Along The Mohawk Trail and Into the Berkshires

We left Greenfield, Mass this morning headed west on what is known as the Mohawk trail.  This has been a well used route for ages, and especially so during the "motel years", when people really did "see the USA in your Chevrolet".


The first stop was Shelburne Falls, another mill town, this one on the Deerfield River.  Someone had the wonderful idea of turning an old railroad bridge into a garden.  

 It was so beautiful!

 Shelburne Falls also has a geological feature, the Pot Holes.

 And of course it had falls, but the mills sort of messed them up.

 One of the mills was a large knife factory, still in business.  We bought one.

Bat on the Mohawk trail, there were reminders of "the good old days".

 This covered bridge is in Charlemont.

 How would you like to do all of your shopping here?  You almost could since they had just about everything.  One lady was buying tomatoes, while a man was shopping for paint.

 We bought ice cream.

 After crossing over Whitcomb Summit,

 We took a back road, looking for Tannery Falls.  Alas, we never found it.  A wrong turn somewhere took us in a big loop, but at least we ended up back on the highway, and went on.

 We had better luck at Natural Bridge State Park.  This is an old marble quarry.  Water was diverted to run the stone saws.

But the deep chasm and stone bridge over it are nature made, and quite amazing.

 And with the park amenities, it was a good place for our picnic lunch.

 At the end of the Mohawk Trail we were in the Berkshire Hills country and North Adams.  Here we visited a museum in a old railroad station that taught us about the Hoosac Tunnel, a major dig that supplied a flat bed railroad through the mountains.

 West of North Adams is Williamstown, home to Williams College, which has a well endowed art museum.  Not only does it have  Picasso, but it has original first printed copies of the US Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the King's response.

 We were now in the Berkshires, so were drove up one.

 This monument is at the top.

 Thunder heads were passing through, bringing obscuring rain, or the view would have been much more far reaching.

 The old summit lodge gave us refuge, and a coffee break.

 Well, we struck out on finding a water fall earlier, but thanks to the rain storm, we did find this one.

Tonight we are in the heart of the Berkshire tourist area, in Pittsfield.  Tomorrow were have some grand "summer homes" to tour.