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What you looking at, you lazy bum?
You have to understand that not only does my husband (Mr. B), have a very demanding job but he also has the work ethic of an Ox. Me? I like to work hard but my pace is more like that of a three-legged donkey.
So weekends for Mr. B are not about lounging around with me drinking Sangria and doing jigsaw puzzles. For him, daylight hours are to be used to their fullest. One must get things done from sunrise to when the sun don’t shine no more.
Imagine my joy when last Sunday, he decided to be a slacker and take me on a mystery drive during daylight hours, people!
He told me to dress sporty (because he knows me too well) and to prepare for an active day. After changing my outfit 17 times, putting my sneakers on and applying bright red lipstick, I was ready for the day.
Take a look at the images of this glorious day:
The only bridge of its kind in the world. It was built in 1908 as a trolley bridge across the Deerfield River between the towns of Shelburne and Buckland. When the trolley line stopped in 1928, the 400-foot concrete path was left abandoned. In 1929, Antoinette and Walter Burnham with the help of the Shelburne Falls Woman’s Club, transformed it into a bridge of flowers. There are more than 500 varieties of annuals and perennials planted on this bridge.
It was truly breath-taking
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We then ate brunch at a quaint outdoor café, where I spotted a bald eagle flying over us. When you are married to a birder and you spot a good bird before he does – YAHOO!
Sorry, it was pretty high up there.
Right around the corner from the bridge, we headed down to see the historic glacial pot holes. Originally a cascading waterfall, it is now one of the 10 dams built on the Deerfield River (one of the most heavily used rivers in the country) as part of the hydroelectric development in 1910.
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Here is a brief description on how the potholes were formed:
“When the last glaciers melted, the Connecticut River Valley was flooded, creating a huge lake – Lake Hitchcock. As the lake drained, it swelled the flow of the Deerfield River. The river, carrying in its rushing waters a large load of stones, sand and mud, began to erode the hard metamorphic rock over which it flowed.”
“Potholes formed when stones trapped in cracks in the riverbed were twirled and vibrated in the fast-moving current, drilling their way into the river bottom. If you look carefully, you can see some of the rounded stones that carved out these potholes.” (courtesy of Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce)
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Until several years ago the public was allowed to walk the potholes and swim by the river but because of hazardous conditions and injuries, access in now restricted.
Our last stop (well, I waited in the car because of my fear of train tracks, it’s a long story) was the Hoosac Tunnel.
Hoosac Tunnel
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
It is an active railway tunnel that runs through the Hoosac Mountain. At 4.75 miles long, it remains the longest active transportation tunnel east of the Rocky Mountains. The tunnel project was completed in order to connect Boston to upstate New York.
Sadly, there were 193 lives lost during construction. It was nicknamed “The Bloody Pit.”
An old Postcard from 1909 advertising a Hoosac Tunnel excursion. HoosacTunnel.net
Mr. B was brave enough (it’s an active track, mind you) to walk to the entrance of it and take a peek. Fortunately, he did not go inside. Between the fear of an oncoming train and tales of ghosts heard screaming inside, he felt it was imperative that he make his peeking, a quick one.
Read about Ghosts of the Bloody Pit here.
Our wonderful day ended with a family dinner out with our kids, once we got home.
A Glorious Sunday Drive Indeed
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