Arthur may be out looking for the next best roller coaster, and this blog has been discontinued. Thanks for visiting and happy travels!

I had to use the ice scraper this morning. And my spring jacket just didn't cut it. Oh sure, it warmed up to a balmy 57 degrees by midday. Early spring in Massachusetts turns us into latter-day Gypsy Rose Lees (sans the music); we leave the house with multiple layers and strip down as the mercury rises. Warm temps lull us into a false sense of security, while cold weather makes us wonder whether spring will ever truly arrive. A few days ago, I was traveling along Route 2, also known as The Mohawk Trail, in the western part of the state, and was reassured that spring, however fleeting, was indeed on the way.

The yin and yang of early spring were on full display. A hint of snow still dusted the Berkshires (it has been a mild winter), and huge flows of ice were frozen along the rock walls that bordered the highway. Scores of tapped sugar maple trees, however, were welcome signs of the impending season. Vermont may have bragging rights as THE maple sugar state, but Massachusetts, particularly in the western region, has plenty of sugarhouses. (You can read more about maple sugar season in the Bay State on Explore New England.) The sweet smell of the boiling sap mixed with the earthy aroma of the roaring wood fire stoking the evaporator at Gould's Maple Sugarhouse made for an intoxicating olfactory treat.

Soon, the Berkshires will turn green, flowers will blossom, and folks will seek refuge from the heat in the region's lakes and rivers. For now, however, we'll have to be content with the occasional warm breeze and the promise of things to come. At least we can strip off our jackets, cozy up next to a fire, and indulge in some pancakes slathered with fresh maple syrup.

See my mini photo gallery of early spring scenes along The Mohawk Trail.