July 27, 2011 Project Oceanology, Groton, Connecticut

July continues to bring us together with friends.

A couple of weeks ago we said goodbye to Katsura and Kayoko Hirao who are moving back to their native Japan.  The couple was in the US while Katsura (far right) finished his Ph.D. degree in Social Work at UCONN.  Katsura was my research assistant the year I was Interim Dean and the four of us attended professional meetings in New Orleans and San Antonio.  Our mutual friend, Aki Sato (not pictured) drove the couple to Colchester on the eve of their departure.  We wish them the best of luck.

The following week we missed a tour of an oyster farm in Rhode Island when we ran into the back of a thunderstorm producing torrential rain and crackling bolts of lightning.  I doubt that the tour actually happened, but our side trip for coffee and toast to let the storm pass made us arrive in Rhode Island too late.  Maybe we will try again in August.   

To continue the weather bulletins, we were in Enfield with Buffalo Bob and Anne when Tuesday’s severe thunderstorms swept through.  I waited out the storm in a coffee shop and saw a descending funnel cloud drifting in the direction of Windham.  Yuk.

Today we made an Oceanology cruise out of Avery Point, a location I mentioned in an earlier post.  Gloria and I and our friends Neal and Dori joined several small families and a group of kids from a summer program at the Mystic Aquarium on a two hour educational cruise in Long Island Sound studying the Thames River estuary.  The sea was calm, except for the wake of the large ferry boats that regularly pass through the Sound; the sun was bright and day warm. 

The cruise is great fun in that it is very hands on, from sorting and examining slimy residents of the Sound to hoisting the anchor.  Neal, Dori, Gloria and I were given the task to collect several measurements.  Engineering professor Neal positioned the sensing equipment.  Artist and chef Dori compared the readings to a standard table.  Systems Analyst Gloria charted the data.  Yours truly, a scientist by training but administrator by aptitude, read the field instructions and kept the other three on task.  We may have been overqualified, but that didn’t diminish the fun.

The highlight of the cruise may have been a net full of spider crabs, lobsters, sea stars, squid, flounder, fluke, and rock crab. The good news is that the ecosystem at the eastern end of Long Island Sound appears healthy, with loads of life ranging from the very small to the very large and healthy levels of O2 and CO2.  This hasn’t always been the case, and it was welcome news.

Speaking of large creatures, the occupants of the net who did not survive were hand fed to a cluster of a dozen or so striped bass that gathered around the boat when we returned to the dock.  These fish, prized around here as game fish, appeared to be three or four feet in length!

These trips, and another style cruise to the Ledge Light Lighthouse, happen daily in the summer. We called ahead for reservations and were glad that we did.  Project Oceanology is operated by an association of schools, colleges and universities and has a web site at www.oceanology.org.

The adventure ended with an excellent lunch at the Seahorse in Groton Long Point, and a visit to an artist next door.  More on the artist on a later blog. 

July 12, 2011 Howe Caverns, Howes Cave, NY

A hundred and fifty miles west of Hartford CT lay Howe Caverns, a local attraction since the 1840’s when these limestone formations were discovered. Many of us remember this as something we visited as children, although it was the first time for Gloria and I.

Anne and Buffalo Bob accompanied us on this longer, but workable day trip.  Bob provided a little payback for the stuffed buffalo by presenting us with this cuddly stuffed bear.  It might be a useful aid in working on Gloria’s phobia with regards to black bears.

Our trip to Howe Caverns was a good one.  We used the interstate highway system to get there, rather than the wonderful secondary roads through western Massachusetts and central New York State,  but the trip was still pleasant.  Our route passed close to Cooperstown and the Baseball Hall of Fame, and the Soccer Hall of Fame, some destinations we are saving for other trips.

Howe Caverns are well managed.  The visitor center was comfortable and clean.  The snack bar provided good, modestly priced fare.  The gift shop was varied and likewise inexpensive.  In addition to the caves the site has motel accommodations, and some new outdoor attractions, zip lines and rope courses which we all elected to pass by.

The cave experience compared favorably to other caves we have visited.  Howe Caverns lacks the huge chambers of Luray Caverns (101 Cave Hill Road Luray, VA) and the complex formations of Chrystal Cave in Kutztown Pennsylvania, or the floating walkways of Chrystal Caves in Hamilton Parish, Bermuda. However, the long winding trail along the River Styx that flows at the base of Howe Caverns provides a unique an interesting experience.  We especially liked two features, a boat ride along a subterranean lake, and a completely creepy walk through a narrow, serpentine corridor. This long winding path had many twists and sharp turns giving the impression that at any moment we would run out of tunnel.  The lofty ceilings and smooth, tight, passages were enough to produce a little claustrophobia in Buffalo Bob and me.

The only question our able guide, Abigail, was unable to answer was why the caves were built so far from I-88! (The things tourists ask!)

If you like caves, or just want to get out of the heat for the day, this attraction is worth the trip.

July 9, 2011 Off the beaten path destination: Avery Point, Groton, CT



Me near the brick walkway leading to the Lighthouse

Here is an off the beaten path attraction on the Connecticut shoreline.   Gloria and I spent the afternoon at our favorite low-budget ocean front spot, the Avery Point Campus of the University of Connecticut in Groton, CT.  This park-like campus is one of the best values (free) in ocean side recreation in eastern Connecticut. Avery Point is a great alternative for out of town visitors banned from private beaches and tired of crowded state parks.



View of Pine Island with Fishers Island in the distance.

There is no swimming at Avery Point, but on weekends and most days in the summer parking is ample (and free).  The grounds contain a snack bar (Fin’s) open 7 to 7 seven days a week, a paved shoreline walk, beautiful grounds dotted with sculptures by local artists, a university book store, a hulking great granite mansion- The Branford House, an adjacent private marina providing lots of boat traffic, a restored light house, and gorgeous views of the mouth of the Thames River and Long Island Sound. 

Rose lined walkway outside Fin's Cafe

A short walk up the road is a second marina where kayaks and jet skis can be rented for the more hands on tourist. If you plan ahead, Project Oceanology on the campus has lighthouse and oceanographic research cruises every day except Sunday. Probably the best part of Avery Point is what it doesn’t have: crowds.



Gloria with a town beach in the background

I don’t think the locals will be too upset that I am revealing this attraction. Most locals know someone with a cottage or summer home that includes a pass to the many private beaches along the shoreline and prefer that kind of accommodation.  But if you don’t have those connections and swimming is not what you have in mind, just follow Thames Street to Shennecossett Road and check out this little gem by the sea.

To my friends from the Pacific Northwest, this coastline is not as dramatic as yours, but the sun shines here more than 200 days of the year!

David



July 5 1000th page view reached!

Entrance to the Airline Trail off Hartford Road in Colchester

Welcome back to my Blog.  The laundry is caught up, the garden is weeded, the pool is clean, and my laptop is back in my office so it is time to get back to writing and planning the next trip.

The 1,000^th page view was recorded on this blog yesterday!  Thanks for sharing this experience with me. I hope that you enjoyed the blog as much as I enjoyed doing it. Please check back as I blog about shorter trips.  I'm also revising the previous postings, adding pictures, checking for accuracy and correcting some really bad writing. So if you are planning to visit one of the places featured on the blog, check back.  

Yesterday we attended the annual 4^th of July family and friends’ reunion at my mother’s home in the northeast corner of CT.  This annual event that spans several generations had rotated to Gloria and I a couple of years ago, but Mom took the event back this year due to concerns that I would come to love the road too much and not make it back in time to host the event.  Those of you who read my blog on our extra day in Onalaska, WI know that she was nearly right.  Thanks go to my siblings, cousins and nieces for helping Mom with the work and the family and friends who made it a success by showing up. I hope someone will step up for next year when we plan to cross Canada. 

Gloria contemplating Judd Brook

Here is GLoria at one of our favorite local places, a section of the Airline Trail off Hartford Road in Colchester, CT.  Gloria and I took a in a seven mile bike ride this morning before the temperature hit the low 90s. The track is a reclaimed railroad right of way that has been converted into a long (twenty miles or so) greenway that stretches across the eastern CT countryside.  In the heavily populated east it's great to have secluded greenways like this where the only signs of civilization along the gravel track are an occasional crossing road and glimpse of a house.  The section we traversed crosses the Jeremy River and Judd Brook both of which were roaring along in May but down to much more gentle flow now. 




Judd Brook through the trees



We have been considering that to really complete our cross country trip, we need to move further east, or at least back to the Atlantic.  Maybe a day on Long Island Sound near Mystic, Connecticut, or a trip to Newport, RI, or even nearby Charleston, RI, would make a nice eastern destination.   Of course there is Cape Cod, MA, Portsmouth, NH, or the Maine coast.  Visit again and see which (or maybe all) we choose.

Today we traveled through mid New York state along RT 20 from Syracuse through Albany, Pittsfield MA, Springfield MA and finally to Colchester, CT. 

It appears that the folks around here knew that we were headed home.  Every little village along the way had lined their main streets with flags and some were holding festivals as well.  It might have been the warm up to the 4^th of July, but it was still a nice homecoming. 

Today’s off the beaten path adventure consisted of scenic drives through the Berkshire mountains on little roads along streams.  Mid-state New York and Western Massachusetts have some of the prettiest, greenest, tree lined country roads we have seen in the last month.  The scenic routes through the Berkshires may lack the lofty vistas of the Rocky mountains, but are no less beautiful.  I used to think that my belief that New England was the prettiest place in America was due to my not having seen much of the rest.  I did see some beautiful country in every state we visited, but I still find myself wanting to repeat the chant recited by Dorothy at the end of the Wizard of Oz.

Toward the end of the trip we hooked up with Buffalo Bob and his lovely wife, Anne.  Over coffee we finally managed to give him the buffalo we found in Sheridan, Wyoming.  I think the little critter suites him well.

Expect a few postings to wind up the cross country trip before we start phase two, blogging day trips and overnight excursions in New England. I expect to see quite a few of you at the big family and friends 4th of July celebration in Putnam.  To the rest, check in later, after I have unpacked and scraped 5,500 miles of bugs out of the grill of the Outback.

Thanks for journeying with us.

David & Gloria

Day32 Ashtabula, Ohio to Syracuse, NY

Today we travelled through a little of Ohio, a small slice of Erie County, Pennsylvania along Lake Erie, and then turned inland on route 86 in New York State that runs just above the Pennsylvania border.  This country really looks like home.  No red buttes, no sagebrush, some corn, but the hills are more numerous and shorter.  Also, there are trees everywhere! Grass grows up to the side of the road and sometimes in the cracks!  New York and New England look tropical next to most of the states we visited with the possible exception of parts of Wisconsin.  Yes Elizabeth, the horses can smell the hay in the barn.

Around mid state we left RT 86 for highway 19 which heads north toward Rochester, and more importantly to the little town of Le Roy and our primary off the beaten path destination of the day, the Jell-0 museum!  Given our experience with little towns we shouldn’t have been surprised to find that the Le Roy historical society had not one, but three museums on the same block. 

The Jell-O museum provides the history of the gelatin dessert that was created in Le Roy.  Exhibits trace the commercial history of the product through several unsuccessful early attempts to market the product through its present home as a member of the Kraft foods family.  The museum was cute, well displayed, and an introduction provided by a staff person was helpful, but no samples of the prepared dessert were available. 

The displays showed changes in the packaging and marketing, video and still pictures of the many celebrities who have been spokespersons including Bill Cosby who worked for the brand for 30 years. The display was hampered  a bit by the fact that Jell-O is a trade name owned  by Kraft who does not sponsor the museum.  Therefore the museum has no (or none I could find) information about manufacture and production of Jell-O or Products. 

Much to our surprise we found an excellent exhibit of horse drawn carriages, early bicycles, and sleighs in a transportation museum just below the Jell-O museum. The vehicles were well preserved and easily approached. 

The third museum was the Le Roy house, a Federalist mansion built for the original overseer of a large track of tenant farms in the early 19^th century.  The historical society requests that visitors not take pictures inside, but I can tell you that it is filled with period pieces and very helpful volunteers.  Le Roy is definitely worth the visit. 

The day ended on a note that can only be interpreted as confirmation that it is time to be home.  We had difficulty finding our hotel in Syracuse, finally discovering that we had the wrong street number entered in the GPS.  Upon arriving in the lobby expecting the hotel in which we had stayed on the trip west, we were surprised to see that it had been renovated.  Actually, it wasn’t the same hotel! Talk about disorientation. However, it was the place I had reserved by phone, and one of three Hampton Inns in the area. Anyway, the place is very nice, and only about 280 miles from Colchester, CT.

We have a few more adventures planned before we make it back to Colchester so be sure to check in tomorrow.

Please note that we intend to keep the blog going a bit longer.  We have a few more items related to this trip to share and then we plan a series on off the beaten path attractions within a day trip of SE Connecticut. AJ is on vacation next week and we may take some trips with him.  So keep checking in.  Feel free to nominate a destination and we will check it out and include it on the blog.  See you along the way.