Here’s our route to the Wachusett Reservoir and back again. We took the Mass Pike there and the Boston Post Road back.
After two solid weekends of rain, we finally managed to resume our summer trips this weekend. How we ended up with the destination of Clinton is anyone’s guess, but I think I am to blame. See, the thing is, I sort of like the town’s website, and I was especially taken with the fifty great things about Clinton list. I imagined we would take a quick look at the Russian icons, and maybe check out the view from the Ledge, and then the dam. Most of all, I wanted to see the old railroad tunnel. How I longed to take pictures of that tunnel exactly like the one I just linked to. Alas, alas.
We drove into Clinton on a Saturday afternoon, and the place was like a ghost town. There were very few people around, and all of the shops were closed. If you think I’m exaggerating, see for yourself.
All that's missing is a tumbleweed rolling by
It took us awhile, but we finally managed to find a parking spot near Central Park, in front of the Russian Icon museum, which was due to close twenty minutes later. So we skipped that and took a walk around the park, a well-maintained public green space that is about a city block in size, ringed by the austere architecture of the surrounding buildings. The northwest corner of the park has a tall fountain, which wasn’t turned on, filled with funky-looking, stagnant water. As if to emphasize the filth of the fountain’s green, stinky water, a little boy ran up and peed in the fountain just as I was taking the following picture.
Ladies of the fountain
We had a late lunch at Via Alto 27, which we were amazed to find open in the deserted town, and even more amazed by the delicious, homemade pasta.
After lunch, we tried to check out some of the fifty great things, but we were denied at every turn. We couldn’t find the Ledge, and the dam was gated off completely. Also, while we saw no sign of the fire roads around the reservoir, we did see No Trespassing signs nearly every fifty feet. I understand that it’s a public water supply, but the signs make the whole empty town seem that much more unwelcoming. Most disappointing, though, was the old railroad tunnel being inaccessible and hidden away. This dude managed to reach it, but we weren’t really up for parking on a residential street, walking down the highway, and cutting through backyards and woods to see the tunnel. Maybe we should have.
Anyway, we ended up driving around town.
Everybody knows this is nowhere
After that, we drove around the reservoir, which is gorgeous in places, and then came home via route 20, which alternates between strip malls and wooded areas.