Connecticuts Quiet Corner.

Last night I told my wife that this past week had made me loony and I would be skipping church this morning...




So out the driveway and down my road I went...



These next few photos are of the not so quiet portion of Connecticut's quiet corner. Those of you who are fans of modern Womens Basketball, this place helped put it on the map. Go Huskies!





Not a lot of folks know that UConn has a huge Agricultural Science Department. This was taken a couple of hundred yards up, and on the opposite side ot the street from the last photo. It is part of the University of Connecticut's farm.


If you have ever been to the Northeast, you have learned to look for signs like this. It tells you, the next several miles, life is GOOD!


Me and the wee arrive at our destination.. The Vanilla Bean Cafe. Kind of like Marcus Dairy was 30 years ago before the crowds.




Not everyone likes to be quiet in Connecticuts quiet corner...


Which is why I wear these...

If you have never had a set, get some. One of the best $125.00 I ever spent!

Time to head home since I have to open the Shop at noon.




Folks don't realize how much of the Northeast is Wetlands. Wetlands are Natures sponge to control flooding. If you destroy them or fill them in, it's a bad thing. Just ask the folks from New Orleans.



New Englanders love to build Churches (or used to anyway). In 2 1/2 hours of country riding I probably went passed 40 of them.



Almost home here. Willimantic is a small city next to my home town of Lebanon. American Thread was the Textile company that the city grew up around in the 19th century. They have recently restored the old mills as Business offices and the Artspace apartments for all sorts of artists and musicians.




This is Thread City Crossing, called the Frog Bridge by the locals. The legend says that Willimantic was inundated with Frogs over night one day and that they were so thick on the ground, you couldn't walk without stepping on one. The bridge celebrates Willimantics heritage with the frogs sitting on top of thread spool columns.


Up the hill and through the woods, this trail is the other end of Old Highway. At one time it was the main road between Lebanon and Willimantic.


And of course, Old Highway, the road I live on. I guess now you know where my screen name came from.



My driveways on the left. After this, Old Highway becomes the trail that comes out about a mile further on that you saw in the earlier photo.


And be it ever so humble, there is no place like home.

Looks like you had a nice ride! Thanks for the pics.

It's good to know that such pastoral settings exist in an area that I have always assumed is densely overdeveloped.

great area

Many of the uniforms for the Union Army were made at that mill. Great area to ride.

Connecticut

Used to live in Avon, CT on Old Town Road. Aptly named, the road dated back to 1705 - used to be a King's Highway.

Connecticut tends not to use fake road and town names like they do here in the Midwest. Bolingbrook, Ill (no brook) Blue Island, Ill (no island) Lake in the Hills, Ill (small lake and no hills) Golden Valley, Minnesota (no valley) Pet peeve of mine.

Thanks for the report!

Great job, Steve!

Back in the mid 90s, I was the art director of the original Connecticut Getaway Guide (not many folks realized this, but both CT and MA's official tourism magazines were designed and produced in Manhattan by the New York Times, my employer ), and I discovered the serene beauty and incredible history of the Nutmeg State.

Thanks for taking us along for this wonderful view of your own quiet corner

alien_hitchhiker said:

Looks like you had a nice ride! Thanks for the pics.

It's good to know that such pastoral settings exist in an area that I have always assumed is densely overdeveloped.

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Thanks. Glad you enjoyed the photos. it gave me a chance to try out my new little point and shoot camera.

The diversity in Connecticut is almost overwhelming. From the North end of Hartford, which is pure American urban living at it's worst, to where I was riding, is a 45 minute drive.

The good part about Connecticut is that you can still get away to some typical New England countryside easily. And once you get there, the history runs very deep.

Great report. What are those earplugs???

Grumpole said:

Great report. What are those earplugs???

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Custom made at a local Audiologist. Most Audiology clinics can make you a set. They work really well. You can put different filters in depending on how much sound reduction you want. If you are in the CT/RI area, PM me and I'll give you the contact number for the guy I got them from.

Thought that one picture was familiar. Our daughter is going into her 4th year at UConn and stayed down there this summer working 3 parttime jobs.

She keeps trying to get me to allow her to have the Kaw 250R at school. One of these weekends we will have to take the K1100 when we visit her.

Nice pictures.

John

Nice ride report.
The Vanilla Bean Cafe is a favorite Sat morning ride for my wife and I. (Not as many people as Sun.) Then we head out from there. Lots of side roads to ride.

Nice work, Oldhway. My backyard.

How do you post pictures? Using an image hosting site like Smugmug, I presume?

Nice job dude. great report and I love the pics

Nice ride report!

soffiler said:

Nice work, Oldhway. My backyard.

How do you post pictures? Using an image hosting site like Smugmug, I presume?

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Thanks everybody! My fist attempt at a ride report so there was a learning curve. I bought a new small point and shoot camera which I keep in the tankbag and this gave me a chance to try it out. Not bad for a $120.00 best Buys special (Nikon Coolpix L18).

I used smugmug for the photos. Between the web site and Knary's and other folks posted tips here http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?t=4417, post #7, I was able to figure it out.

I keep thinking about this. Connecticut has 3 quiet corners.

Nice report!

Oldhway said:

...I used smugmug for the photos. Between the web site and Knary's and other folks posted tips here http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?t=4417, post #7, I was able to figure it out.

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Thanks much Oldhway. That thread is extremely helpful even though it's three years old. I'm not sure I can explain why exactly, but I am resistant to SmugMug. I have a Picassa account on Google and I'm still trying to make that work...

tommcgee said:

I keep thinking about this. Connecticut has 3 quiet corners.

Nice report!

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Three? I count two. But only one Quiet Corner.