It’s still fairly dark out as we start.
Say what you will about aging, it’s still the only way to have old friends.
-Robert Breault
Today, Waldo and I had a predawn start to our walk. We woke up at 4 AM, had a quick breakfast, then we were out the door and in the car. Phyllis is meeting us in the Lotus Blossom restaurant parking lot at about 5:30 AM, so we can finish by 8, when the temperature is forecast to be 73℉. Waldo and I got to the parking lot a little early and we’re outside, waiting for Phyllis to drive up. It’s still dark out and there is next to no traffic. I don’t know how he knows, but Waldo is out on the sidewalk, wagging his butt, as Phyllis’s headlights approach down the street. As soon as she parks, he greets her with a torrent of ardent sniffs and licks, then, in true border-collie fashion, walks away with a been-there-done-that attitude. The sun isn’t scheduled to rise until 5:55, so there’s just a hint of a pastel peach dawn to the east, and the suggestion of a pale blue sky above us, as we start out on the Mass Central Rail Trail.
It’s been a while since we’ve been on the Mass Central Rail Trail, or the Bruce Freeman Trail. This piece of the MCRT is one that is not yet quite finished. Construction has been going on for the past couple of years and we have walked it before, even though it wasn’t paved. Now, it has a first coat of tarmac, but there’s more work to be done. Even so, the going is easy and we quickly walk the 0.2 mile, or so, distance to the intersection with the Bruce Freeman Trail. The BFT was finished and fully opened this spring and we want to see what it’s like now that it’s, finally done.
The intersection of the two trails has a small roundabout, with bare ground in the middle. There used to be a small train station just to the northwest of the intersection, but that is now long gone. Off in the weeds, to the northeast of the roundabout, is the “X” section of rails that was the intersection of the two railroads. The MCRT runs, more or less, east-west from Boston to Northampton, Mass. The BFT runs from Framingham, to our south, north to Lowell, MA. We turn right and head north, with the idea of seeing what the finished trail is like.
As we walk along, the world turns lighter and Mother Nature’s colors become more vibrant. We are soon in thick forest, surrounded by old-growth stands of maple, oak and white pine. After a good half-hour, the sun finally broaches the horizon and we are bathed in the long shadows of early morning. Emmy birds are out and about and I carry on a short conversation with one. I don’t hear any cardinal-song, but I know cardinals are out in the foliage somewhere; they’re just not talking right now. Waldo is out front at the end of the leash and not continuously stopping to look behind us as he is wont to do when there are bikes around. There are bikes out here, I think he’s just excited to be on a walk in a place different from our usual haunt and, while not ignoring them, he’s too interested in the new countryside to fret about them.
The trail itself is different from the last time we were here. The fences that attempted (and failed) to block adventurous people from exploring the unfinished trail are gone. The tarmac is thicker and more solid, there are rail fences on the sides, here and there, and there are granite posts, every half-mile or so. The posts display the history of the place. Some describe how the railroad was built. Others note how the railroad was run, talking about signal lights and whistle posts. There is a large sign showing a map of the MCRT and BFT, along with some historical facts of the town of Sudbury. The icing has been put on the cake from the last time we were here.
Phyllis is leaving on an 8-week trip to five different countries in Africa in less than two weeks. We talk a lot about her plans and my past experiences there. Among the countries she’s visiting are Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe and South Africa. This will be the first time she’s been to the second largest continent in the world and she’s quite excited. Africa is someplace she’s wanted to visit for a good part of her life. This is her fourth attempt to scratch that itch – the other trips had to be canceled before they could become reality, for various reasons. It would take an act of God to stop her this time. She’s running out of time, you know.
All too soon, we turn around and head back to the Lotus Blossom. It’s been a really nice 6-mile walk and we successfully beat the heat. Waldo got to sniff new smells and Phyllis and I got to reconnect and experience the finished BFT. She won’t be back until toward the end of October, but by then, things will be cooler and we’ll be able to take longer walks.
And there’ll be plenty of time for her tell me about her African adventures.
It’s really nice to be walking with Phyllis again.