Kathleen Rowe

Elm Bank on the Charles

Elm Bank on the Charles

This posting is going to be short as I am busy working on the final stages of the revised issue of my book Exploring the Charles that was published in 2015. The information about the river is in flux, and the various features along its banks are often upgraded. For example, this blog about the […]

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Paddling into Summer

Paddling into Summer

After an unusually cool and rainy spring, we took advantage of a Sunday afternoon in April to rent a two-person kayak at Newton Paddle Boston in the historic Norumbega boat house. The staff provided us with paddles and life jackets and went over a few basics. We took a map of that section of the […]

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Braille Trail in Watertown

Braille Trail in Watertown

Where the Charles River Road parallels the river from Watertown Square to Brighton, a half-mile Braille Trail was created for the blind and the deaf blind to enjoy nature and explore the banks of the Charles. An unsighted person can follow a guide wire connected by wooden posts along a walking path to points of interest, […]

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Watertown’s Braille Trail

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Changing Faces of the Charles

Changing Faces of the Charles

To those who have visited Boston, the iconic scene of the Charles River Basin with its sailboats gliding near the Longfellow Bridge is like a sparkling jewel with the golden dome of the statehouse in the background on historic Beacon Hill. This man-made basin or pond was created by the damming of the Charles River […]

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Meandering in Medfield

Meandering in Medfield

The upper portion of the Charles River is so different from the river that flows into the heart of Boston. Begin at the Broadmoor Sanctuary (mostly in Dover) and drive toward Sherborn. Along the way you will find a quiet stretch of river with several wetland areas. A few years ago one of my more […]

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Upper Charles River Valley

Upper Charles River Valley

Following the Charles River from Boston is a journey through historic sites as well as places of scenic beauty with many opportunities to walk, run, bicycle, or take to the water.  For those who wish to explore the upper Charles River outside the I-95 corridor, some of the most scenic locations can be found in […]

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Meet Me at the Weeks Bridge

Meet Me at the Weeks Bridge

The lovely Weeks Footbridge that crosses the Charles between the main campus of Harvard and the business school is the site of festive occasions throughout the year. May Day Celebration Every year on May Day, Harvard students in formal dress many of them residents of Lowell House leave campus and gather with other students and […]

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Special Places

Special Places

During my explorations of the Charles, I have thoroughly enjoyed visiting three sites that are very close together on Rte. 16, a road that runs parallel to the river halfway along the river’s course. About two miles from  Wellesley Center is Elm Bank, site of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society since 2004. Turn left onto a lovely wrought-iron […]

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Charles River Dams

Charles River Dams

What can be so interesting about a dam? you ask. Well, just as there are some interesting bridges on the Charles, some of the dams are also worth considering, starting with the Milford Dam and waterworks where the the river begins. When a friend and I decided to visit the dam years ago, guided by one of […]

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