Pivot and Pause in New England
A Photographic Journal of Opportunities
I played the odds with a 40 percent chance of rain. With the temperature at 75 I figured a short paddle or a hike could be achievable and even fun as I watched Zeus and his buddy swim for sticks!
A relaxing walk through random droplets;
A run into a perfectly placed teepee as it drizzled
And then a fun final sprint (hovering over the camera) with laughs as the clouds opened up!
Can’t wait to return!
There was a hot and humid heat wave at the end of June. I couldn’t go far so decided to try paddling at the Saugatuck River. I launched at the public launch site off of Elaine Road under 95.
It was such a beautiful paddle. It was cool on the river and I felt the few of us on the water were the luckiest group to include the geese!
There were so many geese I couldn’t count them or even capture them all in a photo.
The swans were watching carefully as they protected their young. It was not until I loaded the below picture that I saw the baby swan sleeping camouflaged by the rocks.
Made it to the small waterfall on the river – I heard some portage over to continue. I turned back from here with perfect timing as I heard folks singing from the Westport pavilion from the water!
The sky began to turn colors as the sun set and I loaded the kayak back on my car. Everyone else complained about the heat that evening. Not me! Great evening.
June 2021
Awesome paddle and bike adventure on Farmington River. Since the river is long and diverse, it’s important to do some research for your skill level both in relation to the current and how far you would like to go. My jaunt was relatively flat with a few little areas of navigation.
We started in Riverton by grabbing a bite at the Riverton General store. Great sandwiches and inviting patio.
Down the road is Riverton park where we chose to begin the paddle.
Directions: In Riverton you will find a parking lot on Rt.20 across from the Old Hitchcock Chair Factory Store, which is now called Riverton Self Storage.
Flat and Class 1 waters that were a bit intimidating at first for this old lady but it’s shallow waters. Great time!
We paddled downstream to Pleasant Valley. It was about five miles.
Due to the current I didn’t take many pictures but it was a lovely ride with loads of anglers and other kayakers. Lots of herons about that appeared to be cheering us along.
American Legion and Peoples State Forests are located on opposite sides of the Farmington River’s West branch in Barkhamsted. It was fun to then pick up the bikes and ride the five mile return up the road of People’s forest. We then picked up the car and went back to get the kayak down the American Legion side.
It was a great paddle and hike adventure. This was not a paddle that I could have done back upstream. Had to be one way and this was a fun way of doing it!
I read about this Middle Eastern restaurant and stopped by after a bike ride to learn it’s currently opened Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 5-9pm (as of June 2021).
The food was so delicious and fresh that I ordered more than I could eat to take some home including chicken shawarma, spanakopita, hummus, tabouli and kibbeh.
436 Main Street, Winsted.
I enjoyed this restaurant after my fun paddle and bike excursion nearby in Barkhamsted.
https://btographytravels.com/2021/06/28/ct-litchfield-county-barkhamsted-summer-kayaking/
Finding outdoor adventures have been my respite through the pandemic. I’m amazed at how much Connecticut has offered me having been a NYC brat even after I moved here.
On my list for years was a visit to Philip Johnson’s glass house. Philip Johnson was a renowned architect whose influence can be found around the world.
On the self guided tour you meet kind and knowledgeable docents who share not only the history of the grounds and his work but his whimsical quotes which make you appreciate his character.
There are different structures around the property each with its specific intent and design.
As I won’t do either justice, I would encourage a visit to the property should this have sparked your interest!
Below is the link for a better overview and tickets. As I write I have only been on the grounds but interior tours will soon be reopening!
Highly recommend a kayak down Great Swamp. I started in Patterson NY launching down a dirt road from the Patterson Recreation Center. The recreation center is at 65 Front Street. Drive passed it and make a left and go to end of dirt road about 1/2 mile. Parking for about six available.
The river felt like a jungle cruise. I was warned and can understand that you need to ensure the water is high enough.
I did see a beaver, a heron, birds, turtles and frogs. The underwater foliage was also fun and seemingly iridescent.
Fortunately I was able to get through or around beaver dams and downed trees but if the water was lower I likely could not.
Below is the site I referenced to learn about it. Couple this with Great Hollow Nature Preserve and White Silo Vineyard for a fun day!
Ate at the Carriage house before my launch which was yummy!
Per Wikipedia, Larkin State Park Trail is a Connecticut rail trail that follows the former New York & New England Railroad roadbed across the towns of Southbury, Oxford, Middlebury, and Naugatuck. The trail is 10.3 miles long; its eastern terminus is at Whittemore Glen State Park, the western at Kettletown Road in Southbury
I had my road bike so wondered if the trail would be manageable for that. While I could handle it, there were different road types so I would recommend a hybrid or a mountain bike.
My most favorite aspect of these paths, however, is finding the off path jaunts to “narnia” as my friend and I like to call them.
Suddenly my ears perked! I only heard a bit of extra waterflow and knew there may be something of interest around! Climbing down a decent embankment that was cleared by others I found I had been riding over a stone bridge beneath there was an encouraging pool of water.
I even saw a beaver!
For safety sake, do ensure you are riding the right gear and if you go off trail ensure you are dressed appropriately and check for ticks.
This spot combines two of my favorite things in one – ice cream and a sunset!
In Warwick, New York on the top of a mountain lies the creamery. I have been here twice at sunset as I’ve been told it’s the best place for a sunset!
While it was cloudy on this evening the sun peeked brilliantly through the clouds filling the onlooking benches with happy ice cream eaters 🙂
But wait there’s more! Drive down to the base of the mountain and you will find their picturesque farm filled with cows.
1390 Route 17, Warwick NY
My favorite kayaking spot in the Fall (see Fall blog below), I chose to revisit in the Spring bringing a dear friend who I knew would appreciate all it had to offer.
Our first decision was where to launch. As two strong petite woman, could we really launch a tandem kayak taken from the top of an SUV and carry in down a long uneven dirt road to the water? We decided to give it a shot as starting from here I find to have a more grand entrance for the journey! This is the very end of Lovers Leap Road. Use 100 Lovers leap rd, New Milford in GPS.
Taking someone through the gorge to the Lovers Leap bridge for the first time always leaves them in awe.
After the bridge we make a left under additional bridges – ultimately four – to finally arrive at the waterfall in the natural aviary section of the ride.
This is definitely a great and easy kayak ride. Below are pictures and route details when I did it in the Fall. It’s wonderful in every season.
Part of what I enjoy about road biking is having various destinations along the way to enjoy. I found just that when mapping out a route along the New Milford Barn Quilt trail.
Basically, different farm owners sign up to allow their home and their “barn quilt” to be part of a route to have them on display.
I very much enjoyed the ride of rolling hills throughout New Milford to capture some of these.
Fair warning however that some of the hills were quite steep both up and down so we did walk in a few spots. You could also navigate using the main route 202 but that’s quite a busy road with a narrow shoulder.
We started our route with a wonderful bite at White Horse Country Pub and a stop at the New Preston Falls. Here’s a link to the blog about the restaurant.
https://btographytravels.com/2021/06/13/ct-litchfield-county-new-preston-white-horse-tavern/
From there we road a little over a mile to the town of New Preston and saw the New Preston Falls.
We then traveled to Upland road where there are several barn quilts on display – 93, 55 and 44 Upland road respectively. We we were fortunate enough to see goats and bulls and even bumped into a practice session for an evening concert and Hunt Hill Farm (where I learned they also offer cooking lessons!).
We then continued to Wheaton road to find more! As we had afternoon plans elsewhere, from there we returned to White Horse but there are many more to be seen!
Here’s the link to the New Milford Barn Quilt route we used to create our journey with other destinations.
Barn Quilt Trail
Pivot and Pause in New England