Photo contest winner, February: Dale Ploski, icy ride at Bolton Notch

Congratulations to Dale Ploski of Andover, Connecticut, our first monthly Greenway photo contest winner! Ploski shot this wintry scene during an afternoon’s fat bike snow ride on the Hop River State Park Rail Trail, a part of the East Coast Greenway featured in January by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.

Shown in the photo is Dale’s wife, Laurie, and their trail hound, Billy Joel. “He rides with us every day and can go 20-plus miles,” Ploski says of his shaggy dog. “Laurie is standing in front of the ice falls and tunnel at the Bolton Notch. The tunnel goes under Routes 6, 44, and I-384. We ride daily, year round, and use many parts of the Greenway.”

The Greenway will eventually travel over a bridge in this area, thanks to funding announced in February 2017 from Connecticut's Department of Transportation.

Ploski is a retired high school science teacher.

Have a favorite photo(s) of the East Coast Greenway? Enter it in our photo contest. We're selecting monthly winners throughout 2017, matching images to the seasons when possible.