outside > inside

outside > inside

• 1.25.2017

I still firmly believe any time outside is better than inside - with a few exceptions of course. In continuing my weekend explorations, I went real hard this past weekend. The project that I've been working on has really pushed me to visit places I haven't before - and thankfully, I've only been disappointed once. Unfortunately, that one disappointment was this weekend but thankfully it was short-lived.

All in, I went to four sites on Saturday. Two by myself and two with separate friends. The dud in the bunch was the Bourne Island trail. It has promise and perhaps would be better if you had a friend with you. Unfortunately, I had my mom's voice in the back of head and turned back about half way down the very short trail. The entire trail is less than half a mile. The repeat sites were the Nelson Memorial Forest and Couch Cemetery in Marshfield.

The real winner was Daniel Webster Wildlife Sanctuary. I think I fell in love with it in part due to how I grew up spending many weekends at Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary on the Vineyard. It was such a great family activity. As I've been scanning hundreds and hundreds of family photos... there have been quite a few of us traipsing through the woods and even feeding a Blue Jay. Given these great memories, it was pretty shocking to me that I hadn't been to Daniel Webster before.

When I pulled into the parking lot, I was one of two cars and knew that I pretty much had the place to myself. The sanctuary is a big piece of land that feels a lifetime away from the rest of the world. I can't wait to see how it looks in all four seasons... and in between. The paths are big and wide. There are views of marsh and rivers. But I was most captivated by the boardwalks and the trees. I mean, super breathtaking. Two real killer moments?

• There was this particular point where you cross the river on a bridge. The water was so smooth and flat - and the lighting was just so perfect - that it was honestly hard to see what was a reflection and what was real. 
• At the end of the sanctuary walkways, there is this lookout point. It's up a tiny little hill. So tiny that you honestly have low expectations of what you'll see at the top. But when you get to the top, it is just views for days. Marsh as far as the eye can see.

The only downside is that dogs are not allowed. Thankfully they don't care whether or not you eat blueberry donuts. So yeah. I'll be going back here - and probably soon.