“We Built This Gay City… We Built This Gay City on Rocks and Roll(ing Hills)!” Bolton, Glastonbury & Hebron, about 11 miles total June 17 and 24, 2009 It is always challenging for me to logically and concisely present these "trail networks" for easy consumption. I put a lot of effort into planning for and hiking … [Read more...]
Shade Swamp Sanctuary
Rage in a Cage Shade Swamp Nature Trails, Farmington September 10, 2009 As I poke around the state and find more trailed properties that aren't part of the CFPA Blue Trail network, I'm finding lots of cool hikes. And then there are others that are cool AND historically interesting AND perhaps just a little weird. … [Read more...]
Christmas Town: Bethlehem
O (My) Little Town of Bethlehem A visit to Christmas Town December 2009 Crazy. Plum crazy I says. I had heard about Bethlehem from a trusted source who used to write for a local paper out this way that Bethlehem was a “very conservative, very unique” place. I had read that they celebrate their name through … [Read more...]
Houses, Communities, Urban Legends, Lighthouses, Libraries, Schools, Businesses, & Theaters
Houses, Ruins, Communities, Urban Legends, Lighthouses, Libraries, Post Offices, Schools, Companies, Businesses, Hotels, B&B's, Theaters, and Hauntings Hoo boy, this is a tough category to nail down. There’s just so much crossover with museums and superlatives and National Historic Landmarks and restaurants and … [Read more...]
Bridgewater: Our Last Dry Town (Pre-2015)
At Least It Has "Water" in Its Name Bridgewater: Connecticut's Last Remaining Dry Town November 2014 Update: I’m sad about this and there’s really no reason for me to be that way. But a unique and quirky Connecticut town policy came to an end this week, with the residents of Bridgewater voting to end the town’s no … [Read more...]
Lake Zoar Area Trails
ZOOOAAARRRR! Lake Zoar Area Trails Back in the day, the CFPA used to lump a bunch of trails under this heading. Then with the newest edition of the Walk Book, it changed and is now just listed as "Kettletown State Park, Pomperaug, and Zoar Trails." Sure, the Paugussett Trail was lengthened and removed from this … [Read more...]
Shaker Village
There's a Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On! Shaker Village, Enfield March, 25, 2009 [Note: Most of the informational and historical passages in this post is excerpted directly from the Enfield Historical Society website.] Enfield. Good ol' Enfield. What better place to settle your quirky religious community than … [Read more...]
Barkhamsted Lighthouse
This (Really) Little Light Of Mine... Barkhamsted Lighthouse, Barkhamsted September 2007 This site is on the Concept of Freedom Trail, which I'll address first on this page. From the Freedom Trail folks: At this site was a village made up of Native Americans, African Americans, and whites who in their time … [Read more...]
The Former Pitkin Glass Works
A Real Glass Act Pitkin Glass Works, Manchester August 25, 2007 The Pitkin Glass Works' inclusion in CTMQ was iffy. I mean, if I plan on incorporating every ruined building with scant historical significance... Wait a minute, why not? At least maybe as long as they have an official state sign and a robust … [Read more...]
Holy Land USA
Jesus Christ, That Must've Hurt! Holy Land USA, Waterbury November 19, 2004 Note: This is a poorly edited piece from my old blog - where the trip to Holy Land USA was merely a tiny part of a larger week-long roadtrip where we picked off PA, MD, WV, and DC highpoints, so it's written sort of … [Read more...]