Opening Day of Fishing Season
MB -Hop River State Park Rails to Trails
4/20 Sat 1-4pm.
Cloudy, haze and some sun w breeze and in the 50's.
Windham and Columbia CT
Route 6 in Windham, CT and parked in lot across from U-Haul and Card Mill Road.
Biked West to Willimantic and freight yard along Riverside Drive but no trains.
Biking west into Columbia, CT on Hop River State Park Rail to Trails.
Remote section and trail less maintained. Crushed ballast and sand. Two CHD markers alongside Route 6 "Connecticut Highway Department" cement markers. Small bridge over farm track through pasture land.
Stopped at old railroad bridge over the Hop River which is out and impassable. Picturesque spot with flood damage to old stone abutments and rotting railroad ties. I turned back to parking lot to continue my journey from the other side of bridge.
Pucker Street tunnel on Roses Bridge Road. I parked at a fishing turnoff near one way bridge and biked down side embankment of tunnel to pick up trail to head both east and west.
Many fishermen along Hop River. Met up with passing girl on horseback with a skittish thoroughbred. Coventry Open Space marshlands on both sides of trail with waterfowl and ponds.
Some old stone stream crossing bridges and highway overpasses. Stopped at other side of old bridge with sun shining. Found a Hemingrey No. 40 dark green/blue glass telegraph pole insulator in leaf litter and put it in my pocket as a souvenir.
Picturesque farm with a few red pines and rocks on other side of fenced in meadow.
Old blue enamel ware pot left on tree stump. I walked alongside the riverbank at a quiet spot of hemlock and pines. The rail grading was shored up here with fieldstone.
I passed by parking area and lot where I parked by mistake having missed the tunnel exit location. I continued on after noticing new scenery. Amazing stretch of river between Pucker Street tunnel and Parker Bridge Road parking lot. Came across a fishermen's encampment.
The trail well maintained with red sand and gravel. Passed dog walkers and fishermen. One boy caught a large trout and was having his picture taken. Great fishing spots. I found a new river to fish!
I made my way to the Parker Bridge Road lot and turned back having finished the Bolton to Windham sections of trail.
KFC in East Windsor for dinner, as I skipped my lunch.
04/17/13 Hop River State Park Trail, Columbia, CT
Mountain Biking Hop River State Park Trail
Burnap Brook Road, Andover, CT lot to Parker Bridge Road Lot, Columbia, CT.
Clear Blue Skies with some wind and 60's sunshine.
1 pm.-3:20 pm Crescent moonrise in east.
1:15 pm. leave Burnap Brook Road Lot and head east on rails to trails. Interesting stonewalls and former wagon roads intersecting trail. Andover History Museum parking. Old white colonial home with large Norway Spruce in front yard. Old iron farm implements on lawn.
Lake Road crossing with Cheney Brook stone bridge. Fresh spring green leaf shoots on shrubbery with view of sunlight reflected off brook dancing on inside of tunnel.
I found a new river after riding under Rt. 6 tunnel with small brook entering it and creating a falls. The Hop River!
2:45 arrived at Parker Bridge Road lot and turn around into the wind. An excellent railroad straightaway with extended view of path through grey leafless trees and old telegraph poles.
3:18 Returned to Burnap Brook Road lot and depart with windows off jeep, Yippee.
4 pm. Reins Deli in Vernon, CT for lunch of Reuben on rye and cream soda for late lunch.
04/15/13 Patriots Day at Wells State Park
Hiking at Wells State Park, Sturbridge, MA
Partly Cloudy, in the 60's
9:30 am leave home for Wells State Park in Sturbridge. MA. Never been there before but looks like a good hiking spot with some historic features and a lookout called Carpenter's Rocks.
Arrived at 10:15 and parked in lot at Perez Walker Homestead. A few cellar holes remain of 1790-1889 homestead.
We took the Red blazed North Trail. After a brief hike we came across a girl in trench coat, hoodie and wearing headphones trudging up the mountain.
Crossed under crackling power lines with two pine saplings adorned with Christmas bulbs.
Crossed paths with same girl hiker again. Ceramic MTB placards posted on trees as trail markers.
11:35 came to Carpenter's Rocks overlook with view of distant hills grey with evergreens spotting distant hills. Very steep 100 ft. drop off to the forest floor below. Pine and black birch on rocky outcropping.
Took yellow trail down to Mill Pond. Old 18th Century dam site and flooded marsh. Beaver dams and platform nests where four or more wildfowl birds, possibly great blue herons nesting above marsh. Followed stream to stone pool and raceway. At another pond we noticed a dump sight with glass glistening from under leaf fall and chose to investigate. Picked through some 50's bottles.
Dome Perez, Jersey bottle but decided not to carry it away.
Made it back to car at 2 pm. Upon leaving we pulled over to watch a blue heron take off in adjacent swamp.
4/14/13 Sunday 3:12-4:33 pm MB
Scully Road NLT fire road, Somers CT
Overcast and blustery.
Network of fire roads and trails and easy to get lost. Skirted ridge of Bald Mt and down around to old cellar holes. Made my way up and down muddy and rubble strewn tracks to housing development and turned back before I got really lost, I did not want to end up on the other side of Somers Mt. A nice stream flowed between two ridges and I stopped at a pool. I did not spend a lot of time reflecting or taking pictures and jamming down the mountain to release tension and be aggressive with the terrain made for a great work out. The sun began to shine as I made my way back to abandoned hunting cottage and down to Scully Road.
A lady at Geissler's Supermarket in Somers asked me in the parking lot after seeing my muddy bike asked where I went mountain biking. I told her and that the conditions were in fact muddy, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. She mentioned trying Robinson State Park in Agawam.
04/11/13 Hop River State Park Trail
Thursday, 9:40 am to 2 pm.
Weather: Cloudy and chilly
Destination: Bolton, CT
Activity: Mountain Biking
Arrived at Bolton, CT park and ride lot and set out on Hop River Linear Rails to Trails for Andover, CT.
Massive concrete tunnel for Route 44 overpass and its junction with Route 6. Runoff streams on both sides of trail and cut rock cliffs.
Old remains of quarry operations.
Hewn cliffs with tell tale rock splitting marks and stone overpass.
Some telegraph poles still standing.
Stunning stone bridge for stream with water tumbling down into small pool.
Steeles Crossing Road with several old roads crisscrossing over trail.
Bailey Road Crossing
Rose Trail and Bolton Heritage Farm junction.
Burnap Brook Road crossing and parking lot in Andover, CT. Walked down to waters edge and was afforded great view of waterfall and railroad bridge.
At noontime I turned back.
Back to parking lot at 2 pm and departed.
