The road soon drops into a wide and open valley (50.1) which seems to slope interminably southeastward; this is the head of the Westfield drainage, and it has occupied this position in the Westfield system far back in geologic time (see p. 14). The little village of Savoy (51.8) nestles near the eastern edge of the valley, and once beyond the settlement, the highway tops a divide (52.7) comprised of rolling hills. It skirts Plainfield Pond (56.0 to 56.4) and then comes out upon a panorama of the upland which embraces the entire Westfield basin (57.5). This section is underlain by the Savoy schist, which is characterized by its many large red garnets. At the hilltop (59.7) in Plainfield the road forks, the route to the right descending to the Berkshire Trail and the road ahead proceeding to Ashfield. This portion of the New England upland lies so far back from the main streams that the small tributaries have not yet cut deeply into its gently rolling surface, and no hint of hidden valleys can be detected in the peaceful landscape.
The Ashfield road traverses woodland country that is almost flat. The stream valleys are broad and are rarely more than a hundred feet below divides. Even Swift River (63.9), which crosses the road about two miles above the end of its entrenched gorge, has not deepened its valley, despite the long span of years since New England was raised to its present elevation (see p. 47). Past the alternate road to Cummington (64.0), the route continues across the flat country above Ashfield; but where the road to Goshen turns south (66.4), deep dissection of the New England upland begins. An opening in the trees (66.6 to 67.1) discloses the valleys along the South River in the vicinity of South Ashfield, as well as the level skyline in the highlands east of the Connecticut Valley. The road drops into the South River valley at Ashfield (68.2), where a choice of routes to Greenfield is presented. The road that follows the South River to Conway (75.4) is the more interesting.
The river is joined by a tributary from the north at South Ashfield (69.9), and the streams occupy deep but open valleys. Kame terraces flank the rivers and are a source of gravel for road ballast. The old dam (73.9) near Conway is a picturesque spot, and the deep, shady pool below is not neglected by anglers. Glacial erratics (see pp. 8-9) dot the hill slopes, but ledges are rare and consist of the locally named Conway schist where the rock does appear at the surface. The road branches again at Conway: the left fork goes north along the dissected brink of the Deerfield gorge to Shelburne Falls, but our choice falls upon the eastward route to South Deerfield.