the Way of the Turtle

TRAVELLIN' TURTLE, Part 4 -
Along the Mohawk Trail
Saturday, February 28, 2009

Typically when I travel across MA I stick to the highway (the MA Turnpike) both because it's easy driving and because there are rest stops every 30-40 miles. Today that would have meant going a good distance out of my way (Hawley and Ashfield are kind of out in what would be called the middle of nowhere by a lot of people - my kind of towns!) so instead I ended up taking Rt 2 much of the way across the state.

Rt 2 is also known as the Mohawk Trail because it follows a historical footpath and trading route across the northern part of Massachusetts. The name comes mainly from the fact that the Mohawk tribe wiped out the rival Pocumtuck tribe, partly at the instigation of European settlers but probably mostly because they wanted the land and out of revenge for the killing of an important Mohawk tribesman. Over time the settlers also came to use the trail, and it was widened and in spots relocated to allow easier use by horses and wagons. Once the Indian Wars were over, various towns along the route were free to concentrate aon trade, and eventually the trail was made into a road. More info about the history and attractions along the Mohawk Trail can be found at www.mohawktrail.com.

I had a gorgeous sunny day for the drive; in fact, much of the time it seemed a real shame to be spending such a great afternoon in the car! Initially the road was a simple 2 lane road, but as I drove further east it became more of a parkway (much like the Taconic State Parkway in NY.) There are numerous historical and natural attractions along the route; sadly, I really didn't have time to stop and see any of them today, though the reading I've done since then has me thinking I need to set aside some time to explore the next time I'm over that way.

JMH