Road Trip: Memorial Day in Boston

May 28, 2013February 23, 2026 / Ellen Kolb

A view from Boston Common on a sunny day — _{A view from Boston Common. All photos by Ellen Kolb.}

I try to manage my infrequent trips to Boston so as to catch good weather. Yesterday was Memorial Day, perfectly clear, with a high temp of around 70. Perhaps ten days a year have conditions so perfect for pounding the pavement as a camera-toting tourist.

“That’s not a trail,” you’re sniffing. My reply: “Is, too.” As someone who Will Not Drive In Boston, I’m an urban walker, and Huntington Ave. just happened to be my trail of choice to kick off the sightseeing. I knew the T, Boston’s extensive mass transit system, would back me up if my energy flagged.

Yesterday’s trip was inspired by two things, in the wake of the atrocious bombings at the Boston Marathon last month. First, I wanted to make my own quiet, private statement that no terrorist is going to bomb me into being scared of the city. Second, I wanted to take advantage of the free admission offered by the Museum of Fine Arts during the holiday weekend. I gladly plunked down $22 for a Boston Express bus ride from southern New Hampshire to Boston’s South Station.

When I got to the MFA, I found a very long line of people waiting to get in. That’s a great testament to the Museum and to the city’s low fear-factor. I wasn’t in town to wait in line, though, so I moved on. Boston has lots to see, even when plan A doesn’t work.

many small American flags planted in the ground on Boston Common — _{Memorial Day flags on Boston Common.}

For Memorial Day, Boston honored Massachusetts’ war dead with a simple but moving display of over 30,000 American flags on Boston Common. That’s one flag for each Massachusetts resident who has died in military service to the nation, from the Revolution onward.

Boston Common was interesting, as always. Buskers, tourists with cameras & kids, clusters of teens with the day off from school, and locals going about their business all plied the paths, watched over by mounted police. The Freedom Trail starts on the Common, unless you consider the start to be in Charlestown, at the other end of the trail. The Massachusetts State House is across the street from one corner of the Common. Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ magnificent sculpture of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment faces the State House. Conveniences on the Common include a playground, food vendors, and the Park Street T station. Squirrels and birds abound, and they’re all fat little beggars, completely habituated to throngs of people. (That does not mean “tame.”)

I had to see the Public Garden, home of the swan boats, just west of the Common. I last rode in one of the swan boats back in the mid-1960s on a family trip. Yesterday, for a mere $3 (one of Boston’s great bargains), I couldn’t resist another ride. The oversized paddle boats – for that’s what the swan boats are – were piloted by sturdy young people, so our short trip around the pond wasn’t marred by the sound of half a dozen internal combustion engines putt-putting through the water.

Boston is full of museums, and the Museum of Fine Arts is high on my list of favorites. As I mentioned, though, the line outside the MFA yesterday was too much for me. A walk along a promenade on the east side of the MFA building led me to the Fenway (that’s a street, not a building; Fenway Park is actually a few blocks away). I crossed a pedestrian bridge to the Back Bay Fens, part of the city’s “Emerald Necklace” of parks. I would have missed it altogether if I had been in the museum instead.

That park included a war memorial that was getting far less attention on this Memorial Day than the temporary one on the Common. It’s a striking monument to Massachusetts soldiers and sailors who died in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.

Nearby in the Fens was the Kelleher Rose Garden, a little fenced-in nook that I’d have overlooked if there hadn’t been a sign. I found an astounding variety of roses, only weeks away from what I’m sure will be glorious bloom. A community garden was nearby, where spring blossoms abounded.

I found Boylston Street and Back Bay. Any other day I might have stopped at Prudential Center for some window-shopping. Instead, my destination was Copley Square.

A pile of baseball caps, each bearing a handwritten message in honor of the victims of a terrorist bombing — _{In Copley Square, mementos from people all around the world paid tribute to the victims of the Marathon bombing.}

There, mere blocks from the Marathon bombings, a makeshift memorial to the victims, survivors, and the city itself left me stunned. Countless handwritten messages of sorrow and encouragement covered children’s drawings, baseball caps, banners, and items of clothing. There was a large pile of stuffed animals, sent from who knows how many places. The site has become such a popular place for both tourists and area residents that volunteers are on site as guides for all who come to pay their respects.

Nearby, the sites where the bombs went off have been cleaned up and are in the process of reconstruction. I liked seeing that. I walked the rest of the way to South Station feeling good about the city.

I reflected as I rode the bus back to New Hampshire that while my planned MFA visit hadn’t worked out, all the discoveries I hadn’t planned for had made the day extraordinary. Flags, roses, a heap of stuffed animals, a ten-minute cruise in the Public Garden’s pond, the Back Bay Fens: sometimes, unexpected things make for the best walks.

Altissimo rose in the Kelleher Rose Garden — “Altissimo” rose in the Kelleher Rose Garden

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Mt. Kearsarge via Rollins State Park auto road

May 6, 2013February 23, 2026 / Ellen Kolb / 1 Comment

The auto road up Mt. Kearsarge in Rollins State Park in Warner, New Hampshire, is gated shut and will probably stay that way until Memorial Day approaches. See the Rollins page on the New Hampshire State Parks web site for updated information. That doesn’t block pedestrians and bicyclists, though. If you’re ready for a three-and-a-half-mile uphill walk on a paved road, followed by a half-mile hike on a ledgy trail (total elevation gain from park gate: roughly 1700′), this is the place. Download a map from the State Parks website and enjoy the trip.

Yesterday, armed with plenty of sunscreen, I took the walk and reaped the views. For a plodder like me, it was two hours each way, plus time on the summit. Time well spent, indeed.

I didn’t pack bug repellent, and I should have. Lesson learned.

While there were eight other cars parked outside the gate when I arrived, I encountered other people on the road only occasionally. I was passed by an ambitious bicyclist, twice. At one of the pullouts about halfway up the road, I stopped to watch some turkey vultures gliding aloft. They’re quite beautiful when in flight, however homely they are close up. The only sounds along the way were the breeze through the trees and a rustle of leaves from some nearby critter. I haven’t been anyplace so peaceful since my last trip to Second Connecticut Lake.

A few details: there was a pit toilet along the auto road not far from the park gate, which is always good to know before setting off for a few hours of walking. There’s an admission fee to the park ($4, subject to change), and when the park gate is closed in the off-season, there’s an iron ranger (donation box) where you can place your fee on an honor-system basis. At the upper end of the auto road, if the last half-mile hike is not to your liking, there’s a parking lot and picnic area with views to enjoy, though not the panorama seen from the summit.

Note: This Mt. Kearsarge is not to be confused with a remote peak of the same name in northern New Hampshire.

Getting to Rollins State Park: Take I-89 to exit 8; follow signs to NH 103 toward Warner. In town, turn onto Kearsarge Mountain Road; look for brown signs pointing to Rollins State Park. After several miles, the town road ends at the Rollins gate.

Post revised in 2026 to update web links.

Busy beavers at Horse Hill

May 3, 2013February 23, 2026 / Ellen Kolb

After a walk through Horse Hill Nature Preserve in Merrimack, New Hampshire, last December, I posted this photo of a snow-covered beaver lodge. Nothing dramatic. That was winter…

Stiff breezes will probably take some snow off this lodge tonight.

…and now, it’s spring. Today, I smiled at the sight of the same lodge, this time in spring sunshine.

In Horse Hill Nature Preserve, 3 May 2013

A few moments later, as I looked across the pond, I caught sight of a MUCH bigger lodge, which I do not recall seeing before. I think the older lodge must now be the servants’ quarters. Amazing what these creatures can build.

beaver lodge in the distance across a pond — New & improved lodge

Beaver Brook, Hollis, NH: first day of Spring, a foot of new snow

March 20, 2013February 23, 2026 / Ellen Kolb

Snowy woods path — Late afternoon sun, no one else in sight.

Flexible work hours meant I could take a quick late-afternoon trip today to Beaver Brook Association in Hollis, New Hampshire. I had the place to myself, as far as I could tell. Winter went out with about a foot of snow in this area, and Spring began today with sunshine and temps in the 30s. Wonderful.

Location: Beaver Brook Association, Hollis, New Hampshire. See www.beaverbrook.org . The trailhead I chose is on NH Rt. 130. 0.8 mile west of NH Rt. 122. Parking lot (unpaved) is on the south side of the road.

A trail report after a December 2012 snowfall:

My timing couldn’t have been better. I drove into the Horse Hill Nature Preserve parking lot on Amherst Road in Merrimack this afternoon just as a snowmobile emerged from the trail after grooming the snow. (That’s a job done by volunteers, as is so much other maintenance on New Hampshire trails.) We’ve had about a foot of snow over the past three days, topped with lovely powder, and I was eager to bring my snowshoes out from storage. I usually don’t get out on trails after snowfalls until the snow’s been chewed up & packed by lots of other people. Today, I had two great hours on the main loop trail: no ice, no bare spots, no skiers. I love skiers – in fact, I’m married to one – but today, I didn’t have to worry about staying off to one side to make room for them. Today was for snowshoers.

There were ten cars in the lot when I arrived, but that didn’t presage a traffic jam on the trail. Horse Hill covers a lot of ground. I passed maybe a dozen people altogether, along with four friendly dogs. The presence of the dogs probably accounted for the absence of wildlife along my way.

snow-covered trail at a municipal conservation area — Horse Hill Nature Preserve, Merrimack NH

Packed Powder at Horse Hill, Merrimack NH

December 30, 2012February 23, 2026 / Ellen Kolb / 2 Comments

A Quick Stop: Odiorne Point State Park

December 7, 2012February 23, 2026 / Ellen Kolb

I have only a few free minutes between appointments on the New Hampshire Seacoast, just long enough for a stop at Odiorne Point State Park. Deserted in the middle of this workday in the offseason, it makes for a peaceful break.

I wonder how many people drive past here every day on route 1-A and never come into the park, thinking they don’t have the time. Just ten minutes walking anywhere within Odiorne would change anyone’s mind about that. No charge in the offseason. Just park the car & start walking. Instant refreshment.