View of the Charles River

Yesterday it was 80 degrees F. in April, and for Boston, that's like heaven!

So, in part encouraged by a reader of this blog, and in part because I just had the urge to get out there, we went for a bike ride along the Charles River. We're fortunate in the Boston area to have a long series of bike and walking paths that follow the river from Boston all the way out to Waltham, about 7 miles.

The river has many faces, in some places a placid pool with bordering marshes, in others passing old factories (like many an old New England mill town), and others with more formal development next to the river. Here's a few of the faces of the Charles on a warm spring day.

Below: Two Canada geese swim in the river near the Moody Street bridge in Waltham

Above: Rapids in the river below the falls. Though the banks are wooded, urban development lurks nearby, hidden by the buffer of trees.

Below: A towering stack rises above an old factory in Waltham. Note the silhouette of an abandoned railroad trestle crossing the river.

Above: A restful scene reminiscent of a lazy summer afternoon as a mother and small child (too small to see in photo) relax on the river bank under willow trees. In the background is a footbridge and another abandoned railroad trestle (part of the same rail line). [What can I say, I'm an engineer and I love bridges!]

Below: My all time favorite footbridge - the Blue Heron Bridge. It's a beautiful example of a slender graceful arch with cables supporting the walkway. And the greatest thing: if you're not walking or riding on the trail, you'd never know this little gem existed!



Above: The path in Newton snakes through woods next to the river. The trees just have a touch of their early spring light green foliage.

Below: The falls at Watertown, looking upstream at the early spring foliage along the banks. And, yes, another footbridge.


Above: One of the many arch bridges that cross the Charles.

Below: The dead tree and bording marshes present a natural foreground (pay no mind to the high-rise apartments in the background).