Harbingers of Spring

Spring came early to Central Illinois - the trees bloomed in early April and most have fully leafed out. It was so short lived that I didn't get to enjoy it.

However, I made a last minute trip out east to the Boston area and got to enjoy an early spring all over again. I normally visit the area in summer, so the landscape was very different from what I am used to.







My runs took me to a local pond and even in the off season, it was calm and inviting.


Even with a bit of rain, there was no wind (in Illinois, rain is almost always accompanied by straight line winds).

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Historic

I'm way behind on photos from my Big camera, so these are over a month old, back when I visited Massachusetts in June. We took the boys to Lexington - Concord and visited some of the Revolutionary War Sites. I felt we had to give the boys exposure to the history that shaped this Nation. Now that I am older, I find these places fascinating - I know I didn't appreciate them when I younger. Maybe the boys felt that way, too, but we went anyways.

I've previously posted the historic significance of these sites when I visited in 2011, and that post can be found here:
A History Lesson - the Start of the Revolutionary War

Our visit to the Old North Bridge in Concord, and the surrounding grounds:

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Along My Run | 4 - The New England Edition

I really enjoyed the change in scenery during my visit to Massachusetts. Instead of sweeping fields of corn, my eyes took in the tall pines, granite cliffs and forested green woods so prevalent in the Bay State. I sought out new places to run (Google Maps is great for this) and wasn't disappointed.


This trail is barely visible from the main street - it cuts through the forest then dumps into hilly field a leading up to an old homestead road.


Along the road, I ran past this property - a centuries old farm which appeared to still be in operation. The morning sun bathed the entire scene and I wished I could run up the driveway to see the fields below.

Also along this road was a cemetery - dating back to 1660. The town of North Andover was established in the 1630's, so I must have found my way along the original roads in town.


We spent two days south of Boston in Plymouth, where my parents live. Their neighborhood boasts an extensive network of walking trails that wind up and down through the pine trees - running them is always a challenge and delight.


I ventured into new territory, trying to find the Great Island Pond I had seen on the map. After running over four miles, I still hadn't found it and seriously considered turning around, but continued on and came upon this:

And so I had found Great Island Pond. If you can imagine, I stayed a little while to enjoy the perfect morning.


Some other scenes along my runs in Massachusetts:




Go Fast Enough to Get There, but Slow Enough to See - Jimmy Buffet

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