Tag: destination

Gramwick Trail – Mountain Brook Resevoir – Jaffrey New Hampshire

It’s really strange to find a trail no one seems to have heard of only a few miles from home. And you wouldn’t believe how I found it – accidentally by looking at a realty map of the area. Why it was listed as an attraction I do not know but curiosity got the better of me.

The Gramwick Trail was already an adventure before we even got there – having once again decided to drag my unwitting Prius down another sketchy dirt road, this time COVERED in leaves to the point I couldn’t tell where the road was and it was slippery, as heaps of dead leaves generally are. FUN.

And when we got the parking lot I was actually kind of surprised – it seemed well plotted out and had room for quite a few vehicles considering the remoteness of this place. That being said the trail kiosk was faded almost beyond being able to read which is odd considering the information on it claimed the Gramwick Trail is pretty much a baby – born in 2016! It winds through 395 acres all along Gilmore Pond and ends at a series of sweet little swimming and/or fishing holes. And if you want to continue on from there and do a whole loop it does attach to a different trail that’s mostly used for snowmobiling, but I did not test this theory.

I brought my mother with me as she wanted to go and get some exercise and fresh air. She was however a nail-biting challenge to watch do this trail as it is currently covered in slippery leaves, mud, and roots jutting out of the ground, none of which she missed as she tried desperately to topple over. We ended up having to find her a hiking stick. Luckily there were plenty to be found and she did better from here.

Despite our early troubles this path was kind of magical. It had gorgeous scenery, not a soul in sight, and it was SO QUIET out there, like we’d trekked many miles away from civilization. The only other critter we saw was a mourning dove. This was an introvert’s delight! And the swimming holes were darling! Had I been out here in summer I definitely would have dove in! What an experience!

Eventually the trail ended at the beginning of another trail. Rather than seeing if it looped back around (which I think it does – although we would have had to walk along the road for a little ways) we turned back and went the way we came. Mum was getting tired, I knew this would have been less than a half-way point, and my phone was being no help at all finding the map I was looking at when I was home! That’s OK though, I am content we explored a new corner of Jaffrey and that it was so beautiful.

This was a mostly flat path with bridges over the muddier bits. It was easy, dogs were allowed on leash, but I wouldn’t suggest it for anyone with balance problems. Too many slippery bits and roots for that! Otherwise, this is a great little jaunt for anyone in the area or beyond who has reasonable fitness and health.

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Cemetery Loop Trail Fitchburg MA

Today’s little adventure was more of a misadventure of me first getting lost finding the parking and then getting even more lost once I was on the trails. As such I will try to write this in a way that you won’t make the same mistakes!

Initially I found out about the Cemetery Loop Trail after randomly driving by parking at the Northern Watershed Southern Section which has a nice little map of all kinds of trails in the area. Neat. From this map I could figure out that parking for the Cemetery Loop Trail was actually on Scott Road so I went off to find Scott Road and I drove the whole thing, finding the N13 trail marker before finding the road was a dead end and any promises or parking were highly exaggerated. I could have parked at the main entrance (N60) and made my way on several trails to get to the Cemetery Loop Trail but I decided to park instead at the N10 Main Path entrance. It says not to park there but there’s a little bridge a few feet down the road that has a turnoff, so I parked there.

This actually worked out well. I found the N10 and then the N11 marker so quickly and easily I thought this was going to be a breeze! If you want to avoid the following harrowing 2-hour trek that I took and actually find the cemetery you should keep going straight at the N11 intersection. From there you will go up a steep hill and somewhere on the left, directly in the middle between markers N11 and N13 you’ll see a very unimpressive, unmarked, path on your left. The cemetery is not visible from the Cemetery Loop Path and is on this unmarked sub path, up a little hill and behind a rock wall. If you hit the N13 marker while looking for this sub path you’ve gone too far. This is a SHORT walk, should take 10-15 minutes tops from the car. The following is why it took me two hours.

First, I did not go straight on at marker N11, instead I went past it by going left, believing being a loop trail I’d loop back around. I found my way all the way to marker N12 which should mean I was where I needed to be but N12 was actually a 4-way intersection that was not noted on the map. Two directions were labelled via tree signs as “Scott’s Road” and straight ahead was “The Pipeline Path.” Neither of these paths are on the map and the Cemetery Loop Path was not marked by sign. So, I was left to guess, question myself, turn around, question myself again, turn around again, and again! I never took the Pipline Path. I did however take at various points the Scott’s Road Path to where it ended – at the road behind marker N13 on Scott’s Road, and I took the opposite direction until I hit the Maine Trail again. In the meanwhile, I continued to come across more intersections of clearly marked trails that were not on the goddamn map! Like the Lightning Trail! I could not fathom how a cluster of trails could be both so clearly marked and maintained and yet so impossible to navigate. Somewhere along the way I found an old cellar hole which was cool, before I backtracked all the way back to the N11 marker, this time taking the other leg of the loop where the map noted there was a cemetery.

Well! I made it all the way from N11 to N13 which was a HIKE straight up a hill despite the rest of the day being flat paths and in all that time I didn’t see a cemetery. By now it was raining, almost two hours had passed, I wanted to be back at the car but also I couldn’t just leave after never finding the cemetery. As I walked back to N11 from N13 I peered intensely into the woods on my righthand side and there I found the entrance to the cemetery having passed it the first time. It was not marked. It looked like a deer path and the stones were not visible until I walked up and over the hill this strange sub-path was on. Finally!! Success!!

Here in a TINY three stone plot was the Hartwell family, buried between 1806-1850, all with gorgeous slate stones. Cool thing about this plot was the foot stones were still intact and clearly visible. This is rare in stones of this age. Very cool! Also interesting to see a fresh American flag next to the middle stone marking the final resting place of a veteran. Who died in 1806. And whose grave is now practically in Narnia. How did the people putting the flags and plaques out know where to find him?! They must have gotten better instructions than I did! Now I could go home with a sense of accomplishment, having found what to date was the smallest and most hidden cemetery I have ever been to.

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Jewell Hill – Southern Loop Trail – Ashby MA

It’s really funny how this whole travelling and exploring thing works. Just when you think you have scraped the bottom of the barrel and have nowhere left to check out the universe steps in and guides you. Today was no different. I had decided to another google search and didn’t expect to come up with anything close to home but I was surprised this new location popped right with only 4 reviews. Why not, let’s check it out. I grabbed my mom, who needs to get out more, and we made a beeline to this new fascinating destination.

Jewell Hill is a no longer used dairy farm that still has a big hay barn and a few other structures on the property. Trails wind in different directions and are VERY well maintained. But finding it was a little difficult. It’s on Crocker Road and if you drive up Crocker Road from the paved side you will find parking just beyond a speed sign that lowers to speed limit to I think 10 MPH and a farmhouse to the left. If you reach dirt road you’ve gone too far! but really the parking lot was big and open and well-marked. Several cars were already parked there.

This place is GORGEOUS. Without even leaving the parking lot there’s a delightful view of a mountain in the distance. Of course the Autumn trees were giving their last colorful gasp today and the pastural scenery between all this was just so peaceful and fresh. First we walked up to the barn to check it out as it’s very close to the parking lot. We then made our way to the Southern Loop which is the blue trail. I had chosen this trail in particular after looking at the map and deciding it looked the least up hill and not too far (.6 of a mile for the loop bit.) Both me and my mother are in dire need of getting back into shape!

Since we made our way from the barn (taking half the Crocker Farm Trail, and then a good part of the Jewell Hill Trail before reaching the Southern Loop Trail) and not the direct route from the parking lot we were met with a mild but extremely steady incline which proved enough for both of us! We’re both out of shape, getting older, with joint problems so this would likely be nothing to someone young and healthy. Still, if you want an easier route take the trail at the beginning of the parking lot adjacent to the road. It will bring you right to the Southern Loop Trail while skipping a good part of the incline!

The trails here were very well maintained! And scenic! I really felt at peace here. There was just the right amount of diversity between the pasturelands, the little creek, and the forest. I will say it did get muddy at parts! But still, this place was awesome! So lovingly maintained! Several people were here walking their dogs and enjoying one of the last warm days of Autumn. I will definitely go back and check out some of the other trails as well as recommend this place to others looking for some easy to easy-moderate hiking. What a hidden gem! Even better on the way home I found two other trailheads with multiple trails!! I shall be back!

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Cedar Hill Cemetery Hartford Connecticut

Yesterday we ventured out to see the Cedar Hill Cemetery in Hartford Connecticut because we heard it was the final resting place of Katherine Hepburn and we’d never been to the grave of a modern celebrity before. Why not? We drove a few hours, this time knowing it closes at 4PM. Still, with 270 acres to poke out we knew we’d be out there for a while.

We managed to snag a spot in their weirdly limited parking up at the church and began to ankle it into the cemetery itself, which was down a long, paved driveway of sorts. On the way there was a nice view of the Autumn leaves over a body of water. A couple benches were here too just in case you wanted to linger, though there wasn’t a gravestone in sight for quite a while.

There were however pamphlets on the way in to take self-guided tours or an audio tour. This is where things got interesting because our previous internet search had only said that Katharine Hepburn and Yung Wing – the first Chinese man to graduate an American University (Yale) were buried there. But there were SO MANY other interesting people here!

I am only going to mention the ones that I found interesting because there were literally dozens and I don’t want this blog entry to be a book. But here we go! There were several friends of Mark Twain, an ungodly amount of bankers and founders of insurance agencies including JP Morgan himself (who I guess got filthy wealthy “funneling capital for Europe to the emerging American economies.”) Jacob Weidenmann who was the cemetery’s landscape architect (and what a lovely job he did. The trees here were stunning! All in their Autumn colors!) Several actors including Katharine Hepburn, Robert Ames, and Fern Andra, several artists including William Gedney Bunce, Albert Entress, William Glackens, and George Wright. Samual Colt who founded Colt’s Patent Firearms Company largely recognized for the improvement of the manufacturing of revolvers. If it’s women’s history you’re in need of there was Isabella Beecher Hooker who was a suffragist and who fought for the Married Women’s Property Law which passed in 1877. And Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet was known for being the father of deaf education in the US founding what is known today as The American School for the Deaf. There were several inventors including the guy who figured out how to produce horseshoe nails by machine George Capewell which adorably had horseshoe nails carved into his stone.

But my two favorite monuments went to one for creepy creativity and the other for just being fascinating. Mark Howard was a prominent figure in the insurance agency and for whatever reason after he died he had a pyramid erected as his monument. Now, I’ve seen pyramids before but this was the first one that came with an angel playing peek-a-boo from the door. It was both gorgeous and slightly terrifying. I just don’t think angels should be peeking out from anywhere. That’s some sneaky behavior! But an even more impressive monument went to Horace Wells a dentist who discovered the use of nitrous oxide (laughing gas) as an anesthetic and died at 33. Someone put a lot of effort into showing his achievements on his four-sided stone that showed a woman awake and a woman at sleep through anesthesia. Eerie and striking. This was my favorite piece of art in the whole cemetery.

We’d eventually find what we came for – the modest monument to Katharine Hepburn. People had left a tennis ball, a golf ball, and several lipsticks. I don’t know much about her, haven’t even seen any of her movies, literally only know her from one interview with Dick Cavette which I watched with great amusement for her complete inability to sit like a normal person in a chair.

All and all it took us two hours to find the monuments recognized by letters in the pamphlet. We did not find the bonus list or wander beyond the sections shown in the pamphlet. Cedar Hill is 270 acres which means it just keeps going! I didn’t even mention all the war leaders or politicians but there were a number of them too. In any event this cemetery was one of the prettiest I have been to and was so expansive that there was really something for everyone here.

And so that was our trip. I highly suggest this cemetery to any history buffs, taphophiles, or anyone just looking for a relaxing afternoon stroll.

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J P Doyles Pub – Tarrytown New York

After a long day of walking through the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery we decided it was probably a good idea to find something to eat before heading the 3+ hours home. At first we had a hard time figuring out where to go as it seemed most eateries in this area were swank and out of our price range but then we came across this little pub in town and we were not disappointed!

It was as small place, dimly lit as a pub should be, and the staff were exceptionally sweet. The menu was very small and simple (which is GREAT if you’re one of those people who have a hard time making decisions!) We decided to try their spinach dip first and it was sooo good I ate way too much! I had ordered the grilled chicken sandwich and my partner in crime was intrigued by the Horseman Burger which read, “As seen on Man v. Food!”

That had to have been the best grilled chicken sandwich I’ve ever had at an establishment like this. It melted in my mouth and popped with the flavor of red peppers and soft brioche bread. Sadly, I ate literally three bites before I couldn’t eat anymore. The waitress came by and asked if something was wrong with it and I emphatically said no, that I’d just filled up on the spinach dip before giving her a big smile. She started to laugh, patted me on the shoulder and brought out of a box. Little was I to know that in that big smile was a piece of spinach the size of Kentucky. She knows I wasn’t lying!! Meanwhile the burger was indeed big (10 oz) but was pretty standard fare for a pub – which isn’t bad but that grilled chicken sandwich was way better!

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The Halloween City Vendor & Oddities Market 2023 – East Durham New York

Today I decided to strike out on my own and take a long drive to New York – three hours away – in part because I was invited to do so and I was intrigued. For the first hour of the drive I was going through torrential downpours hoping there was no flooding because when it comes to taking the Prius swimming there are no winners. My GPS was similarly uncooperative and refused to acknowledge the address I typed in was in fact real. Eventually I’d have to pit the GPS and my phone navigation against each other in a death match. Just kidding, both devices are still fine, I assure you.

But that’s not to say I wasn’t a little frazzled when I finally drove in, more so when I realized I’d have to parallel park. I tried. God’s honest truth I tried. But eventually I gave up and drove quite a distance just to be the last car parked in the line. See, that was easy, now to hoof it the half mile up the street. Slight exaggeration, though the man at the register seemed to pick up on how much of a hot mess I was in that moment. It was an awkward exchange.

This place was bizarre. I had no idea what I was walking into when I came here. I guess I just expected a gymnasium full of vendors like you see in markets back in the sticks but no, this venue seemed to be an old roadside attraction/camp that had long been past its glory years and was now cashing in on how creepy it had become in its state of semi-decay. And why not? Little haunted houses and spooky props seemed to be just the normal background scenery here which made it a charming and strange open-air market. I kinda fell in love with this place as I took some photos before wandering around and finding the vendors in what felt like a Byzantine layout.

I’d been initially invited here as a vendor but these past couple years have been hard in the creativity department. Usually I have something, or a lot of somethings, in the way of art but not lately. Plus I sorta wanted to poke at this place and see what was actually selling here. I’ve been to so many different markets that I knew my particular flavor of art wasn’t always appreciated. Or almost ever if I’m honest. Being a vendor is hard work! I was however delighted to see that I would have fit right in had I decided to be a vendor. The people here were weird, proudly weird, which is the best kind of weird. If you were a witch, they had you covered. Crystals, potions, sage wands, tarot decks and positive vibes you’d find it all here in multiple booths. Then there were the bones, the repurposed scary dolls, and rings made in the shape of human teeth. Weird and whimsical paintings coyly dotted several booths here and there, one fellow had an absolutely gorgeous collection of photography prints of abandoned places, several vendors had an assortment of small fabric creations, a young writer pitched his book real hard but he didn’t have to. I bought it anyway because I like encouraging writers. I also love encouraging artists which is why I also ended up with a button and another small token I bought for a friend which I won’t be talking about just in case they’re reading this!

At some point I ended up in Candy Land – the pot vendors. They had EVERYTHING. And all in such bright colors! Every edible known to man and then some. And some little colorful bongs and I don’t know what else. I sorta wandered away after someone offered a sample. Sample of what I don’t know but I felt like I should drift off before accidentally eating a tab of acid or something. Not that I think anyone here was malicious in any way, that’s just 100% how my life goes. Not a day goes by where I am not asking myself, “How did that just happen?!” And this includes two separate occasions of accidentally eating psychotropic berries. So yeah, I’m talented.

I was really enjoying this. I’d found all my favorite kinds of people so far – witches, hippies, people in full steam punk regalia, stoners, artists, really all the empaths on the fringe of society. This was especially so for the woman selling cutting boards, soap, and paddles presumably to beat lovers with. I’m not sure how these things are related as this is also not my wheelhouse, but the sex positivity was refreshing in any event. I ordered a cup of corn chowder and sat just in front of the aforementioned vendor. Why? People watching. It was the perfect spot for that. While I was there I messaged the organizer of this event (and hilarious author) Jeff Mach and did a short meet and greet. It’s always lovely to finally put a face to my Twitter and/or Facebook friends! I wished him good luck as I went about my afternoon.

I must say the vendors and customers alike at this place were all super nice! I lost count how many compliments I got on my bellbottoms, silly T-shirt, and vibrant orange hair. Got into one discussion with a vendor about my age – 38 – to which both vendors gasped, “You do not look 38!” THANK YOU. You know how to flatter these creaky old bones!

Anyway, I am writing this tonight in the hopes someone may see it and join the festivities tomorrow as this is a three-day event Fri-Sun. And maybe if you’re reading this later on who knows, it could be an annual event if enough people like it… I certainly did!


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Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow – New York

After perusing the cemetery earlier on in the day we decided to head towards town and take a little walk to see if we could find any neat little shops or other things to explore. What we found was a whole town utterly dedicated to Halloween. EVERY shop window had decorations, paintings, and Halloween displays. Scarecrows dotted the streets, each with a name, so I am guessing it was a contest. The local school nearby advertised their sports team: The Horsemen. Banners were hanging in the hopes people would attend various events all related to Sleepy Hollow and other spooky adventures. It was an absolute delight!

Even the municipal building was in on it, adorned with a stain glass window of a headless horseman and telling everyone about this year’s haunted hayrides. Locals looked at me with a mild amusement as I took photos and cooed. Clearly, we needed to plan this better. I have a feeling next year we’re going to go all out. You see most of the things that needed tickets were completely sold out – shows, cemetery tours, haunted walks, you name it! Oh yes, we will be back…

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Sleepy Hollow Cemetery – Sleepy Hollow New York

We’d been wanting to go to Sleepy Hollow New York for quite a while now to check out their infamous cemetery – the one that was once terrorized by the ghostly visage of a headless horseman. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow was written about this place and the author of said classic tale of horror, Washington Irving, was also laid to eternal rest here with other members of his family. Obviously, we had to go see that. We chose October hoping everything would be a vibrant celebration of Halloween and we were not disappointed!

However, getting there proved quite a challenge. I was on day 2 of my usual 3-day migraine and despite probably better judgement decided to drive down there anyway. Google said the trip should take 3 hours, but I knew it’d be longer. Traffic in that area is always horrible. I was right. My migraine pounded as I drove through every traffic jam I could muster, even getting rear-ended at one point. Eventually I was forced to stop at a service station to take a piss break or explode. We also took the time to eat lunch in the parking lot, thank god.

We arrived after 3PM only to find this is one of those cemeteries with stupidly short hours closing at 4:30PM! Uggggghhh. We drove through it a bit trying to see things by the car but this was definitely set up as a walking cemetery for the most part. I parked at the church, we quickly located a map, and joined the throngs of other weird tourists. I immediately found the grave of Andrew Carnegie (1835–1919), Scottish-American industrialist, steel magnate, and philanthropist. Interesting but that’s not what we were here for.

We headed immediately towards the Civil War Memorial which was nice as far as these things go. But I was keener to find Washington Irving which we did next. He had a bunch of people gathered to peer upon his stone which was very ordinary and uniform amongst the other stones in his family plot. I left a penny. People had thrown all sorts of coins, very few were pennies! But I guess…. most people don’t carry pennies on them these days like I do.

We really hoofed it from here trying to see as much as possible in a very short amount of time. This cemetery however was quite hilly and I struggled to breathe as I overheated trying to get up the massive amount of steps. This overheating this is really starting to affect what I can do on a day-to-day basis. It’s Autumn for pity’s sake! Not like it was 80 degrees out! And so there I was, panting like a peasant at the foot of an egregiously ostentatious Rockerfeller monument that was bigger than most houses (and not to be snarky but also quite boring to look at.) Another mausoleum across the way was somewhat smaller but looked like it might hold vampires or treasure or something else interesting. See, if you’re going to throw away good money for the dead you might as well make it individualistic!

My favorite parts of the cemetery were actually the bridge the headless horseman galloped over (although it is no longer the original bridge – another stands there and is just as cute) as well as the oldest part of the cemetery near the Old Dutch Church where all the stones from the 1700’s were. Being this was New York and not Massachusetts or Rhode Island the stones were distinctly different being made of not slate but sandstone. Still the Cherub heads seemed to be very popular.

This cemetery was one of the most immaculately maintained and well gardened cemeteries I’ve seen. The large trees planted very strategically around the place added to the eerie charm of the place. I loved this cemetery and would love to come back when we’ve planned it better to either spend an actual day doing a deep dive or perhaps do a night tour – of which there are several (though all the tickets for the rest of the year are sold out. Maybe next year??)

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Not So Spooky Halloween Display – Exeter Rhode Island

We had a WONDERFUL day exploring Sleepy Hollow New York earlier on in the day and we thought that was it. I had a pounding migraine, we’d been driving for 4 hours but when we saw this LIT UP driveway on the way home we had to check it out. I literally turned my head achy ass around to go in. (106 Ten Rod Road Exeter RI)

As you enter there are signs asking you to turn your headlights off and stay in the car. This place was LIT. Just about every blow up Halloween decoration you could think of lined both sides of this driveway all illuminated with lights. Two other lookeyloos were already driving along. There was a donation box at the end of the driveway in front of an open barn FULL of huge Halloween decorations as well.

My dearest tried taking photos but I was driving instead of stopping and most came out blurry. My brain was FRIED from a whole day of migraining and he’s just too damn polite to yell at me.

In any event if you find yourself in Exeter this is worth a detour!!

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Elm Grove Cemetery – Mystic Connecticut

Twas a grey and gloomy day to take the cat for a walk through a random cemetery, as one does. This cemetery had signs posted at the gate stating dogs were not allowed. It said nothing about cats.

Mystic has been a wonderful place to visit in the past. I’d appreciated the apple picking, the day shopping, the pizza binging, and someday I shall visit the aquarium. Surely such a cute little city must have a fine and glorious cemetery, no?

We went to find out. The stones seemed to be mostly from the 1800’s to the present, almost all were marble. One monument was a mourning woman who had lost a bunch of babies. Tragic but not unusual. What was unusual was that they had a monument to them.

The cat was over stimulated to say the least, but she seemed to be enjoying it none the less. She even managed to court a ginger gent who spent a good twenty minutes stalking our party. Figures she’d find a boyfriend being unfixed and ready to roll. Later on a car would come by, see the cat, and think this was the funniest thing in the world – a cat on a leash in a cemetery. They told us the ginger tom who’d been following us belonged to a house across the street and he frequented this cemetery on the daily. I was impressed. A cemetery with its own cat. That’s pretty cool.

It was a relatively quick visit. The cat sure had fun but I’m not sure I would suggest this cemetery to anyone who is travelling to see it. There was the usual smattering of grieving women, a cherub or two, and some interesting nautical themed monuments but mostly this was pretty standard faire for a cemetery.

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