Category Archives: river

June 12, 2016

Dinosaur Footprints Reservation (Holyoke, MA)

Date Visited: May 31, 2016

Location: US-5, Holyoke, MA – it comes up pretty quick (about half a mile from the entrance to Mount Tom on Reservation Rd).

Cost: Free

Hours: Open from dawn until dusk

Parking: There is room for about 5 cars.

Dog Friendly: I didn’t see during my visit. But, yes, they are welcome!

Highlights: Dinosaur footprints, Connecticut River behind the footprints, active wildlife, very short and easy trail to the footprints and river

A long, long time ago, the entire Connecticut River Valley, specifically the Holyoke area, was home to a variety of dinosaurs. And you can still see their footprints in the ancient mudflaps of the region. There are also remnants of flowers and even ripples of water from the streams that once flowed in the area.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The prints are believed to have been formed during the early Jurassic period, making them approximately 200 million years old. Or, about as long as your average RMV/DMV wait time.

The main types of dinosaurs that are thought to have existed in this location are theropod dinosaurs. Theropod dinosaurs are mainly 2 legged creatures. Some of the more well-known Theropods are Tyrannosaurus Rex, Velicoraptor and Torvosaurus (think some of the dinosaurs from the Jurassic Park movies). It is believed these types of dinosaurs evolved into the birds that we now see so prevalent in the area.

I did see a lot of bird life but I didn’t see any theropods.

One of the nice surprises was seeing the stream behind the footprints; the Connecticut River. In fact, although seeing the footprints was cool, this may have been the highlight of the trip for me.

The Dinosaur Footprints Reservation is a great place to visit if you want to check out some cool remnants from a distant era. But, it is also a nice place to go and sit by the river or go fishing. Just don’t stay too long if you start seeing the water shaking. You know, like in the movie.

Connect with me on Facebook: New England Nomad

6 Comments | tags: birds, dinosaurs, ducks, footprints, Holyoke, Massachusetts, New England, Park, photographs, Photography, photos, water | posted in blog, dinosaurs, footprints, parks, photographs, photography, photos, river, scenic, Uncategorized, water

May 19, 2016

River Works Park (Greenfield, MA)

By New England Nomad

Date Visited: May 13th 2016

Location: 250 Deerfield Street, Greenfield, MA

Hours: Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year

Cost: Free

Parking: There is a lot that can accommodate about 30 or so cars behind the waterfall off Meridian St (a side road off Deerfield St where the bridge is) or you can park in one of the lots of the local establishments and walk to the park, after patronizing them of course. You can’t park on Deerfield St.

It’s not often that you see a silver fish on a pole while you’re driving down the main streets of a busy suburb. So, when I saw Brookie, the mascot of River Works Park, I had to stop and check it out.

The River Works Park is a quiet place (if you can ignore the passing traffic on Deerfield Rd) where residents and visitors can sit on the benches or walk along the sidewalk or bridge and admire the Green River below.

For a roadside attraction, the River Works Park is full of surprises and beauty. One of these surprises is the walk way along the sidewalk that is blocked off by a fence. Of course, there was an opening in the wire fence. The views from the walk way weren’t so great though and I only managed to get a few scratches when I walked along it.

The walkway, which was dedicated in November of 1999, has several memorials and plaques along the sidewalk. This bench was dedicated to Barbara Tillmanns, Greenfield’s “#1 cheerleader.” Tillmanns was a town councilor for Greenfield and very active in the community. She passed away in 2014 at the age of 72. One of her endeavors was to begin an initiative to establish a series of commemorative benches throughout Greenfield. Here’s one:

A sign remains where the J. Russell Co once stood. The company made Green River Knives. Greenfield Tap & Die also stood there once upon a time. The J. Russell Co and Greenfield Tap & Die were the main employers of the area for much of the 1800’s and the J. Russell Co made the highly touted Green River Knife.

If you look closely at Brookie, the mascot of River Works Park, you can see the forks, spoons, cutlery and other utensils collected from the residents of Greenfield and Franklin County that make up the shape of the fish as a tribute to the J. Russell Cutlery Co. (you may have to zoom into the photo).

The aptly named Green River, runs through the park. There were some modest waves and ripples in the river. The reason for this will soon be evident.

I thought made for a pretty backdrop.

However, just beyond the bridge, we found this pretty waterfall.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

There is no sidewalk on the side of the road where the best views of the waterfalls are so I had to keep the video short since I shot it during a red light.

There is a lot of interesting historical information about the J. Russell Co and the area which you can access in the links below

J. Russell Co

John Russell Manufacturing Co

Please check out and like my Facebook page: New England Nomad

8 Comments | tags: bridge, Massachusetts, memorials, monuments, New England, photographs, Photography, photos, river, water, waterfall | posted in bridge, Massachusetts, New England, photographs, photography, photos, river, Uncategorized, water, waterfall

May 1, 2016

Annual Pawcatuck River Duck Race (Westerly, RI)

By New England Nomad

Date Of Event: April 30, 2016

Location: 37 Main St, Westerly, Rhode Island

Parking: Parking was very limited, especially with the huge turnout. I got there early so I was fortunate enough to snag a 3 hour parking spot near the event in the shopping area of the town.

Cost: Free

Annual Pawcatuck River Duck Race

Every year for the past 18 years, the Ocean Community Chamber of Commerce partners with several businesses and community members to raise money by dumping 20,000 ducks into the Pawcatuck River (don’t worry, they’re rubber ducks) and watching them race down the river. The event helps raise money for over 40 local schools and other non profit groups in the area.

Visitors to the duck race can buy “sponsor tickets” with a unique number of a duck for $5 a chance. Duck shaped whistles can also purchased, much to the delight of many spectators and parents. Vendors and a local radio station also sell items and entertain the visitors.

All 20,000 rubber ducks are dumped into the river from a bulldozer which has been filled with the toys prior to the race.

That’s a lot of ducks!

A short walk from the bridge, in Donahue Park, there are also fun stuff for kids (and even adults who feel young at heart) such as a bouncy house, face painting, balloon shaping and other activities. There also was a classic car, a ’47 Mac, owned by the parent of Bustah (one of the dogs below). Cool car.

There were ducks in the water and on land.

Before the race began, a duck, a real duck this time, decided to stop by and see what was going on.

Then, a family of ducks and ducklings swam by. I feel badly for the little one lagging behind in the last photo. I feel like that everyday.

This is the Pawcatuck River before the race.

This is the river with 20,000 ducks in it.

Even dogs came out to watch the race.

Bustah is an American Bulldog. Beautiful markings. I like how he is intently staring at his dad who is standing behind me to get his attention.

Reggie is a black Lab who is super friendly (but aren’t they all?)

Below is a video of the dunk dumping. As you can tell by the audio, the crowd was getting antsy and they really got into the whole countdown.

Connect with me on Facebook!

New England Nomad

Check out my writing blog page:

Mr. Wayne

21 Comments | tags: cars, dogs, ducks, New England, photographs, Photography, photos, Rhode Island, river | posted in dogs, New England, photographs, photography, photos, Rhode Island, river, Uncategorized

March 16, 2016

Arms Park (Manchester, NH)

By New England Nomad

Date Visited: February 27, 2016

Location: 10 Arms St, Manchester, New Hampshire

Cost: Free but you may have to pay for parking

Parking: Parking was ample when I went during a winter weekend day.

Hours: Open everyday sunrise to sunset

Arms Park

Arms Park is a unique kind of park. In fact it’s not really a park at all. A stream, fed by the Amoskeag Fishways, runs parallel to the park. It is the perfect place for people who love the sound of water and watching waves (and based on my previous posts I know you’re out there). There’s not much to Arms Park. A parking lot takes up most of the area (which has led some to call it “Arms Parking”) and a few office buildings dot the landscape. It’s certainly not one of the most picturesque landscapes but the stream and walkway does have a certain charm. It is often used for observing important important days such as the annual Pearl Harbor Day observance event and the Fourth of July fireworks display.

The river is usually pretty rough and could consequently be dangerous if anyone got caught up it in.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

It was still fairly cold when I went to visit, so the water which did splash on the railing quickly turned to ice.

A variety of birds like to seek refuge at Arms Park. I saw a bunch of gulls there during my visit.

Arms Park has a short walkway along the river with benches along the way.

The video below gives a better representation of the choppy water at Arms Park.

22 Comments | tags: Arms Park, birds, Nature, New England, new hampshire, Park, parks, photographs, Photography, photos, river, water | posted in birds, Manchester, New England, new hampshire, park, photographs, photography, photos, river, Uncategorized, water, waves

February 5, 2016

Signal Hill (Canton, MA)

By New England Nomad

Date visited: January 31, 2016

There are about a dozen parking spaces in the main parking lot. If needed, you can also park on the side of the road by the parking lot.

Cost: Free

Hours: open daily, sunrise to sunset

Before you even begin climbing the ascent to Signal Hill, the views from the parking lot are astounding.

Besides the historical significance (it used to be the home to the Paleo-Americans who settled on what would become the Neponset River) and the active wildlife (hawks are said to nest there and many amphibians inhabit the area by the river), Signal Hill also offers grand views of the Boston Skyline, Blue Hills and the Neponset River Valley.

The hill to the scenic outlook at Signal Hill is modest at best. It should only take 10 minutes to go from the parking lot to the outlook.

The views are worth the short hike.

The scenic overlook has some pretty trees and rocks.

One of the charming features of Signal Hill is the short loop (1.6 miles) at the base of the hill. After climbing and trudging along so many long and steep hills, it’s refreshing to be able to take a leisurely stroll along the clearly defined trail. There are also trails that veer off a little.

Off the main trail there is a canoe launch site on the Neponset River. The upstream launch site goes to Norwood (MA) while the downstream site leads to Milton (MA).