Connecticut Line to Bulls Bridge

It was back to the hiking trail for us today.  Temperatures were much lower with a high of only 87.  However, the humidity seemed like it was in the triple digits.  Sweat just poured off.  I guess that’s good to purge you body of impurities.  We stopped to talk to a couple thru-hikers and during our conversation one of the guys wadded up sections of his shorts and wrung the sweat out.  The other guy just let his drip; mine were dripping, too.  Incredible!

We hiked together today.  That was a bit unusual.  With the lack of a map and guidebook and never having hiked in Connecticut before, we thought it a good idea to stick together today.  We did the section between Hoyt Road at the edge of New York and Bull’s Bridge Road.  We started at Bull’s Bridge Road and hiked south.  When we got to Hoyt Road and turned around to come back that same 4 miles, I almost regretted our decision to hike together.

The trail was dirt with very few rocks and, except for that 700 foot climb (which we had to do twice), the trail was pretty gentle.  Our first mile and a half followed the Housatonic River and would have been a scenic walk had it been winter.  Today, the leaves blocked much of the view.  After crossing Ten Mile River where it converges with the Housatonic, we stopped in at Ten Mile Shelter.  In Connecticut, they called these structures lean-tos, but they are similar to the three-sided shelters we’ve seen in the south.  The shelter was located near the river making it a nice spot to rinse off and cool off at the end of the day.

While at the shelter, we had a short conversation with three ladies doing a short section.  It seemed like a fairly young mother and her young teenage daughters.  Today was the mother’s birthday.  Gene happened to mention that yesterday had been Ringo Starr’s 70th birthday.  The comment by one of the young girls made us realize how old we were.  She said something like, “wow, 70 years old and out here hiking the trail”.  We decided she didn’t have a clue who Ringo Starr is.

Camping is allowed only in designated areas in Connecticut.  We passed a couple of camping areas, but didn’t go off the trail to investigate.

We got up to the top of Ten Mile Hill and found a rock to sit on for a break.  No views, however.  At least not today.  Again, the leaves blocked the view if there had been one.  Today, it was so humid that it seemed like we were in a cloud of skimmed milk.

After a short break, we headed down the hill to the state line and, and just beyond that, Hoyt Road.  For a state line marker, there was a box nailed to a tree where someone had scratched in CT/NY.  After turning around at the road, we soon came across a much nicer Connecticut sign nailed high on a tree.  We had missed it southbound since it was so high and out of view.

We were dragging by the time we climbed back over Ten Mile Hill and made our way to the truck.  The humidity really sapped our energy.  We each drained our water bottles, drank an ice cold coke, and stopped at a store for a 16 oz green tea.  I was still thirsty when I got home.

The Bull’s Bridge was interesting.  It is one of only two covered bridges in Connecticut which still allow traffic on the bridge. I went down the slope to make a picture of the bridge and found a surprise.  Water was being released from a dam on the Housatonic River.

We’ll go back to the trail tomorrow, partly to avoid the weekend crowds, but also to take advantage of a much cooler day.  We’ll also go back to our regular routine of hiking opposite each other.

That’s it for today.

Bennington, Vermont

Today we drove west to the town of Bennington. One of the first city settlements in the state, Bennington sits in the southwestern corner of the state nestled amongst the Green Mountains. There are plenty of outdoor activities in the area, but we just wanted to see some of the old city.

Henry Bridge

We started out with the covered bridges. There are 5 bridges in Bennington County, as well as a Covered Bridge Museum, but we only went to the 3 closest to the historic district. Although covered bridges come in many different styles, these three were all built in the Town Lattice style. All three also span the Wallomsac River. As you look at the photos, they are going to look very similar, almost like looking at the same bridge. The Henry Bridge was named for the land owner who built his home across the street from the bridge. The Henry House is now a Bed and Breakfast.

Bennington College Dining Hall and Commons

Dorms at Bennington College

On the opposite side of highway 67 from the bridges is Bennington College. Since it was so close we decided to walk around there. We had no prior knowledge of Bennington College, but we felt like it would be an old campus because the city is old. Boy, were we wrong. However, it is beautiful and very small.

Sacred Heart Church

The Monument commemorating the Revolutionary War Battle of Bennington was next. About this time of year in 1777 the “Green Mountain Boys” of Vermont helped to defeat a superior British force. Today the towering 300 foot stone monument can be seen from all over the city. From here we walked about 4 blocks down Monument Ave admiring the old homes from the late 1700s and early 1800s. This little walk brought us to The Old First Church and it’s cemetery where Robert Frost is buried. The church, built in the early 1800s in the Georgian Federal style, cost less than $8,000 to construct.

Old First Church

We wanted to see a little bit of downtown so we found a parking place and walked around for about an hour. This part of town is very accessible to tourists. There are several public parking lots which are free as well as free parking along the streets. We enjoyed the architecture, window shopping, and sculptures along the sidewalk. Like the cows, moose, and guitars or other cities, Bennington is decorated with sculptures of everyday folks doing everyday things. Most of them are so good they almost look alive. My favorite was the couple peering through the binoculars on the lawn in front of the funeral home—looking for the promised land, I guess.

We found a coffee shop, grabbed a cup to go, and headed home having enjoyed another fine Vermont town.

Vermont Country Store

We went for a short drive north today to see a little bit of southern Vermont. We drove US highway 5 which parallels the Connecticut River. I guess this would be considered the foothills of the Green Mountains. It is the beautiful rolling countryside they call the Connecticut River Valley.

We found ourselves at The Vermont Country Store in Rockingham. It was a wonderful place. There was a large section of clothing—lots of warm stuff for the long, cold winters. There was a huge section of toys for the young and those who want to be young. All kinds of toys and games were in stock, modern things as well as toys and games our parents might have played. There were books, body lotions, and boots along side wood burning stoves and enamel cookware. There were fun things, too. One of Gene’s favorites was the duck tape bandages. There were candles and kitchen gadgets. There was one large room of food items—chutney, jam, pickled green beans. This was my favorite place—it was where all the samples were. I tasted cheeses, preserves, lobster bisque dip and something hotter than anything I have ever put in my mouth. And what country store worth anything doesn’t have a boat load of candy. There was everything from liquorices and the old fashioned rock candy to chocolate covered gummy bears. Just fabulous.

Also on the property was a grist mill. It was not open at the time we were there, but it is a small museum. There was also a covered bridge. Usually, bridges will have a name and there was none that I could find. It made me wonder if it was the genuine article or not. It did look old and there were numbers and letters on the ends of the beams inside which made me think it had been moved there from somewhere else and reassembled. It was neat anyway.

Sipping Green Mountain coffee on a glider

We had a great day. This is just the kind of thing we like to do.

Jay Covered Bridge

Jay Covered Bridge

This afternoon I dashed off between the rain showers to see if I could find the historic covered bridge in the small hamlet of Jay, New York. The bridge was built in 1856 and restored in 2006. As covered bridges go, it is nothing special, but for this small community it is the centerpiece of a very attractive city park. The town of Jay was established in 1798 and was named for John Jay, a governor of New York. With iron ore deposits and the raging AuSable River for water power, it seemed like a good place for the early settlers to settle down. A forge and mills were built and thrust the area into an industrial region. Today, Jay is a center for arts and crafts in the area and is within a few minutes of the wilderness that is Adirondack Park.

I guess I’m not so different from the thousands of tourists who search out the covered bridges around our country. After all, on this rainy afternoon there was another gentleman there with his camera in hand. Why are folks drawn to these relics? It is a bit of nostalgia, I guess, for an age gone by.

Groveton, New Hampshire

Covered bridges came about for two reasons. A covered bridge looks a whole lot like a barn and it was apparently easy to fool a herd of cows that was being moved from one place to another. Also, anything protected from the weather will last longer and that includes bridges. Having a bridge last for half a century was far better than rebuilding every 10 to 20 years. Many covered bridges dot the landscape of northern, harsh climate, states.

Stark New Hampshire

Swift River Bridge

Here are photos of the Jay Covered Bridge as well as a few bridges I found in New Hampshire a couple years ago.

West Ausable River approaching the Jay Covered Bridge