I decided to head down to Mystic Seaport in Connecticut.  What a great place and what a great trip.  The seaport is loaded with sailboats in various stages of construction and many lovely sailboats in slips along the seaport dock area.  Mystic Seaport also has interesting shops in a little community along the waterfront.  There are many helpful staff people present at Mystic Seaport, and I recommend a trip there.

On this trip, I took over one hundred photos of Mystic, the Seaport, and also of the two large Connecticut casinos which are present in that state.  I now have plenty of material for the beta version of connecticutrec.com website which I will launch next week along with rhodeislandrec.com and irishrec.com.

Have a great week!

Best regards,

Jim

I made the trip to Newport Rhode Island and took pictures for the beta version of my  rhodeislandrec.com website.  I have the basic site constructed, and need to tweak it a bit  before I launch it later this week.  With my digital camera,  I caught the cottages  (Mansions), downtown Newport, and more than 100 shots of the waterfront complete with sailboats , marinas, shipyards, and the interior of West Marine, a fantastic Marine supply Store!

Next up for development is connecticutrec.com, and I will be traveling there soon. I expect the site to be launched later this month.

The other four New England recreation websites, southernmainerec, massachusettsrec, newhampshirerec and vermontrec,  are already up and running, and are generating plenty of traffic.  I am anxious to complete the Rhode Island and Connecticut websites and get on with development of more websites outside of the New England area.

URL’s greatlakesrec (Great Lakes Area), rockyrec (Rocky Mountain Area), and sunshinerec (Florida and southern USA Area), will be on my agenda in the next few months, as will irishrec for(Ireland) which is currently under construction and will be launched as my first international site in a week or two.  For all of you daily visitors to recface.com who are wondering about this website, be aware that I plan to make recface.com a household word!

All of the above websites appear on recface.com,  which is the master site of this recreation network!  Traffic is really growing, and even the new beta mobile app is generating  plenty of interest!  Check it out with your smart phone!

Have a great week!

Best regards,

Jim

I hiked the Mount Will Trail north of Bethel, Maine  today.  The weather was bright and sunny with temperatures in the 50s.  The trail up the mountain was a bit wet at the bottom, but after I hiked a while, it dried out.  I wore my trusty LL Bean boots on the trail, and navigated the water areas with ease.  A little stream winds back and forth across the trail about half way to the top but the water isn’t deep.  The trail is well maintained with good blazing on the trees all the way up and all the way down.

I met a group of hikers on the way up and we stopped to talk and take some pictures.  They were hearty Maine hikers, and moved easily along the mountain trail like they knew what they were doing.

After about an hour of casual climbing, stopping to take pictures and to take in the sights along the way, I reached the top.  There is a great view of northern Bethel’s lovely countryside from the  top of Mount Will.  After taking pictures, taking on some water and a hershey bar, I did the slow climb down the mountain in close to an hour.

I saw many birds, moose tracks, and a really bright red squirrel on the trek.  What a great way to spend a lovely afternoon!

I recommend this hike to those who are physically fit, and don’t mind creeping around a few rock formations close to the edge of an incline or crossing a few wet areas.  The going is easy on the trail with good footholds, and in dry weather it is a real treat.            I recommend water proof foot gear for getting through the series of wet areas.

If you are visiting Bethel, Maine, Mount Will is a must do and an easy two hour activity.The Mount Will parking lot entrance is adjacent to the Recycling center North of Bethel.  Have a great week!

Best regards,

Jim

All across New England, heavy winds have been blowing for two days.  Last night after dinner, I received a call that a big pine tree had fallen across our subdivision road.  So, I took my trusty chain saw over there and cut that pine into so many pieces!   I mentioned it to the ladies at the market today, and they said “boys and their toys”!  The wind continues to blow hard today with  sunshine all around.  I hope it stops by tomorrow so I can get out on my bicycle for an hour or two.

Today, I am hunkered down working on my new mobile phone ap.  Check it out on the main recface.com page if you have a smart phone!

It will soon be loaded with information about hiking and biking trails, lakes, skiing, camping, where to go,  what to do, and where to get a good espresso when traveling through New England!

Click on the little phone icon on the top left of the main recface.com page. With your smart phone, expand the “Business Link Track” to a horizontal scrolling position and scroll through the beta version links.

Have a great weekend!

Best regards,

Jim

Today, I dropped my trolling motor off for a tune-up and checked out a large Maine lake.  Several fishermen were unloading bass caught today, and they said the fishing was good.  It was a sunny day with bright blue skies and a perfect day for outdoor activity!  The boating was good, but the fish didn’t bite for me. The weekend promises to be perfect for cycling, mountaiin biking, fishing, hiking, etc.  Enjoy New England!

Best regards,

Jim

I just returned from a great trip to Ireland.  I found Ireland to be a fine recreation destination.  I experienced Dublin, Cork and a large number of smaller towns all around southern Ireland. I will be launching “Irish Rec” in a week or so, and will demonstrate some of the recreational value of that lovely land called Ireland!

While I was away from New England, the weather changed.  The last traces of snow are gone, and it seems that really warm temperatures are upon us.  It’s short sleeve weather again, and I look forward to getting out on my bicycle this week.

I went for a long walk this afternoon, and found that the bugs are still few in number.  That made for a very casual and joyful walk.   My Daffodils and Tulips are up a couple of inches and the grass around the house is turning green.  I will be getting my trusty tractor ready for mowing in a few days.  I really do enjoy spring.

Ready your gear for spring and summer outings!

Best regards,

Jim

Winter has probably lost the battle for warmer weather, and Spring appears to be the winner!  Temperatures remain in the high 40′s and 50′s during the day, with lower numbers at night.  The weather service promises warmer temperatures and sunshine for the coming Easter weekend.  Cycling and hikiing should be good all across New England!

Enjoy your Easter weekend!

Best regards,

Jim

The high 60′s and 70′s have gone for now, and the temperatures in Northern New England are in the high 30′s and 40′s this week.  I drove up from Boston last night, with cold and heavy winds all the way.

The grass at my Maine camp is a little greener and a few daffodils are peaking through the leaves in my flower bed.  The weather service is promising a bit of snow for Wednesday night and Thursday of this week, as winter fades and spring comes marching along.

I will be working on my boat tomorrow , and I am hoping to get out on the lake in the next few days.  It should be a good weekend for cycling along the roads, and I hope to see you out there!

Best regards,

Jim

I have been doing 10 mile rides this week in the interest of getting my legs in shape for summer riding.  After the 3rd day, I found the riding really easy to do and I plan to up the daily mileage.  All across northern New England, ski areas are closing down.  Mountain bike and cross country trail advertising is starting to show up on ski mountain websites.

The weather has been great for cycling during the past two weeks, but there is a chill in the air, and the weather service is promising a return to “normal” weather patterns for the next few days.

I will be spending some time in bike shops checking out the latest mountain bike and cross country bike technology.  Looking forward to seeing you on the mountain soon!

Best regards,

Jim

I drove to Portland, Maine this morning, and checked out the 2012 Portland Maine Boat Builders Boat Show.  It was a great show with a huge building full  of everything from canoes, kayaks, row boats, power boats, cabin cruisers, inboard and outboard motors and most of all fabulous sailboats. I took more than one hundred pictures of the show, and more than 20 pictures of one beautiful custom 30 foot daysailer.  The custom  design won a top boating magazine award in 2011.  Anyone who loves sailboats would appreciate the craftsmanship and perfection of this boat, and that of many others.

Many of the best looking sailboats at the show were built of wood, and some of them looked better than the gleaming fibreglass ones.  They were truly works of art.   I will have many photos up on this site and other recface sites within the next few days.

The temperatures all across northern New England were in the sixties inland, and in the high fifties along the ocean front in Portland today.  Snow is melting quickly, and it really feels like Spring is here.  I drove past several lakes and large ponds today, and saw that ice is still present on most of them.  It will take a few more warm days to melt the ice and the remaining snow.  But, it is time to prepare for Spring sports.  I have been riding my bike for the past week, and look forward to more riding this week.  I am looking forward to seeing you on the mountain bike and cross country  trails soon.

Best regards,

Jim