The 6060 in Brockville

By : Dennis Stein

 She was built in 1944, at Montreal Locomotive Works, from a family of twenty locomotives of the same design, and has hauled steel on steel in this country for over half a century. At 93 feet in length, and 15 feet high, the CN 6060, is the largest operating steam locomotive in Canada. She has been retired and reborn at least twice, her steam power running passengers back and forth on Canadian National lines. The steam locomotive affectionately known as "Bullet-nosed Betty" has had the same man at her controls for 50 years, locomotive engineer Harry Home. He took over the controls of the beloved steam engine in 1960, and still handles the throttle today...
 She rolled off the floor in Montreal in October of 1944, painted CN green during World War II, when locomotives were in demand, but iron was needed elsewhere. The 6060 was one of 20 locomotives of the same design. Weighing in at almost 640,000 pounds, she held coal and water, and was later converted to oil. Every five years, she would be completely stripped down and rebuilt, as part of the expensive maintenance and operation of these steam-powered beasts. 6060 has been run at up to 85 mph, an impressive feat, considering that modern VIA diesel locomotives will run at 100 mph. The group of steam locomotives were broke in on the Montreal to Brockville run, and hauled passengers on the Continental Ltd. from Toronto to Nakina, Ontario - trains 1 & 2 and out of Ottawa to Nakina - trains 3 & 4. 6060 served Canadian National for fifteen years before being retired in Jasper, Alberta, to be put on display there three years later. Two sister locomotives are on dispay: The 6069 in Sarnia, and the 6077 in Capreol, which I have read is also being restored. But the 6060 seems to be the favourite, and it would not be the last time steam boiled inside her...Another decade passed, and Canadian National had 6060 restored to pull her weigt in passengers out of Toronto to Fort Erie in 1972. She made numerous appearances in Brockville during her lifetime, and one can imagine the locomotive's massive weight being turned at the turntable which was at one time to the south of the railway tracks, in the area of Tim Horton's on William St.
 The 6060 still resides in Stettler, Alberta, having been donated for the celebration of the province's centennial. Now also known as 'The Spirit of Alberta', she runs steam excursions, across the Canadian west, and hopefully will remain doing so, saved from the scrap heap by her engineer, Harry, whose team from the Rocky Mountain Railway Society have managed to keep 6060 in good repair. 6060 is a pround example of Canadian National steam power, during the romantic age of railroads...

 For more info on CN 6060, visit www.6060.org. Image with permission from the artist: My mother, Sharon Stein...

Loyalists, Legends, And The Hunt For Hidden Gold...

By : Dennis Stein

  If you haven't heard of William 'Billa' Larue, the witch of Plum Hollow, or the 'Legend of the Black Cattle', you don't know what you're missing in local lore. A great treasure legend, with a ghost story to boot...
  William Larue, or 'Billa' as he came to be known, was a United Empire Loyalist who came to this country near the beginning of the 1800's, and was given a crown land grant of 200 acres on the west side of Larue Mills Creek. He erected a mill on the creek, and amassed quite a fortune. He ran the mill at night to grind flour for bread and during the day to cut wood for British defenses during the war of 1812. As time went on, he bought up land around him, eventually owning about 1000 acres in the area around Larue Mills. Billa and his wife Abigail had nine children, but at least six of them died before he and his wife, the times being hard, and some of the daughters in particular lived little more than a few months or years.
  It was well known that Billa kept his fortune concealed somewhere on his property, and several attempts at locating it by fortune seekers have occured over the years. Supposedly, on his death bed, Billa uttered what may have been the only clue to the gold's location. "My treasure lies there..." He was in one of the upstairs bedrooms, overlooking the small family cemetery to the west of the original house, which still stands today. Did Larue mean his fortune? Or was he refering to his children? Whatever the case, William larue died in November of 1832, taking his secret with him to the grave. He left everything to his daughter Sarah Larue, not to his wife, instead offering her a measly sum of cash if she agreed to live somewhere else. She died two years later...
  One famous attempt at recovering Larue's fortune happened around 1855, when a small group of men, after consulting the witch of Plum Hollow ( a local fortune-teller named Elizabeth Barnes ), set out for the property in hopes of unearthing Billa's prize. They began to dig at a certain spot on the west side of the old house, under cover of darkness. They excavated a considerable hole, and suddenly one of the men hit what he thought was a large round stone, with the sound of coins beneath it. It was then, as legend has it that all at once, a cold wind blew through, and the men were suddenly surrounded by dark silhouettes which they thought must be black cattle. They became so afraid, that the dig was quickly abandoned, and the group ran off toward the house. It was decided that they would return the next morning in daylight. The following morning, the men found their picks and shovels, but no sign of the stone or any gold within the hole... The
concensus was that a spirit of some kind had whisked away the gold, and re-hidden it so as to protect it from being found.
  One of the gentlemen amoung this group later detailed the story exactly, a man by the name of Haskin, who lived in New York state, who claims he was the young man in the hole when the stone was struck. He was nine years old at the time. All of this interesting story can be pieced together, and at least partially proven to be true. T.W.H. Leavitt's History of Leeds and Grenville devotes space to the story, and the local Service Ontario office has copies of his original land grant information, as well as his Last Will and Testament.
  Did some of the men return to the hole in the night and take the fortune? Did Sarah Larue get the location from her dying father? Perhaps. Or just maybe, the gold is still buried out there somewhere, awaiting discovery. Definitely an interesting piece of local history and folklore...

The many firsts of George Taylor Fulford

By : Dennis Stein

  Born in Brockville in what was then Upper Canada in 1852, George Fulford became a successful businessman and a politician, serving in the senate representing Brockville for five years until his death in 1905. He registered a business in Leeds in 1887 in patent medicines, and in 1890, was sold the rights to 'Pink Pills for Pale People' for $53.01. It would go on to make him very rich...He marketed it in over 87 countries worldwide, in ads which resembled news headlines, citing testimonials of miraculous recoveries by customers. It was little more than an iron supplement, but Fulford's mass-advertising techniques turned the patent 'medicine' into a gold mine.
  He had married Mary Wilder White of Wisconsin in 1880 and had three children, Dorothy, Martha, and George Taylor II. Fulford attended business college in Belleville, and took over his brother's apothecary in 1874, which he built on to form the patent medicine company. He became a friend in political circles with Sir Wilfred Laurier, who appointed him to the Canadian Senate representing Brockville, after first serving as an alderman of Brockville's town council. His wife Mary was a believer in the occult, and held seances at their residence in Brockville, attracting the interests of William Lyon Mackenzie, who enlisted Mary's help at one point to attempt to contact his deceased mother. George was also the first Canadian fatal automobile accident victim on record, when a streetcar sideswiped the car he was riding in while on a trip to Massachusetts in October 1905. He died at the age of 53. He had given generously to The Rowing Club, Churches, and the Brockville General Hospital, and at the time of his death, was the largest shareholder in General Electric. He was considering buying a company named General Motors...He also had a 138-foot steam-powered yacht named the magedoma, named after his family (MAry, GEorge, DOrothy, MArtha). It was for entertaining, and did so on several occasions to none other than several Canadian Prime Ministers, the Prine of Wales, the Duke of Kent, and the British Prime Minister. It was loaned to the Canadian Navy during WWII for training purposes, but returned in 1947 heavy damaged. It has changed hands several times, but today has been retored to its former beauty.
  The Fulford Mansion was constructed beginning in 1898, George having selected what was originally a 10 acre spot on the edge of the St.Lawrence, just east of Brockville on the King's Highway. It was completed in 1901, having 35 rooms, and encompassing 20,000 square feet. Highlights of the estate included a Grand Hall, a 50-seat dining room, spacious verandah, as well as a Drawing Room for the ladies, and Smoking Room next to a Billard Room for the men. It is widely rumored that Mary Fulford, who was known to be fearful of thunderstorms, still haunts Fulford Place...

  The mansion was bequeathed to the Ontario Heritage Foundation, and has since been restored with its original lavish contents. It was opened to the public in 1993 as a house museum, and remains an important tourist attraction to the area...  

Like oil and water...

By : Dennis Stein

  Only 3% of the water on the planet is freshwater. Most of that is trapped in glaciers, or the polar ice caps. The remainder is in freshwater lakes, rivers, marshland and groundwater. Oil, and all of its associated products, is another important natural resource, trapped in rock, sand, and under the ocean bedrock. It powers our vehicles in the form of fuels, powers our homes by providing electricity, and feeds us through food production, harvesting, processing and transportation. To feed a family of four for a year consumes almost a thousand gallons of oil based products, roughly the same as what that family spends in fuel for their own car.
  With approximately 80 million more people on the planet each year, the demand for these finite resources continues to increase. Oil, coal, and natural gas are energy sources which are non-replenishable, and have reached global peak in production. Water is replenishable through the natural cycle of evaporation to precipitation, but we humans are drawing off of the aquifers of fresh water quicker now than it can be replaced. Which will become more valuable in the future, Oil or Water?
  While we gripe about the cost of gas for our SUV's, and have every convience known to man, almost 900 million people have little or NO access to clean water, and some in drought-stricken areas like Ethiopia and Kenya have to walk long distances to get it. Water is already worth more than cash in alot of under developed areas, and is sold in small quantities, which must sustain families to drink, irrigate small crops, and wash with for long periods. Do we think of these things as we turn on the tap at home, when we go to a water park, or water our grass?
  Oil is something that we cannot survive wihout either, and it will become more scarce in the near future. All of our energy is supplied by fossil fuels. Yes, I said ALL. Solar panels are manufactured using oil derived products such as plastics. Bio-fuels are alternatives that simply use less of the needed pertroleum based fuels. Fuel cells and wind turbines are made using oil-based products. Your computer is made from processes that require large amounts of energy. Even the internet, which is one of the most marvelous connected constructions on a global scale in recent history is sustained by energies all rooted in oil...
  A mere 5% drop in global oil production would quadruple the cost of gas, and if you watch closely, it is happening. Water will be the next big commodity as we use up the supply that mother nature cannot replace fast enough for human demand. These situations must be resolved quickly, and not just by OUR government, but by all peoples on the planet. Our days of waste are over, and new means of energy and conservation must be found. This is not something that will go away by not thinking about it, and unless alternatives can be found soon, we may share the current situation with many third world countries...

Plum Hollow's Witch

By: Dennis Stein

 The Brockville area is home to it's fair share of strange and wonderful stories, told by local authors, reporters, and spoken of around many a campfire. One such tale involves a very special woman, who managed to achieve everything she did, despite the hardships she faced...
 Although exact dates are sketchy, as is sometimes the case with people or events early in Canada's history, Elizabeth Barnes was born in either 1794 or 1800 in county cork Ireland. She was supposedly the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, and even though that was never confirmed, it is used to explain her unnatural abilities. At around the age of twenty, she eloped with a young man by the name of Robert Harrison to Canada, settling here in Ontario around Cobourg. They had a son there, but tragically, Elizabeth was widowed when Harrison died a few short years later. She remarried, to a shoemaker named Barnes, and they came to live in Sheldon's Corners, just outside of Athens. They had nine children, and lived in a small homestead, until Mr. Barnes decided to leave his family behind, with the exception of his two oldest sons, moving to Smiths Falls to make a living at shoemaking. Now alone a caring for seven children, 'Mother Barnes' as she had come to be known, began using her talents reading tea leaves to tell peoples fortunes. She charged 25 cents to earn extra money, and her fame quickly spread. People came from all over to consult her by horse and carriage, for everything from lost livestock, to murders, and even buried treasure. Even Sir John A. McDonald consulted Mother Barnes, and was told, among other things, that he would become the leader of the new country. Entering the small house, people would be led to an upstairs room where Elizabeth would be sitting at a table with a pot of tea. They would be invited to 'turn a cup' and would have their fortune told...
 Author T.W.H. Leavitt speaks of interviewing the 'witch of plum hollow' as he describes her in his book of the same name, and the designation stuck. Today the homestead where Mother Barnes lived is still standing, having been bought recently, and restored. Elizabeth Barnes died in 1886, and is buried in the Sheldon's Corners cemetery. She lived to be over ninety, and is credited with solving a murder, locating buried treasure, personal items, and unravelling 'ghostly occurances'.
 Though she was not really a witch in any real sense of the word, nor did she live in Plum Hollow, Elizabeth 'mother' Barnes is and will remain another of the interesting stories in our area. One can envision the wise old woman, sitting with her pot of tea as she looks into your future...

The tunnel under Brockville...

By : Dennis Stein

   Brockville is not only Ontario's oldest city, but also boasts the first and oldest railway tunnel in all of Canada, extending from its north portal at Pearl St, and emerging at Blockhouse Island. It runs directly under the Victoria Building of City Hall, with a total length exceeding 1700 ft. The Brockville and Ottawa Railway began construction of the tunnel in 1854, to provide access to the shipping port on the river, and link it to the timber trade to the north. The railway ran to Arnprior, and through the tunnel with special height-shortened diesel trains. It was completed in 1860, which is amazing considering the size of the project, and a lack of any major mechanised excavating equipment at the time. The Brockville and Ottawa railway was incorporated in 1953, and the company decided its rail line would not be complete without the tunnel. The first train made use of the tunnel in 1859, leaving the Grand Trunk Station almost a full year before the completion of the tunnel...
   Recently,  the deteriorating north end of the tunnel, where it emerges at Pearl St. and Tunnel Ave., is being restored. Workers catalogue stones, placing them in the open area behind the William St. Tim Horton's, while they rebuid the structure, and replace the original stonework. The city has budgeted funds for the work, and hopefully the fully restored tunnel entrance will be unveiled soon. The first 85 ft of the south end of the tunnel is open to visitors from spring to fall, complete with plaques to tell the story of the tunnel. Outside the tunnel sits a refurbished Canadian Pacific Railway caboose, which was donated to the city in 1987. CP Rail owned the tunnel after amalgomating with other smaller railways, and turned over the tunnel after it was no longer used to the city of Brockville. Great oak doors cover the tunnel's 14 ft. wide by 14ft. high mouths at either end, and brickwork covers the inside ceiling. Although the rail and ties are long gone, sold off after the tunnel stopped being used in the 1970's, one can still imagine the roar of locomotives emerging from the tunnel, carrying goods from ships docked at the river...

This is what I said I wouldn't do...

By : Dennis Stein

  I said I would not write opinion pieces when I started contributing to The Observer, but I cannot resist any longer... The approaching holiday season has already upped everyone's stress level, and drawn all the people out of their holes that want to RIP US OFF!!!
  I really don't hear much about high gas prices anymore, but perhaps I have deafened my ears to people who complain about it, but accept it as the way of things. Even when we read that a barrel of oil is just about at the lowest it has ever been, dollar wise. People complain about Hydro One and Enbridge, and their increased delivery charges, The HST, Green 'Eco' tax, and of course our government at large... Don't think for a second that I am defending any of it, because any of these things make my blood pressure rise.
 I think the thing which makes me reach a full blown rage, is that we seem to be powerless against these things, or that the majority among us who care about it simply go on with our daily lives and think there is nothing we can do about it. I remember one day a gentleman being in front of me in line at a store to pay for his gasoline, and complaining about the price. Upon glancing out the window to look at his vehicle, I noticed he was driving a Cadillac STS. I could feel the heat of anger... I won't disclose what happened, but it really ticked me off that the fellow could give the young lady manning the store a scathing rant over the 2 cents extra he had to pay today, but had he ever tackled an elected official about it? Doubtful.
 The other obvious trend these days is the maximization of profit by corporations large and small, at the employees and even customers expense. How many times have you noticed only two cashiers open lately, with a large line of people waiting? Sound familiar? Here is the translation: The company is saving money on employees to service YOU,... their customer!!! They take for granted that you will swallow hard, and accept that they are doing  what they CAN to serve you...If someone becomes angry about it, who takes the heat? The employee at the cash...
 Now you are back at work, where your employer continues to wring every last productive minute out of you, and if you are still lucky enough to have a union, the company doesn't seem to care what your collective agreement says. For the love of God, don't get injured - a report would be life-ending! It will put you into a hell of WSIB claim paperwork the size of Everest, threats from your company's Insurance carrier and your 'puppet' bosses, the frustration of a gazillion voice mail or automated menu phone calls ( with no answer ) and ultimately the loss of your wages and or your job for doing nothing wrong.......
 I hope this has been an enlightening update to life on planet Canada... Wake Up, everyone. It is time that all of these groups and companies are reminded who the boss really is - The Customer who buys your product. The Employee who makes your business run. The Voter who puts you in office...

Waterway Through the Woods

By : Dennis Stein

  Ontario contains by far one of the most beautiful waterways in North America, and the only continuously operated canal system on the continent. The Rideau Canal, with 47 locks, spans 202 km of lakes between Kingston at the foot of Lake Ontario, and Ottawa.
  The canal was designed and engineered by Leiutenant Colonel John By of the Royal Engineers, charged with the daunting task of finding a safe passage for British ships from Montreal to the Great Lakes, out of range of the american guns after the war of 1812. Begun in 1827, and opened in May of 1832, the rideau is one of the greatest engineering feats of the nineteenth century, its exquisite stonemasonry and buildings standing today just as they were when the canal opened. The Rideau begins in the Ottawa river, rising 275 ft, through 35 locks to the summit at Upper Rideau Lake, and then descending 166 ft. through another 14 locks to Kingston. During the war of 1812, when naval strengths were a continuous issue, a secure supply route between Montreal and Kingston was a must, and thousands of labourers were contracted to perform the massive construction of 45 locks, (plus 2 locks on the Tay canal), and 52 control dams. The conditions were hard, with many men dying of malaria. Some of the areas between locks had to be flooded to achieve the 5 foot uniform depth that the canal was designed for, and the control dams accomplished this task, including the dam at Hog's Back, which suffered three collapses before it was able to be completed. All of the work was done by hand, through virgin forest, swamps, and wilderness with few roads, and fewer settlements. Pickaxes, shovels and wheelbarrows were used for excavation, and powder was used to blast in some areas. The large stones which line the locks and dams were cut mostly by French Canadian stonemasons, and lowered into place by simple hand cranes. Despite cost overruns, 2000 men per year worked to complete the Rideau Canal in a few short years, accomodating ships as long as 90 ft. It takes from 4 to 6 days to travel the complete waterway, and picnic sites with full facilities have been established by Parks Canada at many sites along the system. Original blockhouse buildings, which were built along to route to defend the canal against attack, still stand today.

  Many people traverse the Rideau Canal each year by boat or on land, and Parks Canada staff operate the lock system just as it was in the 1800's. It has been designated a World Heritage Site, and government money is being spent to preserve the waterway for future generations to enjoy. You may want to get out and see a lock near you soon, because the 2010 season will close in October, and the canal will be quiet until spring comes again...

One day as an island...

By : Dennis Stein

 It is amazing to note that we live within a stone's throw from some of the most beautiful waterways on the continent. The thousand islands presents an amazing array of natural beauty, just minutes from Brockville. Each of the over 1800 islands has a story, it's granite and limestone watching the world go by long before mankind was here, watching the rebirth of the land after being carved from passing glacial ice. Native peoples refer to it as the garden of the great spirit, and have stories of a giant throwing a piece of the land into the river, where it shattered, and became the myriad of islands we see today. The city of Brockville actually owns 16 of the islands in the aptly named Brockville Narrows, and during the warmer months they become a waterborne escape to many. Campsites are available both by the season, or by the day on most of these islands.
 The St. Lawrence seaway, flowing through the islands was officially opened in 1959, at a cost of over 400 million dollars, mostly paid for by the Canadian government. It extended the reach inland for large seagoing ships, despite opposition from railroads and trucking companies. It is also blamed for severe economic downturns in several upstate New York cities.
 As part of the idea to become more active this summer, my wife and I have purchased kayaks, and took our maiden voyage in them this past weekend. We opted for the shallow areas surrounding Mallorytown landing, and paddled in the mirrorlike calm to one of the tiny islands west of the launch. Along the way we spotted a couple of very large fish, and it was amazing to me how much could be seen of the underwater world we travelled on top of...
Powerboats and sailing are fun too, but nothing will connect you to  the sights and sounds of the islands like a kayak or canoe will. Sales at several stores I visited were brisk already this season, and small vessels like kayaks seem to be becoming more popular, as people look toward more environmentally friendly modes of transportation... Sitting on that tiny island to rest, I could not help but think of what that small patch of granite may have been witness to in the passing of the last millenia or two.Oblivious to time, billions of liters of water smoothing it's edges over the ages, it may have been host to species of plants and animals we have never seen and will never see again. Impacts from cannon fire may have scarred it's surface during the war of 1812..

 It is not really possible to imagine Brockville without thinking of the islands just upriver from the city, and in the early mornings especially, driving along the 1000 Islands Parkway, one must excersise care, because the calm, mirrorlike waters of the islands can be be mesmerizing. Thousands of people come to see what is in our backyard every year, and for the few of us who call the thousand islands home, it should not be something taken lightly. Enjoy the islands this year in some way, get in a kayak, attend riverfest, or watch the thousand islands Poker Run. The kids will enjoy it too, at any of our numerous parks, such as Brown's Bay, mallorytown landing, or St. Lawrence park. We enjoy a world class outdoor environment here in Brockville, As rich in history and beauty as Ontario's oldest city...

The great heist of '58

By:Dennis Stein

  On a cool May night in 1958, a small group of people went up the steps to 4 court house terrace, carrying plenty of gear with them. Whether they had been in Brockville long is not known, but on that particular night, while the city slept, they had a job to do...
 The Brockville Trust and Savings Co. robbery still stands as Canada's largest bank heist, netting $10 million, without using a gun... The burglars used picks and drills to break through two feet of solid brick wall, exposing the steel wall of the vault. Using Acetylene torches, the bandits made their way in, prying open most of the safe deposit boxes and leaving with bonds, negotiable securities, cash, and jewellery. The thieves had time to wash up, leaving a couple of trivial items behind - a cheap wristwatch worth about $100, a raincoat, and a woman' s scarf. One of the robbers made a huge blunder though, he dropped his bankbook of all things... Less than 48 hours later, police in a Montreal suburb arrested 23 year old Rene Martin, who had keys to an apartment, and a locker at Central Station. The locker contained suitcases holding a fortune in loot, more being found at the apartment. Martin testified that there were five people involved, but he was "not in a position to give their names".
  Some information found mentions that police believe the thieves rented a safe deposit box, allowing them to see the layout of the job prior to the robbery. However, other articles on the subject later say that the group first entered an accountants office above and beside the vault, cutting through the floor and descending to the area of the job using a ladder from the basement. In addition, although there was no alarm in the bank at the time, a meeting between officials there had determined the need for one, which was to be installed a couple of weeks later - just after the time of the heist. All of these things beg the question : Was someone from the bank, or from Brockville involved, giving information to the group in return for a cut?
 Who was behind the theft of all this money? Well, it is believed that it was the work of a man named Peter Stepanoff, one of the many lieutenants of a montreal crime boss in the Canadian arm of the mafia. Stepanoff had been involved in other similar robberies, including one In St. Catherines, where he was arrested more than a year after the heist in Brockville...
 As for the rest of the missing money, The Ottawa Citizen ran an article in 1981, revealing that stolen bonds were still surfacing from around the globe, in Switzerland, Central and South America, and in various North American cities like New York, Miami, and Toronto. At the time, and probably even now, the Brockville Police Services kept the case open...
 So the next time you have the urge for an evening cocktail downtown, head on in to what is now the Keystorm Pub, and have a look at the back wall near the bar. The immense steel door of the vault is polished, but these days it probably makes a better cooler!

Photo: The Steel door of the Vault seen at the Keystorm Pub...

Brockville 'Greens Up' With Spring

  The birds were singing, and the sun was warm as my wife and step-son walked along the Brockville bike path this evening, just after dinner. As the
effects of what was a reasonably mild winter wears into memory, people are beginning to get more active, working on their yards, or getting out and about
in the warmer temperatures. There are many ways to enjoy our early spring, and one of my favourites is the bike path, which winds along beside Butler's
Creek, creating a quiet and green walkway throughout the city. Resident waterfowl can usually be seen along the way, and the sound of the gurgling creek
is nearby most of the way...

  The path also ties in nicely with Brockville's history, and what is today used by cyclists, dog-walkers, and children began in some areas as the Brockville
and Westport Railway. Started in 1888, and making its final run in 1952, the old roadbed of this rail line is now part of the bike path. Jones' Mill, which still
stands, is at the very south end of the path, and its ponds were removed to put in the rail line around 1884. I spotted very old railway ties near Church St.
along side the path, left over evidence from the past, now overgrown with mosses.

  Further north along the bicycle path, in some areas especially in the summer months, the city seems to disappear, as you walk through areas with hanging
wild vines and thick undergrowth, even though you are really walking almost right behind homes and businesses. Bridges ocassionally cross the creek, and
the city parks staff have done a fabulous job with cement planters and park benches along the way. Planted trees serve as memorials, all decorated with a
small plaques to immortalize the beloved departed, and tablets with various interesting historical facts line the way in spots.

  So if you are feeling the urge to do something to become a little more active, enjoy the early spring, or get some exercise, the community bicycle path is
sure to make you take a deep breath of the fresh air. If your partner rolls their eyes a bit or groans when you mention it, tell them to get off their email, and let
them in on another little secret about the path... Yes, grab your blackberry, your ipod, or netbook... you can even find Net access at some spots along your walk,
if you need it!