Yesterday was an action packed day. I am telling you, ACTION PACKED!!! It was packed with action.
Okay, we started off by driving up to Hartford to pick up Laura’s friend. She lives near White Plains, but doesn’t have a car. She figured that the easiest way to get here would be to take Amtrak to New Haven and then a bus to Hartford. According to her, it was a very easy trip. In case you were interested, there is an Amtrak station in New Rochelle. How cool is that?
Anyway, we hopped in the car to go get her at the bus/Amtrak station in downtown Hartford. Now, just to let you know, I have never actually been to downtown Hartford, so I didn’t know what to expect. I have only driven by it a few dozen times. I usually expect the worst and really don’t enjoy being in congested areas.
I am going to give you a little play by play, just in case you Googled “Downtown Hartford” to see what it looks like. Just a word of warning, I am using Live Maps to assist me in this little walking (well, driving) tour.
Here we go…We drove over Founders Bridge onto State Street. We stopped at the stop light and I said, “Hey, this isn’t bad at all. Actually, it’s pretty damn nice.” I noticed all the signs promoting the festival of lights and all sorts of other stuff hanging from the bridge in front of us. I quickly grabbed my trusted camera to start snapping shots.
These are two that I got yesterday (Friday) morning.
Intersection of Central Row and Main Street.
We made our way onto Central Row, took a right onto Main Street and then a left onto Asylum Street to head straight down to the bus station.
While at the bus station, I was sitting in the car. Two cops pulled in front of me on their cop motorcycles and parked. I thought a picture of their cool motorcycles would be nice.
Those are the only two pictures I got on Friday morning. This morning (Saturday), we drove back up to drop her friend off. I took a lot more pictures, plus, today’s weather was much nicer.
Intersection of High Street, Asylum Street and Ford Street, Hartford.
Driving up Trinity Street, through the arch.
Back of the state capitol building (I think).
Intersection of Trinity Street, Capitol Avenue, Lafayette Street and Washington Street, Hartford, CT.
A statue at the same intersection.
The front of the capitol building on Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT.
Driving east on Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT.
Front of the capitol building on Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT.
Intersection of Capitol Avenue and Main Street, Hartford, CT.
Driving north on Main Steet, Hartford, CT.
Driving north on Main Steet, Hartford, CT.
Intersection of Main Street and Pearl Street, Hartford, CT.
Those are all the photos I have.
I must say, I was quite impressed with downtown Hartford. I always thought it was a city strictly about work, but there were a lot of people out and about, walking through the parks and doing shopping. Also, it was much cleaner than I thought it would be and very well kept up, with the banners and decorations. At one point, I turned to Laura and said, “You know, this is a very walkable city.” She just smiled, nodded and continued gazing into my eyes.
Today was absolutely gorgeous. It was the perfect day for a hike, so that’s exactly what we did.
We jumped in the car and took a trip over to Gay City State Park. We have been to this park before, but missed one trail. Today was the day we were going to complete the entire trail system at this park. Last time, we nearly died from heat stroke, so we weren’t able to make it all the way around the red trail. We had to cut up the yellow trail. I remember my face tingling when we were about half way done. Man, what a day.
Today was different. It was about 50 degrees outside and perfectly clear. The leaves were all crunchy and there was no one around.
We walked down the yellow trail and hooked up with the red trail for about a 2 mile hike. Just long enough to get some exercise.
Of course, I had my camera on me. I wouldn’t want to let you down…
On Monday (Labor Day), we decided to get in the car and cruise down to Gillette Castle State Park in East Haddam, CT. This has been on my “to do” list for a while.
We weren’t really in the mood for a hike. We kind of just wanted to see the castle. I read good things about it and heard it was really cool. I also wanted to see if it would be a good place to launch a boat, since it sits right on the Connecticut River.
It’s a good thing we weren’t in the mood for a hike. Even though there is a trail map, this state park isn’t like the others we have been to. The castle definitely is the main attraction. There is a visitor’s center and everything. The trails lead, in a zig-zag fashion, down to the river. We walked them, but there really wasn’t an opening down there. I kind of popped out of the woods where the water began. It’s not bad in the least, just not a hiking park.
Now, what was really cool was the castle. It overlooks the Connecticut River like nothing else does. I was surprised to see so many boats on the river. I mean, I guess it was Labor Day and everything, but still, it was packed with boats. I think the best part of this river is the fact that it leads down to the Long Island Sound. I am guessing that you could get from the castle to the Sound in about a half hour. That’s pretty neat, and really good if you have a boat.
The castle has tours, for a fee. We didn’t take them up on the offer this time, but I think we will do it when the weather gets a little cooler. I am thinking around Halloween. It can be spooky, I’m sure, especially because the castle has secret passage ways. I like secret passage ways because I am a secretive and sneaky person by nature.
Here are some photos of the castle and the surrounding area.
Today, we went back to Devil’s Hopyard State Park in East Haddam for what turned out to be a grueling two mile hike. It felt good, but there was a lot of sweat involved. We went uphill and downhill and everywhere in between. You should’ve seen me huffing and puffing like a fat guy at the tops of the hills. All this hiking should get me in better shape though.
We hiked the entire orange trail which brought us up to the vista, which was very nice. Then, the trail brought us down to the river again and past the Devil’s Oven. We walked back up to the bridge and past the falls to the car.
I took some more photos of various areas of the orange trail. I really have to stop taking so many pictures. Laura is starting to call me a tourist. Hey, this is the way I live. I am on my third digital camera because I like to use them so much. Also, somebody has got to like these things besides me.
As I have mentioned before, Connecticut is the place to be if you like parks, hiking, mountain biking and recreation in general. We are learning that people around here take this stuff very seriously. When driving around, it’s hard not to see people jogging, riding bikes, playing golf…whatever.
Last week, we decided to drive down to East Haddam to visit Devil’s Hopyard State Park. I looked at this park’s trail map online and it looked good. The thing that really attracted me was the waterfall. As usual, I opened up Google Earth and checked it out from above. Well, all it looked like was woods. I don’t know, after seeing the satellite view, I didn’t think it looked all that great. We went anyway. I am usually wrong about these things.
I was really wrong about this one. I have been to many state parks in my life and I have to say this one was the best so far. The water does it for me. It’s a very low-key park. There are no highways around and it’s tucked back in the woods. The waterfall is great and the river adds a lot to the hike. This park is going to be on our list for a long time. They also offer camping, which is cool.
I took a bunch of pictures and will add captions where I think they would fit.
We parked on Helon Cone Rd., right off of Hopyard Rd. This was the enterance sign to Devil's Hopyard State Park.
Chapman Falls on Helon Cone Rd.
Stone bridge on Hopyard Rd.
Random photo of stones that make the stone bridge.
Nice rock I found.
The beginning of the unblazed trail heading towards the bottom of Chapman Falls.
Continuing down the unblazed trail.
Chapman Falls at Devil's Hopyard State Park.
Field down near the picnic area.
The covered bridge at Devil's Hopyard State Park.
Beginning to walk down the orange trail towards the Devil's Oven and the Vista.
Yesterday was a pretty eventful day. We decided to hop in the car and drive out to Newport, RI for a quick visit.
I always think everything is so close to anywhere I am. When we are about halfway there, I realized that I am just an optomist. My butt starts to hurt and I feel like the rest of the population that understands the distance of things. I am not sure of the mileage, but I know the trip took about two and a half hours.
We took a bunch of backroads and then popped out on 95 North. I liked the backroads because it gives us a chance to see the world, off the highway. Plus, I think we have all seen enough highway.
After we got off 95, we went through this pretty cool town called Exeter. I remember this because there was a golf course and a huge plant nursery. I mean huge. The thing kept going. I am the kind of guy who would be on vacation and stop to have his pickup truck loaded up with mulch. Man oh man.
We went through a few more towns and then drove over the Jamestown Bridge. That bridge was pretty nice. When we landed on Conanicut Island, I noticed some pretty nice areas. I think we will stop on this island next time and spend some time in Jamestown. I have a feeling it is much less crowded than Newport.
Right after that short trip driving through Conanicut Island, we (paid the toll and) started up the Newport Bridge. It was a pretty steep bridge and I thought of my mother silently hating it if she was in the car with us. She never liked bridges. A few moments later, we landed on Newport.
For this trip, we had a goal…I wanted to see the ocean. Every once in a while, I need to smell the salt water. With this in mind, we turned down Americas Cup Avenue, onto Thames Street and headed straight South to Wellington Avenue. From there, we somehow got onto Ocean Avenue and stopped at Brenton Point State Park.
This was a pretty cool park right on the Southern tip of Newport. There were lots of people doing all sorts of things. We also noticed that it is a pretty cool area to retire to. The only problem with the whole place is all the tourists, like us.
After we hung out at the park for a while, we traveled back up North and ate at a little pizza place. That was pretty good. A few hours in Newport and we were good to go. We left for the trip home.
I took a bunch of pictures and will show some of them below. I am kind of tired, so I am not going to include captions. These were basically taken from the Newport Bridge and heading down to Brenton Point State Park, and back up. Enjoy…
This was a long one. At least the air was nice and hot for us during the entire hike…oh man…
We knew which trail we wanted to hike when we arrived at Gay City State Park yesterday. We have been looking at the trail map and we (I) thought we knew exactly where to go. Sure, we started off great, but apparently, we were on the wrong trail from the get-go. I think we started off great because, well, at least we were on a trail.
By the way, Gay City State Park lies in three towns…Bolton, Hebron and Glastonbury. It’s pretty big and does the area just fine.
Ok, here is what I wanted to do – I wanted to start off at the yellow trail and go to the end. That would’ve been .8 miles. Then, at the end, I wanted to make a left onto the red trail for another 1.16 miles. I thought that would have brought us back to the road so we could walk back to the car. The problem is that we unknowingly started on the blue trail. I really don’t pay attention to those minor details sometimes.
Well, as it turns out, the blue trail went for .26 miles. It led us to the blue/red trail for another .4 miles. At this point, I said, “Hmmm…this is an awefully long trail. Mileage in the woods certainly seems to take longer than the same distance on the road.” We made a left onto the red trail and walked .91 miles and then (finally) made another left onto the yellow trail for .8 miles. About another .2 miles and we were back at the car. It took a lot out of us, being over 90 degrees and all.
The good thing is that we saw some pretty cool stuff. I could’ve done without the fly that was flying around my head the entire time, but otherwise, it was a good walk.
Here are some photos…
This is the very beginning of the trail. I thought this was the yellow trail. Apparently not.
About half way down the blue trail, we arrived at the Blackledge River. It’s nice a shady and a great place to sit down and take a break. There is a nice bridge and a picnic table. How do you like my Summer haircut?
Back in the day, Gay City State Park was a mill town. Today, all that’s left are some foundations and cellar holes. The top photo above is a foundation that is right next to the brige that goes over the Blackledge River on the blue trail. The lower picture is a cellar hole that (I think) was along the yellow trail.
This is just a random shot of a big Oak tree. We we saw it, I thought that it was pretty straight. The photographer in me wanted to get a neat photo of it.
We haven’t seen any mountain bikers yet, but there are lots of them in these trails. Probably more mountain bikers than walkers. It can get a little lumpy though. Near the wetlands of the red trail, the trails get quite rocky.
This is the lake (swamp) that lies in between the blue trail and the yellow trail. It’s not really a clear lake and I believe it may be responsible for all the rocks and insects.
Finally, a little cooling off at the pump in the camp on the blue trail.
We were going to go back today for another hike, but it’s pretty bad outside. I mean hot. Maybe later on this afternoon or something.
Today, Laura and I had to bring Holly the dog to the vet. She had to have her teeth cleaned and some minor surgery. The vet had to put Holly under (not down, as Rob mistakenly thought today), so we had to burn about six hours of the day. Since we live an hour away from the vet, we decided to head up to Millbrook, NY for a visit. It got to be about 68 degrees and sunny today, so it was the perfect day for a little road trip.
Millbrook is a nice little town in Dutchess County. It has some farms and a nice little main street. I’m sure many people would like it if you brought them there. Believe it or not, I actually know someone who grew up in Millbrook. It must’ve been fun.
Anyway, The first thing we did was to cruise down Main Street. We parked the car and walked down to a little park at the end of the road. Paul would know the name of it. I’m sure he’ll write a comment for me.
I gotta say, it is a very nice park indeed. We walked up the zigzag sidewalk and then back down. Of course, I had to stop to take a few pictures.
There was a nice bridge over a small pond. The pond waterfall wasn’t running though. I am going to write someone a letter about that.
I call this the “chair of thought.” I sat in the chair of thought for about 30 seconds…just long enough for Laura to take this photo of me. I wanted everyone to know exactly how smart I can really look.
After we were done with the park, we walked up and down the main street again to check out all the little shops. I think the town is quite content with itself. Everyone looked very satisfied. That’s a good feeling if you live in a little town. We found a good restaurant to eat in, but they weren’t ready to serve until noon, so we decided to go to the Trevor Zoo at the Millbrook School. This has been on our agenda for some time and we figured it would be a great thing to do before eating lunch.
On the way to the zoo, I pulled over to look at a horse. Then, I thought to myself that a picture of the nearby farm would be a good thing to show my loyal readers. That would be the picture above.
As we drove down the road, I realized that we were coming upon the Millbrook School itself. I had no idea that it was a fancy private school. I was picturing those plastic slides like they have in the backs of some nursery schools. Um, not so much. After we parked the car, we took a stroll up the road because I saw some purple flowers I wanted to take a picture of.
Now, I didn’t know what to expect with this zoo. I even went as far as telling Laura that I didn’t want to go because I feared it would be just some pig in someone’s backyard. She expressed to me how important it was for us to go, so I agreed. This is the second time that I was wrong about someplace and she was right. The first time was Block Island. Boy was I wrong about that one. You know, it really hurts a guy’s ego to be wrong twice in a relationship. Good thing it was only twice.
As we walked up, we saw a nice waterfall and a bridge. It was the entrance to Trevor Zoo. Oh, how neat. It looked much bigger than I thought it would. After we went in, we saw how many animals they had.
They had birds and turkeys…
…and they even had this big bird that wouldn’t put its wings down. I guess he was getting some sun. We also saw rabbits and lemurs, a deer and a bunch of other stuff. There weren’t many people there, so it was really pleasurable. That, mixed with the nice weather was really making this a day after all.
This is just a great last shot I took of the Millbrook School from the Trevor Zoo. Obviously, I am on the other side of the pond.
After we left the zoo, we headed back into town for that lunch I was telling you about. We ate a nice meal and headed out to our next destination…the Millbrook Vineyards & Winery. At this point, it was about 1:30PM, so we were spreading things out nicely.
We rolled up to the winery with some wine tasting in mind. Good thing in was a Thursday in April, because there were only a few people there.
We paid $14 for the both of us to taste seven wines. We also got to keep the wine glasses we drank out of. To follow our tradition, we bought a bottle of wine before we left. I guess that’s what people do. I think we got a Cabernet. I am not such a huge fan of that type of wine, but Laura seemed interested, so again, I agreed. I know, I know…yes, I am a catch.
I thought I would throw those last three shots in there. I had to do something while we were waiting for the tasting guy. Besides, I was trying to show off my “angles” to my lady.
If you are reading this post, you have probably seen Mount Beacon (Beacon Mountain). Maybe you didn’t even know you were looking at it. Just doing a Google Search surprised me…there are so many people interested in this mountain. Here are some interesting links…
I always knew there were a bunch of radio towers up on the moutain, but I was not aware of how many people love this place. I once new a guy…yeah, I knew a guy who used to ride a quad up Mount Beacon. Boy, he told me it sure was a difficult ride. The bottom was easy to get up, but once he hit the old ski slopes, it was nothing but huge rocks. That is pretty hard terrain for a quad.
I have heard many stories about Mount Beacon, but I really don’t know what to believe. Here is what I do know…the mountain offers a view over the City of Beacon, NY. There are radio towers, among other towers at the top of the mountain. There are also some old fire towers up there too. It offers some really great ATV riding as well, but you didn’t hear that from me.
Here are the rumors that I heard, which may very well be true. You can see New York City on a clear day. There used to be an old ski lodge at the top of the mountain with ski slopes going down the face. There was a trolly type thing that used to get pulled up the mountain. Who knows…
One of the most interesting things to me is the reservoir at the top of the mountain. I have some photos of that below. Well, what am I waiting for? Let’s see the photos…
See, I told you there was a reservoir on the mountain. This old broken down sign tells us that the reservoir holds 125 million gallons of water.
This is a view across the reservoir to one of the old fire towers. This particular one is towards the back/side of the mountain and is not as well known as the one people generally talk about at the front of the mountain.
This is a photo of the Mt. Beacon reservoir dam. Yeah, this holds all the water back, so don’t jump on it.
Usually, I try to finish up what I am doing at about 10:30PM and hop in bed to read for about a half hour. There have been times when I intended to do that, say to myself, “Oh yeah, one more thing” to then look up at the computer to see the clock read 2AM. Whoops.
Lately, I have been very good. Partly due to my new book, “Wobegon Boy” by Garrison Keillor. Let me tell you why.
A few years ago, Saturday nights were a much more popular “going out” night for me than they are now. Every so often, while driving in my car, I would be flipping through the channels on the radio to hear this very odd radio show. I never quite knew what it was…a guy talking, people singing…kind of like a variety show. I found it very interesting, but never listened long enough to quite get the name of it. I used to refer to the show as the one with the “Story Teller Guy.” I told everyone I knew about it.
After moving to the new house a little more than a year ago, I began listening to NPR (National Public Radio) a lot more. The station I listened to comes in much clearer here. Well, just as luck would have it, at about at 8:30AM, just as I begin driving across the the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, I began to hear the same voice as the Story Teller Guy give a short narration of the day’s importance on poetry, called the Writer’s Almanac. It took a few times listening to be sure it was him, and then I got curious and did some research.
Well, apparently, this man’s name is Garrison Keillor and he hosts “A Prairie Home Companion,” usually on Saturday nights. I began to listen more and more and when 7PM hit on the right night, I made it a point to get in my car for a drive. This past summer was a great one for cruising around with the radio on listening to the program. There was lots of haze and humidity…perfect for a drive at dusk with all the windows open. I tried to keep my hair a little longer than usual just for the sake of it blowing in the wind. Who knows how much longer I will have it.
Listening to this show had become one of my favorite things to do. If I missed it, I would stream it on my computer through their website. Give it a try, you might like it.
The season closer this year was held up the Berkshires at Tanglewood, one of my favorite places under the sun. Laura and I made plans to go to the show. It would be like a dream for me to see it live.
Saturday night came and went, and for some reason, we didn’t go. We didn’t talk about it…we just didn’t go. I don’t know why. Sometimes, things like this just happen. We did talk about it a few days later and decided to go up the next weekend to see the Boston Symphony Orchestra perform. We did and it was like magic. I really enjoyed laying on the blanket on the lawn listening to the music and looking at the stars. Everything was perfect…the food, the wine, the candles and the music. It couldn’t have been a better night. If I could, I would go to every show Tanglewood offers every night. Next summer, I am sure that Tanglewood will see a lot more of us.
I told my mother how much I enjoyed listening to Garrison Keillor, going to the Berkshires and…well…drinking wine. To my surprise, a few days later, I found a small package in my mailbox. It was the book, Wobegon Boy by Garrison Keillor. Thanks mom.
