By Dan Kennedy • The press, politics, technology, culture and other passions
I took one of my favorite rides Saturday — from Danvers Center along the rail trail and then east and north to Wenham, Hamilton and Bradley Palmer State Park, south to Route 97 and back along the rail trail from the Topsfield Fairgrounds to Danvers, a little over 18½ miles. I also cruised around the Pingree School and took pictures of some of the outdoor art installations. Enjoy!
Leave a comment | Read comments
Thank you so much for reading Media Nation in 2020. We always go out on the 30th, not the 31st, so we spent New Year’s Eve pretty much as we always do — with takeout pizza, the “Three Stooges” marathon and then watching the ball drop. It has been a terrible year, and not everyone made it to the finish line. I wish all of us a healthy (not just boilerplate this year) and much better 2021.
Bradley Palmer State Park, Topsfield-Ipswich line.
At the Ipswich-Topsfield line between Bradley Palmer State Park and Willowdale State Forest. The road it’s on is called Ipswich Road in Topsfield and Topsfield Road in Ipswich.
Bradley Palmer State Park, Christmas Day, 2011.
Went for a two-mile run at Bradley Palmer State Park this afternoon. The pond at the entrance on the Topsfield side (above) is still iced over, and there was a lot of slushy ice along the roadway heading out to the kiddie pool. Just goes to show that melting lags in the cool woods.
Not thrilled to be doing all the pre- and post-running stuff for just two miles, but I’m glad to be moving again.
I’m not running because I’m trying to recover from a heel injury. I’m not riding because my bike’s in the shop with a snapped gear cable. So this afternoon I hiked through Willowdale State Forest in Topsfield (this link says it’s in Ipswich, but I stayed on the Topsfield side).
Because of the unusually dry summer, I was able to walk along trails that are almost always off-limits, including a particularly nice path that bisects a swamp. The horseflies and mosquitoes were obnoxious, but not overwhelmingly so.
Despite the dry weather, we’ve had some wild storms. Because of flooding damage, the footbridge that connects Willowdale with Bradley Palmer State Park is out — from the serious-looking chain-link fence that’s been built around it, I’d be surprised to see it reopen any time soon.
Anyway, hope you enjoy the photos.