STOP, There's A Turtle

I really enjoy walking, at lunch I typically go for a short walk, and on the weekends I enjoy finding new places to discover. I've been wanting to try a new bike path that opened up in Peabody. From the road it appeared to be a hidden little jewel. Today since it was gorgeous out, and since I had about an hour to burn before I had to run to the dreaded mall, I thought I'd check it out.


Located in Peabody, MA, Independence Greenway is a  4.6 mile multi-use trail, which officially opened in the fall of 2009. The name is the winning entry of Higgins Middle School eighth-grader Caitlin Truesdale in the contest to name the new bike path. The trail follows the abandoned Boston and Maine railroad and connects over 465 acres of publicly owned open space.

I left the buzzing and beeping of the main road; and entered into a magnificent path surrounded by trees, wildflowers, and an array of little creatures chirping. I followed the road down to the old railroad connection and then I decided to turn around. All of a sudden I heard a sound that made me stop. I looked over and there it was, a turtle in the middle of a patch of grass and white daisies. And the bugger was pretty big. I'd say at least 20" long. What a delightful discovery.

If you'd like to learn more, walk, or discover additional paths in Massachusetts visit www.massbike.org