New Hampshire to Connecticut: Week 2, River Relay

Day 8

We said goodbye to Portland and Maine after a morning walk along the Eastern Promenade, part of the Greenway. Arrived in Portsmouth, NH, in time to scope out the setting for a welcome ceremony tomorrow morning with Governor Chris Sununu and other officials before we head south along the New Hampshire Seacoast Greenway.

Day 9

Full, big day! Eighty people joined us in Portsmouth in the morning to hear Governor Chris Sununu, Cindy Carroll from sponsor Unitil, and others welcome the Relay to the state and advocate for trail development. Twenty-five of us rode through charming streets and coastline to the Seacoast Science Center, where we sent Rob, our cyclist, off for Boston. In the late afternoon, another 40 gathered on the banks of the Mystic River for a Greenway walk with Mystic River Watershed Association, followed by a fun social at Idle Hands Brewery.

Day 10

Today was a rest day for our cyclist, Rob Dexter, after his 102-mile day into Boston on Friday. It was a beautiful day to explore Boston: The weather has turned suddenly fall-like, crisp and clear. In the evening, Mary Beth Powell and Lisa Watts, our communications manager, tabled at a Sting concert at the Blue Hills Bank Pavilion on Boston's Fan Pier. We talked with concert-goers from as far away as Maine, Connecticut, even Georgia — and the Connecticut folks knew of the Greenway! Thanks to Jim Jensen, Pavilion Manager, for the kind invitation.

Day 11

As our cyclist headed off in light drizzle from Cambridge to Worcester, about 50 miles, about 40 hearty folks met at Landry Park in Waltham for a walk along the Charles River on the Greenway with Waltham Land Trust and Charles River Watershed Association. Back at the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation, situated right on the East Coast Greenway, we learned more about the area's history and about the Watch City Bike Lab, a do-it-yourself bike workshop.

Day 12

Cyclist Rob Dexter rolled up to India Point Park in Providence, RI, after a 62-mile ride on the Greenway from Worcester, Mass. Meeting at the park on a beautiful Labor Day afternoon, about 30 people of all ages headed off for a walk up the Greenway to Narragansett Boat Club on the Seekonk River, where 10 or so folks had put in for a paddle. We all enjoyed a barbecue at Blackstone Park across the street from the boat club, entertained by a jazz quartet.

Day 12

Rob Dexter rode from Providence, R.I., to Putnam, Conn., today, heading mostly west through rural parts of northern Rhode Island. It's his second-to-last day of solo riding for us — tomorrow he'll pass on the baton (or bottle of collected river water) to two more cyclists in East Hartford. Rob began his week's ride in Portland, Maine, last Thursday. Going old-school, he's navigating with paper cue sheets and taking notes as he goes about the route and directions.

Day 14

We enjoyed a gracious breakfast send-off from the town of Putnam, CT, at its farmers market venue right on the trail this morning. The mayor and representatives of economic development, health, trails, and other interest turned up to see our cyclist off and hear a little from Bruce Donald, our tri-state coordinator, on the state of the Greenway in Connecticut. In the afternoon, as cyclist Rob Dexter approached his home, he was greeted in Manchester, Conn., by friends and officials (above) before finishing in Hartford.

Read more River Relay trip updates

25 years, 50 rivers, 1 Greenway: To celebrate our 25th anniversary, we're hosting a 3,000-mile, 68-day birthday party — the East Coast River Relay. The series of public events began August 24 in Calais, Maine, and follows the Greenway to end in Key West, Florida on October 30.