Hot Dogs And Cool, Cool River Walks

Clean, cool water, oh how we humans take it for granted.

On hot summer days, four-legged and two-legged beings head for the shade and water in the form of rivers, streams, ponds and pools.

The Connecticut River is New England's longest river, a tidal highway of much history and scenic beauty.Now there's even more ways to re-connect with the river as the first sections of the Connecticut River Walk and Bikeway, a 3.7 mile segment in Springfield and a 1.7 mile segment in Agawam, Massachusetts, are open to the public. (Be sure to carry plenty of clean water, don't let dogs drink river water if possible.)



Visitors can stroll near the banks of the Connecticut River, on trails that include publicly-owned municipal flood control land.

Trail Access and Parking

Visitors may park under I-91 near the Riverfront Park entrance at West Columbus Avenue and State Street. Find additional entrances to the Springfield portion of the River Walk & Bikeway at West Columbus Ave. just north of the South End Bridge, via the pedestrian bridge at the Basketball Hall of Fame, and Riverfront Park on West Columbus Ave. & State St. Trail maps are available for more locations for public access to the trail and parking.

Life In Black And White And White And Black

It's officially that time of the year once again - when ticks crawl the earth to find a host, feed on blood and maybe spread their pathogens.

Don't let them come home on you or your dogs - use a topical preventative (such as Frontline) according to the manufacturer's recommendations (or ask your vet) - and be vigilant about doing a tick check every day.

Ticks are carriers of Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis and other nasties, sometimes several strains at the same time. Don't handle ticks if possible. Pry one loose using a device or a pair of good quality tweezers (don't squeeze.) And the best way to dispose of them is to drop into alcohol and cap the container.

The Tick Key is one clever tick removal device made in Connecticut - light, flat and is easy to carry in a wallet.

A few tips: Stay away from high grass and the edges of woods and leaves. Sometimes the walkways through town are the worst spots since tall weeds thrive near these paved paths.

Maybe it's a good time to just soak up some history and until the mowers catch up with all that vibrant spring growth.

One of my favorite places is Wethersfield, Connecticut.

Members of the Wethersfield Historical Society will lead informative tours through Old Wethersfield on Thursday, May 13 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. or Saturday, May 15, 10 to 11:30 a.m.

Walk the village and listen to stories about the architecture and people who lived in town long ago. Guests should meet in front of the Keeney Center on Main Street. Wear comfortable walking shoes. (Rain cancels.)

Fee charged.

Colonel Wadsworth's Legacy: Waterfalls, Beauty

Clarence C. Wadsworth was a lover of language, a scholar and a linguist. He held the rank of Colonel in the New York National Guard, then married and lived in Middletown, Connecticut.

His will established The Rockfall Corporation, a non-profit organization, and a parcel of his holdings were given to the state in 1942. The 267 acres include part of the Coginchaug River, which is unusual in that it flows north.

Recently, the incredible power of the river were visible after record rainfalls. The river left its banks and flooded roads and fields. The waters once were harnessed to provide waterpower for a variety of industries. A sluiceway and stone walls and dams remain in the park.

One of the first pistol factories in Connecticut was operated during the 1800s by Simeon North, who developed the interchangeable parts system for firearms used in the Civil War.

An easy walk from the parking area on Cherry Hill Road leads to the "big falls." (There are "little falls" too.)

A stone bridge used by the Colonel is hidden inside the depths of the park and leads to birch stands, streams and ruins of a farmhouse.

Winter Walks: River's End, Long Island Sound

New England winters test human and dogs. Blasting winds, cold clawing at your face and stinging sand await - but walking daily means sometimes the weather is a true force to reckon with.

Like this recent stormy day at Hammonasset Beach State Park. (In my family, when someone says "the beach" this is the destination.)

Located in Madison, the park offers plenty of walking and thinking space in the winter. No fee is charged for admission in off-season. Do note that if there is snow, the front gates most likely are closed and all walks start there.



Here's an excerpt from the history of the park, listed on the Connecticut DEP site (which offers maps and links worth a look): "Hammonasset' means, "where we dig holes in the ground" and refers to the place where a settlement of eastern woodland Indians farmed along the river.

"In 1898 the Winchester Repeating Arms Company bought Hammonasset and used it as a testing site for their new rifle . . . which it was fired into targets on the beach.

"During World War II the park was closed to the public and loaned to the federal government as an army reservation."

The geology at the park is quite interesting too. The rock beach at the south end shows off the glacial outwash and on clear days walkers can see Long Island, a terminal moraine. But that's another story.

Only The Hardy Souls Walk The Winter Connecticut River - Reward? Eagles

The annual eagle count in Connecticut takes place on Jan. 9. (See full story on Connecticut Public Broadcasting site - http://www.cpbn.org/node/17505.)

From the state of Connecticut Council on Environmental Quality site (www.ct.gov):

"The bald eagle is listed as endangered in Connecticut.

"The Northern States Bald Eagle Recovery Plan established a goal for Connecticut of 20 breeding birds (10 nests), which was reached for the first time in 2005. The population of bald eagles is included as an indicator because the eagle is representative of species, especially predators, that share similar habitat requirements: large areas of relatively undisturbed land near rivers or lakes where the birds can find adequate supplies of fish and other prey that are – very importantly – only minimally contaminated."

If you are a patient walker, try looking on the Connecticut River - eagles fish the river and as the ice locks waters up, the birds follow the open river.

Not Machu Picchu - The Ruins of Lost Mill Village

Gay City State Park (yes, it's an odd name, after the settler's family name Gay, not for a lifestyle) offers stone ruins of a mill factory village among more than 1,500 acres. Swimming in summer, cross-country skiing when there's snow, but the trails for walking are available year-round.

From the Connecticut DEP state park site:

"Gay City was first settled in 1796 by a religious sect led by Elijah Andrus and later by Rev. Henry P. Sumner. The Gays soon comprised the majority of the 25 or more families who then lived in the community. The residents kept strictly to themselves, existing as distinctly separate from the neighboring communities. They built a sawmill along the Black Ledge River and erected homes from the lumber.

"Gay City's fate changed with the successes and failures of several commercial enterprises. A woolen mill on the site 1/4 mile below the present pond was a successful business until extreme pressures caused by the various blockades during the War of 1812 brought its closing. Once revived, the mill burned to the ground in 1830, beginning the town's decline with the exodus of many people to urban factory jobs.

"Rev. Sumner's son built a paper mill which again revived the town somewhat until the Civil War, when many of the town's younger men were killed in battle. Soon after, the mill burned down, triggering the final demise of Gay City and nature's reclaiming of the land."

A detailed map (available online or at the park entrance) should be carried along - the interconnected paths can be confusing.

Book On Connecticut River Valley & Tobacco

A stunning sight - bright green broad leaves of tobacco plants against the red-brown earth of Connecticut.

A new book Connecticut Valley Vernacular: The Vanishing Landscape and Architecture of the New England Tobacco Fields by James F. O'Gorman offers a readable account of the agricultural history of tobacco in the river valley. Vintage photographs offer a view into the not-so-long-ago time when shade-grown tobacco was a way of life in the region.

The Connecticut River valley was once a major producer of cigar leaf tobacco, and tobacco is still grown in the state.
(The river actually begins near the Canadian border and travels south some 400-plus miles, wending through fertile lands on its journey south to Long Island Sound.)

The book (published by University of Pennsylvania Press) examines a vanishing way of life and the architecture the valued crop called into being. (A tobacco shed is actually a wooden mechanical device to properly dry the crop.)

O'Gorman is a professor of history of American art at Wellesley College and author of the best-selling ABC of Architecture.

Connecticut River Vista, Source To Sound

The Connecticut River is a long tidal river that begins at the Canadian border and flows south to empty into Long Island Sound.

The Connecticut River Valley encompasses so much more than the state of Connecticut - to explore the human stories, geology, river valley towns, cultural history and related tributaries along the way easily could fill a lifetime of wandering and walking.

For example:

The Connecticut River Greenway State Park connects open spaces, parks, scenic vistas, and archaeological and historic sites along the length of the Connecticut River as it passes through Massachusetts.

There are more than 12 miles of permanently protected shoreline, and numerous access points to the river including Pauchaug (as seen above), in Northfield (Route 63), with a paved parking area and boat ramp.

Dinosaur Trackway: Walk This Way

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The Connecticut Valley is full of dinosaur footprints and trackways.

One such location is a little-known park in Middlefield, Conn., where a small park allows visitors to view up tilted rocks with dinosaur footprints preserved in stone. The old quarry once owned by Professor W.R. Coe and was the property of the Yale Peabody Museum for an outdoor exhibit. At one time the tracks were painted so they would appear more distinct. Now owned by the town of Middlefield, a small sign proclaims Powder Hill Dinosaur Park. The neat and sturdy (now privately-owned) home opposite the fenced-in area (across the street) was once the home of Professor Coe.

Follow the tracks in the floor of the quarry and try to imagine the dinosaur walking along the mud in Triassic era time. Those who examine the layers carefully will also uncover petrified ripple marks and mud cracks, now preserved in stone.

Directions: Take Route 66 from Meriden (east) or from Middletown (west) onto Route 147. Turn south and turn on Powder Hill Road. About 1/4 mile past the now dormant Powder Ridge Ski entrance, the park is on the right.