ruth’s parents came with us to see the Boston Harbor Islands. It was pretty cool because you get to take a ferry out of downtown Boston out to the islands in the harbor. Here we are waiting for the ferry to come. Magnus is making his best pirate face.

On the ferry:

The first stop was Georges Island. It is home to Fort Warren, a fort built in the 1850s and used until after WWII. During the Civil War it was a training ground for many soldiers, and a prison. One notable prisoner was Alexander Stephens, Vice-President of the Confederacy. Today, the fort is empty and ready for exploration. We all enjoyed wandering the halls and climbing the walls of this interesting place.

There were also some nice views of some other islands. This is the Boston Light, built in 1783, one of the oldest lighthouses in the country.

Here Lynn enjoys the rocky shore of Georges Island.

Another ferry took us to Spectacle Island. This island is now a nice park with lots of trails to hike. It was formerly a garbage dump and horse recycling center (a horse to leather/fertilizer/glue factory) for Boston. Using dirt from the “Big Dig” (the Boston tunnel project), the island was covered and reconstructed to be a beautiful park. We hiked the north drumlin to gaze out over the harbor. Dana really thought this large sailboat looked cool.

Spectacle Island:

Back in Boston, we took a different route to the car past Faneuil Hall.

We also ate some dinner a got some cannoli at Mike’s Pastry. Dana also ran over to see the North Church.