On Sunday, October 14 at the Potter Place Railroad Station, a group of Northern Rail Trail supporters gathered for a remembrance of Peter Oren Crowell, at the third annual Peter Oren Crowell Bike Ride on the Northern Rail Trail.
It was cold and rainy, but hot cider and warm memories of a good friend, father, husband, father-in-law and grandfather made for a positive air. All present signed a commemorative poster and enjoyed photos of Peter Crowell from 2009 when he was supervising dump trucks unloading stone dust in trail construction.
The reception was followed by a ride on the rail trail with stops to examine and admire a flooding culvert that had been unblocked and mile marker 106, restored by Ed Hiller. The group missed Peter Crowell, who had been a moving force behind rail trail construction, but his can-do spirit was remembered and kept alive in the outdoors and on the rail trail that he enjoyed. The only regret was that he wasn’t there to see how much Friends of the Northern Rail Trail have accomplished.
Those present included Francoise Crowell, Abby Crowell, and Hadley Crowell of New London as well as Ed Hiller, Mary Hiller, Tom Frantz, Alex Bernhard, and Myra Mayman, all of Andover.