Mount Greylock Views

Mount Greylock view
When you reach the top of Mount Greylock in the Berkshire Mountains, you are rewarded with lovely views. It looks a bit like a puzzle, the Mount Greylock views below and across (one can see more mountains in the distance).

greylock tower
If you climb this tower on the top of Mount Greylock, you see even more views. My husband and two sons climbed to the top. My daughter and I wandered around below, looking down at the landscape.

inscription on base of Mount Greylock tower
There is an inscription in honor of soldiers at the base of the Mount Greylock tower. You can also find two quotes from Henry David Thoreau at the top of Mount Greylock. Supposedly, he too as some point in the 19th century climbed this mountain.

mount greylock view with lake
I don’t know who the man in the yellow shirt is, but he added a nice contrast to the scene of the lake or pond below the mountain.

bascomb lodge on Mount Greylock
Need refreshment? There is a little cafe in the Bascomb Lodge at the top of Mount Greylock.

entrance to bascomb lodge and butterfly garden
At the entrance to the Bascomb Lodge is a butterfly garden. I’ll save my butterfly shots for another post. There are also butterfly-friendly flowers all over the top of Mount Greylock.

Mount Greylock view west
On the way down the mountain, we took the Overview Trail. I was hoping for several scenic views on the trail, but we were only rewarded with this one scenic vista looking west.

For more views, visit Our World Tuesday.

Cabin on Mount Greylock

cabin on mount greylock in the Berkshire Mountains
We just came back from a trip to the Berkshire Mountains in western Massachusetts. One day we climbed Mount Greylock (the highest mountain in the Berkshires). Toward the top we came across this cabin and pond. The trail is part of the Appalachian Trail that spans the mountains of eastern United States. We only hiked a tiny portion of the trail. In fact, we didn’t even climb the entire mountain. We parked at the top of the CCC Dynamite Trail, walked on Sperry Road to the Deer Trail, then took the Hopper Trail to the A.T. or Appalachian Trail. On the way back we took the Overlook Trail to the Hopper Trail. The Overlook Trail really only has one good scenic vista, so my daughter didn’t think it was worth the extra half mile.

It seems that I am not the only person who found this cabin and pond artistically intriguing. Valerie Carrigan did a lovely pastel painting of this cabin on Mount Greylock.

See more Weekend Reflections.

Balloon Takes Off

balloon takes off
What do you think of when you see a balloon escaping into the sky?

For more Shots Straight Out of the Camera, visit:
Straight Out of the Camera Sunday

Branch and Leaf on Meadows Trail

meadows trail branch with leaves
Way back in January, my daughter and I went for a walk on the Meadows trail near Donaldson Park. The trail was cleared back in 2006, and it is a nice stroll through the woods. I like this photo and wanted to share it; it looks a bit like the branches of the raspberry bushes in my backyard. It was a snow-less winter in New Jersey, and I think this photo reflects that sort of empty brownness that we had instead.

I haven’t been able to get into nature much recently myself (other than my yard), as I’ve been taking care of my father who is 82 and has needed a lot of help lately. We are working on getting him a new living situation. Balancing work and my regular family duties with this has taken a lot of my time and energy.

For more Nature Notes:

Nature Notes

Night Out in Highland Park

Night Out in Highland Park, New Jersey
One of the benefits of living in a small town like Highland Park, New Jersey are the events like the recent one for National Night Out. Night Out in Highland Park was celebrated with booths, balloons and fun activities for kids.

climbing tower
It was cool to watch kids scampering up this climbing tower.

announcers booth at Night Out Highland Park, New Jersey
There were announcers in the back calling out names of various winners of prizes. Local businesses had donated the prizes.

dunking booth at Night Out, Highland Park, New Jersey
My favorite part of the evening was the dunking booth. Later in the evening, after I had left, the person sitting in the dunking booth was Mayor Gary Minkoff, but I had already gone home by then. One of my friends said her son managed to dunk Mayor Gary on his first throw. Great shot!

firetruck
The fire trucks were fun to view. I’m not sure how to show this image – horizontally or vertically. Looks like it really belongs at an angle.

Does your area have local events? What kinds? Which ones do you enjoy most?

Want more posts of shared photos? Visit Ruby Tuesday Two and Our World Tuesday.

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