Wilderness Rafting Trips & Jobs

Many DayTrippers are planning spring and summer travels already, and this one's fairly close to home. Magic Falls Rafting Company is celebrating their 20th birthday on Maine's wilderness rivers this season. Owners Dave and Donna Neddeau, invested their savings to buy a raft, van and house trailer in 1989 and carried 38 passengers the first year. Today, the company is still family owned and operated with 41 rafts, 25 inflatable kayaks, a campground, lodge and inn for groups; recreation pavilion, retail shop on 15 acres alongside the Dead River. In 2008 the Neddeaus carried more than 6,000 rafting passengers. Note that Magic Falls is also hiring fit & experienced 18-plus guides for the summer.

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Paddle One, Paddle All!

The Department of Conservation and Recreation's Universal Access program announced the summer 2008 schedule for the DCR's adaptive paddling program for individuals with disabilities and their family members and friends. The program is carried out in conjunction with Outdoor Recreation of Hopkinton, Spot Pond Boating, and Eastern Mountain Sports.

Hopkinton State Park (Hopkinton, MA) Thursdays 10 AM- 4 PM: July 10, 17, 24, 31, August 7, 14, 21 (Rain date August 28).

Spot Pond (Stoneham, MA) Fridays 10 AM - 4 PM: July 11, 18, 25, August 1, 8, 15, 22. (Rain date August 29).

(Note: The Hopkinton sessions can get a bit crowded, but the Spot Pond programs usually have plenty of room.)

Each session will consist of 20 to 30-minute guided kayak tours. A certified adaptive paddling instructor and lifeguard will join the participants on the water.

Fee is $5 per participant and free for one guest. There will be an $8 fee for each additional guest that wants to participate. This program is subsidized by DCR, EMS and ORH. Please call the EMS Kayak School at 401-762-8585 to make a reservation.

For other accessible DCR summer activities & events, click here.

Middlesex Fells Hiking

The DayTripper Divas & families love the Fells, year-round! Click here for photos.

Oceans of Fun in Woods Hole

Woods Hole makes a great day destination from Greater Boston. In the far part of Falmouth, there is the free Woods Hole Science Aquarium run by the National Fisheries Service (check hours) and a museum at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute focusing on underwater exploration and climate change.

Woods Hole and Falmouth also have some neat beaches that usually aren't overrun with tourists. Our favorite, especially for young children, is Woodneck Beach in Falmouth - part of it is a very calm marsh/sandpit area with tons of hermit crabs, and other creatures. .

There 's a fun bakery called Pie in the Sky in Woods Hole with outdoor tables, casual but nice, with great meal choices. Also Falmouth proper, near the center of town, has a brand new large playground with all kinds of cool ocean-related things; including a little
lighthouse you can climb up; it's very close to the library; by an elementary school.

We have family in Falmouth; so we go there quite often. It's about 1 3/4 hr. drive, with no traffic (we go down the 128 to Rt. 24 way). It's best to avoid rush hour, for a day trip, leaving VERY early in the a.m. is recommended.

Many thanks for this day trip tip from Jeanne Wells Hobbie, formerly of the Arlington Family Connection board, and director of Mystic River Musik.

Great! Brook Farm

We love Great Brook Farm! The parking fee is only $2; there are easy hiking trails, the pond has a canoe launch and they claim it has fish. You'll see farm animals, there are honey bees in a see-through enclosure (my son loves that part), and the ice cream is delicious! Arguably, the best time at Great Brook Farm is the winter - the trails are open for cross country skiing. They even have one trail that is lit by lanterns so you can cross-country ski under the moonlight. The directions are on the DCR website. - Sue Leone Linder, Arlington

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Explore 350 Great Destinations in The Compleat Day Tripper!

Golfing for Crabs

Netting crab on a small brook that runs into Cape Cod Bay this week yielded some improvement in her golf swing as well as 20 tasty crabs, said Dispatches reader and Gather member Elizabeth Mills Evans While her friend Laurun snapped photos, Elizabeth said she "got into the swing" of it and started to "feel like an old pro." After enjoying crab salad the first day, she was inspired to write up another recipe:

Crab & Rice Casserole

INGREDIENTS: 1 cup cooked rice; 6 to 8 oz. crab meat; 5 hard-cooked eggs; 1 C. mayonnaise; 1/2 Tsp. Worcestershire sauce; grated onion; 1 6 oz. can evaporated milk; pinch of tarragon. DIRECTIONS: Mix all ingredients. Put in buttered shells or casserolle dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until bubbly.

"While I was crabbing, Laurun took these pictures of this 'old pro' with my camera," noted Elizabeth. View more photos and read about our upcoming Compleat Day Tripper: Cape Cod & South Coast edition.